The cherry blossoms are brandishing their pink and white blossoms, and though the weather still remains an inconsistent fiend that fluctuates wildly between gloomy rain and eternal sunshine, it is unmistakable that Spring has finally arrived. With the revival of campus greenery and Earth Day next Monday fast approaching, we are reminded, perhaps more than usual, of the intrinsic beauty found in the world all around us. Not for what resources it provides, nor for what we can do with it, but simply for its persistence, its reliability, like an old friend that always stays by our side or a plant that sprouts each year without fail. And with every passing second, every tick of the clock, the quest to sustain this constancy – to preserve our home, our habitat, our planet – becomes increasingly urgent and all the more difficult. In the face of ever-worsening climate change, where the culprits to blame are none other than ourselves, time and collective effort from all of us has never been more of the essence. With yesterday marking the first events kicking off this year’s Earth Week at Andover, graciously hosted by the Phillips Academy Sustainability Coalition (PASC), the scheduled events, speeches, and festivals is an invitation that has been extended to all of us to partake in catalyzing and enacting impactful change right from our very own campus. In the coming days, we all have the potential to become our own kind of environmental activist, if we so choose. At the same time, however, it is important to note that the encapsulation of a selection of initiatives within a special time frame, such as Earth Week, always leaves the risk for performative activism. This term is typically thought of in a negative light, connotating acting with wrong intentions or ingenuine passion that renders efforts of the activism insignificant or impure. Yet perhaps, in the spirit of change, of doing anything we can for what matters, let us dare to think of it a different way: performative activism, even if it may be misguided or less than ideal in the long run, is still activism – and if it is not outrightly hurting the cause nor those who truly care about it, then it is at least a start.
Yes, Earth Week is upon us. Now you might wonder, what now? It is only a week, after all, and sometimes it may seem as if everyone suddenly cares about the environment for just ten days before going back to their normal lives and leaving the problem for the “true” activists among us to deal with again. While a lot of the events on campus may appear performative due to either their brevity or their infrequency, such as the Green Cup Challenge and the Earth Festival, the mere fact of their occurrence means that there are more ways for students to grow aware of their habits and how their actions affect the planet. Because although things like divestment and policy reform are certainly crucial aspects of achieving climate justice, environmental activism is more than that — it’s also recognizing the need to build greater awareness for the inherent value of the environment that we mentioned above. Gratitude is the key to motivating action; when people fear that something they appreciate will be taken away or lost, that is when they feel more compelled to stop it from happening. Regardless of whether students’ hearts are truly in the Earth Week initiatives or they’re just participating because it seems like the socially and politically correct thing to do, these “performative” events still serve their purpose in attempting to help students find that connection between themselves and the natural life surrounding them. And at the end of the day, that simple understanding of how our lives as students are tied to the environment is just as important as anything else for making meaningful strides towards sustainability.
The upcoming week offers countless opportunities for engagement. Whether it be listening to the All-School Meeting Earth Week speaker with open ears and an open mind, spending time on the lawn during the Annual Earth festival, planting trees to combat campus deforestation during Bee-a-Tree, or any of the other countless events in the coming days, let Earth Week be a time to embrace the spirit of learning, educating ourselves, and letting ourselves be swept up in the wave for climate action. These days do not ask of us an unhuman effort, nor a year-long dedication; if they light the spark for someone’s lifelong mission, great; if not, then let these days serve as an opportunity and a reminder to all of us: the blossoms that bring us color each Spring are not a given, nor are the green grass nor sunny days. Our planet is our only home.
