Candlelight Dinners Push For Sustainability

Candlelit dinners, which the College’s Campus Sustainability Coordinators (CSCs) began last year, are continuing to be held in Proctor or Ross every Wednesday night this semester.

The dinners initially occurred once every other week. Last spring, in order to have a greater impact on the college community, they were increased to every week, alternating between Proctor and Ross. While the dinners have primarily taken place every other Wednesday in Proctor this year, Sustainability Coordinator Melissa Garrett ’14 said that this is temporary.

“The goal is to alternate between the dining halls each week,” she said.

The main purpose of the candlelit dinners is to raise campus-wide awareness about simple and easy ways in which our campus can be more sustainable. Last Wednesday, the CSCs organized candlelit dinners in both Proctor and Ross in recognition of National Sustainability Day.

“They are a nice weekly reminder to think about our energy consumption and talk about sustainability,” said CSC Spencer Petterson ’14.

The CSCs view these dinners as a way to encourage students to lead sustainable lifestyles in creative ways and make a small impact at the same time. While turning the lights off for a few hours does not have a huge effect on its own, the difference grows over time.

“It reduces the College's energy usage a little bit each dinner, which as we know, can combine to make a greater impact if we continue to organize them,” said Garrett.

While the actual statistics are unknown, Petterson assured that one of the group’s primary goals is finding out exactly how much energy and money is being saved each Wednesday.

Student reactions to the weekly candlelit dinners are mixed, with some people in support of the message they send and others against the practicality of having a dimly lit dining hall.

“Every time there is a candlelit dinner, at least for a moment, I think about my personal impact on the environment,” said Amy Pickens ’15.

Marea Colombo ’13 also agreed with the intentions of the dinners, but sees a problem in their functionality.

“The idea behind candlelight dinners is great — we need to increase awareness of environmental sustainability at the College,” said Colombo. “However, I think that the lack of lighting in many areas of the dining hall has actually started turning people away from both the idea and the message it hopes to send out.”