Anyone with eyes who has strolled around campus lately no doubt has noticed the massive advertising campaign that was GM Week. A long-standing RPI tradition, GM Week is a time of good parties, free food, and lots of propaganda.
The unfortunate side to this otherwise entertaining week of events is the material of choice for printing propaganda. Paper. Lots and lots of paper. Everywhere I looked, I saw trees taped to windows, pillars, buildings, trashcans, and occasionally other trees as well. Naturally, I understand the need to advertise when running for a political office (such as hat rack), but I fail to see the need to waste so much paper in doing it.
The simple fact is that there are many ways to advertise; candidates these days are just not creative enough. Chalking, tastefully done (and washable), is easily removed and easily viewable, for instance. Furthermore, the VCC generates enough header paper in a couple of days for all of GM week combined. WRPI interviews are relatively easy to get and are more environmentally friendly than the alternatives. I could go on and on but you get the idea. I personally did not vote this year because I did not see any candidates doing any truly creative advertising (though I do love the inflatable orca).
I seriously think that next year, when GM week rolls around, the Union and concerned political parties should give a serious look at using other means of advertising besides virgin printed posters. At the very least, the Union could require all advertising to be done on previously used or recycled paper. It’s free and easy to get and the quality is completely unaffected (for those high-quality applications such as taping a hundred posters to the wind tunnel floor).
In short, waste is disgusting. People waste massive amounts of paper on something that, 20 years from now, will be completely meaningless. It is time to grow up and act responsibly. As long as candidates cannot act responsibly towards the planet, I fail to see how they can be expected to act responsibly to represent me.
Editor’s note: The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of The Polytechnic, its staff, or the Rensselaer Union.
