I was disappointed when I found little more than a photo caption written on last Thursday’s Sustainability Teach-In. An event graciously put on by the administration to present the findings of the Environmental Sustainability Baseline Audit (ESBA), it required great effort and resources, while also showing to students President Higdon and others’ commitment to sustainability at Conn. The Teach-in was a great kick off to a more coordinated effort to move towards sustainability at Conn while increasing our competitiveness, fostering greater sense of community and putting tuition dollars to more efficient use.
If one had not attended the events that Thursday, they could assume that this was merely a small meet-and-greet not unlike the ones President Higdon normally puts on. This was however, the start of something much greater, and as student journalists The Voice must be held to its responsibility to communicate important campus issues to students. During the second working group a few of my peers and I heard President Higdon walk into Ernst and whisper “wow” as he stood to observe three groups of students, faculty and staff brainstorm ideas about the future of this institution.
If any College Voice writer had bothered to give interviews with the president, physical plant staff and the scores of students, they would have heard about the many opportunities to move towards sustainability in the short and long term.
The Teach-in was also not just some typical meeting of green people preaching to the choir. Rather, the focus was on how to get a “broad buy-in” from those not particularly interested in environmental sustainability, those that are still passionate about other issues with which environmental sustainability intersects. How can we reduce automobile emissions while also creating a stronger sense of community? How do we integrate sustainability across the curriculum? How do we become stronger stakeholders for sustainability in New London and Southeast CT? How do we connect to the growing number of local and sustainable farmers to bring tastier and healthier food to the dining halls? How can we leverage our achievements towards sustainability to increase our reputation among liberal arts colleges? These and other questions were posed at the Teach-in and have and will continue to be thought about in the coming months as we collectively create a sustainability plan for the college. The College Voice is the perfect forum to dissect these issues.
A crucial opportunity was missed in the February 16 issue. I encourage all students, faculty and staff to continue to engage in discussions on our sustainable future and put the College Voice on notice for failing to perform the most essential of duties, engaging the public in talking about critical issues.
