Increased awareness, support and collaboration among environmental student groups were the focus of the Northwestern Energy and Sustainability Roundtable discussion Wednesday at Chambers Hall. Nearly 20 students, staff and alumni met to discuss methods to progress energy and sustainability action on campus.
“A lot of the schools and groups do amazing things regarding energy and sustainability, but we just don’t know what the others are doing,” said Anuj Saigal, second-year Kellogg student.
Group leaders from eight graduate and undergraduate student groups agreed that a lack of communication infrastructure hinders the impact of environmental education and outreach on campus. The absence of a “central hub” for environmental issues at NU leaves many students unaware of ways to get involved, Saigal said.
“The system of communication is very fractured right now,” said Jeff Henderson, marketing manager for the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern. “The ability for the average person to get engaged is severely diminished – this is about making Northwestern a community based in energy and sustainability,” he said.
While attendees agreed there is a need for centralization of environmental information, some disagreed about the appropriate method. Suggestions included a mass listserv of environmental information, a common calendar featuring each group’s events, a new website to serve as a portal to environmental news and events, social media approaches and social gatherings that engage alumni.
“There are a lot of efforts to collaborate already going on, but I think they’re diluting by adding another group to the pool but not functioning effectively,” said Thea Klein-Mayer, Weinberg senior and president of Wild Roots.
Ultimately, the group agreed on the development of a common calendar to provide environmental information to the campus and external community. Saigal and GREEN House president Mark Silberg invited attendees to gather again later in the week to further develop this and other communication initiatives.
“We are confident that our efforts, beginning today, will inspire students, administration and the campus at large to more fully understand the energy and sustainability efforts at Northwestern and to bring Northwestern to the forefront of a larger national debate,” Silberg said.
