Davidsonian February 24, 2021
E A R T H T O D A V ID S O N ExploringCampusClimateActionin2021 Sunrise Movement p. 2
Environmentalism in the Archives p. 3
Art and Activism p. 4
Campus Compost p. 6
Sustainability Coop p. 7
Q&A Jeremy Tarr ‘89 p. 8
2 Acknowledgments
Editorial note
Adrienne Lee ‘21 Azella Markgraf ‘21 Ben Haden ‘22 Charlotte Spears ‘24 Chloe Pitkoff ‘21 Clare Harbin ‘23 Cole Thornton ‘21 Dr. Jennifer Garcia Peacock Elizabeth Miller ‘20 Emilie Hoke ‘21 Emma Brentjens ‘21 Hannah Dugan ‘21 Hollis Plexico ‘24 Hope Anderson ‘22 Joe DeMartin ‘21 Julia Knoerr ‘21 Kate Muntzner ‘24 Kat Soltany ‘22 Lia Newman Louisa Bartkovich’22 Maeve Arthur ’22 Malorie Hudson ‘22 Nada Shoreibah ‘23 Olivia Ng ‘21 Rebecca Pempek ‘20 Sam Anderson ‘24 Sebastian Sola-Sole ‘21 Yancey Fouché
ver the past few years, some of The Davidsonian’s most exciting investigative reporting has centered around local environmental issues; from asbestos contamination, to Duke Energy’s coal ash lawsuits, to controversy over the North Carolina wood pellet industry, environmental reporting has pushed our paper to hold local decision makers accountable and inform readers about high-stakes stories beyond our campus. While you may not immediately consider the environment, science or public health when you think of campus journalism, we’ve found that storytelling in these realms is especially valuable in highlighting community injustices. Furthermore, as we began designing this special issue, we consistently saw the level of creative leadership students were taking to promote environmental, economic and social sustainability as daily norms.
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When we sat down with Yancey Fouché and Dr. Jennifer Garcia Peacock a month ago, it became clear that diverse environmental story angles continue to develop around campus. At a moment when climate action remains at the forefront of national and local news alike, we thought it pertinent to examine the state of sustainability on and around campus in detail through a blend of news reporting, human interest stories, perspectives, art and historical narratives. We are especially grateful to Yancey and to Dr. Garcia Peacock for helping us select content for this issue and connecting us with activists and community members. This issue does not encompass all of the important work that students have engaged in, nor does it represent all of the environmental action students are currently pursuing, but we hope to showcase the scope of interest in these issues present at Davidson and the intersection of environmental justice with different aspects of campus life.
Cover art by Emilie Hoke ‘21 Surface 1, 2018, Acrylic, oil, spray paint, and salt on canvas Aerial depictions of the landscape show a dichotomy between built and natural structures within the environment. This work offers reflections about that relationship as sharp lines drastically cut through more natural spaces. See Emilie’s major exhibtion, ilume, in the Van Every/Smith Galleries March 18-23 with the virtual opening reception March 19 at 4:30 p.m.
Here Comes the Sun
The Sunrise Movement to Build Community Around Climate Action Perspective by Maeve Arthur ’22, Luisa Bartkovich ‘22, Kat Soltany ‘22, Azella Markgraf ‘21
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uring our time at Davidson, we have witnessed the passion and concern that our peers feel about the current climate crisis. At the same time, we have noticed that, for varying reasons, student-organized climate action groups have proved difficult to sustain. Recognizing the gap between student passion and action and knowing our collective strength could bring lasting change, we decided to establish a hub of the national Sunrise Movement on campus. Sunrise is a youth social movement whose mission is “to stop
Movement because it strongly reflects Davidson’s values. The Sunrise Movement is founded on community, collective action, empowerment, and climate justice. The Davidson community is driven, intelligent, energetic, service- and community-oriented, and compassionate — traits that compose the most influential climate justice leaders. We are also diverse in thought, experience and identity. We know that people are affected by the climate crisis in different ways, and that people come to the fight for climate justice for varying reasons. In the Davidson Sunrise Hub, we hope to create a space where all students
we will host monthly discussions led by guest lecturers who guide us through a variety of topics that address environmental issues through multiple lenses and disciplines. Among these topics: introductions to the climate justice movement, environmental racism in North Carolina, and the importance of biodiversity, along with analyses of Chicanx artwork and anti-oppression training. We are currently planning action events in accordance with the national Sunrise Green New Deal 100 Days Campaign, as well as providing pressure to our local lawmakers towards environmentally-progessive policies.
“NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL,
COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; INDEED, IT’S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS.”
-MARGARET MEAD
climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.” Since 2016, the Sunrise Movement has mobilized young people across the country to take action on the climate crisis and bring about the era of the Green New Deal, a governing vision for a just transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. The agenda of Sunrise is based on the priorities that have been determined by local “hubs,” or chapters. According to the Sunrise website, there are over 400 hubs across the country, each taking action on climate justice in their local communities and together guiding the platform of the Sunrise Movement at a national level. Of all the possible steps for climate action, we chose the Sunrise
can come together to share stories, build community, and take action to ensure the health and wellbeing of our planet and its people. Another guiding principle of Sunrise is to “welcome imperfection, share innovations, and learn through honest mistakes followed by honest conversations.” One way we translate this value to the Davidson community is through weekly happy hours that are open to all students. The happy hours provide a fun, inclusive, non-academic space for students to discuss environmental justice issues without the pressure of being wrong or ‘sounding stupid.’ Through this event, we hope to provide the ‘sunlight’ everyone needs to grow. Alongside weekly happy hours,
Join us on WildcatSync to hear more about upcoming events and stay plugged into the Hub! If you are an organization leader or professor interested in collaborating on events related to environmental issues or climate justice, please reach out to Louisa Bartkovich (lobartkovich@davidson.edu). In a time of uncertainty and intersecting crises, we are reminded of the words of Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, “For there is always light, if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we are brave enough to be it.” Only together can we illuminate the path towards a just and sustainable future. We invite you to help us spread some sunshine.
Maeve Arthur ’22 (she/her) is an Environmental Studies major from Brunswick, ME, Louisa Bartkovich ’22 (she/her) is a Biology major and Environmental Studies minor from Exeter, NH, Kat Soltany ’22 (she/her) is a Environmental Studies major from McLean, VA, Azella Markgraf ’21 (she/her) is an Anthropology and Environmental Studies double major from Granville, Ohio. Photo by Cole Sansom
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Environmentalism in the Archives by Malorie Hudson ‘22 (she/her)
1989
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hile exploring the current environmental issues, The Davidsonian wanted to take a moment to reflect on past student initiatives that have centered around environmental awareness, recycling, and protecting the planet. When we look at present movements, it is important to consider what Davidson alumni have done before us. Sometimes this means we think critically about the
Recycling Club Sponsors The First Earth Week
1999 2005
Environmental Action Group to Sponsor Earth Week
1990
The Recycling Club hosts “Environmental Awareness Weekend, ” with four days of environmental and recycling-centered events. Above: Memo from the Davidson Recycling Committee Staff. Below: Flier distributed to campus.
The EAC and Davidson Lands Conservancy hold the first Green Ball
April 2005
actions of our predecessors and what we can do better. Other times, we can draw inspiration from their work and potentially bring back lost events. We are personally struck by the work done in the early 2000s including projects like Earth Week, Greenstock, and the annual Green Ball. When promising change and inciting new initiatives, we should remember what work has already been done for us, what we can continue to build, and what legacies we choose to carry on.
Earth Week consists of movies, speakers, and panel discussions. The Recycling Club adopts a stream in Huntersville to keep it free of pollution and works with PCC and Dining Services to use recyclable materials. The group also features “Environmental Tips of the Week”. Highlighted tips include: choosing Vail Commons over Davis cafe, taking class notes on both sides of one’s paper, and Xeroxing only what is necessary. The group aims to not promote awareness but environmental action stresses individual action
The EAC Does More than Recycle The Environmental Action Committee (EAC) hosts the ACS Sustainable Campus Development Conference, a workshop with 12 Southern private colleges working together to make college facilities more earth-friendly. On Earth Day the group hosts craft activities, writing campaigns, and recycling games. “Earth Week” features speakers and a clothing drive. Campus also starts a sustainability council for faculty, students, and staff.
Peace, Love, and Sustainability: Greenstock Rocks the Union
2012
Multiple student orgs gathered in the Union to host “Greenstock” to encourage environmental awareness. The Davidson herpetology lab brought snakes and crocodiles. Multiple booths were set up. National organizations had spokespersons - Peace Corps, Greenpeace, the RainForest Action Network. The EAC had a tap vs bottled water booth, the herpetology had alligators and snakes, the Davidson Food Club had an abundance of fresh and locally grown produce. A student band performed, and students could paint planting pots.
