After a bit of a Hiatus...

I haven't written here in a while. Many of our projects of the year were concluded, and others didn't seem to offer the allure of interesting things to say in a blog post. I've also been in more of a introspective stretch for the last month, resulting in less activism, but more on that later.

Briefly, movie filming is underway for the funniest thing climate activists have ever seen. No, that's premature. If it comes out the way we have in mind, it will be the funniest thing you've ever seen. Hopefully filming and editing will continue on schedule to be ready to show the incoming freshmen in August.

Speaking of August, much of the activity of TNG and related people has been geared towards setting a good tone. TNG did a survey to see what worked and what didn't work with how we operate. Results were promising, and people want to take on more projects and more responsibility, while keeping the chill, traditional beverage filled meetings. We will get a lot of freshmen - they're going to be blown away by how cool we are. And we'll be doing fun projects right off the bat.

The Bell Book, the resource sent out to all frosh before they come, explains what to bring to school. The incoming dean, our acting sustainability coordinator and other relevant people poured over the book, editing out suggestions to bring fridges, and instead talking about things that you might think you need but really don't.


This month has been introspective. Six weeks ago our beloved friend and fellow climate activists Katie Craig committed suicide after a brief but intense battle with bi-polar. This unexpected tragedy has shaken us all deeply. Katie was deeply committed to saving the world and poured her energy into all sorts of projects to share her passion with the community. For those of us she left behind, it seems clear that she would have wanted us to continue our efforts, and indeed we shall with renewed strength. But through our grief we also gain a deeper understanding for what is really so important about what we do, the friendships and meaning that we generate as peers united in a worthy pursuit. Through this understanding, we cannot get so wrapped up in our work that we lose sight of the beauty in the natural world around us, or so tired that we cease to enjoy ourselves. Katie, you were dear to so many of us and we will carry on in your memory, but most importantly, work hard to remember the incredible person you still are to us.

Partly because of Katie, and partly because of other stresses in school, freshmen advising and student government this spring, I have decided to spend the summer traveling, reading and relaxing. This will take me through New England and possibly eastern Canada. I plan on going to the SSC Sprog training in NH, and possibly spending a little time with them doing Climate Summer, but on the whole, I want to restore the vitality and vision that isn't quite as close to the surface as it could be.

With these thoughts, and thinking of Maine and the beauty of the natural world, I leave you with this painting by Katie. I will update this blog infrequently, but hopefully a few times, before resuming more active posting with the start of the school year.

Survey

If you have ever been to a TNG meeting, or thought about going to a TNG meeting, please take our survey.

In other news, the Guster concert was a lot of fun. We sold lots of hats and some T-shirts, including some for the band. The band was cool, holding a town-hall forum and inviting us onto their bio-diesel bus (only 20% bio, 80% diesel, but who's counting?) and hanging out in the Red Herring afterwards. Mark Orlowski was in fine form, discussing the finer points of environmental activism and leveraging the endowment.

Finally, shooting of the, as yet unnamed, movie is progressing well. I have to dress up like Indiana Jones tomorrow. "Why?" you might ask. Well, you'll have to wait to find out.

Lastly, I have a few job opportunities that I'm supposed to pass on. If you're looking for something to do for the summer, I'll forward them to you.

Eph on PBS

Mark Orlowski explains his work on sustainable endowments in an interview with PBS.

Mark is currently touring the country with Guster. The Campus Consciousnes tour will be stopping in the purple valley this Thursday. Members of the band will be at a town hall forum at 2:30 in Brooks-Rogers before the concert to talk about environmental consciousness and giving out backstage passes for the show.

Two words: dead sexy.

Expanding Membership / stats

A Greener Eph is expanding its authorship. In an effort to make this blog a more comprehensive look at what's going on at Williams, I have invited several students to join. I'm also looking for a couple administrators and faculty who would write for us occasionally. If you are interested, please leave a message or send me an email. Blogging has been a great way for me to get my thoughts together, meet people working on similar projects accross the country and get recognition for great things Williams does.

For an update of readership (not that this is too exciting), hits have been steadily increasing. We average over 20 webviews a day, about %30 of those are returning visitors. You can view Technorati ranking here and webstats4u counter here.

