APltlL 1992 COVER STORY THE y ALE FREE PR&s 7 The Obedient Limbs of YSEC Yale's Powerful Environmental Movement Neomi Rao From advocacy of tree-spiking 10 ieaching New Haven kids how 10 planI 0owc,s in lhe spring, environm':"!"1ism a1 Yale encompasses a whole speclrUm of op,mon anddegreesof activism. The YaleSIUden1 Environmental Center (YSEC) forms a network of mon, than fil\een environmental groups 11181.malc.e useof lhe Centcr'slascrprintcr, fa. machine and copier. According 10 YSEC Public Relations direclOr Peler Colavi10 (SM'93), "We formed a coalition to work 10gelher more effectively, and pool our resources and ideas." The result of lhis coalition is the creation of a widely-acceplCd environmental orthodoxy preached from somewhere in lhe basement of Pierson where YSEC is headquanered. Discussions and publications downplay the scientific doubt in many environmental claims. Prefening1oerronlhesideofperceivcdsafc1y, lhe organizations collectively espouse an often exlrCmebrand ofenvironmentalism, uniempcred by doubt The greater lhe sensation. !he greater lhe reaction from previously uninvolved SllJdenlS. Colavi10 affumed, "We are an advocacy organization•..our job is 10 present our side of lhe facts." The danger occurs, however, when these environmentalists make decisions for their listeners and rcadCJS. Often lhe full facts are DOI presenled, and widely disputed environmemal claims are simply given as 1ruth. This one-sided interpretation oflhcfacts leads 10 a indisputable brand of environmentalist lhough1 Iha! remainsunqaestionedonca."'1pus.PctcrBraasch,ch:iir manofYSEC,deniesanycnvironmenlalis1orthodoxy, saying,"Surc,lhcreissomeconsislencybc:tweengrnups, bul il'S not really an orthodoxy." Yel a review of Yale's environmental literature fails to re0ccl a diversity of views. The lhrcc major environmental bogeymen, lhe ~ effcc~ lhc depicting 01,()0e layer, and lhedangc,sofacid rain, are all ciled in lhe Green Cup manual lhough all lhrec lhcories have come under serious scientifJC auack (see article, page I 0). Both the Green Cup manual, however, and publications like Ecoc,ntric accept issues such as global warming as 1ruth with no reference 10 lhc prevailing scientific doubts. Ecountric, a quarterly magazine affiliated with lhc Ya!, Herald, has also failed 10 include arguments ror free-market environmentalism despite lhcgrowingacccptanccorthis form ofenvironmentalism in government policies. Marjorie Dial , editor-in-chief of Ecountric, admits lha1 her magazine operates as an opinionated advocate. "Weare panofadvocacy journalism, but we strive to promote a dialogue...we don'I wanl people 10 feel on lhe margins of environmentalism, because ii involves everyone," Dial said. Currcntlythcmagaz.inc is examining the environmental positions of prcsiden• lial candidates, so that srudents may ostensibly vote with greater consciousness. Dial sircsses the irnpor1ancc of shaping I.he opinions of students on environmental issues: "In the closed environment or lhc university, students can really get a handle on the issues. It's imponan110 realize the hazards to theenvironmcn~ because eventually we will bein prominent positions, be able 10 affect olher people by our decisions." NOi all YSEC organizations work 10 shapesllJdcnt beliefs on lhe environmenL Though not nearly as prominent on campus as Ecountric and Save James Bay, some YSEC organizations provide a refreshing grass roots environmentalism. Penile Ground was rounded last semester by Caitlin DeSilvcy and Jen Fong 10 teach third graders al lhc Vincent Mauro school about the environmenL Twice a week Fertile Ground members take the children on field trips 10 planlflowers and plants. Fong, dissatisfied with mainstream environmentalism a1 Yale, prerc,s lhe down-10-Clrth character of Fertile Ground, "I have a lot of problems with lhe environmental movement here, because ii seems likea IOI of talk and not much action. l like Fertile Ground because ii is something tangible and rcsul1-oricnted." Themostpromincnl~ndpublicizedenvironmental project of the past 1wo years has been lhe