H U N T E R C O L L E G E

THE VERDANT VINE

Sending out an SES · · · · · · · Support Environmental Sustainability
A Yearly Newsletter Issue No. 1 - Spring 2009

Is Hunter College The CUNY Sustainabil- The Hunter Voice: Loud Special Feature: The Special Feature: Gwen Make GREEN Your Color
Sustainable? ity Project and Clear Hunter Solar Project Hill, Leo Delgado, and What can Hunter
A deeper look into Chancellor Goldstein’s The latest student A new way to think Environmentalism at College do to improve
Hunter College’s role in plan for sustainability survey results on about energy. Learn Hunter its environmental
the environmental at CUNY and what the environmental about an initiative to Take a page from Gwen standing? What can
arena. How does the Hunter College sustainability. Find out revamp Hunter’s and Leo’s book. Read YOU do to improve
college function and administration has to what your fellow peers outdated method of about how students can your environmental
what is its impact? say about it. really think. energy consumption. make positive changes standing?
Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 that will improve the Page 7 and 8
future for everyone.
Page 6

tons of CO₂ were emitted per capita. (All figures are bility for what we have done and collectively con-

Let’s Get taken from the Council on Foreign Relations.)

What exactly does sustainability mean?

tinue to do to the place we call home. Only after
accepting our responsibility for the present-day
situation can we attempt to change our harmful

Going...
Why environmental sustainability? And why Hunter
College?
The Big Picture: Outside of Hunter College
and NYC
The United States makes up only approximately 5
percent of the global population. However, it con-
sumes about one-quarter of the world’s energy and
15 percent of the world’s meat. That is proportion-
ally five times as much energy and three times as
much meat than would be true if energy and food
were equitably distributed.
From the year 1990 to the year 2004, the United
States has increased its oil consumption by 21 per-
cent. In 2004, consumption reached 7,900 tons of oil
per capita. Globally, that figure is among the high-
est. It is also a liberal representation of the United
States’ energy consumption, for it concerns only oil
and not energy sources such as coal. Comparable
economically advanced nations such as Germany
only consume about half as much oil as the United
States.
From the year 1950 to the year 2004, the United
States has emitted a total of 213 billion tons of CO₂.
Since 1990, U.S. emissions have increased by 20
percent as other nations pledged to reduce emis-
sions by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. In 2004, 20.1
Environmentally sustainable development is “de-
velopment that meets the needs of the present with-
out compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs” (United Nations). It means
taking into consideration all factors that affect the
quality of life on earth when pursuing our goals. For
Hunter College
every action, the decisions that are involved must be
evaluated on societal, economic, and environmental
terms. Essentially, sustainability is the model we all
strive to attain so that there is a healthy, stable, and
functioning system for future generations to thrive
in.
Home Sweet Home
As students of one of the most developed cities in
the world, it is important to realize our obligation to
the environment — our obligation to take responsi-
ways, give back to our environment, and make the
world a more sustainable place to live in. The first
and most obvious place to start is where we nourish
our minds and quench our thirsts for knowledge —
a breeding ground for intellectual growth, social
awareness, and innovation — Hunter College.
Note to the Reader
The most important thing we would like readers to
depart with after reading this newsletter is the rec-
ognition that every individual effort towards
achieving sustainability has a significant impact, just
as every individual act towards destabilizing the
earth has culminated to the environmental crisis we
are in now. It is our hope that the urgency of the
current environmental situation and the possible
remedies offered in this newsletter will inspire read-
ers to initiate action and implement change.
Allow us to implant into your minds three seeds of
thought to consider while reading the rest of this
newsletter. One from the 31st president, one from a
great English playwright, and one from our very
own school motto.
Words without actions are the assassins of idealism.
- Herbert Hoover
Strong reasons make strong actions.
- William Shakespeare
Mihi cura futuri (The care of the future is mine)
- Arthur Henry Dundon, a past Vice President from
Hunter College

The Verdant Vine 1

 H U N T E R C O L L E G E

Is Hunter College Sustainable?

Have you ever wondered what Hunter College’s environmental impact
is? Find out how much it takes to operate Hunter College.

