A Tight Economy Brings New Value to the Environment

One of the many green spaces that can be found on the campus of Millsaps College in Jackson and thousands of other areas across Mississippi.

Saving energy, and protecting the environment go hand in hand, especially during these tough economic times. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports how some are achieving both.

Preserving the natural environment is a goal for Millsaps College, Earth Club President, Laura Howe.

“I don’t think that we were put on this earth to just throw it away and take advantage of what we have. And it’s a beautiful place and we need to take care of the things that we have because this is a gift.”

The Earth Club along with other students and faculty have been looking for ways to conserve natural resources and money. Todd Rose, vice president for campus programs says something as simple as eliminating the use of cafeteria trays results in big savings for the school and the environment.

“So you save the water used for those. Also you save the energy that’s used to heat the water. But also we find that people waste less food. If you have a tray that you’re putting stuff on your eye’s may be bigger that your stomach and you may put more food on than you would want to eat. “

Against the backdrop of a giant aquarium filled with fish native to Mississippi, Libby Hartfield Director of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, expresses concern with the growing amount of litter that's flooding the state’s water ways.

“And that’s just the worst possible place to throw it because then you’re not just making an unsightly mess but you may be killing wild life in that stream. We all like to fish or eat fish that someone else has caught and that’s not gonna be possible if we keep polluting our water.”

Mississippi's air may also be cleaner in the future, with help from a $1 point seven million dollar grant to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to support clean diesel projects. For MPB News, I’m Lawayne Childrey.