Humans of the University

Unless one is majoring in something interrelated with the environment, waste management and the environmental concerns that it raises are probably not something at the forefront of many undergraduate students’ minds. However, there comes a time where a university student must look around and see the world the way it is – for Ateneans, it’s walking out of school and into Katipunan.
With so many universities taking proper waste management very seriously and being pioneers of green initiatives, the campuses we spend hours in are very environment-friendly, which makes it understandable that we don’t give waste much thought during the day. Out of sight, out of mind, after all. However, stepping out of campus, you can see very clearly that our surroundings are not as clean as we expect. Sadly, much of the population today have grown desensitized to this issue – most people tend to see it as something that’s merely unsightly, and don’t think of the other problems that improper waste management might cause. However, as always, there are exceptions – and they’ve been found.

Humans of the University is a division of The Petrichor Project, a venture by five communication students from Ateneo for their Environmental Science class. The photo series collates photos of various students from different universities and courses, as well as teaching staff, and gathers each one’s take on the issue of improper waste management and opinion on the state of the environment today.

The project aims to raise awareness of just how big an issue waste can be and hopes to send a message that today’s youth know of and have a desire to change the way we dispose of waste and take care of the environment. Much of the reluctance to step up and do something about the environment comes from the fact that most movements to do so are usually met with indifference and apathy. This project shows that there are people who wish to make a difference about the current state of the environment, and it does not matter who you are or where you’re from.

Universities are often seen as rivals, in academic excellence as well as athletic. However, removing the titles of the schools we attend, we are all the same – human beings, living in a world that is rapidly looking less and less like home. The photo series transcends any boundaries and all prejudice and looks directly into the person whose photo and thoughts are captured. Whether blue-blooded or green-minded, we are all interrelated. We all have the same home despite playing on different sides of the court, and it’s our job to keep the world the way Mother Nature intended for it to be.

"I will you protect you in every way for future generations. I promise to heal you for we have destroyed you. It is our time to make a change and let you stand up again. We still have time before we regret it even more."

"I wasted my chance to tell her. But I will not waste any more of my time if I know that I can do something about it. If I know that I can work for what is right and what is just, then I will take the risk and do it."

Sorry po. Mother Earth is degrading, and it hurts that all we can tell her is sorry. We should do our best to make a difference - and small differences are not enough anymore. Mother Earth, I am sorry, and I am here for you.

"I wish I did not waste my time. I had a lot of time before this moment, and I wish I could have used it to be of better contribution and of help to the world around me. We do not have a lot of time, and I wish that people will start realizing that until it is too late. There is just so much that people can squeeze into their time."

"I wish that I did not waste the opportunities that I have gotten to improve not only myself, but the rest of my community. I have been so focused on excelling and using my time to develop my capabilities for my own interests that I have neglected the fact that there are those who need my help more. These opportunities would have been an avenue to help my fellow citizens improve their ways, their standing, and their situation in life by developing their potential. I vow, that the next opportunity I will get, shall not pass. It is time that I forgot about wasting what I could have spent productively."

"Food. Because there are a lot of people in need of it, and food should not belong in the waste. It should belong to people who need it for survival. It is one’s necessity to eat, and we should not waste our resource for such a necessity. It is our responsibility to be stewards of both our bodies and the environment, and this is simply done by maximizing what we have and taking care of what we have been blessed with."

"My time. Because we can’t bring back time. We should never waste it. We should always make the most out of now because most people take it for granted. They use it for the internet and other things that are less important. Maybe, we should learn how to balance it out and improve on management of time. Because, you cannot take back whatever has been wasted."