Is Hunter College sustainable? De- •Hunter (Main Campus) currently

pending upon who you ask, the has 5 battery recycling cylinders; 2
answer to this question may vary. will be shipped from Brookdale.
One factor that contributes to a cer-
tain answer is the personal judgment •Hunter ships a truckload of elec-
of how much sustainability there tronic waste containing heavy met-
must be in order for something to be als every 2 months, including fluo-
considered “sustainable.” Is it fair to rescent light bulbs.
label something as “sustainable” Hunter College’s sources of resource consumption
•Hunter ships out a lab pack every 6
after it has reached a certain accept-
weeks that can contain up to 1000
able threshold of sustainability?
kg (2205 pounds) of hazardous
Some would argue “no” and say that
of these questions, it is difficult to Facts on Hunter’s consumption (and chemical wastes.
nothing is truly sustainable if it is not
objectively assert whether or not more!):
100 percent sustainable. One must • Hunter ships out an average of 1500
Hunter College is sustainable. This is
always work towards greater sustain- • Hunter (Main Campus) used pounds of biological waste each
why we want to give you the facts and
ability no matter at what stage they 8,445,000 cubic feet of gas from July week.
leave the answer up to you to decide.
are in. Others would disagree and 2007 to June 2008 for heating and
What judgment we will provide is the
offer that being sustainable does not cooling. • After extensive research and inves-
belief that striving to increase sustain-
entail being 100 percent sustainable if tigation, we were unable to uncover
ability is not dependent on whether or
the inefficiencies that do exist are not • Hunter uses #2 fuel oil, a lighter any figures pertaining to electricity,
not something is already labeled as
significantly harmful. But even so, grade of oil to run emergency gen- water, and paper use.
“sustainable.” In other words, you can
how would one universally define the erators.
never be too sustainable.
term “significantly harmful?” In light

