Ohio PIRG: Harbors Smoking Enviromentalist?

To the Editors:

I thought I would share with you a particularly remarkable moment I had this week. During OPIRG’s massive petition campaign this week I walked past one member of the organization who had a petition in one hand and a cigarette in
the other. While smoking is one of the stupidest habits to begin with, there is a blaring hypocrisy in working for an environmental organization that works for economic justice, and smoking.
Making institutional changes is important and I appreciate what OPIRG has tried to do for the student body. However, it is hard to take an organization seriously when its members do not abide by its morals. By smoking, this representative of OPIRG was not only harming his/her own lungs but was also polluting my air the organization is trying so desperately to salvage.
Beyond the environmental damage, I cannot think of a larger, more immoral corporation than that which several OPIRG members and numerous political activists at Oberlin support each time they purchase a pack of Marlboros. The other issue I have with OPIRG is the excessive amount of paper they have used in this campaign.

Although one member of OPIRG informed me that the paper used was all recycled paper, it is still an immense waste of resources. indulging in these over the top paper campaigns is destructive to the environment regardless if the paper is recycled or not. I am sure OPIRG could have gotten its message across with its intense tabling, ads in the school newspapers and maybe a few large posters in a highly visible area.
My main point is that this campaign embodies what irritates me most about activism. It is fun and exciting (and important) to protest, pressure corporations and institutions, be a member of an organization, etc. It is less fun to quit smoking, use resources cautiously and work hard to live a life of less destruction. However, too often the latter is pushed aside.

I challenge every member of OPIRG that smokes to stop polluting my lungs and quit smoking. I also ask that OPIRG consider campaigning in a less paper intensive manner. Live by the morals you want us to pay you to implement.

–Sally Abrahamson
College senior