Global Warming Rap

There are a lot of songs, raps, skits and clips about global warming these days. If you've visited the Step it Up website, they have dozens of songs composed for the occasion. A youtube search for Al Gore Rap, global warming music, etc. will turn up lots of hits.

Its great that there are so many, we are, after all, Time Magazine's people of the year because of this content. I want to commend the SSC, Step it Up, Energy Action and so many other groups for promoting this media movement. However, with so much stuff out there, how do we separate the wheat from the chaff? Chill-out was an amazing effort to bring the best efforts to the people, but I'd like to post one here that wasn't entered in the contest.

I saw these two high school students when Al Gore spoke in Great Barrington, MA. An audience member asked Gore how we make this issue cool to the next generation (us). Instead of answering, he nearly gave the event organizers heart attacks and invited these two teenagers up on stage. These two kids stole the show. I asked them about producing their act, (and I've heard through the grapevine that Gore is going to pay them to produce it proffessionally), but I found this copy that finally made it online. The quality's not great, so turn up the volume, but its worth it.



Aaron and Conor keep it up. I'm a fan.

Global Warming: A Hot Topic On A COOL Day

News article on the rally.

I am very disapointed to see a lack of a few key elements.

1. There is no photo of the ribbon up the steeple (even among the ones I didn't copy here), arguably the most inventive part of the rally.

2. Hundreds of postcards were signed to congressmen. The entire rally was designed to reach congress, but that aspect seems to be lost in this article.



By Susan Bush - April 14, 2007

Center for International Environment and Resource Policy At Tufts Director William Moomaw [Photo by Sue Bush]

Williamstown - First, one encountered a couldn't-miss-it-with-eyes-closed bright orange timeline measuring the fossil-fuel emission levels between the year 1,000 A.D. and 2007.

The fluorescent tape stretched over the First Congregational Church lawn in a nearly straight line, and then curved sharply and steeply upward toward the church steeple. The sudden jump skyward represented the increase in emissions that began during the beginning of the 20th century.

The stunning illustration was part of a Step It Up day event initiated by environmental activist Bill McKibben. Step It Up events were held nation-wide and several Berkshire region communities hosted global warming/climate change events throughout the day.

Long tables served as information booths for numerous local organizations, including the town Carbon Dioxide Lowering [COOL]Committee, the Hoosic River Watershed Association, the Northeast Organic Farming Association, and the Center for Ecological Technology.

Start Pedaling

Members of a recently formed Mount Greylock Regional High School Youth Environmental Squad attended the rally. MGRHS student and global warming activist Rachel Payne was an event speaker. Squad members Isabel Kaufman and Sam Shuker-Hainer offered their thoughts about the issue and the event.

"There are things that everybody can do [to reduce emissions]," said Kaufman. "Right now, in terms of daily life, I really think that changing light bulbs [from incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs] is the one thing that can easily be done."

Shuker-Hainer noted the crowd size and an absence of bicycles.

"I think the most important thing is not to use cars," he said. "Most of the people here could have ridden a bicycle. When you are just going around town, you can use a bicycle, or walk."

COOL committee member Wendy Penner said that she was delighted with the turnout. By noontime, about 130 people were gathered on the church campus.

"I'm just thrilled that this is happening," she said, as she worked to start a recording of Melissa Etheridge singing "I Need To Wake Up."

"We Need Policies Today"

Town Selectwoman and COOL Committee member Jane Allen [Photo by Sue Bush]

Tufts University Center for International Environment and Resource Policy Director William Moomaw told the crowd that fossil fuel use and its' consequences are responsible for a host of problems, including an increased incidence of asthma in urban children and the inhumane, horrific situation in Darfur.

Moomaw is among the authors of a Union of Concerned Scientists and the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment compiled study titled "Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast." He has been quoted as stating that if the Northeast were a nation, it would be the seventh-largest emitter of heat-trapping gasses in the world.

Today, Moomaw told the crowd that "I really like being able to work on the solutions."

"This is not about inventing some science fiction future," Moomaw said. "We need policies today."

Moomaw charged that U.S. power plants are operating less efficiently than those being built in China.

A Three Percent Challenge

The U.S. government is encouraging the nation's power producers to stick with 19th and 20th century strategies and technologies rather than support and reward the use of new, 21st century technologies and developing additional, fossil-fuel weaning strategies.

