Things are looking a little greener around Boston College this year thanks to EcoPledge. Though the environmentally conscious group is not new, its current officers have recently taken great strides to spread the word about a sustainable campus in the school's future. Group leaders Jess Young, Katherine Walsh, Peggy Fox, and Katie Cava, all A&S '08, have played host to a number of on-campus activities in the past three years.
Most recent was the annual Harvest Fest, an all-day event open to anyone passing through the Dustbowl on Oct. 26. Just in time for Halloween, Harvest Fest offered pumpkin painting and T-shirt making while informing the student body about environmental issues. "It's our Earth Day celebration of the fall," said Young, president of EcoPledge, whose own shirt bore the slogan, "Don't be trashy - recycle!" The Boston Vegetarian Society joined the festivities, while students from Tufts University helped run a water-tasting activity, where tap water proved to be just as tasty as the packaged varieties.
Environmental issues have gained prominence in the media as global warming fears continue to grow. A few weeks ago, EcoPledge sponsored a two-night screening of CNN's Planet in Peril with Anderson Cooper, Jeff Corwin, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who explored the present state of the environments, ecosystems, and organism populations around the world. Last year, they showed former Vice President Al Gore's popular documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. If Gore's Nobel Prize is not proof enough of the environmental dangers, the turnout at BC should be."The signs had just gone up that day, and we still had over 300 people," Young said. "Devlin was overflowing. The fact that people care is a great thing, but that they want to know more is a really great thing."
A few years ago, EcoPledge was not necessarily able to satisfy this thirst for information. When Young joined, there were about five active members. Now, the more members that join, the more dynamic the group becomes. Buki Oni, A&S '10, has had an increased interest in the environment lately and found EcoPledge to be her perfect outlet. "In terms of my involvement in school, it's definitely an interesting club to get involved with," she said. "Not only are the people amazing and open to talk about anything, but the club dynamic is very understanding and energetic. It's a wonderful thing to be a part of at BC. It's definitely a place that fosters anyone's interest in the environment, the sciences, or anything that has to do with bettering the world. It is the place to start off."
With over 150 members, EcoPledge has joined the ranks of the most popular BC activities. Young attributes this to the way the club's focus has shifted over the past few years. With the addition of six committees, each person can find an element of environmental protection for which they are best suited and can work together to get the message out. "I've enjoyed taking the growth of the club to a social level," she said. "You get to meet other people who are interested in the same things as you. When you work with people who share common interests and do the sorts of things you enjoy, you can make a difference."That difference is now visible throughout campus. A welcome treat this fall was the weekly farmer's market in front of Corcoran Commons to support local produce.
Last year, the campus-wide Better Off Contest encouraged each hall to compete in conserving the most energy. Currently, recycling totes are in a trial run; Cava proposed that these reusable bags get handed out on Upper Campus and in Ignacio Hall to increase the proper disposal of bottles and cans.
Group efforts such as these have had great success, but individual members can get the information out just as effectively.
Lauren Tuccelli, A&S '10, has tried to get her friends involved in the move toward sustainable living. "Over the past month, we were preparing for the annual Harvest Fest," she said. "We were asked to collect empty cereal cartons, so I told all of my roommates to rinse them out and give them to me. I bought a recycle bin for our kitchen which we use all the time now to recycle our bottles and cans. I also usually try to bug everyone about shutting their lights off."
From the recycling receptacles outside to the light switch reminders in the residence halls, EcoPledge's collaborations with BC Conserves, ResLife, and Facilities have made a mark. "They seem small, but things like turning off your lights and filling up a Nalgene bottle instead of buying Dasani do make a difference," Young said. "The important thing is to do it not because someone tells you to, but because you understand what it means."
Lately there have been some poor assessments of BC's ecological efforts, particularly this year's Sustainability Report Card from the Sustainable Endowments Institute. Recycling, food, energy, and climate change scored fairly well, but even the Commonwealth Avenue buses, which received the biggest improvement, failed to bump up the original C-minus grade to anything higher than a C. The main factor in this is the University's lack of disclosure on endowments, and Young does not tolerate this. "The invisibility of our investments and endowments are bringing us down," she said. "We don't have total access to see where the money is going. Next semester, we are looking to call on the University and Father Leahy to make a statement on BC's sustainable future."
EcoPledge has more planned for 2008, as well. The organization is pushing to increase the number of recycling receptacles to match the number of regular trashcans because even some EcoPledge members admit to tossing a bottle when they cannot find the right bin. The 11th Hour, the recent documentary about environmental crises narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, will be screened next fall. "I'm trying to get [DiCaprio] to come speak at BC," Young said. Oni wants the University as a whole to take a stand and get involved. "I went to the University of Vermont last weekend," she said, "and there were posters everywhere about what can be done for the environment. That definitely puts the information out there, so someone has the opportunity to learn something everyday, whether they are interested or not. At BC, the information isn't as available unless you go looking for it. We need to make this part of the school's community. In the same way that we have religious reminders all over at BC, we should be taking the time to do the same for other things that are happening in the world."
Young agrees that education is essential to EcoPledge and environmental consciousness in general. "I want people to take action," she said, "but first make decisions for yourself. Don't accept everything you read or what's on the news, whether it says something good or bad about global warming. Look into it yourself. The world isn't all about us, there are other things here, and we have to take care of them."
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