foreverGREEN
notes
April 2015
Class Officers
Co-Presidents
Mac Gardner
Andre Hunter
Vice President
Jim Gregg
Communications
Becky Wolcott Ankeny
Maren Christensen
Treasurer
Bob Goldman
Co-Class Agents
Roger Baumann
Dave Ellis
Class Project Manager
Mac Gardner
Andre Hunter
DAM Secretary
Maren Christensen
Reunion Co-Chairs
Patty Shepard
Sheila Kirby Zinck
Alumni Council
Martha Gerhan
Webmaster
Mac Gardner
At Large Committee
Deb Ellsworth
Walter Foster
Martha Gerhan
Deb Robbins Healey
Peter Kilmarx
Tina Poulter Carrier
Joanne Sardella
Sarah Reynolds Walton
Greetings ’83s!
Spring is on the way, and for all of you living north of the
Carolinas, I’m sure that you’ll agree that it can’t come
soon enough. So what better time to hunker down with
a newsletter to find out what our FUN class of 1983 has
been up to! Before we begin, we want to apologize for the
delay in getting you this newsletter, but trust that you’ve
been following some of the exploits of your classmates, as
well as events at the college through the Alumni Magazine,
monthly class emails, and postings on the class Facebook
page (please make sure to “like” this page at https://www.
facebook.com/pages/Dartmouth-Class-of-1983). Since we
last communicated with you, a lot has happened. President
Hanlon is fully into his second year of presidency, and as
many of you know, his main focus over the last year has
been to address issues facing almost all major colleges and
universities, centered around excessive drinking, sexual
assault and inclusivity. He charged the Moving Dartmouth
Forward committee (chaired by Professor Barbara Will)
with the task of researching these very complex issues,
gathering input from all constituencies of the college,
and preparing a list of recommendations to the Trustees.
The report was released to the Dartmouth community
on January 29, and a summary of the report can be read
at - https://www.dartmouth.edu/~president/forward/plan.
html. The first legs of the plan were implemented starting
with the spring term at the end of March, and the rest of
the plan will be phased in with the arrival of the Class of
2019 in September. We strongly urge all of you to read
it, follow its roll out, and then feel free to approach us
with thoughts, comments, concerns that you may have.
We’ve had a number of mini reunions, some centered
around President Hanlon’s visits to various cities, and
others closer to the Hanover Plain, during homecoming
weekend. Included in these was one focused on our own
Jean Hanff Korelitz who did a reading from her latest
novel (You Should Have Known) in northern Westchester,
NY. We also had two successful Mini’s in Boston and NY,
and were glad to see that many of you sent in your own
“virtual” reunion pics as well. While a bunch of them have
been posted to the Facebook page, we’ll also have them
up on the class website shortly - https://www.facebook.
com/pages/Dartmouth-Class-of-1983/169355291062
One of our goals is to make all of the events and activities
surrounding our class as inclusive as possible. While
we hope to offer a number of different ways of doing
this, we also hope that if you have any ideas of events,
symposia, panels, etc. that you’d like to see, that you’ll
let us know – we’re open to all thoughts, and will be
happy to support what you may be looking to do.
Some of the themes that we hope to explore in other
newsletters this year include a focus on philanthropy
as it affects and is reflected in our class, followed by a
look at sustainability, focusing on our class sponsored
efforts (please also be on the lookout for Dartmouth’s
“Day of Service”, May 2 – as many Dartmouth Clubs
across the country will be involved in their communities
that day, and what better way to re-connect with some
of your classmates). If you have other ideas that you’d
like to see discussed, please contact Becky and Maren.
Please don’t forget to make your dues payments (these are
the monies that allow us to fund some of these activities, as
well as support our class projects and scholar). Keep in mind
that they are tax deductible. Speaking of class projects, we’ve
successfully supported the Office of Sustainability, as they
launch a program to help students find full time and leave
term opportunities in this field, please see more about this
wonderful program at : http://sustainability.dartmouth.edu/
blog/finding-your-green-job-sustainability-office-launchesgreen-careers-program, as well as later in this newsletter.
Finally, as her term ended with last May’s meeting, we’d
like to thank Maren Christenson for her service as our class’
representative on the Alumni Council. Her efforts on behalf
of our class have been greatly appreciated. We’re also happy
to announce that Martha Gerhan took her spot for the next 3
year term. If any of you have anything that you’d like to raise
at the council, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Martha.
Andre and Mac
Former Class of 1983 Scholar - Eric Wang ’14
Current Class of 1983 Scholar - Cristina Curcelli ’18
Cristina Curcelli is our new class scholar. She’s from Saratoga, California (southern Bay Area) and went to Saratoga High
School, as well as all the public middle and elementary schools there.