Change must occur at the federal, state, local, and personal level, Moomaw said. and noted that on the local level, municipal building inspectors could advise people about building "green."

Moomaw said he was "delighted" to learn about Brian Fairbank's plan to erect a wind turbine at Jiminy Peak and plans for construction of a biomass facility in Pittsfield.

The Step It Up goal is an 80 percent reduction in emissions by 2050; to meet that goal, individuals must reduce their household carbon dioxide emissions by three percent, Moomaw said.

What's Done Is Done

Steven Fein, Elizabeth Smith and Wendy Penner [Photo by Sue Bush]

HooRWA Board of Directors Vice-president Lauren Stevens emphasized that the damage already done cannot be reversed. Speaking during an on-site interview, he said that people should be willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent further damage.

"This cannot be reversed," he said. "It can be reduced by taking action now."

Stevens noted the size and diversity of those at the rally.

"This is a big cross-section of people," he said. "I think it will raise awareness. I am particularly interested in the impact [of global warming] on the Hoosic River."

During his remarks, state Rep. Daniel E. Bosley D-North Adams said that individuals such as Moomaw "will lead us out of this."

My Town's Greener Than Your Town

State officials should lead by example, he added, and noted that there are many, many state-owned rooftops that should be hosting photovoltaic panels. Wind turbines should be up and running, Bosley said, although he cautioned that the turbines should not turn from all the mountaintops because the state's beautiful scenery is vital to the residents.

Bosley tossed out the idea that municipalities should be challenging each other to see which community can be the most energy efficient.

Volatile Weather Likely

Several speakers commented on the damp, raw, unseasonably cold chill of the mid-April day. Williams College student Justin Bates, who was a scheduled speaker, said during an interview that initially, global warming is likely to produce weather anomalies that may not always result in heat.

Youth Environmental Squad members Isabel Kaufman and Sam Shuker-Hainer
[Photo by Sue Bush]

"Global warming can make things very volatile," Bates said. "It's safe to say that the weather will be very unpredictable."

Williamstown Proactive With Emission Reduction Strategies

Town Selectwoman and COOL committee member Jane Allen reminded the crowd of town actions taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The town's elementary school is designated as a "green building" and students are involved in recycling efforts, she said. Residents who own certain fuel efficient or hybrid vehicles are eligible for excise rebates, and the David and Joyce Milne Public Library hosts photovoltaic panels.

The town's emissions reduction efforts were given tremendous support by Williams College and college president Morton Schapiro earlier this year, when Schapiro announced that the college is striving to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent by 2020.

State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, Williams College Chaplain Rev. Richard Spalding, Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser of Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams and Fairbank, who is the CEO of Jiminy Peak, were among the event speakers.

All Life On Earth

First Congregational Church Rev. Carrie Bail welcomed those in attendance.

Global warming is a community issue, a human rights issue, and a justice issue, she said.

"This will impact all life on Earth," Bail said. "This requires immediate
attention because it is the right thing to do."

Susan Bush may be reached via e-mail at
suebush@iberkshires.com or 413-663-3384 exit. 29.

Step it Up!

Step it up was a big success today. Thanks to the community organizers in getting this together. Over 100 people gathered in front of the church to listen to speeches, sign postcards to congressmen and rally for the climate. Over 400 postcards were signed to representatives and senators, which TNG will mail. A wide, orange ribbon hung from the church steeple showing carbon levels in the atmosphere for the last 1000 years. More updates later...

This Week at Williams

Spring is here, even if the weather is making up for January, and the feverish pace of projects has increased.

- Do it in the Dark started this week, complete with a huge banner in Paresky. The contest will run for three weeks, with prizes still in the works but likely to be more creative than previous competitions.

- Step it Up appears to have cold and cloudy weather, but that won't stop plans from going ahead. We are tabling with postcards to congressmen today and tomorrow and we're hoping Saturday goes well.

- Collette and Vickie are tackling an ambitious project to film a movie about Williams sustainability to show to first-years at orientation. I've been told I need to dress up as Al Gore for it, which might require putting on some weight.

- Others are talking about renovating a co-op to be carbon neutral with insulation, heating, appliances, etc. researched and installed by students as a demonstration for the school.

