College lives up to 'eco' reputation
Annual freshman orientation gets environmental makeover
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By DAWSON RASPUZZI Staff Writer - Published: August 24, 2008
POULTNEY — Green Mountain College is hoping its incoming students' first impressions at college are their long-lasting impressions during their years on the Poultney campus and long after graduating.
Freshman orientation — which, for many colleges, means burying students in paper handouts, flying in guest speakers and blanketing the campus with balloons and other nonrecyclable goods — is getting a "green" makeover this year.
To lead by example in showing importance of sustainability, GMC has cut back the number of paper mailings that often fill mailboxes the summer before freshman year, and combined them into one package of information with suggestions to check the school's Web site where the information is also posted.
The school will also be teaching incoming students' about the effects actions have on the environment and how to reduce their carbon footprints at the orientation from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1.
"We're adding workshops and public campaigns about sustainability to hit students over the head about it," said Jesse Pyles, the college's coordinator of service learning and sustainability. They will also calculate the amount of each student's carbon emissions upon getting to the campus and the amount they will produce in their four years at GMC.
One night of orientation, the college is offering the opportunity for students to camp out on the campus around campfires and the college will read the meters from rooms that house students overnight to show how much electricity is used in an average dorm room.
"The idea is to show they don't have to use that energy inside to have fun and hopefully they will see that."
The college is also encouraging students to bring their own utensils and travel mugs for orientation to reduce the amount of energy and water the college uses to clean them, with stations set up on campus to hand wash them. They are also offering biodegradable utensils for orientation visitors.
"The fewer items that have to be washed by the institution (means) the more energy is saved and the more water is going to be saved," Pyles said. "It's just a matter of being really intentional and getting students into the habit of taking personal responsibility and to think about what they are using."
The campus will be decorated with flowers grown on the college farm and with signs made from reusable sandwich boards instead of the previously used plastic, one-time-use signs that typically plaster college campuses.
For breakfast one day, students will dine on products from the college farm and local providers, saving the energy it takes to transport the goods to Vermont from out of state.
Logistically, it's very difficult to provide only locally produced foods all the time, Pyles said, although the one meal demonstrates the college's intensions and also supports local farmers.
All of the speakers at the college will be local during the orientation, including employees of the college, instead of bringing speakers in from far away.
The "green" thinking doesn't end for students after classes begin on Sept. 2, but instead orientation is just the "green" kick-off.
"It's something we want to focus on for all of our events, but it's still a work in progress," Pyles said.
The college with a "green" reputation has long tried to make its campus more sustainable and practiced earth-friendly initiatives.
Pyles said last school year the college focused on the "little things" like having more in-house presenters or experts from the area speak on campus.
"Those small actions really served as a spring board for these other actions," Pyles said.
Contact Dawson Raspuzzi at dawson.raspuzzi@rutlandherald.com.
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