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The CUNY Sustainability Project
An opportunity for Hunter College to lead the way for change
What is the CUNY Sustainability Project?
“The CUNY Sustainability Project was given institutional clarity and impetus
through the acceptance by Chancellor Goldstein on June 6, 2007 of Mayor
Bloomberg’s ’30 in 10’ challenge. This challenge will motivate New York
City’s public and private universities to reduce their greenhouse gas emis-
sions 30% by 2017” (From Establishment of the CUNY Task Force on Sustainabil-
ity and Mission Statement).
In compliance with this new call for action
against environmental degradation, the
CUNY Sustainability Project decided that all
23 CUNY institutions would create a
“unique” 10 year Sustainability Plan to work
towards the goal of reducing ’30 in 10.’ Each
plan should address methods of increasing
conservation, preventive maintenance,
awareness, and data gathering. Although the
specific design of each 10 year plan is left
completely up to the respective institution to which it belongs, certain
benchmarks would have to be put in place in order for the CUNY Sustain-
ability Project to be able to evaluate and monitor the implementation and
progress of each plan. In fact, each institution will be expected to have cre-
ated a comprehensive 10 year Sustainability Plan by January 2009.
To ensure the creation of such a plan, each institution must also create its
own Sustainability Council comprised of staff members, faculty, and stu-
dents. The purpose of the council is to have an organized body dedicated to
the realization of the CUNY Sustainability Project’s mission while also en-
couraging student involvement.
To serve as a supportive resource for each institution’s council, the CUNY
Sustainability Project has also established the CUNY Task Force on Sustain-
ability. The Task Force is made up of representatives from various organi-
zations who have specialized knowledge and
resources in fields that could assist each insti-
tution in becoming more sustainable. The
Task Force is also comprised of representa-
tives from each institution’s Sustainability
Council.
One interesting aspect of the CUNY Sustain-
ability Project is that the responsibility of
moving towards sustainability still belongs
primarily to each individual institution or
campus. It is for this reason that there is a
disparity in how much sustainability different campuses are achieving up to
this point. For example, the College of Staten Island bought a Biodiesel Kit
that can transform used cooking oil from the cafeteria into biodiesel fuel that
would be used to run large vehicles and portable light towers. This seems to
be a relatively larger progression towards sustainability when compared to
the efforts of other campuses. Perhaps this means that the CUNY Sustainabil-
ity Project has to work harder towards increasing accountability and dedica-
tion to the mission.
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C O L L E G E
Hunter College - The “Green Trendsetter” for CUNY?
Conan Freud, Acting VP for Finance and Administration at Hunter College,
is also the chair of "Hunter Green” — the Hunter College Sustainability
Council. Along with Andrew Silver, Director of Operations, Freud oversees
the council and represents Hunter on the CUNY Sustainability Task Force. As
"Hunter Green,” Freud and the other council members must propose and
execute a plan for reducing Hunter's carbon footprint by 30 percent over the
next 10 years. Although this seems like a daunting task, Freud is optimistic
— he already considers Hunter relatively sustainable to other CUNY institu-
tions for a myriad of reasons, yet expresses concern for the problem this may
pose: If Hunter is already at a state of relative sustainability, what more can Hunter
do to become even more sustainable?
Freud firmly believes that “Hunter was Green before Green was fashion-
able.” As proof, Freud offers a laundry list of
sustainable behaviors and conditions that have
efficiently minimized Hunter’s carbon foot-
print: 1) most students and faculty take public
transportation to Hunter, 2) Hunter’s swim-
ming facilities have been recently renovated to
include a dehumidification system, energy
efficient lighting, and replacement thermostats,
3) occupancy sensors are installed throughout
Hunter that conserve electricity from lighting, 4)
Hunter has a recycling program that recycles glass, cans, paper, plastic, elec-
tronics, and batteries, 5) Hunter Public Safety officers ride on bicycles during
nice weather, 6) the Hunter Cafeteria sells reusable mugs made of recyclable
materials, 7) Hunter now asks students to pay their tuition bills online, re-
ducing the need to waste paper for printing and postage, and 8) Hunter's
heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system has been upgraded.
While all of these are examples of sustainable behavior and actions at Hunter
College, they are not as visible as one would hope them to be. Moreover,
although there is a recycling program in place at Hunter, students have iden-
tified that trash still mixes among recyclables. Freud and Silver agree that
improvements to the program are imperative to refine recycling at Hunter,
but ultimately, it comes down to modifying the behavior of both students
and faculty for a Greener Hunter.
In assessing what changes need to take place, the council is currently at a
crucial “Measurement Phase.” The council is trying to establish baseline
measurements to determine realistic carbon footprint reduction goals for
Hunter College. Once the baseline is estab-
lished and the plans are drawn, it is up to
“Hunter Green” to lessen the college’s carbon
emissions by 2017. Freud and Silver have
plans and projects that they hope to enact or
are already taking place. These include energy
efficient windows for Thomas Hunter Hall,
energy efficient escalators, planting small
trees on Hunter’s terraces, and incorporating
sustainability across all curricula at Hunter as
a reminder that “we have a social obligation to do our best and to do our
part.”
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 H U N T E R C O L L E G E

The Hunter Voice: Loud and Clear

Sick of hearing what you are supposed to think? Hear the truth straight from your
own mouths.

Student Surveys Results

For those who claim that today’s youth is plagued by apathy, the results of the survey we conducted will show that their belief is a myth
— especially when it comes to environmental sustainability. An overwhelmingly large 87 percent of students claimed that the safety and
sustainability of the environment was an important concern to them. Not surprisingly then, 100 percent of students surveyed wanted to
see more efforts made to improve the environmental sustainability of Hunter. What is surprising is the fact that a relatively large 47 per-
cent felt that their own behavior was not environmentally friendly; there seems to be a disconnect between ideology and practice here.
Perhaps this contradiction can be attributed to the fact that 93 percent of students felt Hunter College is currently only somewhat sustain-
able or even worse, meaning the current state of Hunter College may not be conducive for students to be as sustainable as they wish to be
in their daily lives. The fact that 100 percent of students support improving the current recycling system, 87 percent support installing
solar panels, 73 percent support using sensor activated escalators, 90 percent support using more sensor activated lights, and 86 percent
support installing more thermostats indicates that the student body is ready for change to occur.