- I visited the Berkshire Youth Conference and led a discussion with 15 high-school students from the county. They impressed me with their views and ideas. I tried to lead them towards a better understanding of using moral incentives vs. economic incentives to encourage environmentalism, how govt. policy can and should influence the market and how to make saving the environment (aka us) cool. They were pretty psyched at that point in the discussion when I passed out Do it in the Dark bumper stickers to all of them. Lastly, I tried to convey how important it was to have a group, to exercise strong leadership and encourage other leaders, because our strength lies in organization, dedication and numbers.

- Next Monday there is a special tour for prospective students on sustainability at Williams that I'm leading with Stephanie Boyd. More on that later.

- Next week we also meet to discuss 'greening the first years' with the deans and campus life. Again, more on that later.

- Guster is coming! Two weeks until we get to meet the band, table at their event and generally enjoy how cool we are.

Spring's exciting, lots to do and lots of energy to do it.

Climate Summer

The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA can now regulate greenhouse gas emissions. (link) Just because it can, doesn't mean it will. The EPA is still controlled by the White house and there is still no legislation in place. (link) What do these far away happenings in DC have to do with little ole' Williamstown? (I mean, aside from the obvious.)

It means now is the time to increase our efforts. One way I'll be doing that is working in Concord, NH this summer with Climate Summer. From the website:

But if we are going to succeed, now is the time to educate the public and encourage leaders to rise to the challenge of confronting global warming. This summer, in the tradition of the original Freedom Summer campaign, we will work with residents in New Hampshire and Iowa to change the current dynamic surrounding global warming and send a strong signal that inaction is no longer an option.

The 2008 presidential nomination process in these two states provides a national platform to engage and shape the public debate on clean energy and global warming. The focus and megaphone of the national media allow individual actions to gain national attention and make it so we can effectively raise the public debate to ensure leadership on this critical issue.

We are shifting away from campus politics and onto the national scene, and we are strong. All the skills that we have learned about speaking to administrators, educating and exciting the public and generally kicking ass are now going to be transferred to the community, state and national levels. Step it Up is the start, but its only the beginning.

We have a unique opportunity fight an environmental campaign in a new way. We are not lobbying for small changes, compromising and making long-term plans. Instead, we are creating and riding on a movement, a huge section of the American public already supports us and it is up to us to galvanize that support, to listen to the science and hold out legislators to the highest standards.

This is the most important thing any of us have been involved in, and in 30 years you won't remember the skipped classes, lost sleep or endless meetings. You will remember being a part of solving the biggest issue of our generation.

Step It Up and COOL committee CFL Exchange

Sorry this is long. These are two press releases about town events.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

MEDIA CONTACT: Rev. Carrie Bail, Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser
First Congregational Church, Williamstown
Congregation Beth Israel, North Adams
Rev.cbail@verizon.net
Rabbi@cbiweb.org

458-4273

STEP IT UP RALLY FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

A rally for action on climate change will be held on Saturday, April 14 from noon to 2PM, on the front steps of First Congregational Church in Williamstown. This event is part of a national day of action, Step It Up (see stepitup2007.org), organized by climate change scholar and activist Bill McKibben. Local actions will be held in iconic places such as levees in New Orleans, melting glaciers on Mt. Rainier, underwater on Key West's endangered coral reefs, and even in Williamstown, on the steps of a New England church. Over 1,100 events like these will send the message “Step it up Congress, cut carbon 80% by 2050". At least six of these events will be held in Berkshire County.

Climate change is a moral issue as our world is faced with human-caused changes that will harm millions, especially the world’s poorest and most vulnerable., and local clergy have chosen to take a strong stand on the issue. Rev. Carrie Bail, Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser, and Chaplain Rick Spalding will speak. Other speakers include Senator Ben Downing, Jiminy Peak CEO Brian Fairbanks, Williamstown selectman Jane Allen, MGRHS senior Rachel Payne, Tufts University Professor Bill Moomaw, and Chuck MacNeil from Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.

