[ESG Feature] Eco-friendly Activities of Sookmyung Students on June, the Environment Month
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- Writer 커뮤니케이션팀
- 보도일자 2023-06-29
Jun. 5 is World Environment Day. It was first named by the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972 to address global environmental issues. Hence, the world designated June as the “environment month,” expanding the movement to encourage activities to protect the environment. Joining the celebration, Sookmyung Women’s University has held a “Sookmyung Tumbler Campaign” with the school community. Let’s peek into how our fellow students have participated in the campaign, aiming to go make the campus disposable-free.
Tumbler use campaign with students
Sookmyung Women’s University has hosted the campaign promoting the use of tumblers from Mon, Jun. 5, to Fri, Jun. 9. During the event, students were to use tumblers instead of disposable cups for five days and upload the picture as proof on their Instagram accounts. A total of 26 students participated and received reusable tote bags. Ha Ji-yoon (Family & Resource Management), a participant of the campaign, shared her experience saying, “I have been thinking about environmental actions as the term ESG is getting more and more attention. Then I came across the news that the school is hosting such a campaign. Even after the campaign, I have been trying to cut on the use of disposables, carrying my tumbler.”
Sookmyung Tumbler Campaign
Lee Chae-eun (School of Communication & Media) answered, “I realized that a tumbler is not so much of a burden to carry around through this campaign. I can keep my drink cool for a long time too.” She added, “I hope we can keep working on reducing the use of disposables on campus.” Statistics by the Ministry of Environment discovered that the amount of plastic waste on daily average from the first half of 2020, which was the year the COVID-19 broke out, is estimated at 848 tons, which indicates a 15.6% increase compared to pre-COVID-19, and a total of 703,327 tons were collected in 2022. Plastics, one of the primary materials consisting disposables, generate greenhouse gases and generates a tremendous amount of expense in the process of production and discard. As small as a 10% reduction in plastic use can save as much as KRW 130 million a year in waste disposal and prevent damage from endocrine-disruptors. We must actively take action and pay great attention to respond to climate change.
To achieve zero waste on campus, Sookmyung Women’s University has been working on reducing the use of plastics and encouraging recycling since 2022. It has been taking action in implementing ESG in earnest since 2023. The measures taken during the first half of this year include: Sookmyung Earth Hour Campaign; collection box installation for waste masks and used phones; start-up education in ESG; and research on carbon reduction. The university is also slated to host various environmental campaigns centered on student participation like ESG practice idea contest in the second semester.