Melody Li ’18, Matt Aguiar ’18, Kelly Moh ’18, and Sophie Mackin ’18 gather to discuss Earth Week.
For many years, C-Proctors, Environmental Action Coalition (EAC), and Students Against Climate Change (SACC) have helped Choate become more sustainable. Not only do these groups organize activities, like the Green Cup and the Hydro Cup, but they also educate the school about the environment. Each spring, they organize more environment-related events for the school.
Last Monday, April 17, marked the beginning of Earth Week — a celebration of environmental awareness and respect for nature. Culminating with Earth Day this Saturday, April 22, Earth Week is one of the most important times for environmental committees on campus. During Earth Week, the C-Proctors planned on-campus events such as dyeing shirts with natural coloring, making eco-friendly beauty products, and baking pizzas with sustainable ingredients. Moreover, the C-Proctors will start the annual Hydro Cup competition on May 1, to educate students and faculty about water usage and geopolitical water issues.
To further their environmental initiatives on campus, the C-Proctors divide into subgroups, each responsible for a particular environmental topic. Riley Choi ’18, the head of the “Cups” subgroup, explained, “The Cups team organizes competitions like the Hydro Cup, Recycling Cup, and Green Cup. The Media team is responsible for updating Instagram and making videos. Starting last week, the Earth Week Group has been working to finalize the various activities in that week.”
Choi went on, “One thing my group has been interested in is environmental justice, which says that everyone deserves clean air and water regardless of their socioeconomic status.” In a recent meeting, the C-Proctors watched a TED Talk on the lack of environmental justice in New York City. That, Choi said, “inspired the us to find ways to help lower class people to have access to the clean environment.” She added, “The reality is that people who are in the lower class directly face the consequences of global warming and air pollution while the upper class does not feel the danger at all.”
Another member of the C-Proctors, Richard Lopez ’18, and his team are working to reduce the school’s beef consumption. Richard said, “When I came to Choate, I learned how detrimental eating beef is for the environment; not only are lands used to grow crops to feed the cows, but the lands for ranching causes deforestation. The antibiotics that farmers add into cows’ food make them grow quickly, but also stimulates them to produce more methane, and methane is four times as bad for the environment as carbon.”
By informing the community about the danger of eating beef, Lopez has persuaded many students to reduce their consumption. “By not eating beef, we are also saving water and land,” Lopez added. “If we change the amount of beef we consume as a dorm, we can then challenge other dorms to do the same. By lowering the total beef consumption of the school, we can eventually reduce the amount of beef we buy.”
The Environmental Action Coalition (EAC) also plans to raise environmental awareness on campus. In the winter, the EAC planned a sale of succulents — small plants that have thick leaves to retain water. The proceeds from this sale went to the United States National Marine Sanctuary, which designates and protects specific marine areas with conservation and education efforts. Grace Kortum ’17, the president of EAC, explained, “We had a club event after the sale where we gathered the plants and potted them. We combined that with watching TED Talks about conservation, so it was both a fun event and an educational experience.”
Students Against Climate Change (SACC), another campus environmental group, not only runs activities but is also working on bringing physical changes to the school. The SACC hopes to get rid of disposable plastic cups distributed in St. John Hall. “Working with the chief financial officer, the SACC is working to reduce the amount of plastic bottles sold in St. John Hall,” said Melody Li ’18, a C-Proctor and member of the SACC. SACC also hopes to make graduation more environmentally friendly, by asking faculty and students to bring their water bottles instead of providing plastic bottles.
“As the only school with the Environmental Immersion Program, Choate gives the students a unique opportunity to learn extensively about the environment.” Choi said, “I am also grateful that the faculty at the schools are very open to new ideas, which allows student-driven activities to have major impacts.”
How can Choate become even more sustainable? Choi said, “Renovating some old buildings, building water filters, so students do not need to buy boxes of water, and changing light bulbs to LED lights would certainly make a difference. The Lanphier Center is very environmentally friendly, and we should have more buildings like it.”
“One thing that the C-proctors have been working toward is accomplishing the goals that the school has on its website,” said Li, referring to the School’s statement of purpose regarding sustainability. This statement, available on the Choate portal, outlines a vision of long-term conservation that is both taught and lived in the Choate community. Li said, “The advisers for the C-Proctors have been very helpful in helping us to achieve the carbon goal and making green renovation on the buildings.”