The Most Recent Green Ball is Held
2017 2018
EAC hosts Farm Formal
ART& ACTI VISM W
hy does art matter? Art is a unifying and universal way to communicate emotions or thoughts. Unlike anything else, art can draw people in and inspire them to care about issues and people beyond themselves and their communities. When it comes to environmental activism, art is not a supplemental tool, but rather a necessary and vital part of the work towards environmental justice. It is so easy to hide behind numbers or a “non-science” background in order to ignore the environmental atrocities that occur every year and the considerable lack of strident work towards eradicating climate change. Art absolutely and unequivocally changes that. On Davidson’s campus, you can find ongoing artistic work as a means to shed light on climate change and environmental activism. Through visual storytelling, these projects meet students and members of the community where they are in their knowledge on environmental injustice — to inspire, to inform, and to call to action the necessary work for environmental justice for which each of us are responsible. When I was pitched this piece, I was extremely excited to seek out various art activism works. I spent a large majority of my time interviewing a
number of incredible students and artists on the work that they created or curated to materialize in the spirit of activism. Their final products cannot be ignored. The stories they tell cannot be hidden. Environmental injustice and climate change affect every single one of us. In the Davidson community, our inaction to call for real and significant changes disproportionately affects BIPOC and other marginalized groups in our town and the broader area. They significantly affect the Indigenous communities in this state upon whose land we go to school, travel, and build. Art has the means and the job to tell those stories. Art, as a means of visual storytelling, of expressing emotions and intentions through the artistic work as a whole, gives faces and stories to the statistics. We as humans would not be as empathetic to the injustices environmental dangers cause, simply because huge numbers and statistics are often hard to grasp to the degree of their impact. It is stories we must tell and focus on as students at a predominantly white institution, and as human beings. Art is the only way to do that.
BY CLARE HARBIN ‘23 (SHE/HER)
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Understory: World on Fire | Watergun and Hysteria by Rebecca Pempek ‘20 An Environment Endured: Poca High School and Amos Coal Power Plant, West Virginia by Mitch Epstein, Untitled by Jen Ray, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Margot Balboni. Images courtesy of Van Every/Smith Galleries Hogwashed: Hogwashed by Ben Haden ‘22, Cole Thornton ‘21, Rebecca Pempek ‘20, Elizabeth Miller ‘20
UNDERSTORY
A STUDENT-CREATED AND CURATED EXHIBITION
Image Credits (fromleft)
Indigenous Resistance: Indigenous Resistance by Olivia Ng ‘21 and Emilie Hoke ‘21
Rebecca Pempek ‘ 20 “I went back to thinking about the psychological landscape and what the intersection between landscape environment is and how you’re feeling internally (like anxiety). I did a lot of reading on climate anxiety which is a very real thing I think that a lot of people can relate to. [Climate anxiety] is this sense of impending doom and dread with every new natural disaster that happens that you experience, or you read [about]. I was thinking about what [climate anxiety] means and how to express that. Specifically thinking about my childhood, I live in the woods of New England and what does it mean to see the woods being destroyed? How [does] that affect your psyche? That’s kind of where Understory came about and how it developed.” “Expressing myself, I would definitely say that I feel more comfortable making a piece of art [opposed to a piece of academic writing] so if I have the option I’m going to make art rather than write something. I think there is the idea of the work being up: there’s more traffic of people seeing it rather than having to sit down and read it and they can choose to engage with it or not engage with it. But the fact that it’s on display and in a gallery and there are people coming in and out of the building…they will see it whereas a paper you’re not necessarily going to read it which is kind of the beauty of art.”
A STUDENT GROUP-CREATED MURAL
INDIGENOUS RESISTANC
Olivia Ng ‘ 21 “It was really cool to see people learning about environmental justice through a visual perspective. I know that different school groups have also come [to see the murals] and learned about environmental justice through this way. For younger people it’s a really great way to help them understand and learn about different environmental issues. Especially because environmental justice is a very hard topic. [This mural project] also inspired me to do my capstone, which was a children’s book!” “[This class] really opened my eyes to a whole new side of what environmentalism can be. It’s a whole different way of looking at art and the environment and seeing how there are connections between art and activism and our everyday lives.” “It was inspiring to see the mural going up on the wall, because it feels really powerful when the schools just gives you a wall and you can paint and draw and put your own inspiration on there.” “Finding a balance between giving justice to indegenous history and current, accurate portrayals of that history was a challenge.” Emilie Hoke ‘ 21 “It’s a visual thing, People can just walk up to it and bring their own perspective into it and learn and I think it really draws people in in that way as a visual form of storytelling.”
