A new Residence Hall Association initiative aims to offer students yet another opportunity to get involved in sustainable living. The program, Eco Reps, would call for selected students from residence halls on campus to be environmental advocates of sorts among their peers.

According to the proposal for the creation of the position, representatives from each participating hall would work to organize hands-on sustainable initiatives and outdoor projects like a river cleanup. It appears as though the plan is to eventually form a cooperative on campus among all of the Eco Reps. Using a pre-established system like the RHA to further a cause like environmental awareness is wise because the organization is already well-known and it comes with a built-in audience. As a member of RHA, Eco Reps will be held to the same standards as other representatives in the organization, which can’t hurt the initiative as far as credibility is concerned.

More importantly, the position is poised for success because it stems from a well thought out proposal and because of the nature of the residence hall itself. Because of the community environment in campus residence halls, it is unlikely that the Eco Rep initiative will go unnoticed. RHA can use the peer pressure inherent in dorm life in a positive way to help develop and grow this new branch of its services.