Here’s what she has to tell us about herself:
“First of all, many, many thanks to the Class of 1983. I wouldn’t be able to be here at Dartmouth without this scholarship - it
is such a privilege, and I say that with the utmost sincerity!
My family is all from Italy, and our culture is very much
part of my everyday life! Back home, I was involved in a
variety of arts-related things: I did competitive Irish dance
for 10 years and have played classical piano since before I
can remember.
As far as how I ended up at Dartmouth, it was a fairly
unexpected decision! I threw in an application at the last
minute and didn’t know hardly anything about the school
until my acceptance letter came in March. Soon after,
though, as is the story for most everyone here, I fell in
love with the campus and the community and everything
the school has to offer. Since getting to campus, I can
honestly say I haven’t second-guessed my decision once.
The transition can be rocky at times, but I’m absolutely in
love with Dartmouth.
My academic interests right now are somewhat scattered - I came in thinking I might want to do an Economics major, but
I’m going to continue taking a large variety of classes and exploring my options. Right now I’m in Acting 1, Humanities 1,
Econ 1, and Italian 2, and enjoying them all quite a lot. As far as extra-curriculars and such: I have a job with America Reads,
one of the tutoring programs for the local elementary schools run through the Tucker Foundation. I work with Kindergarten
through second graders twice a week, and am thoroughly enjoying it so far. I’m hoping to add some more shifts next term.
I’ve been going to Tucker’s weekly Multi-Faith Conversation as well. I’ve also joined the Sibs program - a big sister
program that matches me with a young girl from the Upper Valley who I will mentor for the next four years. And I’m on the
Dartmouth Law Journal, too. That is keeping me busy for now, but next term I’m hoping to audition for a theatre or music
group and possibly take music lessons with a professor.
Other than that, I’ve been enjoying plenty of time relaxing on the Green when the sun is shining, getting to know my
floormates better, appreciating the fall foliage, and studying from dawn until dusk!
I hope that gives the class a bit of an idea about who they are supporting, and do let me know if you have any questions
about anything in particular.”
LET’S STAY CONNECTED
PLEASE send Becky Wolcott Ankeny ([email protected]) your preferred
email address to ensure that you are receiving our monthly class emails. These
email messages contain Mini-Reunion and other event information, YouTube videos
created by Maren Christensen, Classmates in the news, College news, etc. We don’t
want YOU to miss out on our class news and fun!
Class of 1983 Sustainability Careers Program
Class of ’83 Sustainability Careers Program- Update Summer 2014
Program Description (Background)
An identified area of need with the potential for measurable positive impact is supporting more students in
finding sustainability careers.
The Sustainability Careers Program exposes current students to sustainability-related career opportunities,
engage them in sustainability internships and connect them to alumni working in this area.
The goal of the program is to provide Dartmouth students with:
• an understanding of the career options available in sustainability
• access to people and companies who are hiring interns and full time staff
• a parallel experience to corporate recruiting
• experience interviewing, refining their resume and networking to help them get a job following graduation.
We provide students with access to the full range of evolving sustainability careers in for-profit companies, and
the not-for-profit and governmental sectors.
In the first year the program:
• Hosted a sustainability careers panel at Dartmouth
• Built on existing resources such as the Green Alumni
group and Alumni Office resources to develop and
refine a network of alumni in sustainability who are
interested in hosting interns and hiring graduates
• Hosted an on campus career fair for sustainability
careers with interviewing opportunities
• Hosted an interviewing skills workshop specifically
focused on sustainability careers that supplements
current CSO offerings
The Class of ’83 support for this program:
• provides staffing to run this program
• funds the events listed above
• possibly supports infrastructure such as a sustainability careers web presence or portal if that becomes
necessary
• enables outreach and advertising to build a brand that will enable program success
We will work closely with the Career Services Office to ensure that the program is durable and will last beyond
this two-year pilot period.
Accomplishments to Date (August 2014)
• Two listening sessions with seniors to assess needs
• Graduate Student Panel and “Meet and Greet”
• Workshop: Telling an Effective Story and Selling Yourself
Class of 1983 Sustainability Careers Program
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Trip to All-Ivy Environmental Career Fair at Columbia
Advertising Green Job Boards and Employment Opportunities
Developed a list serve for Green Jobs
Green Careers Panel: Four Accomplished Professionals in Sustainability
Mock Interviews and networking guidance
Intern (Sarah Alexander) hired to support program
Developed an informal list of alumni in green careers
Became a conduit for companies seeking interns and recent grads (~10 postings/month)
Met with CPD (Center for Professional Development- Rog Woolsey) and talked through how to incorporate
the program in their initiatives
Follow ups include hosting events in their space and working with Rog’s staff to institutionalize these
programs in CPD
Collected feedback from outgoing seniors and juniors on
Developing and posting blog entries of internship experiences (http://sustainability.dartmouth.edu/blog/)
Planning for 2014-2015 well underway with Fellows in place. Emphasis on:
Building up Dartmouth Green Alumni network
Develop a database of cool sustainability companies interested in hiring Dartmouth students
On campus career fair in the winter
Mock interviews in the fall
Review: Highlights of 2013-2014 Program
Workshop: Telling and Effective Story and Selling
Yourself
Working with real job descriptions, students practiced
relating their experiences in ways that effectively
connected their expertise with a job they were mock
interviewing for. In a workshop format, students learned
strategies for listening to the key objectives of the
employer and relating their experience in ways that helped
the employer solve for challenges.
