Sustainability Campaign Kicks Off With Campus Events

Wednesday may have been St. Patrick's Day, but Boston College has been green all week long. BCisGreen Week 2010 kicked off March 11, and will through today.
Green Week is the result of the collaborative efforts of several groups from across campus, including the Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC) and many other student groups, administration, and faculty whose goal is to increase awareness of sustainability on campus.

"BCisGreen Week is a great opportunity to learn about the ways in which we can contribute to promoting awareness surrounding the environment," said Al Dea, UGBC president and CSOM '10, "Most of our events are educational and informative, and shed light on a number of environmental issues, such as how our personal consumption affects the environment and the theological and social justice issues surrounding the environment."

Students participated in the planning process and a variety of events including documentaries, presentations, and other environmental programs. The week kicked off March 11 with a viewing of the documentary No Impact Man. The documentary is about a New Yorker who trades in electricity, garbage, TV, taxis, and take-out for walking, bicycling, compost, and local food in an effort to see if he can live carbon-free for a year. BC welcomed the No Impact Man himself, Colin Beavan, to campus yesterday to talk about the challenges and successes of his no impact year.

"After viewing the documentary, it is eye opening to see some of the ‘necessities' we can really live without, such as fruit from New Zealand, or constantly buying new clothes to match the season," said Natalie Raffol, co-director of sustainability for UGBC and A&S '10, who along with her co-director Alia Verner, A&S '12, has played a vital role in planning and implementing BCisGreen Week. "Despite his extreme example, it definitely paves the way to see the areas of your own life where you can cut back on how much carbon you consume," Raffol said.

In keeping with the experiment of Colin Beaven, Julia Gabbert, president of Real Food BC and A&S '10, is leading an effort called the No Impact Experiment on campus. "This is an opportunity for students to really live out the practices of a more sustainable lifestyle," he said. "It's a one week carbon cleanse where students become more and more conscious of their consumption habits," Gabbert said. There are 140 students currently taking part in the experiment. They were each given a "carbon cleanse" guide, and each day, the participants receive an e-mail on what they should focus on for the next day.

There has been a good turnout for the GreenWeek events, Raffol said. "This year we want GreenWeek to ask the question, ‘What does it really mean to be green?' We don't just want to hand out free things and wear green T-shirts, but have the events challenge notions of consumerism and justice."

There are over 600 members on the Facebook group and students have participated in various awareness activities, such as touring the Genzyme Center in Cambridge and distributing reusable grocery bags to students on the grocery shuttle Sunday mornings.
The last event of the week features guest speaker Dan Philips of Phoenix Commotion. His business uses trash and recyclable materials to build affordable homes for those in need. Philips will give a lecture tonight at 7:30 in Merkert 127 titled "Legitimizing Trash and Gentrifying Icky," and Raffol said she encourages students to attend. "I think that it is a great way to combine BC's mission for social justice with environmental issues."
Raffol said that, once GreenWeek comes to an end, she hopes to keep "the green vibe" going in the hopes that this week will result in even more support for environmental issues here on campus.