It’s not easy being green, environmentally speaking. NIU has taken notice of that.

During the summer, the university continued its ongoing campaign of making campus more environmentally friendly. To the benefit of staff and students alike, motion sensor lights, insulated doors, low-flow toilets and other upgrades were made. With the demand for eco-friendly products skyrocketing, it is also the need for schools to go green.

David Goldblum, associate geography professor and climate change expert, said NIU’s current efforts have gone a long way in improving the climate of the university. The efforts, he mentioned, are all important steps in securing a bright future.

“I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of green technology, industry and thinking in the near future,” Goldblum said. “The world must move towards more environmentally sustainable ways of doing things. If NIU moved in that direction, the curriculum would certainly begin to follow, and our students would leave here with a very strong background in this area.”

Goldblum said that a bright future revolves around cost-effective changes made by a university with a cost-effective mindset. Improvements need to be made when and where possible, but budget needs to be taken into account, as well.

“Certainly, more can be done, but the costs begin to increase and the payback time becomes much longer — so of course those require a greater commitment from the university community,” Goldblum said. “In my opinion, the low-hanging fruit has been picked and now it is time to set our sights a bit higher.”

A complete environmental overhaul is a tremendous undertaking, one which requires the cooperation of both the university as well as its students.

Senior English major Nicole Perez is for the ecological changes. She often finds herself encouraging her friends and co-workers to recycle, and to do what they can to pitch in. The most effective way of getting involved is through being well-informed. Effectively promoting the latest trends will help get students involved, she said.

Although Perez is happy with the efforts being made, she would like to see the university take a more proactive approach in promoting green behavior.

“It would push students to be more aware of the environment if going green was something NIU talked about. There’s not enough awareness on campus. There really isn’t,” Perez said.

Senior art major Ashley Neuhaus said she has noticed her group of friends becoming more active and involved with the energy-saving efforts. She has also noticed that campuses which are eco-friendly are becoming a major tipping point for perspective students.

“If this campus was more environmentally-friendly, I don’t think it would deter people from coming here,” Neuhaus said. “It would only be a positive improvement for the area. If someone was looking for an environmentally-friendly campus, they’d have one here.”