The façade of the church will be decorated to illustrate a graph of the dramatic spike in carbon emissions in the last hundred years— with the final point extending 60 feet to the church’s steeple. The event will feature music by student performers from Williams College and Mount Greylock Regional High School, and opportunities for people to take action to fight climate change. Actions include: purchase energy efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs, sign up for green energy, take a pledge to reduce carbon emissions, and sign up for climate change study groups sponsored by the Northwest Earth Institute that will meet for 4 weeks beginning the last week in April. Water St. Books will have a table selling relevant books. Food will be available for purchase at the rally from Spring St. business Ephorium.

People are encouraged to bike, carpool, or take the bus to the event. Thanks to Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, free bus service will be available from North Adams to and from the rally. You may contact First Congregational Church in North Adams at 663-9940 to arrange for passes for yourself or your organization. People may park in the lower Stetson lot at Williams College, or at the Williamstown Elementary School lot and walk to the rally. In case of rain, the event will take place inside the Church.


*****************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Wendy Penner
Williamstown COOL Committee
458-4708
wendypenner@hotmail.com

"WILLIAMSTOWN LIGHTS THE WAY" ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING CAMPAIGN LAUCHES WITH FREE LIGHTBULB COUPON AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. GOAL: INSTALL 15,000 BULBS IN WILLIAMSTOWN RESIDENCES

On April 7, the Williamstown COOL (CO2 Lowering) Committee is launching an efficient lighting campaign –“Williamstown Lights the Way” – aimed at encouraging residents to switch to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFL’s. The campaign will include information and coupons to encourage Williamstown residents to install CFLs in their homes. To fight global warming, Williamstown has pledged to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent by 2010. To help meet this goal, the town’s Climate Action Plan calls for every household to install at least five CFL’s, for a total goal of nearly 15,000 bulbs.

Electricity production is a major source of CO2, producing nearly 40 percent of the U.S.’s total, so switching to more energy efficient bulbs is a simple way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If every household in Williamstown switches five ordinary incandescent bulbs to CFL’s, it is estimated that this will prevent nearly 7.5 million pounds of CO2 emissions each year, the equivalent of taking over 600 cars off the road.

CFL’s use a quarter of the electricity to generate the same amount of light. In recent years, the cost of CFL’s has come down considerably – some CFL’s cost as little as 79 cents – and the quality of the light has also improved. Because the bulbs contain a small amount of mercury, they should be disposed of safely. They are accepted for disposal at no cost at the Williamstown Transfer Station.

The coupons can be redeemed beginning on Saturday, April 7th at Aubuchon Hardware on route 2 in Williamstown. Also on April 7th, members of the COOL Committee will be at the Williamstown Elementary School pancake breakfast and camp fair beginning at 9 AM with a display of compact fluorescent bulbs, information about lighting, and a stationary bike people may pedal to power a conventional and an incandescent bulb.

The campaign continues on April 14 at the Step It Up Climate Change rally on the front steps of First congregational Church in Williamstown from 12-2. COOL committee members will be on-hand with CFL’s and educational materials. On April 21st, people may stop by The Mountain Goat in Williamstown to try their pedal power with the bike, and pick up their CFL coupon. On April 28th, the bike will be at the Milne Public Library where bulbs will be on-hand for purchase.

The free- CFL coupons will be distributed through the elementary school, and at Milne Public Library where residents can view an educational display featuring different styles of CFLs. Coupons are also available at Town Hall, Williamstown Savings Bank, The Mountain Goat, and Wild Oats Community Market. Coupons may also be printed from www.williamstown.net/cool.htm. The coupons can be redeemed for one free Maxlite bulb, available in two sizes: 15 watts, which gives off the same amount of light as an ordinary 60 watt bulb, and 20 watts, equivalent to an ordinary 75-watt bulb. The coupons are valid only at Aubuchon in Williamstown, beginning April 7, 2007 until May 12, or while supplies last.

The lighting campaign had an unofficial start with a sale of about 1,600 CFLs by 6th graders at Williamstown Elementary School. This event was sponsored by Aubuchon Hardware and raised over $1,500 toward the 6th grade’s trip to Cape Cod in June.

Most CFLs cannot be used with dimmer switches. For use with a 3-way fixture, only a 3-way CFL bulb should be used, which are also available at Aubuchon. Other specialty lighting fixtures such as dimmable and regular floodlights, globe style lights, aand chandelier bulbs are also available as CFLs, from Home Depot or at the Energy Federation Incorporated website. A 10% discount is available when you access this website at www.energyfederation.org/cet and enter promotion code CET10.

