Politics, Awareness & Education

Policies & Principles Environmental Council Environmental Studies Program Fellowships in Environmental Journalism Archives

SUMMARY:

Environmental Organizations
There are currently five Middlebury College student groups with an environmental aspect: Environmental Quality, the Geology Club, the Middlebury Mountain Club, the Otter Creek Journal, and the Rainforest Action Group. These student groups receive the support of the Student Activities Office upon following the procedures (determined by that office) which grant them official organization status. The Student Activities Office keeps an annual record of the membership and officers of environmental groups, if the student organization passes along that information. Environmental Component of Orientation
There is a component of student orientation which is responsible for environmental awareness. This component is exemplified by talks and a video presented by the college's Environmental Coordinator, the Mountain Club's Outdoor Orientation and February Outdoor Orientation programs, introductory pamphlets on college recycling, and communications to student groups. The Environmental Coordinator also presents at the orientation for new staff. At this time, the Environmental Coordinator only provides information to new faculty in packets and does not present at their orientation. Ongoing Educational Activities
The Environmental Council sponsors informational table stands in the dining halls. They also sponsor an annual Environmental Fair which provides information about campus-related environmental issues. Other programs are developed as time permits, but have included recycling and energy contests, speakers and other events. Environmental House
Middlebury currently has an Environmental House which houses 17 students at a time. The house purchases and prepares its own food to further the residents' mission of living and eating sustainably. The residents frequently host presentations, discussions and events oriented towards raising awareness about environmental issues. A proposal has been made to provide a more sustainably designed facility for the Environmental House, either through a new building or a renovation. It is hoped that the new facility will provide more space to expand the social and educational aspects of the mission of the house. Data on Student Group Membership (absolute)

Student Group	Female '97-'98	Male '97-'98	Female '96-'97	Male '96-'97
Environmental Quality	50	23	27	9
Mountain Club	137	107	164	89
Geology Club	n/a	n/a	20	15
Rainforest Action Group	24	12	did not exist	did not exist
Otter Creek Journal	17	14	n/a	n/a

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. Record data on environmental groups. The annual data on student environmental groups should be placed on record at the Student Activities Office, to ensure that membership data preceding the past two years is retrievable. 2. Keep track of active members versus mailing-list members. Student groups should develop a system for distinguishing between active and mailing list members and report separate member-type data to Student Activities. This process would help elucidate the membership data for the Mountain Club, which has a high number of students involved. 3. Increase environmental component in faculty orientation. The environmental component of faculty orientation should be increased to include a presentation related to the environmental programs at Middlebury College.