Graduate Student Panel and “Meet and Greet”
Current graduate students from 5 programs related to sustainability discussed why they chose graduate school
and their path to graduate school looked. Dartmouth undergraduates were able to ask questions, connect to
mentors and network. Graduate students were from:
Dartmouth Tuck MBA Program
Dartmouth Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Program
Vermont Law School Environmental Law & Policy
Green Careers Panel and Brunch
Four panelists, each from a different sector in sustainability, provided insight into their career path and gave
seniors and juniors guidance on how to pursue their interests as a career. What were the challenges and pivotal
decisions they faced along the way, and what do they wished they knew were juniors and seniors in college?
The panel was followed by an informal mingling and networking session with panelists over brunch.
Sarah Robinson: Practically Green, Alden Smith: The Mountain School, Dallase Scott: GreenerU, Peter Stein:
Lyme Timber Company
Dartmouth Office of Sustainability Interview
An Interview by Peggy Gilges ’83 with Jenna Musco ’11, Sustainability Project Manager, and
Rosi Kerr ’97, Director, Dartmouth Office of Sustainability On Sustainability/Campus Projects
We hear the term sustainability used more and more often. How would you define it? Maybe you
could say a bit about why the College considers it to be important.
The classic definition of sustainability is to use resources
in a way that provides for the needs of the present without
jeopardizing the needs of future generations. At Dartmouth,
we expand this definition to focus on mindful living and
decision-making. We think about sustainability as a way to take
advantage of opportunities to increase efficiencies, to enrich the
human experience, and to improve our systems and processes.
Sustainability provides the chance to refocus on what we really
value and to align our practices with those priorities. It is also a
driver of innovation, a push to develop new products, services
and resources that lessen our negative impacts and increase
our positive ones. Dartmouth has a longstanding legacy of
innovation, systems thinking, reflection and problem solving,
and is constantly looking to deepen the experiences of students
in these areas. Sustainability is a great way to accomplish these
goals while also taking advantage of our unique location and our
historic connection to the outdoors.
JENNA MUSCOCO ’11
You work with students to accomplish sustainability goals on campus. What was one of last year’s
most successful sustainability projects at Dartmouth?
While some of our projects are very operational or and others are strategic, the projects that are the most
fun for us are the ones that engage students in a hands on way. Each year, our office reaches at least 1500
students and works intensively with at least 100 of those students to run programs, organize events, and
shape sustainability strategy. Operationally, Dartmouth has the impact of a small town, consuming food,
fuel, water, products, energy and many other resources. Many of our student projects work directly on
reducing these impacts and improving life for students, faculty and staff. These projects allow students to
practice solving real problems under real constraints.
This year we launched two new programs that were particularly successful. Ecovate was the brainchild
of two upperclassmen who saw a need for helping students develop creative solutions to classic
sustainability challenges. They tapped into student interest in design thinking and innovation, and
revamped our pre-existing winter workshop series into something more active. Their solution was
Ecovate, a five session program for sophomore and junior sustainability leaders. Thirty students
participated in the program, and each week they learned a new skill set for reframing sustainability
problems. Their final design challenge was to re-imagine the Organic Farm and how the office engages
students, faculty and staff with the working landscape, ecology, energy and hands on learning.
Dartmouth Office of Sustainability Interview
Another new program we are very proud of is our new Maple Sugar Crew. Sugar Crew is an alternative spring
break trip developed and run by students. They learn about the entire sugaring process start to finish, from
preparing the equipment to tapping the trees to boiling, bottling, and marketing their syrup. In effect, the students
got the chance to run a mini business while grappling with the unpredictability of weather and nature!
What are some of the sustainability objectives for this coming year?
Operationally, our biggest objective over the next year is to transform
Dartmouth’s energy system from one solely depends on #6 Fuel Oil to
one that is more flexible, economically and socially sustainable, and
diversified.
In terms of student programs, we are focused on two areas. First, we
want to prepare Dartmouth students to be sustainability leaders ready
to head out into the real world and effectively get change done. This
means we are working hard on projects and programs that give students
access to learning-by-doing using Dartmouth sustainability problems
as the avenue. For example, our new Senior Sustainability Consultancy
Program will enable us to connect seniors who are ready to work as a
consulting team with operational projects that need consulting help at
Dartmouth.
