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by Julie Sowell
All the paper for copiers and printers sold through the College’s
Printing Services is now 100 percent post-consumer and chlorine-free.
In addition, facilities management has a new solid waste and recycling
administrator.
Both developments are the result of a campus-wide environmental
audit completed last year that can be traced to the work of the
Campus Environment Policy Committee (CEPC), chaired for the last
two years by a student, Perrin de Jong.
For de Jong, a May graduate with a degree in sociology, leadership
of the CEPC is just one form his commitment to environmental concerns
has taken at Berea. He was named the committee chair because he
was knowledgeable about the issues, and was willing to take on
the responsibility. It turned out to be a good thing for all concerned.
"This was definitely a great experience for me personally," said
de Jong.
Diane Kerby, ’75, director of Berea’s Facilities Management
Department, agrees.
"Perrin was a very effective leader and he did an excellent
job of identifying goals and objectives," said Kerby.
Along with getting the College to conduct the audit, de Jong
and the committee also were successful in getting approval by the
general faculty of a "mass mailing" proposal, that when
fully implemented, will reduce paper use and improve communication
on campus.
Another focus of de Jong’s was Berea’s Students For Appalachia
(SFA) program, an umbrella organization for service programs both
on and off campus.
"When I came to Berea, I saw a need for improvement in
environmental efforts, so I started working with SFA," he
said, "and it’s been my real home on campus ever since. The
opportunities I’ve had for service have been my most satisfying
experiences at the College."
Along with several other students, de Jong founded HEAL (Helping
Earth And Learning). The environmental group grew out of an earlier
SFA program, Environmentally Concerned Students, which began 10
years ago.
The difference in the two organizations can be found in their
names.
"HEAL’s emphasis is ‘active,’ while ECS was merely concerned," he
explained.
Entirely run by students, HEAL has been very active.
Seven students work 10-15 hours per week at HEAL through the
College Labor Program, and direct a core of 35-40 student volunteers.
HEAL has been active in several "clean-ups" of local
creeks and other sites, letter-writing campaigns, environmental
advocacy efforts and supporting campus recycling.
HEAL meetings include talks on a variety of topics such as
solar cooking, Kentucky forest issues, industrial hemp production
and mountain top removal of coal.
For the past two years, the group has sponsored a spring HEALfest,
a day of fun combined with a serious purpose.
"We have a good time, play music and have other activities,
but it’s not for people who just want to party," he said. "Our
goal is to engage people who care about environmental issues."
de Jong feels confident that he’s leaving HEAL in good hands.
He has taken steps to see that the CEPC will remain productive.
"There’s going to be a high turnover rate on the committee,
so we’ve set up draft policies that came out of an audit for next
year’s committee as starting points - a green building policy,
a green purchasing policy and a green office policy," he said.
His interest in environmental issues developed while he was
in high school. Near his home in Chapel Hill, N. C., de Jong worked
with the Carnivore Preservation Trust, a rural reserve for endangered
tropical carnivores. Now, he’s off to other fields of service.
"I was going to take a year off, just ride across the
country on my bike," he said, "but now, I’ve decided
to go to Salt Lake City to help with an effort to shut down a chemical
weapons incinerator. Then I’ll spend that year biking."
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