A panel of Dartmouth professors, administrators, an alumna and a student spoke last night for Earth Day about the College's efforts to protect the environment and conserve natural resources, and about what Dartmouth could do to reduce waste and to encourage students to take an interest in environmental issues.
Despite the College's new "recycling and conservation initiatives" and the interest of members of the Classes of 2000 and 2001 in conservation activities, the College is still plagued by rising energy consumption and packing waste generated by the dining halls, panelist James Hourdequin '97 told an audience of about 30 students, alumni and professors.
But he said the new administration and interdisciplinary courses provide an opportunity "for there to be some real changes" in the College's attitude toward the environment and a chance to arouse student interest in conservation.
Assistant Director of Facilities and Services Bill Hochstin said student apathy and the low student turnout at Earth Day activities may be due to the fact that students do not associate their activities with more serious environmental problems.
Students "do not connect leaving a computer on all night to an oil spill in Alaska," he said.
Hourdequin said students do not have a "emotional connection" to the environment, a problem which the organic farm helps to rectify.
"Environmental issues do seem very abstract" to students, he said.
Organic Farm Manager Scott Stokoe said the farm gives the students an "intimate sustained relationship" with the environment.
"The Organic Farm is a good indication of the commitment on Dartmouth College's part to have that relationship," he said.
English Professor Shelby Grantham, a vegan vegetarian, said she manages to "teach [students] environmental responsibilities" while avoiding the "paralysis" that inflicts students when they are confronted with environmental issues by fielding questions about her lifestyle.
"Animal foods are not only unnecessary for human health, they are directly implicated in the diet-related diseases that plague us," she said.
Panelist Bob Norman, co-founder of the Hanover Conservation Council and a math professor, said the new administration and curriculum changes are not the only challenges facing the College -- it also has to deal with preserving local beauty despite the "pressures to develop."
"Communication towers [and the] loss of farms make things less attractive," he said. "Buildings interfere with the things we love."
He urged students to "watch for things that may change the environment" and to be dedicated to preserving their surroundings.
Other panelists were Kathy Hooke '85, a teacher at the Mountain School; Environmental Studies Professor Jim Hornig; Environmental Studies Program Chair Ross Virginia and Assistant Director of Dartmouth Facilities Planning John Wilson.