5 A STUDENT GROUPCURATED EXHIBITION
AN ENVIRONMENT ENDURED
Adrienne Lee ‘ 21 “[This project] is like that feeling when you know like ‘Oh my God I can squeeze lemons but I can also have lemon zest.’ I feel like I’m definitely more conscious. My artwork is steel so all of the little negative spaces I carve out that I'm not ultimately using. It's just so much like money for all that steel. I like the idea of giving it back to students to play with steel because it can be a very intimidating material to work with so I guess as I was working I became more mindful about recycling [the materials].” “How are you going to work the Earth alongside [your art]? I feel like eventually I'm going to hit that brick wall too.. How am I going to be ethical with all the material that I'm working with? Because I'm definitely not interested in recycling and using that as my artistic voice because it's not, so how am I going to face the consequences of that? How am I going to incorporate that into my lifestyle and be aware of it and all the resources?”
Emilie Hoke ‘ 21 “Seeing [the Mitch Epstein piece] in person.. it's huge and when you get up there and you look at it, it almost overwhelms you in a way because it's so big and you're so small and it's this huge issue. What am I supposed to do with this? I think it speaks to and is a piece really to think about the issues of environmental injustices and strive for environmental justice and I think it's just a really powerful image.” “After doing this exhibit, I'm now taking a class called environmental justice art and I think it expands [on this project] a little bit but also stands alone as a class that's interdisciplinary and thinking about environmental justice through art, specifically Chican-x art. Bringing Chican-x environmental art into more of a public eye, I think I could draw parallels a little bit there and wanting to do more and wanting to learn more about environmental justice art and artists who are working within that framework.”
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A STUDENT GROUP-CREATED MURAL
HOGWASHED
Ben Haden ‘ 22 (Music for Hogwashed) “I just think the English language is very limited in terms of its vocabulary for emotions. Music provides a way of expressing emotion and helps other people not only to feel, but recognize and process that emotion. That, I think, is an integral part of reconciling the truths of environmental atrocities that are taking place in our midsts.” Elizabeth Miller ‘ 20 “If it had been a paper instead of the painting...I think the process of writing a paper is so different than the process of creating art and it’s easier to lose your positionality in a piece of academic writing; you are always having to overcorrect for that. Whereas in this process, everything is through your actions and your eyes are directly reflected in this public visible image. When you turn in a paper at the end of a term no one is going to read it except for your professor whereas these murals, you know, people go to class in this these buildings and there’s like a bigger weight to them and longevity so I think I was more cognizant of my own positionality in this process than in paper writing.” “I just think that more classes should do this or should feel empowered to incorporate art into the syllabus even if it’s not necessarily taught by a professor with a specialty in visual culture like Dr. Garcia-Peacock. There are a lot of collaborative opportunities and I particularly think that the power of art as speculative fiction, like Afrofuturism, is kind of my favorite genre of environmental activist art because it’s how we imagine the futures we want to exist in.” “I think any opportunity to do art is a good thing. Obviously, a group of 20 students in a predominantly white institution are not going to end hog farming. I’m thinking back now the controversy in Wall and how people can be so resistant to art that’s unfamiliar to them in general, but specifically at Davidson. But the opportunity to do art like that is so rare and I think that in and of itself had a lot of value.”
Cole Thornton ‘ 21 “I think what I learned the most from [this mural project] was our conversations around “How do we ethically depict the people from these communities?” I think the conversation was negotiations about how to do art ethically from our various positionalities, especially doing it at Davidson. I just learned a lot from thinking through those questions.”
