At Our Finger Tips

Just five years ago Elon, North Carolina was made up of two things: beautiful, open pastures, and our beloved Elon University. Since then Elon has become a bustling small town filled with Stepford subdivisions, and is equipped with its own array of “Simm City” strip malls.

Before when students arrived at school for the first time they were greeted by quintessential rural America, open land, trees, peace and quiet. When I arrived at Elon for the first time last year, I was greeted by a multitude of bustling traffic lights, box stores, and chain food restaurants. It was perfect. I didn’t want to go to college in the middle of no where, so having a target and plenty of food only a five minute drive from campus was more than I could’ve asked for.

            This is the way that most college students think. Having the convenience of Target and Olive Garden close to campus makes Elon University an even more appealing choice for a lot of prospective students. However, what none of us realize is that this is an appeal that has only existed for half a decade. Ten years ago when students came to Elon it was purely for the school itself, and possibly its beautiful rural setting. What we also forget to take into account is the environmental destruction that took place in order for us to have our convenient Starbucks drive through.

            I took some time to go on Google earth and look at a timeline of the area surrounding our campus. Target, Starbucks, Olive Garden, and the surrounding retail stores didn’t exist until 2005. Not only did the construction of these buildings have a negative effect on the environment but in addition to that the traffic that these stores attract to the area brings in pollution from more vehicles from before as well.            

            Another problem that arises with these types of corporations is the aspect of competition. Where there is one, there are many. As soon as Target builds, Wal-Mart is close behind; the same goes for restaurants like Olive Garden. When one finds prime open real estate, similar corporations buy it out in a flash.

            Having everything at our fingertips is part of our society, it’s not thought to be absurd or greedy, it has just become the norm. We expect to get what we want right away; running out of toothpaste is no problem. However, like Fiona said, it is a societal mindset that has to change, the question is, where do we begin?

Have a happy Easter!

-Steffi