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Alumni advise students: Think globally; Act locally

In January, six Falmouth Academy alumni collaborated on a panel for students. Moderated by physics teacher Peter Conzett, the group addressed issues of sustainability from different viewpoints, including legal, political, economic and social/cultural in addition to the science. Each alum brought theoretical and pragmatic expertise to the table. But, in the end, the answer to some of the important ecological questions of the day boiled down to a line from Hamlet, Act V. As Jay O’Hara ’00 elucidated: “It’s all in the readiness.”

Mr. Conzett posed the question: Am I a sucker? When I think I’m doing the right thing yet my neighbor isn’t, even though we’ve both heard the rhetoric on climate change, energy use, chemicals, etc., am I a sucker for following the rules?

When Alex Walsh ’88, president of e-Paint, and his father developed an environmentally-safe bottom paint for boats, he never dreamed he’d have a hard time selling it. He could point to scientific studies that showed certain shellfish were dying out. He could say he had a solution. “I spent a lot of money traveling and trying to sell my product. A lot of people thought I might be running a medicine show. But in the end, the customers did want to know if the product worked and how much it cost. Thankfully, they said yes.”

Chris Buccino ’02, project designer with Stephen Stimson Associates Landscape Architects, was recently involved in a 300-acre urban park that was designed to reclaim Texas prairieland.
He said, “Sustainability is not just about reducing the carbon footprint. There’s also cultural sustainability. You can be sustainable without losing the things you enjoy. Don’t give up; just draw down.”

Jay, an activist who is founder of Students for a Just and Stable Future and also of Climate Summer, lives a simple life by choice. He does not have a car, nor does he have many possessions. Having hiked the Appalachian Trail with just a backpack, he recalled Mr. Swanbeck asking in his history class: which is better? Happiness or fun?

“Once you’ve met your basic needs,” said Jay, “stuff doesn’t make you happier. We need to be realistic about today’s world. We need to be able to say, here is the world we can build. There will of course be people who say, well, what if it’s all a hoax and we build a better world for nothing?”

Instead of creating panic, Chris said “We need to create a sense of urgency. If you applied the quality of life we enjoy here to the entire world, you would require four Earths to support that lifestyle. We ARE headed to a dangerous place.”

A student asked if it was a hopeless situation or if it would make a difference if everyone bought a Prius.

Chloe Starr ’04, a research associate at Woods Hole Research Center and recently returned from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Cancun, Mexico, noted that it had happened with compact fluorescent lightbulbs.  “They become more affordable if more people purchase them. Another good example of this would be solar panels. When more people use the technology, the price comes down and it makes sense to jump in and invest.”

Jay said, “Once you have economic incentive and the price reflects reality, it becomes easier.”

“At the end of the day,” said Alex, “issues come down to economics.”

So, the audience wanted to know, how do we bring these urgent situations down to our level? How can we, as citizens, fix things?

Christian Valle ’94, a green contractor with the Valle Group, has been working on a passive house in East Falmouth that creates little if no carbon footprint. “Solutions are to buy local, recycle and use local subcontractors. You can’t define it as one thing.”

Tim Cronin ’02, a Ph.D. candidate in MIT’s Program in Atmospheres, Oceans and Climate, noted, “Such fearmongering draws attention to the highest scale problem, like global warming, and away from what we CAN affect. We should work towards local food systems and build and support communities that address environmental problems. This is called middle ground sustainability. We need to make sure that our voices get through to the legislature. We can move towards a middle ground and reduce emissions and greenhouse gases.”

While working towards that local and middle ground, it is necessary to keep the big picture in mind. Alex said, “Water is a huge issue. Everyone needs it on a daily basis. Water sustains life on this planet. But we are killing our water supplies.”

Currently working on a project with the U. S. Air Force to develop airplane coverings that preclude the need for de-icers that end up in estuaries, Alex said, “We have to look at the quality of water, where it’s going, where it’s been, what’s in it.” He cited a study on a particular species of buzzard population that died out. Surprisingly, all the birds had small levels of Prozac in them.

“Wastewater is a huge issue on the Cape,” said Christian. “I would be interested to see tax credits given to property owners who upgrade their septic systems to reduce nitrogen levels. Acting on a local level can go a long way!”

Chloe shared the shocking information that some day, our carbon issues may end up sinking small island countries.

“You can be a consumer or you can be creative,” said Jay. A consumer chooses from options laid out in front of them. A creative person creates his own options.

Getting back to Mr. Conzett’s sucker question at the beginning of the session, Alex reminded the audience of the wind turbine issue in Falmouth. Residents are complaining about noise levels caused by the large turbine and a second one is being installed.

“Do I sacrifice for the greater good? I am in favor of wind energy. You have to be a good neighbor, and do what’s right. But it’s hard to do that when you don’t know your neighbors. It gets back to being good citizens, both locally and globally.”