1. Green juice and smoothie bars at DU: Many college students do not get the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables in their diet. Fresh juices and smoothies are a fun and easy way to get these necessary foods and nutrients, and they can be taken anywhere - no more sitting and eating huge plates of fruits and veggies when you have them all there in a convenient to-go cup. We currently have a smoothie bar on Driscoll Green, but it only serves fruit smoothies. I propose that we have an option for vegetables, such as spinach and kale, in order to help students hit their daily vegetable quota. Green juice and smoothie bars could also be implemented in Centennial and Nelson dining halls, and use of them would be included with standard entry to the dining halls (a meal swipe). The one on Driscoll Green could be expanded to include vegetables as well as begin accepting meal swipes and credit cards. Pricing would be competitive with places near campus such as Jamba Juice and Emerald City Smoothie, and ingredients would consist of fresh-pressed or freshly blended fruits and vegetables sweetened with honey or agave nectar. Return on investment would be high, seeing as many dining locations already have the equipment needed to create these juice and smoothie bars, making start-up costs low. The benefit to the standard of living as well as the overall DU population would be great, as increased nutrients as well as fruit and vegetable intake can benefit everyone. This idea would likely spread to other college campuses, which would benefit greater amounts of people over time.
2. Solar powered E-book reader: E-book readers are becoming more and more popular, especially in the United States. These devices require charging; the more a person uses the product, the more it must be charged, which in turn wears down overall battery life over time. This is a very cost effective idea, as it would reduce overall use of electricity, as well as environmental costs, should it become widely adapted and used by many. It would be especially useful during the summer months, when many sit outside by the pool or on the lawn with their E-readers. They would no longer have to go inside to charge their E-reader for a few hours, as it would continuously be doing this while outside or near a sunlit window. As solar-powered technology is gradually becoming less expensive and more desired by the public, the return on investment would be high. Solar-powered E-readers would be far more convenient for users of this type of technology, and they would greatly reduce the overall impact on the environment, making them beneficial for individual standard of living as well as the world as a whole.
3. LED lighting: The impact of traditional lighting, on both the environment and our wallets, has been realized in recent years. A new kind of lighting, LED lighting, has been around since the 1970s, but it has never been more important for us to fully realize the benefits of this technology. Overall, they use less energy and result in less fossil fuel emissions, which are huge benefits to individual standards of living as well as society and the world. While they are more expensive for the consumer to purchase up front, they end up saving us tremendous amounts on our electric bills over time, making them hugely cost-effective. The return on investment will be high, as people will realize that LED lighting is more natural-looking and of higher quality, as well as a money-saving endeavor, motivating them to invest in this powerful and eco-friendly technology.
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