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COVID-19, Composting, CrownTown Exploring New Composting Methods at Davidson in Response to the Pandemic
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fter a brief hiatus, composting has returned to Davidson. Davidson has resumed composting at Vail Commons for the upcoming semester and expanded composting to Warner Hall House in an effort to increase sustainability on campus and reduce food waste. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davidson had a student-run closed-loop system, meaning that the college composted its own food and recycled the waste back into campus grounds. However, the anaerobic digester, the machine that students used to compost, had ongoing issues with adjusting for different types of food waste and breakdowns. Yancey Fouché, Davidson College Director of Sustainability, explained that the college did not compost during the fall semester for two reasons: first, COVID-19 operational concerns. Second, Vail Commons’ providing food to eating houses meant that there was additional volume of groceries that limited storage space and thereby the campus’s ability to compost. Fouché continued that state law requires institutions to chill food waste to a certain degree before composting, and the extra food and food waste limited the storage space in freezers necessary to reach the required temperature. Fouché added that the pandemic became a catalyst for long-term change in composting methods at Davidson. In order to accommodate the extra food going to Patterson Court, Davidson signed a contract with Crown Town Compost, a composting company based in Charlotte. Co-founded by Kris Steele, David Valder, and Davidson alumnus Marcus Carson ‘13, Crown Town uses windrow composting, which involves piling up food and turning it with large equipment to generate heat without special equipment. Carson developed an interest in sustainability at Davidson, where he was an Environmental Studies major and Sustainability Fellow. After graduating, he became the Sustainability Manager for Mecklenburg County, during
by Kate Muntzner ‘24 (she/her), Staff Writer
which he attended an event in Charlotte where he met Steele and Valder. The event was geared towards the use of design-thinking principles to tackle sustainability issues. After working with Steele and Valder to start Crown Town, Carson became the Assistant Director for Sustainability & Quality Control for Duke Dining, where he is now. Fouché explained that the college chose Crown Town for three reasons: pricing, flexibility, and the company’s relationship with the town of Davidson. The company allows for flexibility in timing and in the types of food the system can process. Unlike other composting companies or the composting process at Davidson prior to the pandemic, Crown Town doesn’t require food to be refrigerated prior to composting and is able to process proteins. This allows the college more flexibility in preparing the food waste, Fouchésaid. Other businesses in Davidson also already use Crown Town, meaning that Davidson College is participating in a larger effort by the town to promote sustainability. According to Fouché, Crown Town reduces the college’s carbon footprint because the company already makes trips into Davidson. Crown Town has a contract with Commons specifically, though there is a trial run with Warner Hall as an extension of the Commons’ composting plan to explore the possibility of composting in all of the Patterson Court eating houses. Students from Warner Hall simply bring their food waste to the back of Commons, where Crown Town picks it up. Warner Sustainability Chair Caroline Wack ‘23 said, “With the help of Lucy Dixon and Olivia Ng (Sustainability Office employees) we have been working together to try to pilot a composting program at Warner, with the hopes of expanding it to all PCC orgs on campus soon.” According to Fouché, the Davis Café has significantly less storage space because of its smaller kitchen, thereby making it more difficult to compost. However, the pay-peritem nature of the Davis Café means that students often waste less food.
“Broadly speaking, college campuses are kind of interesting and powerful laboratories, both social laboratories and operational laboratories, for tackling big climate change issues.” Marcus Carson ’13 Crown Town Co-founder
Olivia Ng ‘21, who works in the Davidson Sustainability Office, said that there used to be paper composting in the Union, but students weren’t sorting it properly. As a result, other students had to sort through the trash by hand. Ultimately, because the food waste at Union is miniscule, Ng explained, “In the big picture, although it might make Davidson seem like we’re doing more sustainability, in terms of allocating our resources, it wasn’t the best use of our time.” Composting at Davidson is part of broader sustainability and social justice efforts. Carson explained that food waste, when not properly disposed of, produces methane as it rots. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, so there are major climate change implications. Carson added that landfills are typically located in marginalized communities, resulting in disproportionate negative health impacts. While composting is important to reducing waste and mitigating climate change, Ng stated, “Composting is not the solution.” Rather, she said, “Composting is to remediate the problem and make it less worse, but the main thing we need to be doing is to be reducing the amount of food that we waste.” Fouché elaborated by saying, “[The dining staff is] eager to support compost and sustainability in general, but they also want to be service oriented and provide the food that students want. A key thing is to be sure that students who care about this topic model responsibility by only taking what they want in the Commons.” She continued, “When students fill their plates with food they don’t eat, that’s the biggest source of our food waste on campus right there. There is only so much the institution itself can do to solve that problem.” Carson is hopeful that composting can serve as a good start, especially on college campuses. “Broadly speaking, college campuses are kind of interesting and powerful laboratories, both social laboratories and operational laboratories, for tackling big climate change issues,” he said. “Divestment in high-carbon businesses really began on college campuses because college students have the passion and energy, and they understand the impact of sustainability issues.” COVID-19 may have slowed sustainability efforts across the country, but Carson offered an optimistic note of conclusion. “Operationally, it’s slowed down, but the passions of students have not. If anything, they’re more hungry to think of ways to address sustainability right now,” he said.