Anonymous Student
Statements

Margaret Mead poign- I think a major area of I am ashamed to say that

antly once said, “Never Regulating room tem- concern in terms of I find it ridiculous that There is a lot of wasteful I do not know much
doubt that a small group peratures with custom waste and greenhouse we have self-flushing activity at Hunter, espe- about the sustainability
of people can change the thermostats is a terrific gas emissions is the way toilets. People know cially with this new of Hunter. I do know,
world. Indeed, it’s the idea. Not only is excess in which Hunter pro- how to flush. It is just exhibit on the front of however, that those who
only thing that ever heating uncomfortable, cures food for their cafe- wasteful when the sen- the building, and exces- are wasteful and think
has.” Sadly enough, the it also wastes tons of terias. Efforts to pur- sors are not perfect. sive printing, etc. I think their actions are insig-
profundity of this state- energy. I would love to chase food that is locally What results is excess a lot of simple, easy nificant are all contribut-
ment has been nullified see efforts made by the grown would reduce the flushing, wasting water changes could do a lot to ing to the massive prob-
as the world has now Hunter administration food miles traveled and and energy. The other make Hunter more envi- lem we’re facing today.
come upon an era when to create a more com- the associated environ- day, on the 11th floor, an ronmentally sound. Perhaps if Hunter were
the efforts of a small fortable learning envi- mental impact. Farm-to- empty toilet was flush- to do something like
group of people are no ronment while also do- school initiatives, for ing every 20 seconds. I install solar panels, stu-
longer enough. Global ing its part in terms of example, could help was pissed. dents like me would be
coalition is absolutely conservation. It's a win- build a Greener food more likely to know a
imperative for not only win. market for universities little more about our
the salvation of mankind like Hunter to purchase environment at Hunter.
but his redemption as from. And please, no more
well. excuses about money.

