Last week, in the middle of April, western Kansas saw blizzard-like conditions, and Washburn students had to bear freezing conditions when we have already broken out our capris and sandals for the spring. Trust us, when you break those out, there is no going back.

These weird weather conditions always make people question the reality of global warming, but an event on campus Saturday, Step It Up 2007, highlighted the realities of this theory and showcased exactly what it would cause.

Some global warming effects are natural. Millions of years ago, before there were such things as greenhouse emissions, Kansas was actually filled with glaciers. Obviously natural effects formed what we are today – but not all of it. Throughout the last century, our emissions from industrial plants, cars and our homes have given off harmful chemicals to warm the Earth, which throws off the balance we have for plants to grow and for us to live.

Step It Up 2007 showcased important elements for us in an effort to try and get the problem under control. Hybrid cars were showcased, and they probably are some of the best ways to reduce the carbon dioxide given off by cars. But is buying a hybrid car a reality for a college student? Obviously not.

There are still many ways we can help control the problem though. Walk to school. For some students, we drive and then walk farther on campus then we would if we just walked from our apartment to our class. That’s not only idiotic, it’s bad for the environment too.

Keep cars tuned up and tires aired. As college students, it’s hard to pay for that, but in the long run, your car will last longer, and help give out less carbon dioxide.

There are also ways in the home – change light bulbs often and turn off the lights when people aren’t in the room.

Above all though, education is key to solving this. Being more in tune with what we’re doing and how it effects the environment will help us have a greater appreciation for our environment.

Step It Up 2007 also showed the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” that was written by Al Gore. (Insert your own Al Gore joke here). It’s been hailed by lawmakers as a movie that has brought light to the issue of global warming, but has also been criticized by scientists, saying it’s overdramatized.

Exaggeration or no exaggeration, politics or no politics, it doesn’t hurt anyone to do their part to help out the environment a little.