Editorial Why Green?

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Why the Green Issue? Why not? After a handful of our peer publications (Vanity Fair, Time, The New York Times Magazine) produced their own Green Issues, featuring a more sustainable production process and an emphasis on environmental content, we thought that we should try adopting the idea for our college newspaper. Newsprint itself is more inclined towards environmentally friendly production anyway, given that most newspaper is recycled. With a few small changes (see our "the making of the green issue," pages 12-13), we were able to make this week's production cycle uniquely green. As for the content of the paper, we knew we wanted to emphasize the environment, especially at Middlebury College. At first we toyed with devoting a few stories in each section to environmental issues, but soon it became obvious that there were enough green issues at Middlebury to fill an entire Green Issue; in fact, we even thought about making a longer paper than usual.

That we were able to think of so many story ideas pertaining to Middlebury and the environment is at the heart of the reason for this Green Issue. Middlebury College is constantly recognized as being one of the most environmentally progressive colleges in the nation. And the College wears its laurels with pride - indeed, there are few causes more deeply rooted in our Vermont school's creed than respect and affection for the environment. But how deserving is Middlebury of this praise? And who's responsible? In this issue we examine some of the most important green initatives at the College but we also consider what issues the College likes to show off as well as those that are a bit less marketable.

To be sure, we recognize the fundamental hypocrisy in all this. How could something published on paper ever be truly environmentally friendly? Why not take a stand and publish the paper exclusively on the Internet? We understand this basic contradiction and think it a wonderful metaphor for the greater environmental initiatives at the College. This week we have reduced our carbon footprint by minimizing electricity and paper use, purchasing offsets, and even distributing the paper by bike and foot. But we believe that the symbolic and educational purpose of the paper - the devotion of a whole week of news to the environment (and foregoing the exciting week of NCAA soccer, Twelfth Night et al.) - will have a greater impact on environmental awareness than any slight reduction in carbon emissions.

The Middlebury Campus Green Issue is a microcosm of greenness at Middlebury College. Like our production cycle this week, Middlebury College devotes itself to reducing its carbon footprint and minimizing its damage to the environment. And the College has taken brilliant steps to reduce its impact on the environment. But we believe that the impact of these initiatives on the 600 students who leave Middlebury with a diploma each year will have a far more reaching impact than the reduction of a million gallons of oil, or two tons of recycled plastic. Middlebury students will carry with them an awareness about environmental issues that will inform their decisions wherever they go in their lives. Indeed, environmentalism at Middlebury may well be more about education than it is about sustainability. The Environmental Center at Hillcrest and the new Biomass plant were both ideas that originated in classrooms, and it's no coincidence that the Biomass plant features a clear glass façade.

We applaud the Middlebury administration for championing this cause (going back to the introduction of the Environmental Studies major in the mid-1960s). But we encourage faculty, staff, and students alike to remember that this place is above all an educational institution. Like a good class, environmentalism at Middlebury should be self-critical, involving, informative, and complex - with respect for nuance. There is no obvious path for improving environmental sustainability and "greening" our lifestyles. This uncharted land is what comes with leadership. We see this leadership as an opportunity to question, dissent, and not be content to float along in quiet acquiescence. We hope this Green Issue of The Campus will help to stimulate this very conversation.