Our next Green Profile is CUA Junior Matt Fulton. This past year Matt served as the Chairman of the D.C. Federation of College Democrats. This organization is the governing body of the D.C. chapters of the College Democrats (including the local chapter here at CUA)and has several hundred members.
Ryan: How important were environmental issues, specifically fighting
climate change and promoting sustainability, to your tenure as DC Fed
Chair?
Matt: Environmental issues and climate change were never high on the agenda during my time as Fed chair. This wasn't because I, or the Federation weren't interested in the issue, it was simply because there were bigger things on the radar like the midterms or organizational issues, etc. That being said, I think this year advocacy will take the front seat and I see no reason why an issue as important as the environment shouldn't be a major focus.
Ryan: What role do you see college students playing in the fight against
climate change?
Matt: I think college students are uniquely suited to provided positive examples of sustainability in the fight against climate change. As young people who are just making their place in the world, I think we can best serve the environment by setting an example for others to follow and being as friendly to our habitat as possible. Whether that be by taking public transport, recycling, etc depends on one's lifestyle but it should start there.
Ryan: What steps could DC college students take to make our campuses more green?
Matt: Last year there a push by the Green Club here at CUA to get solar panels installed on the roofs of some major buildings on campus like Opus. In seeking to first make a change at their own schools, college students should lobby the administration to make campus more eco-friendly if that means installing renewable energy sources or making changes in the dining hall. It starts there.
Ryan: What advice would you give to college students on both sides of the
aisle interested in getting more involved in environmental advocacy?
Matt: While there are admittedly some groups that advocate for the environment which are mostly partisan like Green Peace, some are actually quite non-bias. For many years my Congressman in NJ-3 was Jim Saxton, a Republican, who was top rated by the Sierra Club. That's an example that environmental protection is not a partisan issue. I think students could get involved with groups such as that or simply start by doing what I said earlier...living greener themselves.
-Ryan