Green Cup campaign. The idea originated in YSEC and has since been turned over IO lhe university, which pays conservation cornmiuee coordinators in each college. PlannersoftheGrccn Cup hope lhat by providing economic e!f1tiency for lhe univc,sity and intra-college rivalry for lhc sllldents, lhe Green Cup will establish environmental awareness as a permanent pan of the instiwtional framework. Other efforts 10 institutionalize environmenl:lllsm include proposals 10 malc.e environmental education mandatory through freshman counselors. "II would make these programs pan of every student's introduction 10 Yale, so that in several years ii [environmentalism] will be an accepted fact on campus," proposed Dial. The challenge so far has been 10 build genuine supporl ror lhe project. Fong, who was also recycling coordinator forPierson last year, ol,served, "You really need people 10 care. AU the publicity thrown in lheir f ~ won't do any good unless lhey really want to do something aboul lhe environmental problems around lhem."While lheGrcenCup hasaUJ>mpled 10 reach lhc greatest number of sllldents through the residential 'colleges, lhe lrue ICSt orstudent involvement will come after several months or competition, when conservation figures can be accurately tallied. showing the amount or absolute dollar savings IO lhe university from lhcvenllJrc. EveniflheGreenCupsavcsmoney, however, measuring the educational effects of a program lha1 has reduced environmentalism 10 intramural rivalry will be difficull. In lhe short term, YSEC has planned an extcnsive Earth "Week" agenda, one lhat organizct11 hope will compare 10 the 1990 Earth Day exlravaganza Iha! brought I0,OOOpeople1oitscelebration. Music will be prominently feallJred during lhe week's events including a concert with folk-singer Richie Havens and an Old Campus Earth Jam with Yale SIUdcnl bands. Additional Earth Week activities include(barring rain) an Oki Campus "Underneath lhe Slarll" sleep-oo1and various camping trips 10 Sleeping GianL Conveniently, lhe last day of Earth Weet will coincide with Communiver.;ily Day, the traditional celebration ofYale-New Haven relations. YSEC hopes 10 inlegrate lhe New Haven community into its envlronmenull education campaign. Braasch emphasizes, "We have to start wilhlhecnvironmcntas New Haven. It is an ecosystem in itself." Stretching the scope of Earth Week 10 its limi~ YSEC has also made efforu 10 link its environmental movement 10 alleviating poveny, teaming up with lhe Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project 10 conduct a clolhing drive. After an overwhelmingly successful Earth Week in 1990, YSECsulfcredsomedi!f,culltransitions. The Student Environmenl:11 Action Coalition (SEAC), a national organization, rose to prominence on campus and created a great deal ofdoubt and instability within theolhcr groups. Including groups as disparate as lhc sporlS-orientcd Canoeing/Kayaking Club and lhe radical Save James Bay S11Jden1 Network, YSEC's diversity threatened lhecoalition's existence. According to Braasch, lhc coalition could have disappeared in December, 1991 had YSEC not rede· fined lheir purposes and procedures. The elimination ofSEAC from lhecampus,accompanied by new leadership and lhe eS1ablishmen1 of an olf1te in the basement or Pierson gave lhe center a new impetus. They are currently rebuilding their forces and Braasch feels 11181. "Earth Week will be lhe real li1mus I.CSL" The determination and hard-work of members of Yale's environmental movement has paid off. YSEC has created a permanent, powcrful,and respected presence al Yale. Its impressive organizational strength is matched by fewstudenlgroupsat Yale. Unfortunately, like environmentalism outside of Yale, YSEC and ii! member groups have promoted a dangerous orthodoxy lha1 includes lhe unquestioning acceptance of conllovcrsial lhcories like lhc greenhouse cffecL With lheir powerful network and growing in0ucnce, YSEC's subtlcpromulgation oflhisorthodoxydcser,cscarcful review. -N,o,,.; Rao, afrtshman in Sil/inta1t Coll,g,, is publisher oftM Yale Free Press.