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The Hunter Solar
Project
Are you an environmentally conscious student confused
as to how you can make a concrete contribution to
Hunter College’s sustainability? Fear not — here is an
interview with Noah Ginsburg, someone who was in the
same situation you find yourself in now. This is the
solution he, along with other dedicated students, created
for this dilemma.
Q: What is the Hunter Solar Project?
A: The Hunter Solar Project is a student organiza-
tion dedicated to advancing renewable energy at
Hunter College through events, outreach, and by
installing a solar energy system on campus for
power generation, education, and research. The
project was conceived in Spring 2008 by a group of
Hunter students who were tired of just talking
about environmental issues, and wanted to do
something to be a part of the solution.
Q: Of all sources of renewable energy that are avail-
able, why solar power?
A: Solar energy produces no pollution, and is the
most practical renewable energy source for rooftops
in densely populated urban areas like NYC because
solar panels have no moving parts (unlike wind
turbines), which makes them safer and makes the
permitting process less difficult. Solar is projected to
be the leading alternative energy technology in New
York City (Center for Sustainable Energy - “New
York City’s Solar Energy Future Report” January,
2006), making it an important source of energy for
students in NYC to learn about.
A Hunter Solar Project Meeting
Q: How will solar energy benefit Hunter College?
A: Installing a solar energy system on Hunter’s
campus will offset a small portion of the school’s
non-renewable energy consumption. It will initiate
our transition to sustainable energy sources on
campus, reducing Hunter’s greenhouse gas emis-
sions and increasing awareness of the benefits and
applications of renewable energy in the urban
environment. Additionally, having a solar energy
system on campus will create substantive education
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N T E R C O L L E G
and research opportunities for the Hunter commu-
nity. By installing a web-based monitoring solution,
live data regarding the solar energy system’s power
generation and CO₂ emissions mitigation will be
accessible via the Internet, data valuable for both
education and research. We are working with aca-
demic departments to integrate the Hunter Solar
Project into relevant courses and projects on cam-
pus, maximizing the solar installation’s educational
value. We are also developing educational programs
and materials as part of an awareness campaign, to
communicate the benefits of solar energy to mem-
bers of the Hunter community.
Q: How will solar energy be used by Hunter Col-
lege?
A: We are going to install a 3-10 kW (kilowatt) solar
energy system. This is a size range typical for resi-
dential solar installations. A 3 kW system produces
3000 watts of power in full sunlight (enough to
power 50 sixty watt light bulbs for example). Due to
Hunter’s massive energy consumption, a system of
this size will generate less than 1 percent of our
electricity demand. While this is a small percentage,
it is a good start. The electricity generated by the
solar energy system will feed into the electrical
panel for the building on which it is located. This
means that rather than having solar energy power
one specific room or area, it will provide a small
percentage of the power required to each room in
the building when it is sunny. This configuration is
called a grid-tied system, and has the advantages of
no electrical interruption to the user while not re-
quiring any battery storage: when it is sunny,
Hunter College will use more solar electricity, and
less from the utility. On a cloudy day, we will use
more from the utility, and less solar.
Q: How much will the implementation of a solar
energy system cost Hunter College?
A: The estimated cost for a 3 kW solar energy sys-
tem prior to any incentives, tax abatement, educa-
tional discounts, or in-kind donations is $27,000 -
$33,000. Often, incentives cover up to 50 percent of a
system’s installed cost. Ongoing maintenance costs
are minimal, and can be recouped through the
monetary savings the solar energy system will gen-
erate by producing free electricity from sunlight.
(For information on a cost analysis, check page 8)
Q: Which of your goals have you accomplished so
far?
A: So far, we have chartered as a student organiza-
tion; built a strong coalition of students, professors,
faculty, and CUNY academic institutes; developed a
detailed project proposal with assistance from
Hunter faculty and staff; researched opportunities to
integrate the solar energy system into course cur-
riculum and to utilize the system as an educational
tool; applied for grants from two foundations, in-
cluding the Clinton Global Initiative; and presented
the solar project to the Hunter Sustainability Coun-
cil, which is a body of students, faculty, staff, and
E
administration that is charged with developing a
Sustainability Plan for Hunter College. On Decem-
ber 2nd, we conducted a rooftop feasibility study
where we determined that Hunter College has sev-
eral roof spaces ideal for a solar energy system. This
study was conducted free of charge by a team of
students, professors, CUNY engineers, Hunter Fa-
cilities, and Administration. In late March, USG
demonstrated incredible leadership and became our
first sponsor, committing $16,500 to the Solar Pro-
ject. On April 22nd, Earth Day, under the direction
of President Raab and Administration, Hunter's
Auxiliary Enterprise Board unanimously approved
a motion to grant $15,000 to the Solar Project. Presi-
dent Raab is contributing an additional $2,500 for
the project, and we anticipate receiving $1,000 from
the Hunter Sustainability Council's Green projects
competition. This means that in total we will have
raised $35,000, which is more than enough money to
install a 3-10 kW solar energy system.
The Rooftop Feasibility Study
Q: What was the experience of corresponding with
the Hunter Sustainability Council like?
A: We were invited to one of the Sustainability
Council’s meetings, where we presented the solar
project to the council. Members of the council were
very interested in the project, and invited the
Hunter Solar Project to send a representative to
future council meetings. While members of the
council were very interested in the project, they did
not offer us any direct support or assistance at first.
However, we now have official support from several
faculty members, the Sustainability Council, and the
Geography Department. The Sustainability Council
has also assisted us in fast-tracking our roof feasibil-
ity study.
Q: What has the feedback been from the Hunter
administration?
A: Feedback on the project has been extremely posi-
tive. People are excited to learn that we are focusing
on maximizing the educational value of the project.
They are supportive of the project and want to work
with us to achieve our goal of installing a small
solar energy system on campus for electricity gen-
eration, education, and research.
Q: How instrumental have students been in helping
you accomplish your goals?
5
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A: The solar project was conceived by students, and
is being led by students. There is a very active core
group of 10 - 15 students that attend weekly meet-
ings, organize events, and are involved in all aspects
of planning and implementing the project. This is a
bottom-up initiative, making it unique among cam-
pus sustainability projects.
Q: What haven’t you accomplished yet? Why? What
will the next step for the Hunter Solar Project be?
A: Now that we have reached this milestone [of
raising $35,000], we will focus our time and energy
on getting the PV [photovoltaic] system installed as
soon as possible, and on developing the Solar Pro-
ject's educational program that we plan to pilot in
the Fall.
Q: If you can say anything to the students of Hunter,
what would your message be?
A: One thing I want to stress about the Solar Project
is that it will take time. Even if everything goes to
plan, it could be as late as Spring 2010 that the solar
energy system is installed on campus. This project is
part of our legacy; this solar energy system will
produce clean, free electricity for at least 25 years. It
will serve as a powerful educational tool for future
Hunter students, providing them with greater re-
sources and opportunities on campus than we have
today. By installing a solar energy system on cam-
pus, we are modeling a practical solution to climate
change, and the power of bottom-up student-led
initiatives.
I hope that the Hunter Solar Project is only the be-
ginning, and that it inspires members of the Hunter
community to step up as leaders and take action to
address the environmental and social challenges we
face in the twenty-first century. As college students,
we are America’s future leaders and decision mak-
ers — rather than waiting for an invitation to make
change, let’s do something today.
Gwen Hill, Leo Del-
gado, and Environ-
mentalism at Hunter
Every individual action counts, and these two students
are the perfect examples of that.
As a member of the Hunter Solar Project and the
Graduate Student Association's executive board,
Gwen Hill has been exposed to environmental con-
cerns and how they pertain to Hunter College. As
the Commissioner for Institutional Responsibility
for GSA, she oversees all sustainability and envi-
ronment related events on campus that are spon-