The Class of ’83 Careers Program helps students connect skills acquired
through these projects to awesome sustainability careers! Students
ROSI KERR ’97
who went through the first year of the Careers Program in the Class of ’14 are now
employed at Enernoc, Industrial Economics, ICF International, BOLD Earth, Farmer’s Business Network and
many other cutting edge company’s working on sustainability. We are also building a Senior Consultancy Group
which will enable us to connect seniors who are ready to work as a consulting team with operational projects that
need consulting help.
Secondly, we are strengthening social and peer connections using sustainability as the nexus. This year, we are
launching a first year/upperclassmen mentorship program, and thinking about how sustainability as a social
community can reach a wider audience. In our eyes, sustainability and it’s emphasis on mindful living and
decision-making leads to students doing awesome, fun, and productive things outside of the classroom -- working
in teams to rethink how our waste system works, listening to music and contra-dancing at the farm, hanging out in
the Sustainable Living Center kitchen and enjoying home-cooked pancakes and omelets for dinner!
On Dartmouth’s Organic Farm
The range of projects at the Dartmouth Farm has grown over the years; last year you even had a
barn raising! What crops are currently being cultivated? Does the produce grown on the farm go to
Dartmouth’s dining halls?
The farm is a thriving part of Dartmouth and it’s evolving quickly. The legacy of the Class of ’83’s previous class
gift is very much felt in this evolution from an organic farm to an interdisciplinary learning and teaching space
where students can understand how land based systems work.
Dartmouth Office of Sustainability Interview
The farm cultivates a wide variety of vegetables, flowers, and herbs – from typical summer favorites like
zuchinni, kale, swiss chard, eggplant, peppers, corn, broccoli, and potatoes, to more unusual plants that are
connected to the academic experience – bottle gourds, loofah plants, kohl rabbi, komatsuna greens, and patty
pan squash. A summer favorite is the Sapho cherry tomatoes grown in the Solar Greenhouse. We also grow
herbs including dill and basil and flowers such as cosmos, sunflowers, and snap dragons, which are cut for
flower arrangements to enliven offices (including admissions) around campus.
Food grown at the farm is distributed in a number of different ways to students, faculty, staff, and community
members! During the summer, you’ll often find cherry tomatoes or greens from the farm on the Collis Salad
bar. Additionally, students hold weekly farm stands open to all outside of Collis to sell produce. Many student
cooking groups on campus do their weekly grocery shopping at this stand and incorporate the produce into
dinners cooked on campus or at local charities. Finally, this fall, farm produce will be featured on the menu at
The Box, Hanover’s new food truck! As the season winds to a close, extra produce in the field will sold at low
costs via Pick-Your-Own events and gleanings!
Is the farm still raising fish? (I think our class
contributed funds for the fish tanks?)
Yes, the legacy of the Class of ’83 is going
strong at the farm! We raise tilapia in the Solar
Greenhouse. The fish live in large water tanks
in the greenhouse that regulate temperature and
play an important role in season extension. Basil
is grown hydroponically on top of the tilapia
tanks. This summer, during our termly “Farm
Event”, students enjoyed grilled tilapia seasoned
with a variety of different sauces, along with
grilled vegetables from the field and a farm fresh
salad! The fish were a hit and we didn’t know
we had so many seafood lovers in our midst!
Are there any new projects in the works for Dartmouth’s
organic farm?
The farm is bursting with new projects! This past year,
students planted a new permaculture garden and installed 4
beehives to showcase alternative methods of food production.
Students have also developed several new programs that
connect the farm to social activities on campus. This past
summer, our Green Greek interns piloted a “Farm Dinner”
series that brought students from 6 different Greek houses
out to the farm for workdays, tours, conversations about
sustainability and of course, pizza from the bread oven! In
addition, six faculty members are actively using the farm for research with several more who are interested in
getting started. One new researcher, for example, is using the farm site to investigate bat predation. Another
Dartmouth Office of Sustainability Interview
is looking at frogs, garter snakes and dragonflies and their connections. Looking forward, we are engaged with
faculty in a Program Planning effort to institutionalize the farm as a research and teaching site.
On Sustainable Materials Management:
What was once called “Solid Waste Management” is now more frequently termed “Sustainable Materials
Management,” in recognition of the fact that careful management can succeed in diverting a high
percentage of “waste” from the landfill to reuse, recycling and composting.
Dartmouth does an impressive job of promoting the reuse of things, such as dorm furnishings and bikes.
Please will you tell us a bit about those efforts?
Dartmouth has several student run
initiatives to repurpose stuff and keep
as much as possible out of the landfill.
