Co-written by Sam Maidenberg and the CC Climate Collective
In early December 2019, Katie Warren ‘22, and Avatar Simpson ‘20 drafted a petition to gain support for the incorporation of sustainable practices into the upcoming renovation of Palmer Auditorium. Despite garnering the support of over 1,000 individuals, the college’s administration did not acknowledge the importance of incorporating net-zero carbon emission building practices into the renovation of Palmer Auditorium.
A faculty member who prefers to remain anonymous stated, “Without making a commitment to net-zero building now, there is no way we will ever reach the reduction goals set by the College. Spending $20 million gives us a significant opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability. Just because we say we were sustainable in the past doesn’t make us so in the future.”
In response to the administration’s continued lack of interest, Jonathan Monderer ‘20 spearheaded a protest to “pressure the administration to do more while having the students’ voices heard.” On Wednesday, Feb. 26, students marched across campus to voice their displeasure with the current administration’s lack of emphasis on sustainability. The petition and the protest called for the College to go beyond the lackluster sustainable aspects currently incorporated into the Palmer plans and make the building net-zero by the end of renovation.
The Palmer protest was the first event held by the CC Climate Collective, a new student-led club that focuses on climate activism and sustainability on campus. The CC Climate Collective, founded by Avatar Simpson ‘20 and Grace Neale ‘21, hopes to get more students involved with sustainable projects on campus. Additionally, the club aims to amplify students’ voices in all future decision-making at Conn, including with the Palmer Auditorium renovation plans. The Collective was started to supplement the efforts of the Office of Sustainability, and to provide more opportunities for students to voice their concerns about the College’s commitment to its own sustainability goals. While CC’s mission statement says that the College “strives to be a leader in sustainability among campuses worldwide”, the school does not show that they are living up to this, especially as they are rushing the construction of Palmer and greenwashing students to make it seem like sustainability is a major initiative.
The CC Climate Collective also expressed that the recent email about Palmer renovation efforts from Rich Madonna, Vice President for Finance and Administration, was a way of deterring students from attending the protest by emphasizing sustainable aspects that are, in reality, minimalistic and primarily required by building codes and regulations. In the days leading up to the protest, Jonathan Monderer ‘20 led an outreach effort to promote the event by hanging flyers, creating an Instagram page (@CCclimatecollective), and posting a Facebook event.
The CC Climate Collective’s protest has three overarching goals. The first goal is to pressure the administration into making the Palmer Auditorium renovation plans publicly accessible. Contrary to popular belief, the construction plans have not yet been finalized, so it is still possible to make significant changes.
The second goal is to postpone construction until ample time is provided to assess the feasibility of incorporating more sustainable aspects that will help transform Palmer into a net-zero auditorium. The Collective has been in contact with a sustainable design firm that expressed interest in reviewing the plans and outlining strategies to achieve net-zero.
The third goal is to pressure the administration to sign a legally binding pledge to make Palmer, as well as all future construction projects at Conn, net-zero. According to Greg Bailey, an art professor at the College, “net-zero is the minimum moral building standard in a post-Oct. 2018 IPCC world. Connecticut College is charged by its very own Mission Statement to live up to this standard.” Building a net-zero Palmer is not out of grasp— many of our NESCAC peers, including Middlebury College and Colby College, have already achieved net-zero emissions for their entire campuses. Therefore, if Connecticut College truly strives to be a leader in sustainability, they cannot settle for anything less than a net-zero Palmer.
Close to 100 students gathered in front of Palmer to express their concerns on Wednesday, with many bearing protest signs made from salvaged materials. Students from all class years at the College started the protest by speaking on behalf of the CC Climate Collective and outlining their goals. The protest continued as the students marched through the second floor of Fanning Hall, chanting and calling for change in front of the offices of the College’s President and Deans. Marching down the main walk, in front of Shain Library towards Crozier Williams, the students then occupied the second floor of the student center and continued to voice their discontent. The Palmer protest sent a very powerful statement to the administration. Now is the time to build off of these powerful statements and affect real change.
The most important thing we can do to maintain the momentum generated by the protest is to continue pressuring the College to take our concerns seriously. The administration is keeping quiet and waiting for this to go away. However, the Palmer Protest is just the first of many future student-led sustainable initiatives promoted by the CC Climate Collective. When Dean Arcelus and Dean Norbert unveiled the plans for upcoming renovations to Crozier Williams during the SGA meeting a week prior to the protest, there was no mention of sustainability. Students quickly voiced their concerns that failing to incorporate sustainability in the construction process would be extremely problematic, leading to another situation similar to that of Palmer. The Deans stated that sustainability would be included in the next stage, but why can’t the College incorporate sustainability into the original designs? If the administration continues to neglect sustainability, it is up to the students to convince them of the importance of environmentally-conscious construction.
For future updates regarding climate activism on campus, make sure to follow @CCclimatecollective on Instagram. Also, if you would like to help lead future initiatives and get more involved, please reach out to Avatar Simpson at asimpso2@conncoll.edu. •
Photos courtesy of Katie Warren
