The Verdant  Student Survey: Find out what Hunter

 What is sustainability? An introduction to students said about environmental issues -

environmental sustainability - Page 2. Page 5

  Student Comments: See what suggestions

An Interview with the Hunter Solar Project:
See how Hunter students are working toward your peers gave on ways to make Hunter more
sustainability - Page 3 sustainable – Page 6

  Color Brookdale Green: How we can make

What can Hunter College do? Simple steps
toward a greener Hunter - Page 4 Hunter’s dorms environmentally friendly?
– Page 7

1

AN INTRODUCTION TO
By Vivienne Baldassare and Kanushree Jain
Professor Alexandratos
CHC 200: The Science and Technology of New
York
SUSTAINABILITY
What is environmental sustainability?
At the core of environmental
sustainability is the concept of
preserving the environment for the
needs of future generations. It
involves balancing social and
economic development with the health
of the environment and replenishing
what resources we use. In order to
achieve environmental sustainability,
environmental equilibrium must be
achieved. Nature has a delicate
equilibrium that can easily be
disturbed by humans. For example,
trees grow and have birds feed off of
them. The birds effectively transport
seeds from eating the trees and
digesting what they have eaten, and the
seeds grow in new places. This cycle
of birds eating trees and helping new
trees to grow is an example of
environmental equilibrium. What is
taken out is put back in.
2
Why do we need to take action?
Human activity has effectively upset
environmental equilibrium. At the
current rate of deforestation, 55% of
the Amazon rain forests could be
destroyed by 2030 (World Wildlife
Fund). In 2006, 19.7 tons of CO2 were
emitted per capita in the United States,
up 18.1% from 1990 (United Nations).
The combination of increased CO2
emissions and deforestation has an
extremely harmful effect on the
environment. Trees absorb CO2, and
by cutting down trees we are
preventing nature from being able to
balance itself. This leads to increased
CO2 in the atmosphere, creating the
greenhouse effect. As temperatures
rise and glaciers melt, important
habitats are destroyed as arctic animals
lose their homes and sea levels rise. If
we don’t take action to save the
environment now, we will destroy our
resources and jeopardize future
generations. It is our duty to make the
world habitable not only for humans,
but for all the creatures we share it
with.
What should Hunter College be
doing?
Being located in a large, industrial,
densely populated city, Hunter College
should make an effort to transform
itself into an environmentally
sustainable establishment, and set an
example for other urban colleges. This
can be accomplished through enhanced
recycling efforts, electricity
conservation, and the use of renewable
energy sources.
HUNTER COLLEGE SOLAR PROJECT
We had the privilege of meeting with
several members of the Hunter
College Solar Projects to discuss their way people think about renewable
club, what they hope to accomplish,
and what they think is most important
to the environmental sustainability
movement.
Members of the Hunter Solar Project -
From left: George, Ryan, Danielle,
Gwen, and Noah
The Hunter Solar Project is a student
organization founded in 2008 with the
goal of bringing renewable energy to
Hunter College. Their main focus is to
install a 3-kilowatt solar energy system
on the roof of Hunter North. While
this would not supply a great amount
of energy for Hunter, the group
pointed out that the project is
extremely important as an education
tool – not only for science classes but
also for those who are interested in
alternative energy sources. Noah
Ginsburg expressed that Hunter
College should be at the forefront of
the renewable energy movement,
particularly because it’s an academic
institution located in New York City.
Because of this, the solar energy
system can have a large impact on the
energy. Making people aware that
such technology works helps to create
a shift towards such systems being
utilized on a larger scale.
3
For now, the group is focusing on
getting the system installed. All the
money has been raised – it is now just
a matter of getting New York State
approval so that construction can start.
Once the panels are installed, Hunter
Solar will focus more on education by
way of guided tours to both students at
Hunter and other NYC schools.
Hunter Solar received a grant from the
Wal-Mart Foundation through the
Clinton Global Initiative. They will
use the grant to pay tour guides
through a partnership with the
Geography Department. When the
installation is complete, they will
stream live data over the internet so
students can see energy usage as well
as correlations between energy usage
and weather data.
Group members agreed that the most
important thing that Hunter College
can do to further environmental
sustainability is educate. People need
to be informed on things like where
10 STEPS TOWARD A
GREENER HUNTER
1) Sensory Lights
Motion-activated sensory lights should
be installed in bathrooms, ensuring
that lights do not stay unnecessarily.
2) Notebook/Textbook Recycling
Program
And at the end of each semester, how
many used notebooks end up in the
4
their energy comes from, and their
environmental footprint so they can be
more environmentally friendly.
However, It is also the responsibility
of students to let the Hunter College
administration know that they care
about the environment, and want
Hunter to take more steps toward
being green. The Hunter Solar Project
lets the administration know that there
are students who are working toward
sustainability, and that they need the
support of Hunter College.
The members of the Hunter College
Solar Project will leave behind a
tangible, long-lasting impact. Solar
energy systems can last up to 40 years,
so their legacy will be to have
provided Hunter College with solar
energy for years to come. If there is
one thing the solar project
demonstrates, it is that students have
every opportunity to make a difference
toward a more sustainable society.
garbage? Hunter College should
initiate a textbook/notebook-recycling
program to be run at the end of each
semester so that used books do not end
up being thrown out.
3) Online Assignments
Teachers should make a point to utilize
the web. They could request that
essays be emailed rather than printed
out and handed in. Encourage
professors to post reading materials
and syllabi online instead of
distributing thick packets to their
students to eliminate paper waste.

