Earth fair exhibits
diverse groups

// news / daily - april 23, 2004

http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=13927&repository=0001_article
written by Jeff Erfe

Environmentalism on campus is both waning and waxing, as this year’s lightly promoted Earth Day fair demonstrated, according to participants.

The Students for a Sustainable Stanford organized yesterday’s fair, hoping to unify most of the campus environmental groups in one culminating Earth Week event and to make a splash for Admit Weekend.

But many organizers and attendees noted that the myriad organizations at the fair seemed splintered from within. Several previously active organizations such as Environmental Justice and the Redwood Action Team have become less visible to other activists this year and did not sponsor booths at the Earth Day fair.

Freshman Emmett Hopkins, of Students for a Sustainable Stanford, noted that the system of dormitories’ environmental representatives, for example, have all but dissolved this year.

Junior Jenny Tolan attended the fair and said that although she felt “really excited” about Earth Day, she was upset because she felt that no one really knew about it until today.

“[It has received] a lot less attention in the past couple of years,” Tolan said. “[It seems as if it is] not a big issue for students these days.”

Others said they felt differently. Dean Eyre, associate programs manager for Undergraduate Research Programs, attended the fair as someone who has long been interested and actively involved in environmental issues. He said that the environmentally conscious community was in fact “getting more ingrained into the structure of the University.”

Eyre said that the next step is to create a dormitory or academic building for the express purpose of educating students on the environment.

He also argued that groups are neither splintered nor inefficient. Instead, he said that he cherishes the diversity of these organizations and their different approaches.

“In so many ways the environment affects people and people affect the environment,” he said. “There are many ways to tackle the issue.”

That diversity was on display at the fair, and some organizers and attendees said that one advantage of environmental activism is that students from all backgrounds and interests can unite around a common desire — to protect and safely enjoy the environment — and work concertedly toward that goal.

Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), for example, brings together engineers and other “techies” committed to working for sustainable development in the third world.

Currently, the group is working on erecting a Green Building in Nicaragua and providing a better science curriculum in African schools.

“We don’t try to impose solutions,” said ESW member Kristof Richmond. “We try to find a solution that’s culturally acceptable and sustainable. We try to teach a man to fish rather than simply give him a fish.”

According to some organizers, splintering may be on the decline and unification and a mass movement may be just around the corner, not just for environmental activists but for all progressive students on campus.

Junior Tim Telleen-Lawton, who has been working with the Campus Greens for the past two years, voiced his enthusiasm over a new project to create a Web site that will link progressive activists from all backgrounds and interests.

“This [site] will decrease redundancy and increase the efficacy of community cooperation efforts,” Telleen-Lawton said.