The Sustainable Moving Sale was
founded by students in 2006 and is one
of the office’s biggest events in this
area, growing every year. At the end of
the spring, students collect donations
from seniors and other students moving
out of their dorms – items collected
include fridges, lamps, mirrors, Christmas lights, hair dryers, shower caddies, kitchen supplies, storage containers,
Easter baskets and more! Over the summer, a team of students works every week to sort and clean these items in
a warehouse near campus. The whole event is overseen by two Moving Sale Managers – sophomores who intern
with the office for spring and summer term. These students get the experience of running a business firsthand as
they oversee every aspect of the sale, from crew hiring, to warehouse sorting, to event management, to tallying
the proceeds! On Move In Day, these items are brought to campus and sold in a giant yard sale to incoming first
year students. About 1,000 students and their parents visit the sale on move-in day to buy low-cost dorm room
items. This year, the sale brought in a record $16,000! This money is recycled in the form of grants to fund the
next round of awesome student projects. Last year the sale funded 8 student sustainability projects including the
planting of a permaculture garden at the farm and establishment of 4 beehives, planting a vegetable and herb
garden at the Sustainable Living Center, a trip to the All-Ivy Divestment Conference at Yale University, and a
campus-wide survey of sustainability communications and assessment
of how to reach new audiences.
Dartmouth Bikes is another great example of a program working to
divert waste from landfills and turn it into a resource. Dartmouth Bikes
was started by student interns in our office in 2011. It’s objectives are
to support the use of bikes on the Dartmouth campus and to reduce
the number of bikes that are thrown away after being abandoned by
students-- around 120 bikes a year! In the past 3 years, Dartmouth
Bikes developed a new campus bike policy that allows for confiscation
and repair of abandoned bikes and has grown rapidly to offer a termly
bike rental program, weekly mechanic hours, Pop-Up Bike repair shops and recently sold 30 refurbished bikes to
incoming first years at the Sustainable Moving Sale.
Dartmouth Office of Sustainability Interview
How much of the campus’s solid waste is currently diverted through recycling and composting? What
are the College’s goals?
Dartmouth currently diverts about 45% of its total waste from landfills. This was a goal set by the waste
team for 2015 and we have already reached it. Our waste team is now thinking about what comes next. It is
possible that Dartmouth could divert as much as 70% of it’s waste stream from landfills, and we are excited
about setting new waste goals this year.
On Energy:
As the effects of rapid global climate change become more apparent, energy efficiency and renewable
energy have become critical for organizations serious about sustainability. What is Dartmouth doing to
improve energy efficiency on campus?
Obviously, in terms of climate change the best
approach is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Perhaps
less obviously, this can also be a great way to improve
the bottom line by reducing energy costs. Dartmouth
has invested heavily in energy efficiency since 2009,
partly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but mostly
to improve our efficiency and reduce costs. We have
made improvements in heating, ventilation and air
conditioning that have led to a reduction in campus
oil use from about 5 million gallons of fuel oil in
2009 to about 3.8 million gallons of fuel last year. We
have also invested in lighting, controls, monitoring
equipment and continual building tuning to further
reduce our energy consumption.
Dartmouth recently announced it is participating in the Town of Hanover’s Green Power Project by buying
renewable energy credits sufficient to offset 10% of the College’s energy usage over the next five years. Does
Dartmouth have any plans to develop its own clean renewable energy on campus through wind, solar or
geothermal projects?
Right now, our office is heavily focused on re-imagining Dartmouth’s energy future. In advocating for a move
away from #6 Fuel Oil, we are examining ways to diversify our energy portfolio, and this diversification will
undoubtedly include a greater investment in renewable energy. We currently have a few solar and geothermal
pilot projects on campus, and we are looking forward to increasing our use of renewables in the years to
come.
Do you have any comment on the divestment movement at Dartmouth?
Divestment is an exciting, student-led movement that has connected the Dartmouth campus to a national
campaign. It has provided the opportunity for a wide range of stakeholders to engage in thoughtful
conversation about our investment portfolio and our environmental responsibilities as an institution. It
Dartmouth Office of Sustainability Interview
has also given students a chance to engage in activism and to think critically about the most effective ways
to call for change from the administration and from their peers. While the Sustainability Office’s efforts are
focused on transitioning the college off of #6 Fuel Oil, the student divestment effort has been well timed
and complementary in its engagement of our community in meaningful conversations about lessening our
dependence on fossil fuels.
For the Future:
How can Dartmouth ’83s stay informed about sustainability efforts at Dartmouth?
There are a few ways to stay connected to all of our sustainability happenings. We are active on social media,
and we are constantly updating our facebook page and our Instagram with photos of all the happenings. You
can also check out our calendar of events on our website to get an idea of what is happening on a weekly
basis: http://sustainability.dartmouth.edu/calendar/. Additionally, feel free to send us an email at sustainable.
[email protected] with questions and ideas--we would love to hear from you!