Update from Argentina

Peter Nunns, studying in Argentina, writes:

Morgan:

Yesterday, we visited San Carlos, a rural community in the northwest Salta province of Argentina. I got a chance to talk at reasonable length with a local pimento farmer - it's a fairly arid and sunny region in the summer, and so a fair amount of water is needed for the crops.

What's been happening, though, is that the rainfall has been decreasing for 4 or 5 years in a row. The plants this season are maybe a half or a third as large as they usually are - as water has to be transported quite a distance (30 kilometers, I think) if it's not falling from the sky.

The economic effect of this is fairly huge, too. They get around 3 pesos (1USD) for a kilo of dried and powdered pimentos. (Which then sells for 5 pesos in Buenos Aires - the good old intermediary effect.) And generally, it takes around 100 kilos of fresh produce to make 20 kilos of final product. (Which is delicious, by the way.)

With the usual amount of rainfall, they get around 2-3,000 kilos per harvest, and there are harvests every 15-20 days during the pimento season (Planted in January, last harvest in late April or May.) But the latest harvest was only 800 kilos. It's scary.

Keep saving the planet.
Peter

On a related note, I skied Tuckermans Ravine in NH this week. The popular spring skiing destination is usually full of snow until late May. This year, in late March, snow levels were the lowest I've ever seen and some runs even had bare spots.

Are these signs of global warming? No. Droughts often have 5 year cycles, 20 year cycles, 100 year cycles and so on. Bad snow years have always happened. Does global warming increase the likelihood of whether events like these? Yes. There's a distinction that's important to make. But when you know that these kinds of things are more likely to happen, then it makes you mad to see them. I know I'm mad.

Step it Up Update

I just a call from state Sen. Ben Downing's office confirming that he
will attend and speak at our event on 4/14.

Wahoo!

Jeff

This is in addition to Darlingside, Bill Moomaw and the owner of Jiminy Peak (who's installing a wind turbine on the mountain), is going to make this an amazing event, weather permitting.

I'm on vacation now, but this weekend there will be updates from the SSC climate conference at BU.

Better Publicity

This is a document produced by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. It provides a great summary of the initiatives that various campuses have adopted over the past year.

Williams is mentioned only once, regarding our divestment of companies doing business in Sudan. On a side note, we found we did not have any investment in those companies. See presidents statement here.
Middlebury has 4 mentions (commitments of higher ed., green building design, a carbon neutral ski area and a planned biomass facility) Amherst has two, (for divestment and purchasing wind power), and Bates has five (hiring a sustainability coordinator, a new envi studies program, a senior class gift of wind power, heating residences with bio-diesel and for being included in the EPA's green power leadership group.)

I asked Stephanie Boyd, director of special operations, why Williams wasn't more prominent, and she replied:

I don't think getting a mention in this publication indicates how green or not we are - just whether we have been noticed. We all recognize that one area we haven't been doing so well on is publicizing our successes.

and:

Williams has been implementing some very significant energy savings initiatives. We should work on writing up those stories and getting them in the press ( central chiller, variable frequency drives, lighting improvements, water reductions, green(er) buildings, etc.)

Econ 110: How to Save the World

So I've finally gotten around to taking econ this semester. I've been a little frustrated at times in the course because how you phrase a problem and the assumptions you make for the sake of doing our elementary calculations can twist problems out of proportion. We talked about social security in class and the terms of the discussion made me want to jump out of my chair.

However, today I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the topic for our first policy memo is, "What is the best way to deal with the problem of global warming?" (Remember, phrasing is important. Its not asking 'is it worth dealing with global warming') Quoting from the assignment,

"In your opinion, what is the best way to achieve a global reduction in CO2 emissions? For example, should countries voluntarily agree to limit the growth of emissions, as the Bush administration advocates? Or should a system of pollution taxes, or tradeable emissions permits be implemented? If the latter, should this be confined to industrialized countries only, or should it include developing countries as well?"

