Sustainability Common Hour a Success: Students Brainstorm New Sustainable Initiatives

By Kevin Lugo

Gettysburg College has been pursuing a path of sustainability since its first serious energy conservation efforts began in the 1980s.  Water use is down 36.4% since 1996, even though the college has an expanded student body and new buildings.  By 2006, fossil fuels accounted for only 53% of the college’s overall energy consumption.  In 2007, this trend continued when President Wills signed the President’s Climate Commitment, thereby obligating Gettysburg College to obtain the lofty goal of carbon neutrality.  To reach this goal Gettysburg created institutional strategies to track greenhouse gasses, cut energy consumption, and devote a larger portion of energy production to renewable sources.  It also invested in an excellent single stream recycling program as well as a beautiful new LEED-certified athletic center.

Many students here at Gettysburg College are passionate about the environment, and I think I speak on behalf of my peers when I say that we are proud to attend a school devoted to sustainability.  We are thrilled that the college is taking a proactive approach to these issues, going so far as to make goal six of Gettysburg’s engagement strategy to “Establish an environmental sustainability program for the campus, to more fully engage students, faculty, and staff with one of society’s most pressing challenges.”  In addition to institutional polices, student support and involvement are vital to a successful sustainability initiative.   In the past this support has been a somewhat disjointed collection of passionate clubs and groups.  However, Thursday, April 15 marked the beginning of a new era of communication and cooperation between environmentally conscious organizations.

Last Thursday GECO, GRAB, CAB, CPS, Campus Kitchens, Painted Turtle Farm, Farmhouse, Biosphere, College Republicans, and Facilities met for a sustainability-themed common hour to discuss what sustainability meant to each of these groups.  The session consisted of highly entertaining and productive activities related to sustainability such as brainstorming ways to be more sustainable in each group, general sustainability ideas for campus, and my personal favorite, “Club Speed Dating.”  In this activity members from the attending groups formed 2 lines facing each other and were given a minute to brainstorm events which would incorporate both clubs.  It was a hectic and fun filled process that resulted in some truly innovative ideas.  Here are some of the things we came up with during the common hour:

1. “Green” residence display & certified “green” rooms: Gettysburg should create a display of a “green” room presenting possibilities for an energy efficient dorm, especially during days for prospective and accepted students.  We can also create a system certifying “green” rooms to promote sustainable housing.
2. Co-Op café: Why not have a dining place on campus that serves only local foods?  We can support local agriculture and promote sustainability.  Besides, another place to eat can’t hurt (ever been to Bullet during the lunch rush?)
3. Company sponsored events: If the college cannot dedicate time or resources to a project or event, how about a company supporting the initiative?  I’m sure local farms would be interested in hosting the comparison night mentioned below.
4. Comparison night: Have you ever tasted the difference between organic, grass-fed, and local foods versus traditional factory farmed and processed foods?  Probably not, but Farmhouse will assure you it is real. A direct comparison between the two, maybe even hosted at Servo, might educate your taste buds to the advantages of these foods.
5. Dinner & a movie: GECO hosts environmental movie nights with discussions but relatively few people attend.  Farmhouse also seeks more attendees at its potluck dinners.  Why not combine the two for a yummy night of environmental education?
6. Campus Kitchens awareness meals: Do you know what Campus Kitchens does other than work with food?  If you don’t know you should, and a campus dinner event a la “mystery dinners” would definitely alert you to the amazing work Campus Kitchens does.

These are only some examples of the many ideas brainstormed during the common hour.  Other ideas included: painting the outdoor recycling cans an earthly green or a Gettysburg blue (they currently look almost exactly like the trash cans), turning low-traffic computers off during late night hours, campus wide composting, incorporating sustainable practices in academic departments,  requiring re-useable mugs/cups in the Commons/Bullet, painted turtle farm supplying food for grab’s overnight trips, sustainability education events on and off campus, food recovery education (what can Campus Kitchens take?), and more.

In order to further integrate the myriad of sustainable initiatives on campus the aforementioned groups are discussing ways to meet regularly in order to consolidate and organize inter-club activities.  Farmhouse’s soon to be renovated common space may provide a new hub for monthly meetings in the coming academic year.  We also threw around the idea of a “Council of Sustainability,” much like the  Council of Presidents, in which representatives of each club meet on a regular basis to communicate activities and plan joint efforts.

Sustainability is a cause which affects us all whether you are extremely devoted or completely apathetic.   It is a term which we may tire of hearing, but are no closer to forgetting than words like oil and energy.  Gettysburg College has devoted itself to pursuing sustainability and we can expect it to become an even more integral part of the campus in the coming years.  The fusion of student and institutional efforts is vital to progress towards a future of sustainability.  Each and every member of this community can contribute by being more conscious of his or her environmental impact and by finding ways to be more sustainable in his or her daily life.  Will you support your college, your peers, and your world in the quest for a sustainable future?  And to the administration we ask, where does Gettysburg stand on sustainability in the coming year?  Two years?  Five?