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Conscious Conservation and Community-Building Define Sustainability Cooperative Living by Charlotte Spears ‘24 (she/her), Staff Writer
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Chloe Pitkoff, 9’x 4’ , Acrylic and paint pens on canvas, Spring 2020, See Chloe’s major exhibition April 22-29 in the Smith Gallery at the VAC
he red brick house at the corner of Main St. and Delburg St. is home to seven Davidson students with a different lifestyle from the rest of the school. With cold showers, composting, recycling, and group dinners, the Sustainability Co-Operative is an alternative living space where students implement sustainable social, economic, and environmental practices. Olivia Ng ‘21 currently lives in the Sustainability Co-Operative, also called the “Coop,” and believes the purpose of the house is multi-faceted. “When people think about sustainability, they think about saving the trees and the frogs, but sustainability is a lot more than that,” Ng said. “So we try to incorporate all aspects of sustainability into our community.”
bers cook and attend weekly dinners. Each week, a different student prepares a vegan or vegetarian meal from locally sourced foods and limits the waste by cooking exact portions. “I feel like I really make a difference,” Ng said. “It’s not just the things I buy or the way I do things now. The biggest impact [of living at the Coop] was shifting my mindset and way of looking at the world, because before, I would buy something off of Amazon, and I wouldn’t really think about the cost of it. But now, I am thinking about where was this shipped from, how much did it cost to make, were people paid fairly, what emissions and social impacts occurred, and who is going to have to deal with my trash.” For those living at the Coop, the changed mindset lasts beyond the year in the house. Chloe Pitkoff ‘21 was a member last spring and created a piece
you have these ridiculous kitchens with tons of stuff there that people have left over however many years. There’s common rooms and a big dining room with a big table made by Coop members a decade ago. For Pitkoff, living at the Coop has increased her awareness of sustainable practices. “Living in this community had this extra standard, and we held each other to it, it definitely changed my outlook and increased my awareness,” Pitkoff said. “I loved going to different events on campus that had food. I would bring it back to the Coop or make sure it got to someone else so it wouldn’t get wasted.” The living space has been on campus since 2007. First-years Katie Epstein ‘10 and Micheal Spangler ‘10 started the “Eco-House,” which later changed its name to the Coop, in what
Members make conscious efforts to limit consumption, minimize waste, compost in the community garden, hang dry laundry, and be as energy efficient as possible, all while encouraging similar practices in the community, according to Ng. The mission of the Coop is “to act in a way that not only engages the ten students living in the house, but also students, faculty, and staff on campus, town and city folks, neighboring schools, and more to tackle issues of environmental, social and economic sustainability,” according to the Davidson Office of Sustainability. This year, during the pandemic, only seven members live in the house. In a typical year, the Coop will host guest speakers, professors, students, and community members for dinners and events. Now, just the seven mem-
of artwork inspired by her time there portraying her and her roommates at one of their community dinners. “I was really interested in depicting this experience. For myself, as a journal and also just to sort of capture it,” said Pitkoff. Similar to Ng, Pitkoff enjoyed her time at the Coop. “You are in this much smaller house, and it feels very homey,” Pitkoff said. “There are wood floors, and
used to be the office of the Dean Rusk Program with help from Environmental Science Professor Dr. Annie Merrill. “They wanted an option for a more intentional community,” Dr. Merrill remembered. “I had lived at a Co-Op in college, and I got a lot out of it, so I explained it to them, and they said ‘Okay, where do we go from here?’”. During the first semester of the EcoHouse, Dr. Merrill did an independent
study with four of the first group of members about forming the house. “In that study we did a lot of that work,” Dr. Merrill said. “They each had a semester-long research project. They were very interested in food and local foods as much as possible. That has always been a cornerstone. Energy use and energy management has always been important depending on who lives there, like they won’t run the air conditioning in the fall, like in August when people first get there.” During the first few years at the house, students were “setting the tone for the house and also figuring out the day to day logistics of having a group of people lying together in this space,” according to Dr. Merrill. “They decided a lot of things by consensus. They figured out structures for the house in terms of cooking, in terms of what kind of sustainability they wanted to uphold, group norms, and how to handle conflict.” Over the years, Coop members have adopted various practices depending on the goals of the members. “There was one group that was trying to bring attention to issues of water globally, and so for a whole week, they only used a gallon of water a day, which is based on a statistic of what a lot of people in the world have a day,” Dr. Merrill said. “They each had a gallon bucket, and to simulate what it was like for a lot of people who didn’t have running water, they would walk every day from the Coop to Baker Sports Complex where they would fill up their gallon bucket and walk it back to the Coop. They are going past the Union and telling people about it. So, they bring attention to sustainability.” In order to live at the Coop, students apply through WildcatSync with the Residence Life Office. The application is open through February 25th, and about ten students are selected every year to participate. According to Pitkoff, aside from sustainable practices, members believe the most important aspect of the house is “building this sense of community and we hold ourselves to that.”