I'm going to save my analysis to this question for a later post, because I want to think about it some more. Right now I'm celebrating the fact that that 80 Williams students are going to have to think critically about this issue when they otherwise wouldn't have to. This is exactly the kind of academic exercise that we need so much. Maybe we'll get some new TNGers out of this, and maybe we'll come up with an amazing solution, but we'll definitely add to the general atmosphere of concern and popular expectation of action.

Morty at TNG

President Morty Schapiro made it to TNG tonight. He had a beer and chatted with us about his thoughts on carbon reduction and environmentalism. About 20 students attended to ask questions and hear about sustainability from the horses mouth, so to speak. He was open and frank, at least as much as I've seen him, and I think the students attending got a good sense of how the college is handling this.

Some highlights: the inside scoop on why the trustees were so motivated to act. Some said it was good business, some said the prestige, some said because it will attract more students, but none used the reason that Morty gave us as his personal one: because its the right thing to do. he sees the major improvements to the college coming in the forms of better co-gen, more energy efficiency in buildings and operations, moving the parking off-campus and mostly in listening to what the students want. He said the petition of 1100 signatures over a year ago had a huge impact and the climate action plan would absolutely not have happened with out it.

The group seemed good tonight, lots of first-timers and the atmosphere was really happy at the end. Another great Thursday.

Odds and Ends

Step it Up 2007 planning continued today with community members. Its going to be a cool event on April 14th in front of the Congo Church. We have Bill Moomaw, Convening Lead Author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2001, music performances, student speakers and a few other things lined up for sure. We're also inviting various representatives, mayors and other people who would be important enough to mention when we know who they are. This planning is being done with the religious community, Mt. Greylock, Williams students and others. The highlight will probably be a 30' tall graph of carbon levels in the atmosphere which will extend up the church steeple.

Williams president Morty Schapiro will be at Thursday Night Group this week. He agreed to come and talk about what it means for Williams to commit to carbon reduction and talk with all of us about our goals and plans. This should be a great avenue to get new members excited about TNG and really broaden our efforts.

A meeting with security this morning might yield a partial parking/student driving solution. We talked about creating a 'long-term' type lot intended for students who only use their cars a few times a semester. The rate might be lower in this lot and thus encourage students to park there to save some money. They would then be a lot less likely to use their car to get around campus. Of course this isn't fool-proof since plenty of students won't mind paying more to have a better chance of getting a good spot next to their dorm. Who knows.

We thought of some new ideas yesterday at a tele-conference during Berkely climate activists. Tell first years they can't have fridges! We tell them they can't have candles or toasters, so why not these energy hogs? Create a 'green' co-op as a demonstration. Send a 'real-life' energy bill to all seniors, showing them what they will be paying for power once they graduate. And already on the agenda but now more than ever will be discussions with the tour-guides and campus life to align the institutions goals with these basic contacts incoming students have with the school.

Stay tuned for updates from our evening with Morty!

Political Party?

What would it mean to have a political party within the student body at Williams? And do we already?

Aroop Mukharji and Richard McDowell note in their record op-ed last week, that campus politics would be more competitive and meaningful if there were political parties within the student body. This got me thinking that maybe we already have one.

Environmentalists at Williams, broadly defined, have a strong presence outside of our own groups. We are a special interest which lobbies for our goals within building projects, college operations, student life and academics. We even successfully lobbied for a major change to college policy, the sustainability initiative. But what does our loose organization look like within campus politics?

Well, lets look at the recent CC elections. Kimbo and I won with sustainability as part of our platform, and my very visible involvement in these issues means my election hopefully represents some approval of the student body of the need for action. Two other elected candidates for all-campus positions, Remmington Shepard and Lizzy Brickley, are both devoted Thursday Night Groupers, (our weekly climate action group) and included sustainability as part of their platform. In addition, many members of student-faculty committees have included environmental concerns in their self-noms. This year I certainly plan on encouraging many motivated and qualified 'green' ephs to apply or run for the major committees, such as CPR, CEP, CUL, Lectures. These are all actions that would be taken by a political party, if one were to exist at Williams.

Does that make us a party? Would we gain anything if we called ourselves one? And would anyone care? I'm curios.

The Life of a Climate Activist

My last post talked about the goals of the movement at Williams right now. I thought this might be a good time to jot down what I've been up to this week, both for my sake to keep in mind how everything is going, and for those interested in what kinds of things I actually do. Sorry its long, but that's what the scroll button's for.

