Community Learns About Eco-Action
“I cannot guarantee a victory, but I can guarantee a fight.” Renowned author and environmental activist Bill McKibben left the Academy with these words Wednesday during his keynote address on the Academy’s first ever Climate Action Day (CAD).
Climate Action Day proved to be momentous in the Academy’s history. Attending a total of three seminars (the keynote and two self-chosen workshops), Exonians took a break from their typical academic schedules and opened their eyes and ears to the mounting problem of climate change. The CAD Committee hoped that with this day, students and faculty would become educated in the different aspects and directions of the climate change movement, as well as become inspired to take action and join the effort.
Exonians kicked off the day with their advisory groups at McKibben’s keynote address, “The Climate Fight: This Generation’s Greatest Battle.” McKibben is a leader in the climate change movement. Since initiating the “350 campaign,” a movement designed to warn the world that 350 parts per million of carbon is the highest safe level, McKibben and his follow campaign members have travelled the world spreading the message. They have hosted demonstrations and protests in every corner of the world and have inspired real change in some of those places.
After seeing people across the world react to the campaign, McKibben described the climate action movement as a moral one, in Exonian terms, non sibi.
“[My trips] have certainly helped me understand more of how high the stakes are for the poorest people on the planet. Look, those of us here probably have enough money, although it’s going to be hard and we’ll have to deal with acid, snowstorms and floods, at least for a while, we’ll continue to go through it,” McKibben said. “We’ll be all right. If you’re in Bangladesh, or the Maldives, or Vanuatu or Pakistan or wherever, you’ve got no choice. If things go bad, then you’re in big trouble.”
“This is a global effort. We are just a small part of it, and while some may think that we are insignificant, we really aren’t. When Exonians put their voices together, we yell pretty loudly.”
McKibben has approached the issue of climate change from the political angle, emphasizing that the currency the world must work through is social movement, not money. Head of the history department Bill Jordan sees the solution for climate change as a political one as well, stressing that, while each individual needs to do his or her part, the government will be the defining factor of success or failure in the climate struggle.
“I think that individuals’ acts have to be happening on a larger scale. The political stuff, however, is the most important. It’s a political solution. It’s not going to be solved by people composting their garbage. It’s the government not making the keystone pipeline, for example,” Jordan said. “So if we all start reducing our footprint, and using fluorescent light bulbs while the government is building pipelines and such, then it’s gonna be useless. So we need to get rid of the pipeline. It’s a huge priority.”
Notably, Americans have loudly voiced their dissent against the Keystone XL oil pipeline with the help of McKibben’s “350 campaign.” On the very same day as the Academy’s Climate Action Day, the Keystone pipeline bill was passed by the House of Representatives, setting up a potential veto battle with President Barack Obama. Hearing the voices of environmental protest, Obama has already pledged to veto the bill. The final outcome will be announced soon.
Prepared by McKibben’s address, students and faculty attended two self-selected workshops where the speakers and Exonians conversed in smaller groups. Exonians had an impressive selection of approximately 20 speakers to choose from (there were 22, but two canceled due to weather), including seminars by Exeter faculty. Speakers from all over the country, from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds, came to speak with the Exeter community, approaching the topic of climate change from all sort of unique angles.
The most heavily attended seminar was that of renowned MIT Professor Donald Sadoway. With over 300 students in each section, Sadoway explained his revolutionary energy-efficient battery to the audience.
Sadoway believes that the fight against climate change begins with effectively storing and transferring electricity. “The battery would allow people who don’t have access to electricity to get it in a way that is much more readily available,” he said.
Oil companies currently hold power over world economies because natural resources have become the primary infrastructure of most countries. By removing the emphasis on oil, Sadoway hopes to drastically lower the price and change the global oil dynamic. “We can topple a dictator without firing a single bullet,” he said.
To Sadoway, combating climate change begins with not only individual endeavour, but also general awareness of an ever present problem. “We need a heightened awareness. Thinking about climate change in the back of your mind helps you as you make your way through your studies,” he said. “The environmental component is then factoring into your decision making.”
