Transcript Environmental Activism: EAC Networks and Campaigns

Environmental Activism:
EAC Networks and Campaigns
Environmental Action Coalition
At Earth Adventures
February 24, 2006
EAC’s Mission Statement
 The Environmental Action Coalition (EAC) aims to educate and
engage the Mount Holyoke College community in ecological
responsibility, which shall be both locally and globally focused.
As members of this community, we challenge the College to
adopt and commit to conservation and sustainability through its
institutional practices. We shall encourage students to
consider their individual impact on, responsibilities to and
relationship with both their immediate and larger
environments. Through a process of collective learning,
interactive campaigns, and community involvement both within
and beyond the College’s Gates, EAC empowers the College
community to be a leader in sustainable practices. EAC leads
the Mount Holyoke community in the pursuit of environmental
justice, as it pertains to each person, each place, and each
living system.
 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/go/eac
Contents
Past Campaigns - Fall Semester
Healthy Foods Initiative
Energy Awareness
Recycling and Waste Reduction
“Every Day is Earth Day”
Challenges and Collaborations
Picture of Black Box
Successful Fall Semester Campaigns
Million Monitor Drive
Local Foods Harvest Festival
Kill-a-watt Competition
Healthy Foods Initiative
 Local Foods Festival
Kickoff for C.A.U.S.E.’s Hunger Week
April 3, 2006
 Key Partners: Danielle Connors (’06),
C.A.U.S.E., local soup kitchen/org, local
farmers and El Jardin
 Challenges
Linking local foods/actions and global hunger
Diversifying participation
Healthy Foods Initiative
Mount Holyoke Dining Services
Peer Educator – Work Study position for a
student
Raising consciousness about sustainable
agriculture and public health
Recycling and Waste Reduction
Recyclemania
Trash on the Lawn Day
Weekly count by EACers
Coordinated by: Ecoreps!
Box for REUSING one-sided paper –
library
Communal laundry detergent
Recycling and Waste Reduction
Seeing and Visualizing
Environmental Art: the impact of large art
installations
Life cycle analysis –
cradle to grave
Where are we?
Energy Awareness
Environmental Audit
Next step after Million Monitor Drive
Black holes of energy: Computers
Paper Usage, recycling, turning off
energy-suckers
Key Players
EACers doing the dirty work
Administrative and academic offices
Behind the scenes: Nancy Apple, Todd
Holland, Roger Guzowski
Energy Awareness
 Alternative energy sources in the Pioneer Valley
and alternative transportation
 Global impacts
Clean Air Cool Planet – “In signing the partnership
agreement, Mount Holyoke joined a host of other
organizations committed to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions at the local, state, and regional level.” (June
21, 2004)
Who is initiating change? Who is committed to action?
ES Senior Seminar 2004
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/proj/cel/cep/index.htm
“Every Day is Earth Day”
Green Up Day
Alumnae Association
Green Parade
April 28 – All-campus picnic and ES seniors’
projects
Key Players
Public Safety
Smithees from the Bicycle Kitchen
Maybe MassBike (of Critical Mass)
Grease car/alternative fuels vehicles
“Every Day is Earth Day”
General environmental awareness
integrated into daily lives
Example: tie used Coca-Cola bottles to water
faucets in bathrooms with a note inside reading:
“More than 7,000 people, mostly women, turned out to protest a
proposed Coca-Cola factory in Sivaganga, Tamil Nadu.
Residents are justifiably worried that Coca Cola's
operations in the area would lead to scarcity of water
and contamination of water.”
“Every Day is Earth Day”
Challenge
Engaging students who don’t identify as
environmentalists, staff, and administration
Goals: increase visibility for EAC and the
environmental issues
Challenges and Collaborations
Challenges and Collaborations
EACore and the larger EAC base
Public face - tech guru and website
Internally solidarity (communication) while
establishing partnerships each year on
and off campus (networks)
Mostly first-years and sophomores
“Just sustainability” (ACE in Boston)
“Mutual Alliances” (Hillary Hosta)
 Look for overlapping goals and agendas
 Brainstorm together; mutual investment
 Intersections of issues of race, gender, class,
environment, social justice, public health
 Bridging
academia ↔ activism
students ↔ staff ↔ faculty
student organizations ↔ the institution
MHC ↔ the Pioneer Valley
Let’s Rock and Roll Together
International
Club
Branching Out and Strengthening
Students
our Environment
against
Facilities
Management
E&E majors
and students
Sprawl
Botanic
Garden
C.A.U.S.E.
E&E faculty
Student
Coalition
for Action
Center for the
Environment
Five College
Recycling
Coordinator
Clean Energy
for Smith
Five College
Energy
Manager
Student
Government
Association
Environmental
Management
Systems
Ecoreps
Whole Foods
Kick Coke
Off Campus
Society of Art
Goddesses
EACore (EAC’s Board)
 Emily Wheeler - Co-chair, Green Up Day, Local Foods
Fest
 Tracy Zhu - Co-chair, Communal Laundry Detergent,
Biodiesel on PVTA
 Molly Buerman - SGA Senator, Healthy Foods Initiative
 Morgan Lindsay – Health Foods Initiative
 Ann Fisher – Secretary
 Gennie Noyce - Tech Guru, Environmental Audit
 Michelle Moon - Field Trip Coordinator
 Leah Ingeno - Earth Day/Month Coordinator
 Katie Dunn - Recycling Initiative
 Andrea Caluori - Environmental Art
 Eco-reps - Recyclemania