sored by GSA. Now a second year graduate student
working on her MA in Geography, Gwen has al-
ready had her fair share of experience trying to
make her immediate environment, Hunter College,
a more sustainable place.
6
N T E R C O L L E G
It is no surprise, then, that she was one of the key
participants involved in Hunter’s Earth Week.
Gwen is a firm believer in student action, and this is
a clear demonstration of that. “We have an amazing
student body full of people who are really dedicated
to making our school a more environmentally and
socially responsible place, and who are not afraid to
work hard for what they know is right,” she asserts.
During Earth Week, Gwen held a "Movie and Map-
ping Night" as an extension of a project that she is
working on called the CUNY Mapping Project.
Along with her fellow graduate students from the
Geography Department, Gwen is attempting to
"map sustainable food networks in NYC using par-
ticapatory mapping, in which community members
[Hunter students] contribute information for a map
of restaurants, farmers markets, natural food stores,
co-ops, etc. in NYC that sell organic, local, fair trade,
and/or vegetarian foods." Holding events, such as
this, allow students to educate themselves on the
details behind the lofty notion of being environmen-
tally conscious in terms of their behavior and diets.
With knowledge, students can start to implement
changes in their own lives that contribute to sus-
tainability. Moreover, that is the point where stu-
dents can reach out to other students to spread the
message. That is why an event such as Earth Week is
so valuable.
This year’s collaboration on Earth Week between
USG, the Hunter Solar Project, the GSA, NYPIRG,
The Roosevelt Institute, the Green Apple Multime-
dia Association (GAMMA), and the CUNY Institute
for Sustainable Cities (CISC) offered a wealth of
information to the student body from Monday, April
20th to Friday, April 24th. Including events such as
an Earth Week kick-off party, a screening of “King
Corn,” a tap vs. bottled water taste testing, and
USG's Earth Day Fair, Hunter’s Earth Week served
as a student operated and community-oriented way
of initiating change among peers. When asked about
Hunter's present state of sustainability, Gwen com-
ments, "I think Hunter has a long way to go, but I
am confident that our campus will only continue to
become Greener in the coming years."
Leo Delgado
Another student who shares this sentiment is USG
member and Environmental Science major, Leo
Delgado. Influenced by his childhood in the Do-
minican Republic, Leo is also extensively involved
in the pursuit for environmental sustainability at
E
Hunter College. According to Leo, witnessing the
lack of concern for pollution in the Dominican Re-
public has “awakened a sense of social responsibil-
ity in [him].” Commenting on how last November’s
Environmental Week was initiated by a student
government senator and how last year’s was initi-
ated by an environmental intern for NYPIRG, Leo
expresses unease over how inactive a majority of the
student body has become over issues concerning the
environment. “It’s only him and maybe four other
students who actually get the speakers, get the food,
reserve rooms, plan events, make sure security is
there, advertise, etc.,” says Leo. “We know that the
impact [of Environmental Week] may not be as big
as installing solar panels, but any awareness we can
raise, any students we can reach, any time we can
make sure they know what’s going on — it’s a good
thing.”
The sense of urgency to push the student body to
motivate itself to actively care for the environment
may be due to the apparent exclusiveness and inef-
fectiveness of “Hunter Green,” Hunter College’s
Sustainability Council as mandated by the CUNY
Sustainability Project. Leo, an active member of the
council, mentions that there are only a few students
involved in “Hunter Green” — going so far as to say
they just might be the only students who regularly
attend the meetings. The council meetings are offi-
cially open to all students, but they are never adver-
tised to any extent except for on “Hunter Green’s”
own website. Perhaps this is because including less
people might be more advantageous to getting deci-
sions made on a timely manner. However, the end
result perpetuates apathy and disregards possibly
valuable opinions. Instead, there should actually be
a bid for student involvement.
It should be noted, though, that students such as
Leo do acknowledge the good deeds of “Hunter
Green.” “They do have good intentions,” and what
they are trying to do is indeed “commendable” says
Leo. But is that enough? It does not seem so at this
point. The “circular discussions” that lead to no-
where during the council meetings, as Leo describes
them, hinder “Hunter Green” from accomplishing
its carbon-reducing goals. What is the solution then?
What Leo and various other students propose is for stu-
dents to get involved and to push “Hunter Green” to
decide on concrete goals to aim for in the near future.
Besides inviting more interested students to the council
meetings, Hunter administrators should find a way to
incorporate the importance of environmental sustainabil-
ity into daily academic life. This means an inclusion of
classes that address sustainability in all major academic
departments. It is imperative to accomplish this, espe-
cially since garnering the support and enthusiasm of the
student body is key to getting anything done successfully
at Hunter College.
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Make GREEN Your Color
Now that we’ve addressed the issue, let’s figure out how we can solve it.
Ten Proposals for Hunter College
1. Hunter College should invest in a Recycling Cam-
paign that would revamp the program already in place.
The goals of this campaign should be to place more
recycling bins around Hunter in high-traffic areas, to
group clearly labeled receptacles for paper, glass, cans,
and waste adjacent to each other to ensure that Hunter
students and faculty will dispose of their waste and recy-
clables in the correct bins, and to also provide signs in the
proximity of these receptacles detailing the correct way to
recycle. These measures would help improve recy-
cling at Hunter College, considering that 57 percent
of students surveyed said that they only sometimes
knew how to recycle properly or not even at all.
2. Hunter College should place friendly signs in the
cafeteria and the bathrooms that would encourage stu-
dents and faculty to limit the amount of resources that
they use. These signs could come in the form of “Use
Less Napkins” in the cafeteria and “Use Less Toilet
Paper/Paper Towels/Water” in the bathrooms.
3. “Hunter Green” should be more present on campus
and should engage students and faculty in the proc-
ess of making Hunter College more sustainable.
4. Hunter College should equip ALL rooms on its
campuses with occupancy sensors that would control
overhead lighting and prevent wasteful energy
expenditure. With all of its rooms furnished with
these sensors, Hunter College will become Greener.
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N T E R C O L L E G E
5. Hunter College should install thermostats in all A Call to Arms! Student Action at Hunter
classrooms that would regulate the heating and cooling
for these individual rooms. This would prevent excess
heating and cooling when it’s not needed at the
occupants’ discretion.
6. Hunter College should provide more classes aimed at
educating its students about environmental sustainabil-
ity. These courses could be offered to fulfill a GER,
so as to ensure awareness for all students. Addition-
ally, sustainability should be integrated into the
curricula of most disciplines in which it applies,
such as Political Science and Biology.
7. Hunter College should initiate a Composting Project
in which wastes produced from the cafeteria could
1. Take advantage of the CUNY Suggestion Pro-
be decomposed and turned into beneficial soil.
gram. Students can “submit a cost saving or energy
saving idea related to sustainability that can be im-
8. Hunter College should invest in revolving doors that
plemented on a CUNY campus.” Funds will be
would generate electricity as they turn, cutting back on
provided to execute winning ideas.
its energy consumption from less-sustainable
sources.
2. Visit the “Hunter Green” website to keep in-
formed as to sustainable developments at Hunter
9. Hunter College should invest in solar panels that
College. You can take the time to sit in on a meeting
would harness solar energy and convert it into elec-
of “Hunter Green” or take the extra step and join the
trical energy for Hunter’s energy needs.
council!
10. The Undergraduate Student Government should
3. Support the annual Environmental Week at
appoint an officer that would be responsible for imple-
Hunter, the Hunter Solar Project, and Earth Week to
menting these proposals.
help spread awareness about environmental issues
at Hunter, New York City, and the World.
4. Students interested in environmental issues and
sustainability should take related courses offered by
the Urban Affairs and Planning Department and
Geography Department. Perhaps you can then band
together and charter a club to further educate your
peers about these issues and promote sustainable
behavior at Hunter College.
5. Demand a more sustainable Hunter College in
whatever way you can. It is your right to have your
voice heard, especially when it’s about something as
important as our environment.
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 H U N T E R C O L L E G E