a standard, “Living in this community had this extr anged my ch ly ite fin de It it. to r he ot ch ea ld he and we outlook and increased my awareness” Chloe Pitkoff ‘21
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Q&A
Jeremy Tarr ‘98, Senior Advisor for Climate Change Policy to Gov. Roy Cooper Senior Political Correspondent Joe DeMartin ’21 sat down with Jeremy Tarr ‘98, Senior Advisor for Climate Change Policy to Governor Roy Cooper, to discuss environmental issues central to North Carolina, the state’s role in the national fight against climate change, and Tarr’s path to the Governor’s office. Interview by Joe DeMartin ‘21 | he/him Joe DeMartin (he/him): Can you briefly discuss your professional background? Where have you worked before working for Governor Cooper? Jeremy Tarr (he/him): I graduated from Davidson in 1998. Then I spent the rest of my 20s establishing and running an elementary school in Conakry, Guinea for refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia, as well as Guinean children. And at the same time, I helped start an African dance company that was based in the United States. We performed traditional music and dance from Guinea. After that, I went to law school at UNC School of Law and then was fortunate to secure a clerkship with Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson. From there, I went to work at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy solutions at Duke University. And that’s where I got my first real experience with national climate and energy policy. After that, I went to the U.S. EPA for a couple of years, and worked with an amazing team there to help finalize the Clean Power Plan, and the Obama Administration and worked on some other rules as well. And then in early 2017, I joined Governor Cooper’s team as his Policy Advisor for Environment, Energy, and Transportation. And so now I’m his Senior Advisor for Climate Change Policy.
Jeremy Tarr ‘98 | he/him agencies, as well as stakeholders, to develop and implement strategies for addressing climate change and helping transition the state to a clean energy economy. It’s a real honor to be working for the people of North Carolina and the Governor to help solve one of the most important issues of our time and our generation. In this role, I’m involved in a wide variety of activities. So that includes policy development, stakeholder engagement, legislation, budgeting, partnerships with local governments and other states and the federal government, and on and on. In North Carolina, what are some of the most important environmental issues that we face in the state that your office and Governor Cooper are working to solve? JT: Sure. So in my role now, I’m focused on climate change, which, on the one hand, is specific, on the other hand, touches everything. In the gGovernor’s office in general, we’re working to ensure that North Carolinians have equitable access to clean air, water, land and a sustainable environment. So this involves many issues, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving our state’s resilience to disasters, providing clean drinking water, and ensuring healthy air in every community across the state. A central value with each of these issues is advancing environmental justice and climate justice so that all people can have meaningful involvement. And the development and implementation and enforcement of environmental laws and policies and the topics I mentioned, and many others.
That’s a fascinating background and story. Been all over the map a little bit. That’s fantastic. What are your specific responsibilities in your current position, working for Governor Cooper and North Carolina?
I think that’s a really important thing — we often don’t underscore the justice component of so many of these policies. We talk so much about climate change, and it’s about the numbers and the data and the stats. And all that is extremely important. But we sometimes miss out on the real world injustices that are caused by climate change. So it’s a really important aspect to think about.