Are there opportunities for interested alumni to be involved in/support Dartmouth’s sustainability initiatives?
We are always looking for ways to connect interested alumni with current students! We would love to have
alums participate in the Careers program, visit the farm, or join us for one of our sustainability dinners. If you
are planning on visiting Hanover, or if you are excited about connecting to students with sustainability interests,
send us an email at [email protected]. Additionally, Sarah Alexander, a member of our
office staff, will be reaching out in the coming months to ’83s to provide updates on Career events.
Class Dues Report
Bob Goldman
Thanks to all of our classmates who have been contributing to our class dues, class scholarship,
and class project (see the recent scholarship and project results in this newsletter). Class dues are
suggested at $45, and we use class dues to pay a fee that the College charges all alumni classes for
some of the expenses of the alumni office, to defray the costs of mini-reunions, and to give us funds
in the bank that we need to be able to plan our every-five-years reunion long before registration
funds arrive. We donate any extra dues to our class scholarship and class project. We also have
suggested additional contributions of $15 directly to the class scholarship and $15 to class projects.
Contributions to the class are tax-deductible! About one-third of our classmates contribute to some or
all of these opportunities to support the College above and beyond our gifts to the Dartmouth College
Fund. So again, many thanks to those who have given in the past and already this 2014-2015 year,
and please consider contributing right now if you have not done so already. You can send a check
payable to Dartmouth Class of 1983 directly to Ledyard Bank using the coupon that you received in
the mail, or mail the check to me, or use a credit card at http://1983.dartmouth.org and click on Dues
& Donate.
Bob Goldman
81 Washington Street, Suite 302
Salem, MA 01970
Featured Current Student
Ali Dyer is a ’16 from Los Altos, California and the daughter of Lloyd Dyer, ’84
“I'm an environmental studies and economics double
major. For ENVS, I'm focusing primarily in resource
management and for economics I'm doing public and
development. What really interests me in the long
run is looking at the intersection between economic
development and environmental conservation in
underdeveloped areas and how to marry the two into a
win-win.
I love the ENVS department because it's very hands on
and the professors actually want to get to know you. It's
focused on studies as opposed to science meaning we
mostly deal with policies. In ENVS 61 with Professor
Cox last fall, we had weekly assessments where we
had to work with a group to develop a policy fixing an
environmental development problem, for example fishery management in the Caribbean. Assessments like
these are very common and mirror better what we would be doing in the real world as oppose to memorizing
diagrams in a textbook. My all-time favorite project was in ENVS 39 last summer with Professor Fox. We
were told to pick a development problem somewhere in the world and pretend we were an NGO writing
a proposal and applying for a grant to fix it. My group focused on the intrusion by palm oil companies
into indigenous lands in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. The project was incredibly interesting and taught us
real skills which will be applicable long term. Professors really give students freedom to be creative and
innovate.
I've had the same experiences with the Office of Sustainability
here. A majority of the programs now run by the office were
started by student initiatives and they thrive on new ideas.
My freshman year, a group of friends and I decided there
wasn't enough information regarding sustainability and ENVS
presented to incoming freshmen. We told the Program Director
this, and she helped us acquire the funding and support to
create a sustainability orientation program covering sustainable
living, campus facilities, the ENVS department, and the
Sustainability Office which will be entering its third year this
fall. The fact that they're so willing to support student ideas,
even from freshmen, is pretty incredible and one of the many
things that makes sustainability at Dartmouth such a unique
and special community.”
Class Notes
Rich Diver made his
annual visit to Mosholu
Point / Camp Webster
in the 1000 Islands,
Canada for some rest
and relaxation with Reed
Webster. Rich says “love
life on the St Lawrence
River & those Canadian
ginger ales! And Jack
Campbell was MIA!”
==========================================
If you haven’t read it on our Facebook page, then you
need to know that Peter Kilmarx accepted an invitation
to serve as CDC Ebola Response Team Leader in Sierra
Leone. He’ll be overseeing about 40 CDC staff responsible
for epidemiology, surveillance, contact tracing, health
communications, infection control, laboratory testing, and
quarantine (screening passengers on outgoing flights). He
was there for a month, then came back to Zimbabwe where
he is CDC Country Director.
==========================================
In the fall Jim McKim
and his wife Nancy
(whose father was a
’50) had the pleasure of
hosting a mini reunion
with Bob (rock) Gray,
Ann Marie Healey, her
husband Paul Baxter,
and their son Liam,
Erin Walls Reynolds, and
Bob Dinan. “We spent the
afternoon on a lovely hike up
south Uncanoonic Mountain
which is just behind our
home in Goffstown, NH.
Bob Blum was supposed
to join us but his plane was
later than expected.”
