Midd alums continue environmental activism

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SPOTLIGHT ON: Alexander Lee '97

In 1995, as a Middlebury student, Alexander Lee helped organize a peace-themed symposium at the College. Helen Caldicott, an Australian physician and founder of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Physicians for Social Responsibility, delivered a speech admonishing her audience to rethink their reliance on dryers - according to Caldicott, if we all hung our clothes out to dry, we could shut off the world's nuclear power plants.

Lee, an Environmental Studies major who wrote his honors thesis about Bill McKibben's research before McKibben was employed at the College, was deeply affected by Caldicott's words. After graduating, he began to work "furiously" on the project that would ultimately become today's widely lauded non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, Project Laundry List. He attended law school before ultimately moving to New Hampshire and starting the Project Laundry List Web site 18 months ago.

In a recent New York Times article, Lee cited a Pew Research Center figure that "83 percent of the population thinks that the dryer is an essential appliance." Project Laundry List seeks to eliminate this perception by encouraging citizens to hang-dry their clothes, and enacting "Right to Dry" legislation to allow clotheslines in muicipalities where they are currently illegal. They have already had success in parts of Hawaii, Colorado and New York, and legislation will be introduced again in the coming months in New Hampshire and Connecticut, as well as here in Vermont.

"Legislation is a major part of it," said Lee, "but we also try to just generally help communities become greener by allowing compost heaps, window air conditioners and gardening.

Lee is still actively involved with the College Community. Not long ago, he coordinated a survey with the Office of Sustainability Integration which suggested that over 40 percent of Middlebury students already have drying racks in their rooms - so, he said, "the infrastructure is there" for us to cut back sigficantly on our electrical drying dependency, though most of us are probably underutilizing the racks that we have. Furthermore, he has collaborated with Facilities Management, even convincing them to employ new Aquawing Ozone Injection Systems (AWOIS) cold water washing technology (www.awois.com) in the College's gym facilities. AWOIS has been revolutionary in large institutions, like prisons, because it significantly reduces operating costs and energy expenditures while still effectively eradicating super bugs and other bacteria.

-Tess Russell, Features Editor

SPOTLIGHT ON: Nicolas Boillot '87

After leaving the environmentally centered campus of Middlebury College, many former students go on to pursue careers focused in or supportive of the environment. One such alumnus -Nicolas Boillot - runs a branding, design and public relations firm called Hart-Boillot. His firm has incorporated green issues into its practice in a variety of ways - from working with clean technology and renewable energy companies to using their public relations division to help these companies gain publicity.

"Towards this end, we look to the rapidly emerging clean tech sector to work with organizations that are likely to do well and do good at the same time," explained Boillot.

Boillot and his co-workers have developed their clean tech practice because his employees understand and care about the global challenges that exist in today's world and because they believe that clean tech will be a growing industry under the spotlight for many years.

"The world's geopolitical and social problems will grow dramatically if we do not address our global environmental challenges," said Boillot. "Our management and employees feel strongly about doing what we can with our business to help get the planet back on a safer trajectory for long-term human survival and quality of life."

How does Hart-Boillot manage this green mentality on an everyday scale?

"Our office is colder than it used to be in winter, and warmer in summer," admitted Boillot.

Employees also bring in reusable containers such as Nalgene and Camelbak water bottles, use recycled paper, plastic and metal, turn off the lights whenever they do not need them and carpool when possible. Many employees bring their own ideas of how to work in a more responsible way - they print less frequently, use half pages of paper for company meeting agendas, bring coffee mugs with them to work instead of wasting disposable cups and read publications online.

In addition, workers at Hart-Boillot take their work ethic back to their homes - many use compact fluorescent lamps for lighting and compost regularly.

"There has been unanimous support (for greener practices at Hart-Boillot)," said Boillot. The small alterations in daily activities and the large-scale company decisions have impacted the firm, the employees and all those with whom Hart-Boillot does business.

-Rachael Jennings, Features Editor