The University of Oklahoma’s Student Government Association is working during the spring 2017 semester to contribute to OU’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2020.

The SGA and its sustainability committee are collaborating to make OU’s recycling bins more visible compared to trash cans. Sustainability Committee Chair Madison James said the organization plans to make fliers and put them near indoor and outdoor recycling bins.

“These fliers will tell students that you can recycle all of these things,” James said. “The more things we’re able to reuse, and the less things we’re producing will help reduce carbon emission.”

She added that another idea the organization has to help work toward carbon neutrality is a competition for the dorms, in which students compete to use certain utilities less.

“Students a lot of times their first year don’t really think about their water usage or their electricity usage,” James said.

Secretary of the sustainability committee Dustin Gier said SGA wants to lead by example and hopes to reach a broader audience through its position as a prominent leadership organization on campus.

“As leaders of the community it’s important to set an example and say this is an important thing in the world as a whole, so definitely our microcosm of OU should focus on it as well,” Gier said.