College Beat, U.C. Irvine

on his foray into the UC Irvine campus to chat about student perceptions of conservation.

I started in Aldrich Park in the center of campus thinking I would find plenty of tree-huggers to interview. It was surprising to see only a few students spending their lunch hour basking in the warmth of the mid-day sun or staying cool under the shade of one of the many different species of trees. Maggie, 21, a dance / classics double major, was one of the only people sitting on the grass enjoying the tranquil setting. A liberal from San Diego, she felt a little out of place in conservative Orange County. 'I think people care about the environment but I don't think their actions exactly match…are they going to go out of their way to be extra environmentally conscious? Probably, not.' When asked about what she thought about corporations 'going green' she replied, 'I feel like they want to save energy to save money. But it's not so much ‘let's save the earth' it's like…being environmentally friendly is a fad.'

Thomas, 22, a computer science major from France, felt Americans use technology to reduce costs of things like the green car so they can In honor of Earth Day, we are inaugurating a new series, College Beat: eco-journalism for college students and recent college grads by college students and recent college grads. In our first installment, join aspiring writer Brent Pellicano and recent UC San Diego grad Brett Pellicano on his foray into the UC Irvine campus to chat about student perceptions of conservation. continue to consume. But in France the attitude is more like, 'Let's use my car less instead of using my car as much as before but with less energy…[So,] change yourself [rather] than the technology.'

After spending some time in the park, I thought I should interview freshman business majors to see if they were concerned about the future of the Green movement in a now corporate world. John, 18, a business major, commented 'the few floor meetings we have with the Resident Advisor are never centered on the subject of energy conservation in the dorms.' And other than learning about the importance of recycling in grade school, there's little to no talk amongst the students about ways they can contribute to the cause.

Though none of the six students interviewed knew April 22nd was Earth Day or had any plans to commemorate it. James, 26, a humanities major, thought Earth Day 'is a good reminder, but every day should be a reminder