6) Biodegradable Cafeteria Products

Hunter College should make the

cafeteria green by only purchasing
biodegradable cafeteria supplies.
Napkins, plastic cups, disposable
utensils, and cafeteria trays are all
available in biodegradable form.

7) Double-sided Printing

Encourage professors to request

double-sided printing at the CAPS
(copy and postal services) whenever
possible, especially for class handouts
because this will help reduce paper
use, halve the weight of the paper
professors have to lug around, and
perhaps motivate students to read the
material because it seems less
voluminous.
8) Recycling
Hunter should place more recycling
bins, ideally next to garbage cans
throughout the college and especially
in the cafeteria. In fact, the few
recycling cans that are in the cafeteria
are placed in areas that are easily
overlooked.
9) Save paper towels
Install multiple hand dryers in
bathrooms in order to reduce the use of
paper towels.
10) Get creative about energy sources!
Install exercise equipment that
produces electrical energy. This
change will prove to be another reason
for people to exercise. People will not
only be whipping into shape but will
also be saving the environment at the
same time. Thus, when they wear their
bikini or shorts, they will have clean
beaches to go to as well.
STUDENT SURVEY

5
 We surveyed Hunter students on their WHAT DO STUDENTS SAY?
environmental views, habits, and how
far they would be willing to go for a Students offer valuable perspectives on
the current state of affairs at

We asked students to tell us

how environmentally

On a scale of 1 - 5, how environmentally sustainable do yo

friendly they feel their own
behavior is. With a 5 being
the most environmentally
friendly, and 1 being the
least, the vast majority of
people felt they were a 3 or
4.

Hunter College. We asked

sustainable Hunter. students to give us their

While it’s a good thing that only

2% of students claim to never
recycle, it’d be great if we could
get everyone to recycle all the
time! Hunter needs to increase
the number of recycling bins
throughout the school, and
How
educate people on the different
materials that can be recycled to
increase the number of
recyclers.
1% 3%
1% A series of “yes or no”
15%
questions revealed both levels of
student interest and also what
students would be willing to do
for a sustainable Hunter.
Almost 78% of people said they
would prefer online
assignments, and 64% would
take a class on sustainability.
About half said they would pay
6 more tuition if it meant Hunter
thoughts on environmental
sustainability at Hunter and received
some interesting comments and
suggestions. Here’s what they had to
say:
“I am glad to see that Hunter is
making strides toward becoming more
sustainable, as with the recycling cans
throughout the school and especially
in the cafeteria. Separately, there
seem to be some very active segments
of the student body. However, it seems
the weakest link right now is student
enthusiasm – many students seem to
just not care at all.”
Many students expressed concerns
about recycling at Hunter College.
“The school needs to actually make an
effort to properly track areas of
sustainability on campus, such as
electricity use and recycling,
particularly before large amounts of
money are spent to change already
existing systems. A sustainability
committee exists, but little to nothing
is being done to actually produce data
that will help us properly address
sustainability issues.”
“Recycling bins!!! Even when they
are there, they are so frequently
misused. Also, the cafeteria could be
more environmentally friendly with
their packaging.”
“More recycling bins in the school.
Mandatory lectures on being
7
environmentally friendly for students
should be offered to all first year and
transfer students.”
Many students seem in favor of
Blackboard and online assignments.
“Fix Blackboard so that professors
don’t have to print and hand out their
syllabi for the classes, and mandate
the submission of coursework via e-
mail.”
“Submitting assignments via
Blackboard is amazing.”
Others disagree.
“Reading stuff on paper is very
important. Don’t take that away. It’s
better for the health and gives more
flexibility. Also, not everyone can
afford technology.”
Some offered valuable suggestions.
“I am against the auto-flushing toilets.
It is a waste of resources.”
“Make it so that individual rooms can
control the temperature – the heat is
always needlessly blasting during the
winter and it makes the rooms too
hot.”
(Who really likes those auto-flush
toilets anyway?)

