BY JACQUELINE SMALL

In print | Published February 4, 2010

In the wake of environmental groups’ criticism that a lack of definition in the Sustainability Committee was creating communication problems, SusCom has taken steps to become more accessible. It has opened every other meeting to the public, invited student involvement in some of its new projects, and worked with student green groups.

“We invited the student groups to come and talk to us on several occasions. They produced a document of suggestions, many of which we have adopted,” said engineering professor Carr Everbach, co-chair of SusCom.

The Phoenix reported in October that student green groups were dissatisfied with SusCom’s effectiveness and the lack of communication between the two factions.

“It all turned around after the last article was published,” Zein Nakhoda ’12, a member of Earthlust, said. Jacob Socolar ’11, also of Earthlust, agreed.

“We’ve been in very productive dialogue for the last couple of months now. I wouldn’t say I have any complaints about SusCom at all,” he said.

While SusCom meetings used to be closed, they now are open on a biweekly basis. An open meeting “gives everyone in the Swarthmore community the ability to speak their minds,” Everbach said.

He added that the committee, in having only every other week open, still wanted “some privacy to allow members to speak their minds without fear of being misquoted or quoted out of context.”

Everbach said that one reason students may be frustrated by SusCom is a lack of understanding of how its money is to be used. He said although many students came to him with “great” ideas for projects, the committee’s Renewing Fund is supposed to act only as a resource for those projects that will make a profit to replenish the fund. So far, no proposals have been made which fit that criterion.

Current plans for use of the fund include using LED bulbs in Sharples, which will cost nine dollars less per bulb and are brighter. The committee may ask for student volunteers to unscrew the current lights and screw in the new ones.

Even more so, SusCom hopes for student involvement in identifying hallways and foyers with a mix of natural and artificial light and bathrooms that have no light switch or are always left on. The committee wants to install sensors that will turn the lights off when no one is in the bathroom or when the sunlight in the halls or foyers is sufficient. Students are encouraged to email any suggestions to greenbox@swarthmore.edu.

Michael Roswell ’11, a former member of SusCom and a current member of Earthlust, was initially very dissatisfied with the committee. He was one of five students who wrote President Chopp a letter last semester urging improvement in the committee’s operation method. With the adoption of some of the students’ suggestions, including biweekly open meetings, though, he said, “There have definitely been improvements in communication, for sure, without any question. First of all, there’s been a move toward prioritizing and taking on projects, and our dialogue has seemed really positive.”

One project that pleased both groups was the removal of paper bags and water bottles from grab-and-go lunches. Earthlust proposed these changes earlier in the year in its list of suggestions, but Everbach said the initiatives would have occurred even without the improved communications, saying, “The plans were already in the works.”

Linda McDougall, Director of dining services, said she was pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response about recent changes to the grab-and-go lunches. She also agreed that the situation with Earthlust was better than before. “In the past I’ve felt that groups like Earthlust thought we were working against them, so it’s nice to be working together. They’re a really nice group of students and I’ve really enjoyed working with them,” she said.

Maurice Eldridge ’61, vice president for college and community relations and a member of SusCom, agreed the situation is improving: “I think communications have stepped up in level and quality.” He added that he admires Earthlust on many levels.

Camille Robertson ’13, a member of SusCom, said in an e-mail that it was important for both groups to remember that they have the same goal: “The Sustainability Committee and the student green groups hope to promote environmental consciousness and sustainable practices in the Swarthmore community as a collective effort to care for a collectively inhabited world.”

Everbach said that he attributed the strained relationship with student groups to a difference in vision for SusCom’s mission.

“I happen to think we never had communications problems. There were just different ideas of what SusCom should be and I think we’ve suffered because of the perceptions of green groups and some students in particular,” he said.

Responding to the criticism that SusCom didn’t act boldly enough, Everbach said that the committee is primarily meant to make recommendations to the college. According to its mission statement, the committee aims to “identify policies that promote the most efficient use of College resources, to coordinate and consolidate sustainability education and communication, and to focus attention on the Lang Center as the vehicle for sustainability education and communication.”

“We are as bold as we can be within our charter, but we’re a committee of volunteers, and without a real budget or much power, we can’t instantly reform the campus,” Everbach said.

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