What NOW?
Ten Things You Can Do for a Greener Hunter
1. Take advantage of public
transportation instead of us-
ing a car when commuting to
Hunter. Several bus routes,
such as the M66, pass by
Hunter College, and the 6
Subway Line has a station at
68th Street and Lexington.
2. Bring water bottles from
home that you can fill up
throughout the day. Avoid
purchasing bottled water and
take advantage of the drink-
ing fountains located through-
out Hunter College. Also,
purchase the PLANit Mugs
sold at the cafeteria — not
only do you get a discount on
refills of coffee and other bev-
erages, but you’ll also reduce
your waste!
3. Use only as many napkins,
paper towels, and squares of
toilet paper as you need in the
cafeteria and bathroom.
4. When washing your hands
in the bathroom, do not let the
water run if your hands are
not directly beneath the fau-
cet.
5. In the cafeteria, avoid using
the thick paper trays unless it
is absolutely necessary (for
example, only if you’re trying
to balance your container of
sushi, pizza slice, soda bottle,
and fries all at the same
time!).
6. Bring your own eating
utensils with you to Hunter.
After lunch, you can wash
them and use them to eat
tomorrow’s lunch, instead of
using the plastic disposable
utensils provided by the
Hunter Cafeteria.
7. If you’re going up or down
a few floors, take the stairs
instead of the elevator. You’ll
conserve energy while work-
ing those calves!
8. Take advantage of the Bat-
tery Disposal cylinders lo-
cated throughout campus.
Hunter College will take your
household batteries and recy-
cle them for you.
9. When printing or copying
at Hunter, try to use both
sides of your paper to avoid
waste.
10. Convince your professors
to accept e-copies of your
papers and other assignments
— think of the amount of
paper you’ll be saving!

