At a Fall 2001 Plenary, the students of Haverford
College resolved to form the Committee for Environmental Responsibility.
The committee’s task was to write a green plan, “A Vision
for a Green Haverford,” which, according to the Haverford
website, “delineates overarching principles of environmental
stewardship.” During the interim, the committee worked to
have the plan approved by President Tom Tritton and the senior administration.
They are now focusing on its specific issues.
Members of the committee include students from each
class, professors, and other Haverford employees. Students meet
once a week as does the entire group. In addition, the students
frequently collaborate with the Big Green Posse, an “umbrella
organization of environmentally-minded people on campus,”
according to CER member Stephanie Rudolph ’06. Both students
and faculty/staff must undergo a rigorous selection process. Student
applicants are selected by the Student Council Appointments Committee
and current CER members; faculty and staff are appointed by the
president. Tom Tritton has been supportive of CER’s agenda.
He issued a presidential challenge to the student body: If they
conserve energy and water, he will donate a portion of the money
saved back to student council.
Committee members offered a variety of reasons for
electing to join the group. Joe Townsend ’04 says, “Haverford
College has the opportunity to be an environmental leader.”
Another student, Ingrid Weiss ’07 remarks, “It’s
really cool they give students a chance to be on committees like
this.” John Francone, head of the Dining Center, one department
that generates the most waste on campus wants to “work with
the community to reduce waste.” Everyone echoed associate
professor of English Jim Ransom’s sentiment: “If it
wasn’t for the students, this would not be happening.”
He gave credit to the Haverford undergraduates for their dedication.
One of CER’s major goals is to create an interdisciplinary
environmental concentration in partnership with Bryn Mawr. It would
be “broadly based throughout different divisions,” says
Ransom. It would include English, political science, economics,
anthropology, and the natural sciences. The committee wants the
College to hire environmentally focused faculty. Progress on this
initiative is being made, and the student affairs committee invited
Christine Lamanna ’04 to discuss the curriculum issue at February’s
Board weekend.
The committee is also heavily involved with the creation
of Haverford’s new athletic center. Members helped get the
construction proposal approved by Leadership in Environmental Engineering
and Design, a firm that certifies high-performance, sustainable
buildings. “Thanks to their efforts, the new athletic center
from the ground up has had a clear policy to be as environmentally
responsible as possible,” says Ransom.
Another plan is the creation of the “green fund,”
an endowed fund for environmental issues on campus. Some of the
proposed projects include motion sensors for lights in certain rooms,
“turn me off” stickers for light switches, and “solar
panels in strategic places,” according to Bruce Boyes, research
machinist and instrument maker in the Instrumentation Shop. The
group also intends to use the fund to offset the upfront capital
needed for alternate heating and energy sources in new campus construction.
“The creation of a uniform recycling system is another green
fund project,” says Stephanie Rudolph, one of the students
tackling that job. Along with Ingrid Weiss, she plans to install
clearly labeled containers everywhere on campus. Allie Rosenberg
’05 is working with Physical Plant to start a program allowing
students to recycle batteries, toners, ink cartridges, and computer
parts, because they are toxic.
Kathleen DiJoseph, the physical plant liaison, says
“This committee is making key strides.” The group is
thrilled by the early positive response to its goals and looks forward
to creating permanent improvements in Haverford’s attitude
toward environmental responsibility.
