September 26, 2014
Hamilton College students, faculty and alumni participated in the much-heralded People’s Climate March in New York City on Saturday, September 21, along with nearly 300,000 others. Together, they demanded action on climate change ahead of the UN Climate Summit, which took place the following day. Hamilton’s Environmental Action Group (HEAG) and the Fossil Fuels Divestment Organization led the effort to bring Hamilton students to the march. While they had several motivations for marching, their general message was that “something must be done.”
Last year, many Hamilton students worked hard to draw attention towards the need for the College to act on climate change, specifically requesting that the school divest endowment funds that support fossil fuels and invest them in renewable energy sources. While the College did at least give the proposal some consideration, the Board of Trustees ultimately decided against moving forward with the idea. At the time, many involved with the movement and those who supported it were demoralized that Hamilton chose not to signify its commitment to acting on climate change issues through divestment. While we at The Spectator reiterate our call for the Board to divest, it is important to note that Hamilton College has made a concerted effort to combat its own contribution towards climate change over the years.
Hamilton College has taken many actions that emphasize its commitment to the cause. In 2007, President Joan Hinde Stewart signed the American College and University Climate Commitment, which asserted that Hamilton would “maintain and develop policies that are environmentally sound.” Since signing that pledge, the College has been serious about abating its level of carbon emissions. It has done so by working to cut these, as measured in 2007, in half by the year 2020 in order to ultimately become a carbon neutral campus. It has established various groups and funds devoted to reducing its environmental impact such as creating the Class of 2008 Environmental Endowment Fund and the Recycling Task Force. It has also worked to use the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) guidelines while building new buildings or renovating old ones, in addition to maintaining the Hamilton College Arboretum, as well as the expansive acreage that the college owns in order to offset carbon emissions. Moreover, even contractors that work with the College such as Bon Appétit have worked hard to ensure that it uses local foods, as is made abundantly clear through the recent local food challenge, as well as biodegradable paper and cleaning products.
Nevertheless, without the push of a vigilant student body, it is doubtful that Hamilton College would have gotten to this point. Groups such as HEAG, Slow Food and others like them have made clear to Hamilton that it is time to take climate change seriously. The divestment movement is no exception. It sent a powerful message to the College that climate change is still as important an issue as ever – maybe even more so. It is easy to be angry about the lack of reception the issue received last year by top College officials, but it is necessary to take stock and realize just how much effort the College has put into trying to become a more green-friendly school. For that, we as students can be and should be proud of our school.
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