Working backwards, I checked itsgettinghotinhere.org for the umptienth time this week to see what news and inspiration there was. This visit led me to treehugger.com where I voted on a number of videos as part of a video contest. This afternoon I had coffee with Kate Merrigan who is organizing a county youth conference. I agreed to lead the workshop on environmentalism and sustainability, even though it will mean rescheduling a tutorial, because the chance to inspire a bunch of bright-eyed high school students is too good to pass up.

Last night was Thursday Night Group, arguably the best student group on campus. The meeting started off slowly, but people filtered in slowly and we got down to having a productive meeting, talking about planning high school visits, influencing the curriculum for Focus the Nation and planning the spring Do It In The Dark. We also had Lauren stop by from MassPIRG to introduce herself and talk about what MCLA and BCC students are working on. We pitched MassPIRG jobs as well as the LUCE grant jobs and the upcoming Boston Climate Summit (sign up for any of those!).

Earlier that day, in between finishing a late paper and running between meetings I finally got access to itsgettinghotinhere.org and published a post that I had prepared earlier for that, see here. I was a little nervous and excited about posting this, since the site is read by over 4,000 people daily.

In between blog posts and meetings on Thursday, I filled out an application for summer funding from the OCC to work in Concord, NH this summer on the presidential primary with a bunch of Middlebury and Dartmouth students. Hopefully they'll give me 3,200.

Wednesday I had an interview with my CC co-president, Kim Dacres, on WCFM with Nathan Friend. He asked us lots of questions about our goals for the year, one of which is absolutely sustainability. I said one of the most important things that I'm doing is simply being elected, showing that an activist can become the president of the mainstream student government - climate change is an issue for everyone, not just environmentalists. But I also hope that the CC position will give us more leverage and insight into making changes at school. For example, earlier that day I had lunch with the dean of the college, Dean Roseman, and we talked about how to reduce student driving on campus.

Tuesday we had lunch with Stephanie Boyd, unofficial sustainability coordinator. She wanted to hear about the various projects we're working on and stay in regular communication. Tuesday evening was Greensense, always a nice relaxing evening. We were planning earth day's water challenge activities. And Monday I met with Sara, Justin and Adrian to talk long-term planning, which was the subject of my last post. Then, Monday evening I listened in on a phone training about working with the media and writing good press releases. Useful for sure.

With a quick glance at my sent email for this week I can see arranging coffee, getting ighih blog access and summer funding, a request for someone to lead an environmentally focused college tour for prospective students. There are requests from students about CFLs, planning for Step it Up 2007 with the Congregational Church, a panel that I can't serve on during spring break, updates from the Youth Environmental Squad at Mt. Greylock high school.

So its been a busy week, but not any busier than usual. Just thought I'd write a bit of this down so it feels like I've done a lot.

Re-Focusing the Mission

Sometimes you just need to re-focus everything that's going on. Life has been hectically split between College Council and climate change. There are lots of actions that we've worked on talked about doing, but its good to set down what the main goals are. This comes from a frank conversation with Justin, Adrian and Sarah Gardner this afternoon about goals and plans.

This week at Thursday Night Group we will continue with three groups. The one with raising campus awareness has expressed interest in running Do It In The Dark during April. It seems this is the most visible and popular thing that we do and its important to maintain that status and message.

Another group will continue to pursue the visits to local high schools. The two visits we've done so far (link) have been hugely successful and this is a model that should be expanded. The presentation will probably undergo some editing (again, this is great), but the biggest task for this group will be setting up the contacts and schedule for each school we want to visit.

And the other group will be pushing the planning of Focus the Nation and looking for ways to integrate sustainability into the curriculum. The Focus the Nation team needs to work with professors directly and personally to ask them to teach us more about climate change as it relates to their discipline. The LUCE Grant has given us a lot of money for all sorts of work in this field, and Dave Dethier has largely let this money sit un-utilized. We need to give him a way to spend that money by paying students to work on projects of this kind.

Beyond that, are there other things that deserve to be worked on? Absolutely, Earthweek, Step it up, first days and many more are all important. Can we do them all at once? Of course not. We'll get to them.