Being sustainable is no longer an anomaly. Sustainability has become as commonplace as snow in December or tacos on Tuesdays. It comes as no surprise that our school is emphasizing the need to be green. And though many complain that Andover has grown fanatically green, shoving the sustainability mantra down our throats, I disagree. In this day and age, living sustainably is no longer an option, but a requirement. It is commendable that the administration is focusing so much attention and money on this global issue. The problem lies not in the emphasis placed on sustainability, but in our approach. At the moment, campus leaders are concentrating their energy on getting Andover’s student body excited about the Green Cup challenge. But to what avail? To clarify, I am not against the Green Cup Challenge. I believe it is an interesting way of getting high school students involved in sustainable practices. The GCC is a fun way to generate hype for sustainability and raise awareness on the issue of climate change. But in terms of actually improving our school’s sustainability, the GCC falls short. Our school has only reduced energy usage by one percent. Exeter has increased its usage by 1.6 percent. It is apparent that while we’ve done a lot of talking and social networking, we haven’t actually changed much. Even if we were able to miraculously boost student morale and maximize participation, we would just return to pre-Green Cup Challenge levels of energy consumption and waste at the end of the month-long competition. But PA’s more permanent decision to end tray use in Commons is not the most practical solution either. Many members of PA’s faculty and staff have small children. Trayless dining makes it impossible for these parents to juggle multiple bowls, plates and cups, while keeping track of their kids in the sea of people at the peak of dinner hours. And while the option of using a tray is still offered in Uncommons, trays will disappear entirely when we head to Commons in Spring term. Going trayless and winning the Green Cup Challenge may raise awareness for sustainability, but awareness is simply not enough. Ultimately, what we need are practical and sustainable technologies that produce long-term results. We need more sustainable innovations along the lines of the Addison Gallery’s plans to construct the town of Andover’s first “green roof,” an advancement that will improve the energy performance of the building and reduce storm water runoff. We need more sustainable technologies like the new steam lines installed by OPP around campus that heat at a higher temperature, using less energy to reheat the steam. We need more sustainable projects like Paresky Commons’s employment of a dehydrator that will turn waste into compostable material, which will then be shipped to a local composting site, leaving less of our waste to rot away in overflowing landfills. In short, symbolic gestures are not enough. Andover must stop with the hype and get to work. Our planet depends on action, not talk. Michelle Ma is a two-year Lower from Walnut, California. mma1@andover.edu