Director of philosophy at Patagonia, Vincent Stanley, shared similar feelings as Sadoway, agreeing that starting early is the key to reversing climate change. “I think it needs to start from the beginning,” Stanley said. “It’s almost like savings: if you put ten dollars a month into a savings account, pretty soon you forget that you’re doing it. Two years later, you say ‘Oh my gosh, I need 600 dollars,’ it’s hard to come up with that, so start early.”
Mathematics instructor Dale Braile, who attended Stanley’s workshop, expressed appreciation for Climate Action Day. “More than anything, it offered the opportunity to think about something that some of us hadn’t thought too much about,” she said. “Coming together as a community to do that gives us the opportunity to talk to each other and see what perspectives others have.”
As with all events on the first try, the day had its faults. While the wide assortment of workshops provided faculty and students with variety, some said that informing the Academy about climate action is a gradual process and should not be confined to one day.
“I really wish I had the opportunity to go to four or five of the other workshops,” Jordan said, expressing his sentiment and frustration about yesterday. “I wonder how much people can really absorb in one day. I think this is something that needs to be an ongoing effort to provide education.”
Senior, Environmental Action Committee co-head and CAD Committee member Connor Bloom also felt that the day was heavy with all the workshops packed into one morning. As a result, Bloom advised that next year’s Climate Action Day be a full-day event in hopes of creating a more effective and comprehensive experience for students and faculty. He suggested to start the day with the keynote address, followed by advisery meetings in which students could digest the material, the first workshop, lunch and then the second workshop and additional activities such as service in the afternoon.
Students had other complaints towards the day as well. Although some believe discussion is the most important part in the movement, some students wished that the day was more proactive.
Lower Roger Shen said, “We can discuss really well, all day long, and nothing is going to get done. If we really want to do something about climate change, we should start getting energy from companies such as sun power maybe, or nuclear energy maybe.”
Other believes that the bigger problem is not on how to improve the day for next year, but how to keep up discussion on climate change between now and then.
“I think the bigger question is will the community as a whole really be able to follow through with bonafide, long lasting change towards sustainability,” upper Timothy Wu said. “Exeter makes a big show about how sustainable it is, but it’s moments like last year when our divestment campaign failed that are really indicative of where Exeter is as a community in the context of climate change.”
McKibben hopes the Academy picks up its divestment campaign as well. Still, the true effect of his speech, McKibben said, is up to time and Exonians. “Time will tell. If a year from now, there are different ways of generating energy around here. If a year from now, there is discussion about the board of trustees trying to sell out its fossil fuel investments, then [the talk] would have had an impact.”
Exonians will settle for no less than expected. According to science instructor Elizabeth Stevens, a brunch will be hosted for students interested in discussing climate change further. In addition, according to Bloom, many of the Exeter environmental clubs already have follow-up events planned, hoping to the build off the student momentum coming from the day.
To begin with, on Climate Action Day, students pledged in Agora and the science center today to reduce waste in the dining halls. Over the next two years, dining services will track and publicize their waste records. Environmental Action Committee (EAC) will also be hosting several events. In a week, according to Bloom, EAC may be starting an energy reduction rivalry with Brooks School. In the spring, the Sustainability Advisory Committee will be hosting a Green Apple Day, a day dedicated to environmental service.
Through CAD, the Academy has gained many connections, according to Bloom. The Exeter community has received offers to go down to Boston, around New Hampshire and Washington D.C. for rallies and workshops.
Students and faculty alike hope that the Academy takes advantage of the opportunities that have been presented. The climate is changing. People all over the world have been joining in the fight. It’s time for Exonians to join that global effort, striving for McKibben’s before mentioned victory.
“This is a global effort. We are just a small part of it, and while some may think that we are insignificant, we really aren’t. When Exonians put their voices together, we yell pretty loudly,” Bloom said.