In a collaborative effort to further spread awareness and elaborate upon the green movement, Michael Cermak, a professor in the sociology department, and the students in his Planet in Peril: Environmental Issues and Society class created a Web site based on the green ideology and living an environmentally friendly lifestyle. The Web site, known as the BC Green Guide, utilizes video and an interactive design to educate those at Boston College and in the city of Boston.
Cermak's Web site does not stray from his other projects and vocations. Cermak received his bachelor of arts and masters degrees from Boston University with concentrations in marine biology and ecology. His studies and interest in education led to the development of his program Environmental Justice Action Media, known by the acronym E-JAM. The environmental program works with public schools to promote green living as well as media literacy through videos and animations in lectures and on the E-JAM Web site, ejmedia.org. "Through this program, we're trying to make every institution aware of sustainability," Cermak said.
Currently working toward his doctorate at BC, Cermak made the decision to conduct his classes in a similarly interactive way beyond exams and essays. "One of my research interests is environmental education and thinking of new ways to get people involved in what they create and, in the case of Planet in Peril, make a statement about the environment," Cermak said. "We wanted to create something that gave a positive vibe about how the environment works, specifically at BC and get it out to more people."
From his methodology came the idea of the Web site project. Cermak decided against a final exam, instead placing a large portion of the grade in the creation of a Web site devoted to topics covered in class. Each student was put into small groups of two to three people and then wrote a letter of intent discussing what topic they wanted to cover on the Web site, paying particular attention to covering ways in which the issue could be solved. Various measures were taken by groups dependent on the chosen topic, including survey conduction and posing of sociological questions. "I made a video about green roofs with Christina Murphy [A&S '09]. We contacted LEEDS officials, Deidre Manning, director of sustainability, and others in the building industry with expertise on green practices," Joseph Fazio, A&S '09, said.
To facilitate greater organization, Cermak asked for four volunteers to forego a topic-based project and serve as the editor's committee, a group responsible for editing and bringing together all the graphic materials, designing the Web site, and regularly updating information. The editor's committee is composed of Lucia Alba, CSON '10, Stefano Barros, A&S '11, Jack Erffmeyer, A&S '12, and Sarah Trifiletti, CSON '12. Cermak completed the project using his media knowledge from the E-JAM program.
The Web site currently focuses on two aspects of green living, food and dining and environmental education. The food and dining section provides information regarding on-campus dining halls and residential halls and what measures they are taking to ensure a progression toward a green lifestyle. To expand the project on a community-wide level, the Web site also offers reviews of restaurants in Boston that serve organic food and follow green practices in their efforts to compact wastefulness. "Most people don't realize that what you eat matters more than what you wear and what you're driving in environmental terms, so covering that topic is particularly important," Cermak said.
The education section is composed of the student-produced videos with topics including an explanation of the eco footprint, interviews with green leaders, a presentation on desalination, and an overview of the compost situation at BC. "The overall goal was to create awareness on campus," Fazio said. "In the short term, a green roof is too realistic, but the goal is to get the idea out there and hopefully implement a roof in the future.
With BC trying to expand and build itself into one of the top universities in the country, the natural progression would be to look green and save energy costs through sustainability. A green roof would be a unique feature and surely bring great publicity."
With a new semester approaching, a new registration period will allow openings for the next Planet in Peril class, which will lead to greater evolution in the continually developing Web site project. Cermak has greater ambitions for the next project. "I'd like to challenge students a bit more to use stop motion, cartoons, but it's still the same media project," Cermak said. To visit the Web site, go to www.bc.edu/clubs/realfood/greenguide.
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