Until now, Hunter College’s main
campus has been the central target for
implementing strategies that would
make it more environmentally
sustainable. However, what about the
off-campus building that also falls
under the Hunter administration – the
Brookdale dorms?
Rumored to have once been a mental
asylum, this building now houses
undergraduate students, graduate
students, and nursing major students.
Besides the residents, there are
employees and faculty members who
use the dormitories as well. Such a
large, bustling population inevitably
equals massive consumption of
8
resources such as electricity, water,
and paper, just to name a few.
Nonetheless, a large population is not
an excuse to resign and continue to
produce waste. Thus, I propose an
Eco-Olympics at the Brookdale
dormitories among the floors to see
which floor decreases their waste
production the most in terms of
electricity and water. At the end of
each semester, ResLife would host a
theme party for the triumphant floor.
Before you raise your eyebrows with
the concern of how this may be
remotely possible to monitor each
floor’s consumption of electricity and
water, let me assure you that this
endeavor has already been
accomplished by Oberlin College in
Ohio. Oberlin College has developed
a "Campus Resource Monitoring
System" to display electricity use in
dormitories. The objective is to
provide real-time feedback that
encourages students to conserve
environmental resources. They have
also designed a website to provide
residents with the environmental and
economic costs of electricity
consumption in Oberlin's dormitories.
Perhaps, the Brookdale dorms
administration can begin by
developing and installing monitors in a
public space that show residents the
consumption of electricity and water
for their floor. Then the competition is
announced and residents can paint
their dorms green. Although the
technology might by a little expensive,
it will prove to be a cheaper deal in the
long run.
As the administration works on that,
here are some tips for students to
incorporate in their daily lives
starting…now! (Remember: Every
drop is vital in the formation of an
ocean)
PAPER
1. Use dishtowels to dry your
dishes instead of exploiting the
free, brown paper towels
2. Host floor events that discuss
which products are disposed into
the recycling bins. Perhaps
distribute dishtowels at this
event to reduce use of paper
towels. (Make sure to have
FOOD!)
3. Save junk mail from your
mailbox to use as scrap paper.
4. Tear the remaining unused
pages from old notebooks and
staple them to make your own,
unique grocery pad. If desired,
add stickers for embellishments!
9
5. Use both sides of the loose-leaf
and in your notebooks.
(Professors won’t mind if there
are two day’s worth of notes on
the same sheet of paper!)
6. Save napkins from fast food
restaurants and delis for later
use instead of trashing the
extras.
ELECTRICITY
7. Unplug your laptop and the
laptop charger once your laptop
is charged.
8. Make sure to turn off the lights
when leaving your room or the
kitchen.
9. Spend more time face-to-face
with friends rather than
contacting your dorm-mates via
facebook. This will help reduce
electricity immensely.
10.Turn off the stovetop fan in the
kitchen if not in use. (Perhaps
the RA or CA can stick a
friendly reminder in the
kitchen!)

WATER
11.Take a power shower and cut
down on the water waste.
12.Don’t let the water run as you
brush. Even if the duration of
the time is 2 minutes, you have
already wasted 2.6 gallons of
water.
PLASTIC
13.Reuse your plastic grocery bags
(like from Morton Williams) as
garbage bags or drop them off at
Gristedes to be recycled. You
can also ask stores not to double
10
bag your groceries or purchase a
reusable grocery bag.
14.Reuse your plastic bottles
instead of washing away your
money.
15.Have the bi-annual OpE
programs incorporate recycling
issues.
USEFUL LINKS
1. Hunter College Solar Project
http://huntersolar.wordpress.com/
2. CUNY Sustainability Task Force
http://web.cuny.edu/about/sustainable
/taskforce.html
3. Verdant Vine Issue No. 1
http://www.scribd.com/doc/8833893/
The-Verdant-Vine-ULTIMATE
4. plaNYC
http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc203
0/html/home/home.shtml
5. The Greener Apple
http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios
/thegreenerapple/
SOURCES
1. Oberlin College Sustainability Portfolio:
http://www.oberlin.edu/sustainability/
2. United Nations Statistics Division:
http://unstats.un.org
3. The World Wildlife Fund:
http://www.worldwildlife.org/
PHOTO CREDIT towards a more sustainable Hunter
College.
Page 1:
http://www.stateuniversity.com/assets/
logo/image/1633/large/hunter01.jpg

Page 2:
http://realestatetwincities.net/wp-
content/uploads/2007/10/istock_00000
3249271devastation480x319.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
en/thumb/8/8d/Wiki_Bridge.jpg/280px
-Wiki_Bridge.jpg

Page 6:
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ol-
images/nursery/uploads/2007_11_13_a
uto%20flush%20toilet.jpg

Page 7:
http://www.iowastatedaily.com/conten
t/articles/2008/08/16/sports/doc48a72d
49532fc307760961.jpg

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Vivienne Baldassare and Kanushree
Jain are students in Professor
Alexandratos’ “Science and
Technology of New York” class. The
class has focused largely on
environmental issues and sustainability
in the New York City area. Vivienne
and Kanushree hope that Hunter
students, faculty, and administrators
will consider the suggestions listed in
this newsletter so that we can all work

11