WSU Student Puts His Actions Where His Heart Is

April 18, 2008

Tim Pile

WSU Student Puts His Actions Where His Heart Is

"Think globally, act locally," is what Rich Reed says his motto in life is. He wants everyone, himself included, to get out of their mind that they can not do anything to help the environment. Reed, president of the Wichita State Green Group, wants everyone to do their part in fixing things locally to try to affect the rest of the world.

Rich Reed took interest in environmental issues in high school when on the debate team in 1992. He was given a topic on nuclear power and had to do research for the debate. "I had evidence that a can of beer had more radiation then an equal amount of glassified nuclear waste," Reed said. "But as a debater I had to be knowledgeable about a long list of green related topics beyond my specialization to debate effectively."

That study sparked green in Reed's mind that something needed to be done to change some of the environmental issues here in the world. Reed started doing as much as he could to try and help. He began recycling himself and encouraging everyone he could to start.

Reed's passion for environmental issues just kept escalating and growing stronger. Now at WSU, he has received an Associate of Arts in Accounting, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Corporate Communication, and his Master's in Public Administration.

With a special interest in nonprofit management and municipal solid waste, he plans on taking his passion to the next level of working with companies and local government to reach as many people as possible with his favorite slogan, "think globally, act locally."

Reed has narrowed his passion for environmental issues down to waste management. Recycling has now become his core passion for trying to make a difference. As the President of the WSU Green Group, he has lowered the amount of trash on campus significantly since taking office in June.

WSU was changed because of one person taking their passion and putting it into action and not just talking about it. Reed has set up Adopt A Campus, where different groups and organizations have adopted certain areas of campus to pick up trash and help keep clean.

Reed took a passion he got in high school and is now acting upon it and making a difference in his world. As a student at WSU he is making all the changes to the campus as possible. He is doing his part and in that trying to get everyone else to do their part in cleaning up our campus, our city, our state, and our globe.

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