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Volume CXXXI, Number 23 |
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Earth Week at Bowdoin
NICOLE DURAND
STAFF WRITER
Wondering what was behind all the "Save the Earth" buzz on campus
this week? Women's studies professor Rachael Groner's Gender, Ecology
and Activism class planned the event-filled week to rally Bowdoin students'
enthusiasm for conserving our natural resources. The events were sponsored
by the Women's Studies and Environmental Studies departments, the Community
Service Resource Center and Sustainable Bowdoin.
The class worked with Sustainable Bowdoin to bring a variety
of resources to campus this week. "Our goal is to involve not only
Bowdoin students," said sophomore Allison Milld, "but to involve
the Brunswick community as well. In addition, the project has helped bring
many campus groups together, including the college house system, the Evergreens,
and Sustainable Bowdoin."
The week was kicked off last Friday at Ladd House with the
"Bring Your Own Mug" party and continued into the weekend with
"Ecoservice Day" on Saturday and a screening of The Lorax and
coffeehouse at Jack Magee's Pub.
Of particular note was guest Julia Butterfly Hill, whose
book The Legacy of Luna: The story of a tree, a woman, and the struggle
to save the redwoods is Hill's true account of living in a redwood
tree for two years to protest deforestation. She spoke to students and
faculty on Monday evening about her book and about what they can do to
help the environment.
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| Members of Sustainable Bowdoin conducted a trash audit on Wednesday. (Karsten Moran, Bowdoin Orient) |
On Wednesday, members of the Recycling Committee of Sustainable
Bowdoin conducted a trash audit of the college houses. They collected
a bag from each house, weighed it, then picked through and removed the
trash that could have instead been recycled. Finally, they weighed the
bag again and determined what percentage of the house's trash could have
been recycled.
"We're trying to get the message out that taking an
extra two minutes to put your recyclables in the correct container can
make a big difference," said senior Sarah Rodgers, a member of Sustainable
Bowdoin.
Other events this week included the controversial "Meat-out"
on Wednesday and a vendor fair of earth-friendly organizations in Smith
Union.
"Organizing the events for this week has enabled us
to learn about the theoretical aspects of the eco-feminist movement,"
said sophomore Barbara Condliffe. "It's been really exciting to take
what we're learning in the classroom and apply it to something tangible."
In conclusion to a busy week of spreading awareness about the environment, today's Common Hour will feature speaker Kathryn S. Fuller, president of the World Wildlife Fund.