Dedicated to the Cause

Campus-based efforts from Eco-Action student group have global reach

For Eco-Action co-chairs Meghan Tighe ’09 and Maria De la Motte ’10, and for senior advisor Sarah Bolthrunis ’09, the club is more than just a diversion.

“Outside of our academic work, our involvement with Eco-Action is our top priority,” says Tighe, “and we’re truly passionate about it.”

Their commitment explains why Eco-Action, which a few years ago had only a handful of members promoting sustainability, is now a major organization at Holy Cross.

The group is taking full advantage of the serious dedication of its members. Within the next six weeks, Eco-Action will move ahead with a variety of ambitious projects to lay the groundwork for future environmental efforts at the College.

Their plans this semester include sending a delegation to the Power Shift youth conference in D.C.; sponsoring a panel discussion on coal addressing the impacts of mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia; planning Agua Action, a campaign against bottled water; contributing toward the development of Holy Cross’ community garden; becoming a Red Sox “Green Team”; and coordinating Trash or Treasure, a recycling and donation program for unwanted dorm items during move-out.

Here is a glimpse at some of Eco-Action’s upcoming initiatives. 

Power Shift youth conference
During spring break, 15 Eco-Action members will join 8,000 students across the country at Power Shift ’09, a national conference in Washington, D.C. The three-day conference focuses on achieving crucial climate action. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is among the featured presenters, along with green jobs activists Van Jones.

During the trip, students will also visit Capitol Hill to meet with Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern and Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry and their staff to discuss federal climate legislation. Each of the students contributed to the cost of the trip, while the Student Government Association and Environmental Studies provided additional support.

Coal panel
A presentation by mountaintop removal mining activist Dave Cooper in November inspired Bolthrunis to continue to raise awareness about the destruction of coal mining and coal use. Holy Cross students visit the Appalachia region annually.

The panel will be a multi-speaker referendum, including former industry consultants, activists, and Robert Baumann, assistant professor of economics at Holy Cross, who has researched the economics of the Appalachia region. It will be on March 25 at 7 p.m. in Hogan Jenks Suites B/C.

“This is a social justice issue, which is why the Chaplains’ Office is involved,” Tighe says. It is set to coincide with the service groups which will spend their spring breaks in the Appalachian region of the country, where coal is a paramount concern. Speaking of the students traveling to the region, Bolthrunis says, “We want at least one of the groups doing service projects over Spring Break in Appalachia to see some of these things while they’re there, and we’re working to make that happen.”

Agua Action
The impetus for this project developed from the “Purple Goes Green” water bottles sold on campus. For Tighe, the bottles have had limited success. “They’re a positive step, but it frustrates us that so many students still drive miles to Target, then come back with a giant case of plastic bottles.”

To counteract this trend, Eco-Action is running Agua Action, a fundraiser and awareness campaign. The group will sell reusable water bottles and raffle off Brita filters for students. Eco-Action is hoping to raise $500 for Rural Water Ventures, a non-profit which funds water projects and environmental education in Nicaragua. We've chosen to donate to Rural Water Ventures because they not only fund water projects, but work alongside local partners to ensure their systems are manageable and sustainable,” says De la Motte.

The group plans to collect plastic bottles from the trash on campus, and use them to create a sculpture. It’s more striking than posters, and, as Tighe notes, “It turns waste into art!”

Trash or Treasure
During move-out, students discard thousands of items that are still valuable and could be reused, donated, or recycled. Last year, Eco-Action teamed up with Dump and Run, an established organization which helped the group recycle some of the items. This year, the entire process is student organized — from the new name Trash or Treasure — to the logistics.

Within Eco-Action, a committee of five members has been coordinating all aspects of the project, from publicity to communicating with Student Programs for Urban Development. Eco-Action will donate useful, valuable items to SPUD sites and the Salvation Army, preventing everything from bedding to food from ending up in landfill. Student volunteers will collect materials in each dorm and consolidate the unwanted items.

Having the entire project run by students will “streamline and institutionalize” the process, Bolthrunis says. The group hopes to make Trash or Treasure a yearly event that reduces the amount of waste produced by students when moving out, while also strengthening Holy Cross’ relationship with the Worcester community.

By Ross Weisman ’09

Related Information:

• Eco-Action 
• Student-led Eco-Action group sets ambitious agenda this academic year