According to Jim, Bob Gray is still working at the family
business, Cushman and Marsden, and living in Reading,
MA. Ann Marie is still in Somerville, Massachusetts, doing
quite a bit of volunteering at Liam’s school. Erin was visiting
from Tennessee helping market a client at a convention in
Boston leaving her better half, Faust, to fend for himself
back home. Bob Dinan was out east on break from teaching
middle school still in Plymouth, Michigan and on the way
home from dropping his daughter Emily off at camp at
Princeton for a few weeks leaving his better half, Barb, home
to fend for herself. Bob Blum moved back east and is now
living In Jamaica Plain, MA.
As for Jim, he’s still doing research into the use of technology
for learning at Hewlett-Packard. This past May, he received
a Citation from the American Society of Training and
Developer (now the Association for Talent Development)
for a groundbreaking career Development program he
managed last year. “I guess that’s what you get when you
put Computer Science and Philosophy together as majors.”
==========================================
Jim Gildea has written a few articles for InsideLine online
fishing magazine. His latest was entitled “Moving On
Up” about tournemanet fishing. His September article
chronicled his win in the Massachusettes Bass Federation
State Championship on Lake Champlain at Ticonderoga.
Congrats Jim! You can read his articles at InsideLine.net.
==========================================
Reed Webster and
Mac Gardner went
fishing in Bristol Bay,
Alaska for a week.
Silver salmon, rainbow
trout, dolly varden,
graylings and char were
what we were catching.
Spectacular fishing and company! Mac arranged a minireunion in Anchorage by sending out an email about 2 weeks
before they went and there were 5 who met for drinks and
dinner on Friday night. Kip Cerveny, Ken Miller ’84 and
Sarah Burrell Troxel ’84
==========================================
Martha Gerhan
and Eric Valley
c o m p e t e d
at
the
FINA
World
Masters
Championships in
Montreal in August,
along with over
9,000 swimmers
from around the
world. Eric swam
extremely
well
placing in the top 15 in his group in the 400 IM and 200
fly, top 20 in the 200 IM and 200 Free and top 30 in the 100
Free, and 3rd (in the world!) in a 200 Free relay. Martha’s
schedule was much less ambitious, as she swam in two
relays that placed in the top 25 and in the 200 Breaststroke,
a race where she forgot not to go out too fast and ended up
in the top 40! The most spectacular performance was by
Class Notes
Bill Sherman ’81, who came
in 3rd, in the world, in the 5559 50-meter freestyle in 26.52
seconds!
Following the meet, Martha
headed down to Concord, New
Hampshire to visit her parents
and had lunch with Denise
Mullane and Amy Haigh
Fassett.
==========================================
Dave Ross, Mark Ardagna and Bill Flanigan teed it up at
the Eddie Jeremiah Golf Tournament at Hanover CC with
Bob Gaudet and crew to
raise $ for the Dartmouth
Hockey Team. “Awesome
time. Flanny outplayed
both of us (and made the
better fashion statement)
according to Dave.
==========================================
Davies Beller and Gaelle Cohen were married in Napa.
Gaelle is
originally
f r o m
Paris and
a former
French
national
fencing
champion
(and
a
bronze medalist at the World Games!) She’s currently a
professional stunt woman/stunt coordinator. Hopefully
she’ll keep Davies on his toes! A number of Davies’ Beta
cronies were at Calistoga Ranch with him to celebrate.
Bill Middlesworth was in Beijing for a joint symposium
(Beijing Children’s hospital and Morgan Stanley Children’s
Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center, where he
works) and a few days of sight seeing. Beijing Children’s is
a 1000 bed facility (Columbia is 200 beds, by comparison)
and the volume of patients and amount of pathology they
see is incredible. His wife Natalie and he are busy with their
3- oldest is Julia, a HS freshman, then Jack in 8th grade and
their younger daughter Sydney who is in 5th. “We don’t get
to see Andre and Kelly as much as we would like- too much
work!
Scott Perkin has been engaged in biodiversity conservation
for nearly 30 years. He has worked in the field, in program
management and development, and in strategic planning. His
different postings have given him the opportunity to engage
at regional, national and local levels and have included East
Africa, South Asia, South-east Asia and Europe.
Scott joined the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) in Nairobi in 1983, shortly after completing
the Dartmouth environmental studies program in Kenya.
Except for a few interludes in England, where he did his
PhD and later worked as a biodiversity officer for local
government, he’s been with IUCN in Africa and Asia ever
since.
For the past three years, Scott has been working for the IUCN
Asia Regional Office, based in Bangkok, Thailand. Asia
contains nearly a quarter of the word’s biodiversity hotspots,
and new species - many of them surprisingly large - continue
to be discovered at a fantastic rate. Between 1997 and 2008,
for example, some 12,000 new species were discovered in
the Greater Mekong sub-region alone, including new species
of monkeys and an entirely new family of rodents. However,
Asia’s biodiversity is also under tremendous pressure from
habitat destruction, invasive alien species, pollution and
unsustainable utilization. The illegal trade in wildlife is
a particular concern in South-east Asia, where enormous
quantities of animals and plants are being marketed.