JT: So in my current role, I work with others in the governor’s office and cabinet
Is there anything that makes North Carolina sort of unique from other states in
the challenges that we face when fighting climate change? JT: One of the things that’s most exciting about working for North Carolina, in addition to the fact that I grew up in North Carolina, is that we do really play a unique role nationally on climate change and environmental issues in general. Historically, and currently, we play a leadership role in the Southeast on environmental protection and clean energy. So for instance, we were the first and remain the only southern state to require electric utilities to use a certain percentage of clean energy. Today, we’re carrying that leadership torch on climate change. The Governor’s Executive Order 80 established a goal of 40 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 2025. And the North Carolina clean energy plan calls for a 70 percent reduction in power sector emissions by 2030. And achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Many states in the Southeast and in the Midwest see themselves more like North Carolina, than like California, or New York, or other states. So as we implement our plans to achieve these climate goals, we’re demonstrating sensible ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become more resilient. And setting an example for other states to follow. I think that idea, of North Carolina, as a leader in this regard, is a really important one. Do you know how much other states are looking at North Carolina for that? Do you know how effective that sort of leadership role has been? JT: In conversations that I have with colleagues in similar positions and other states and folks that implement programs? I mean, I find that they’re consistently interested in what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, how effective policies are. And so I think that folks look to North Carolina as a leader, regionally, and even nationally. And so as we turn the corner in North Carolina and continue to demonstrate leadership on some of these topics, the other states do look to us. I’ll say at the same time, we work in partnership with other states, so that our efforts in North Carolina, not only can we share what we learned with other states, but we’re learning from them as well. And so when it comes to clean energy and climate change, offshore wind, transitioning to, you know, electric vehicles, these are all topics where we found it really valuable to work with other states. So that we’re achieving success together. I wanted to ask just a few quick questions about your time here at Davidson. You graduated in the class of ‘98. What did you major in? JT: I was a Visual Art major. Okay, very interesting. Was there any sort of formative experience that you had here at Davidson that made you interested in pursuing environmental politics or climate change policy? How did your Davidson education prepare you for the job that you hold now? JT: So I think to this question, I’m supposed to say, ‘Yes, I did have a formative experience that really led me to environmental policy.’ But the answer’s no. I did, however, develop values and skills at Davidson that are really applicable to my job today. So, you know, one is the simple principle that with our privilege comes a responsibility to serve our communities. The world’s not perfect. And I’m really thankful for the opportunity to work with leaders, with leaders and residents to develop policies that help make people’s lives better. Also, you know, many are surprised to learn that I majored in studio
art at Davidson, and working with Herb Jackson really gave me the experience of creating reality, whether it be in a painting or public policy, through intentionality, collaboration, and hard work. So in his paintings, you can see evidence of hours of work, applying and scraping away paint; you can see Herb’s years of experience behind each stroke. And you can feel the heart that he puts into his work. I think of his painting, sometimes in my job, where I start with an intention, I turned that into a draft. And then I collaborate with colleagues and stakeholders to refine ideas and policies kind of over and over and over until we have a final product. I’ll also say, being an art major really helped me value what’s possible, despite current barriers, and that’s a spirit I try to bring into my job each day. That’s really beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. I love that idea of merging the creative mind with the policy mind. I again think about how much time we spend thinking about policy in terms of, you know, statistics and data, and not enough about the creativity, and the ingenuity that so much policy work requires. And speaking of policy work, in terms of policy and political issues that young people are most concerned about, climate change ranks really high on that list, you know. Our generation is going to end up inheriting this world and this increasingly sort of fraught situation in terms of climate and the environment. So, is there any advice that you would give to students who are looking to make an impact on climate change, whether in North Carolina or anywhere else, whether it’s through politics, or another means? Is there any advice that you would give to students who feel really passionately about climate change and the environment as an issue? JT: My advice is to follow your interests with your whole self, knowing that those interests may change over time. I went from being a visual art major, to performing Guinean music, to law school and now to working on climate policy in the North Carolina gGovernor’s office, like who would have predicted that path? You know what, no one. So, one suggestion is to just get smart about aspects of climate change that really interests you. There’s no substitute for knowledge. No matter what your age or your position, you know, in the conversation, if you know more than others about a particular topic, people are going to seek your input. Also, I’d say, be courageous and proactive in reaching out to folks and building relationships with climate leaders that you admire and find effective. And third, I’d encourage everyone to share your input with elected officials, and to think tactically about the most effective way to achieve the outcome that you seek. Your voice is important. So I would encourage everyone to make that heard. Jeremy, frankly your story is incredible. It’s so captivating. I think your advice is really strong for students who want to get involved in this. And I think your policy ideas and the work that you’re doing in the North Carolina government for Governor Cooper’s offices are extraordinarily laudable. I just want to thank you so much for sitting down with me and talking about all of these really important issues. JT: Thank you, Joe. I appreciate you bringing attention to the topic. It’s a critical one for sure. Thanks so much.