It may still only be the middle of the semester, but all of us on the Connecticut College campus have already received a report card. No, unfortunately it does not mean that the semester has been called off early and we can stop studying; in fact, this particular report card has no correlation to our academic efforts at all. It is a “Green Report Card”, the product of an annual evaluation conducted by the Sustainable Endowments Institute of various college campuses’ sustainable activities and initiatives. Although it won’t be showing up on our transcripts or affecting our GPA’s, we should still pay close attention to the grades we received.
The College Sustainability Report Card gives participating schools a grade in each of nine categories: Administration, Climate Change & Energy, Food and Recycling, Green Building, Student Involvement, Transportation, Endowment Transparency, Investment Priorities, and Shareholder Engagement. Each category is weighted equally, and the overall score is determined by taking the average of the nine categories.
Connecticut College has been included in the evaluation for the past three years, and has shown steady improvement with each new report. This year, Connecticut College received a B+, reflecting major strides since 2008-2009’s C, and even last year’s B.
Several changes contributed to the improved grades. The installation of water-efficient fixtures, like those nifty “up for #1, down for #2” toilets, has significantly reduced water usage per person. New, porous pavement manages runoff and reduces pollution to groundwater. Starting next year, freshmen will no longer be permitted to bring their cars to campus.
Conn’s improvements are reflective of a general trend among colleges and universities around the country starting to take issues of sustainability very seriously. While it is great to see these changes implemented, there is still a long road ahead of us. The report highlights some of the areas the school needs to improve.
Ian Phillips ’11, SGA’s Chair of Environmental Affairs, argues that we have the potential to realize major changes in the Food & Recycling category. The school has already gotten the ball rolling by making the dining halls trayless, buying fruit and vegetables from local sources, and using cage-free eggs. Conn currently composts about 24% of postconsumer food scraps, but that number should rise. Phillips says the next steps are “meat reduction and sustainable seafood sourcing” which would be “unpopular changes and not in line with Dining Services usually conciliatory approach to students,” but are nonetheless essential actions.
Although Student Involvement received an A, thanks to the efforts of groups such as Spokespeople, Sprout, Renewable Energy Club, and the House Environmental Reps, environmentally-conscious students find that this represents a minority of the overall student body. Phillips says it is a small group of dedicated students that work together to run all of the sustainability clubs, attend meetings, and work with the college to affect policy changes. Lily Fayerweather ’13, an Environmental Studies major and House Environmental Rep, agrees, and would like to see opportunities to get more students thinking about environmental issues, saying “there is unfortunately no factor requiring those students that are not involved to improve their knowledge of sustainability.”
The College Sustainability Report acknowledges that Connecticut College is beginning to take some necessary steps to move towards a more sustainable future. Without downplaying the positive nature of these improvements, it is important to recognize that there is still a significant amount of work left to be done. As students, it is our responsibility to get involved, and to keep the forward momentum that has built up over the past few years going. •
Typo in the title?