An open invitation
Vincent Barbieri’s column “Facing the futility of Earth Hour” (April 8, p. 4), is both misinformed and inaccurate, and I call into question his purpose for writing it. Earth Hour is not a “ridiculous” endeavor proclaiming that turning lights off will save the world from climatic catastrophe. It is a worldwide call for advocacy and action. It is a symbolic desire to see our soil, our streams, our air and our creatures endure on this Earth as they are meant to. As a member of Green GW for the past three years, I have been an active proponent for this event. I don’t conserve because I think that in doing so I am single-handedly saving the Amazon’s rainforests. I do it because conservation is a lifestyle that I feel should be adopted and advocated for. In a country with seemingly endless clean water and shelves of packaged food, it would be possible for any child to grow up believing our resources are infinite. But we all know better! One person can make a difference, if educated. And that is the core of Earth Hour. Students are the future policymakers of this country and I wholeheartedly believe that if enough of our citizens clamor for change, America will deliver. What is the point of denigrating the efforts, no matter how small, we make on this campus every day to give our children a cleaner world? Mr. Barbieri seems to think there are better ways to put GW in front of the “environmental race.” I would love to hear his thoughts. Green GW meetings are every Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Marvin Center. I cordially invite him and anybody else to attend.
Sara Scoville-Weaver, is a senior majoring in international affairs and geography
The role of individual action
In the recent Hatchet opinion piece, “Facing the futility of Earth Hour,” (April 8, p. 4), the author, Vincent Barbieri, overlooks the true meaning of Earth Hour and the central role individual action plays in improving our environment. If you look at Earth Hour only narrowly, turning off lights may seem like a small drop in the bucket, but the reality is that such collective action and awareness is the only way we will be able to address our carbon footprint. An example of small actions making a difference can be seen in the University’s participation in a program where Pepco asks GW to curtail power use in buildings for a few hours on hot summer days. While at a glance this may seem like a small action, by getting enough partners in the D.C. area to participate in the program, Pepco is able to avoid contracting a new power plant. Every action counts.
The author is correct that bold action is needed to reduce our carbon footprint. This is why GW has a strategy to combine programs like Earth Hour with University-wide sustainability initiatives. For example, GW is finalizing its Climate Action Plan, which will provide a road map of how the University will achieve carbon neutrality. The plan will include options to upgrade the efficiency of our buildings and employ innovative solutions that embrace renewable energy in an urban environment. We have made commitments to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications for our buildings under construction, and both our South Hall and Pelham projects are targeting for LEED Gold Certification. But even with those upgrades, we will still need to rely on the behavior of our community to help reduce our energy consumption. Small actions, like turning off lights, recycling and unplugging electronics will be just as critical to our success. We welcome and invite the entire GW community to be involved with GW’s sustainability efforts through actions small and large. If you are interested in getting more involved with our campus sustainability efforts, or have ideas to make GW more sustainable, please e-mail [email protected].
Meghan Chapple-Brown, Office of Sustainability and the Earth Hour organizers