Check out these websites for more infor- Some Parting Words...
mation and events concerning environ- Please take a moment and reflect upon a more sustainable
Hunter. Is this reality or something unfathomable? We hope
mental sustainability at Hunter, in New that, to you, it is reality. Whether you believe Hunter is al-

York City, and as it applies to YOU: ready sustainable, see room for improvement, or are dis-
couraged to the point of inaction, bear in mind that progress
and advancement are always options and should not be
cenyc - http://www.cenyc.org/recycling/recyclingevents disregarded. If you are dissatisfied with Hunter's present
state, then please consider the stories and insight we have
Cost Analysis of Solar Energy - http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme shared with you in this newsletter. We hope that it has given
you the knowledge, the motivation, the passion, and the
Crisis Guide: Climate Change - http://www.cfr.org/publication/17088/crisis_guide.html
hope you may not have had before to leave your mark in
CUNY Newswire - http://www1.cuny.edu/forum/?p=2962 making this world a more sustainable place. In whichever
way you can or choose to, we hope that you will send out an
CUNY Sustainability Project - http://web.cuny.edu/about/sustainable.html SES ... . ... Support Environmental Sustainability.

CUNY Task Force on Sustainability -

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/huntergreen/repository/files/Mission%20Statement.pdf

Earth Day Network Footprint Calculator - http://www.earthday.net/footprint/flash.html

Ecovian - http://www.ecovian.com/events/newyork

Environmental Advocates of New York - http://www.eany.org/calendar.html

Hunter Green - http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/huntergreen

plaNYC - http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml

Sustainable Times -
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs045/1101960157170/archive/1102044961147.html Contributors:
Elias Saber-Khiabani & Chui-Hung Wong
The Greener Apple - http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/thegreenerapple/
*An electronic version of this newsletter is also available on this website!

This newsletter was composed by us, Elias Saber-Khiabani and Chui-Hung Wong, for the fulfillment of the written assignment requirement of our CHC 200 class. We weren’t
sure of where this would take us when we began, but look at it now! During the first few days of planning, it became clear that completing this newsletter would be more than just
completing a regular school assignment. What we gained from this experience exceeded our expectations, and we’re so happy that we can share it with you.

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