Aoife Whitaker

Advocating for green vehicles in Knoxville, but particularly on UT's campus, is important both because of the amount of vehicles used by the university as well as the example it sets for students and residents of Knoxville. The switch to green vehicles connects to my values and desire to see more sustainability in my community because using green vehicles lessens the amount of GHG emissions released into the air and can shrink cities' overall pollution. Educating both students and UT employees on UT decisions concerning vehicles is the best way to be successful in advocating for a switch to more green vehicles. 

People in richer countries tend to eat more meat because of accessibility. More people are able to afford meat and therefor "richer" countries' food economies developed around the concept of meat as a meal staple. Though consumer cost of meat is higher than that of fruit and vegetables, it still does not reflect the actual environmental, economic and health costs of sourcing and consuming meat. Meat production and animal agriculture are detrimental to the environment, they use significant amounts of water, land area, and require substantial amounts of grain for little meat production. High amounts of meat consumption have also been shown to have negative health impacts, from increased risk of cancer and heart disease to weight gain.