Exeter to Devote Day to Climate Action
The Academy will host its first Climate Action Day this Winter term, a half day in which students and teachers will attend workshops dedicated to teaching about climate change issues and solutions in order to bring the discussion of environmental action to campus.The event, set for Wednesday, February 11, was created by the “ClimateAction Day planning group,” a committee of faculty and students formed last spring by biology instructor Betsy Stevens with the help of Exeter alumni involved in raising environmental awareness on campus. The event will consist of two distinct workshops and an advisor block for students to discuss the issues addressed around the Harkness table. Students will also be given required reading the night before in order to prepare for the workshops and discussion.The first workshop is to feature a keynote speaker, environmental journalist Bill McKibben and will be mandatory for all students. The structure of this day echoes that of how Exeter celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as students will choose their second workshop from a wide selection. These workshops include talks on the science of climate change as well as the relevance of climate change in business, technology, politics and agriculture.
Erik Janicki, a biology instructor and member of the ClimateAction Committee, commented on the search for this day’s speakers. “The goal is to try to get people who can address the issue of climate change from a number of different perspectives so that students with different types of interests could find a way to engage in the discussion,” he said. The committee has already confirmed half of its workshops and speakers, Janicki said. For instance, Melinda Leonard, associate director of dining services, plans to hold a workshop on the impact of climate change on our food supply and how it has also been influenced by technology and innovation.
"The goal is to try to get people who can address the issue of climate change from a number of different perspectives so that students with different types of interests could find a way to engage in the discussion."
The event will also feature other local speakers such as Martha Carlson, of the UNH Forrest Watch, who will talk about the effect of climate change on maple syrup, and Jennifer Wilhelm, the former sustainability coordinator at Exeter and current research and planning associate of the initiative “New Hampshire Food Strategy,” an organization working to improve New Hampshire’s food system network.
Other speakers include Dr. Donald Sadoway of MIT, a representative from the apparel company Patagonia, who plans to address the company’s approach to dealing with climate change from the business perspective. Other speakers include Cameron Wake, current professor at UNH who focuses on climate change modeling.The Climate Action Committee focused on inviting speakers who would address the solutions of climate change so that the day could highlight what people were currently doing for the planet. “One big question was, should we bring in somebody who does not think that climate change is happening,” Anne Rankin, biology instructor and member of the Climate Action Committee, said. “Do we put [students] in a situation where they are hearing a climate change denier, without the counter position there? We are interested in presenting some of the things that are still up to debate. Its not that we are not interested in controversy, its that we want to make sure we are presenting controversy that’s relevant.”Senior Connor Bloom, who is an E-proctor and member of the Climate Action Day Committee, said that Climate Action Day would encourage the discussion of environmental action so that it can become more present on campus. “I don’t think the environment is perceived in a bad way at Exeter, I just don’t think its thought of often enough,” he said. “The awareness isn’t necessarily there that when you throw away every little thing which could have been recycled, it makes an impact.”
“I think raising awareness for [environmental action] needs to be done. It is a rising problem in today's world and if we don’t solve it soon it will get out of hand,” senior Will Li said.Bloom added that Climate Action Day will expose Exeter to relevant climate issues which will inspire and impact environmental action groups on campus.“This year is kind of the foundation year, we are going to host Climate Action Day, get campus talking again, we are working on restructuring all the green clubs, maybe under more of a single umbrella similar to ESSO,” he said.However, upper Peter Duff, club head of the marine conservation club DORSAL, said that while Climate Action Day was a good idea, some students may not appreciate it being mandatory.“From my observations at Exeter, I feel that whenever the school makes students do something, they are more likely to dislike it than if it were voluntary,” he said.While Climate Action Day is not yet officially an annual event for Exeter, members of the Climate Action Committee said they hope the day becomes annual if it proves to be successful this winter.