To help address some of these concerns, IUCN works at
many different levels. IUCN assists governments with the
development of environmental policies and legislation,
as well as biodiversity strategies and action plans. They
also work at the field level with local communities. One
of the unusual features of IUCN is that it is a membership
organization that counts both governments and NGOs as
members; this gives it the ability to act as an “honest broker”
between government and civil society and to provide a
neutral forum in which contentious issues can be discussed.
Scott is married to Mary Pipes, a British counselor and
psychotherapist.
==========================================
After a career at Bear Stearns that began with an internship
in the summer of 1981 and lasted until its demise in 2008,
and three more years with its successor JPMorgan Sam
Reckford, retired from banking and took on the role of
CFO of Hugo Neu Corporation, a private company focused
on recycling, real-estate and other investments. The family
patriarch was an acquaintance that he met through volunteer
work and he served as a board member before being asked
to join him full time.
Class Notes
His goal after selling his bi-coastal recycling business to
Sims (to form the world’s largest recycler) was to invest
in green businesses. Before Sam joined, the patriarch
started an electronics recycler in New York and invested in
cleantech businesses and funds, but during Sam’s tenure, the
company transitioned from investing in green businesses
to investing in businesses that were merely benign because
they kept finding businesses with wonderful green products
that weren’t wonderful businesses. Many had products that
ought to have sold themselves (i.e. that had a < 24 month
payback), but were saddled with founders and executive
teams that were incapable of running them profitably, and
Sam and compnay didn’t have the option or the expertise to
run them themselves.
Unfortunately, the boss died unexpectedly last year and his
widow/successor and Sam have different visions for the
company (hers doesn’t include Sam) so he is going to move
on and spend time pondering what to do for the rest of his
life. In the near future, Sam plans to read some books, get
back to tracing his genealogy and begin some long-delayed
home improvements. His youngest, Molly, is in her senior
year at Dartmouth, and Sam has been serving as Treasurer of
SigEp’s AVC board, so he’ll likely have quite a few trips to
the Hanover plain.
==========================================
Sharon Franks used to work at Scripps Institution of
Oceanography (SIO) which is part of the University of
California San Diego. However, for the past 5 years she’s held
a position in another area of the UCSD campus as the Director
of the Research Proposal Development Service. Her primary
role is working with faculty on the development of very large
(funding levels upwards of $10M), interdisciplinary research
proposals. While she still frequently works with teams that
include faculty at SIO, she even more frequently work with
faculty in the schools of medicine, engineering and divisions
of physical and biological sciences. Some of the proposed
research includes components related to sustainability in the
marine and terrestrial environments. A few examples:
•
Creation of new materials to enable highly energyefficient production of fertilizers (critical to world food
production) and conversion of atmospheric carbon
dioxide (a greenhouse gas) to liquid fuels for use in
transportation and other sectors
•
Research to better understand the effects of
atmospheric aerosols on climate and the environment
•
Modeling
of
how
hemispheres
responds
•
Research aimed at making biofuel production from algae
commercially viable
sea
to
ice
in
both
climate
changes
To be clear, Sharon doesn’t do this research. But in the process
of helping faculty convince federal and private foundation
sponsors of the importance of the research, the soundness
– even genius – of the proposed scientific and engineering
approaches, and the qualifications of the team, she has the
opportunity to learn a great deal about cutting-edge research
that’s very far afield from her own academic background. It’s
also hugely satisfying to be able to contribute to continued
success (sustainability!) of the research enterprise at UC
San Diego, and to the work of some of the world’s most
outstanding and productive academics.
==========================================
Dan Drais works, sort of, in sustainability. He is an
environmental protection specialist (dopey title, his words)
for the Federal Transit Administration. FTA makes grants to
state and local agencies that provide public transportation –
buses, trains, ferries, trolleys, street cars, park-and-ride lots,
HOV lanes, and so on.
In addition to the fact that public transportation is by itself
probably more sustainable than the alternative, they are
also part of a partnership with EPA and HUD called the
“Partnership for Sustainable Communities,” which “works
to coordinate federal housing, transportation, water, and
other infrastructure investments to make neighborhoods
more prosperous, allow people to live closer to jobs, save
households time and money, and reduce pollution. The
partnership agencies incorporate six principles of livability
into federal funding programs, policies, and future legislative
proposals.”
Dan’s own work involves assuring that grantees comply with
federal environmental laws for the projects that we fund.
“It’s not exactly designing zero-emissions power sources, or
converting waste materials into new products, but there you
have it.”
==========================================
Dartmouth Trivia: Were there ever any buildings on the Green?
Although the Green wasn’t completely cleared and wasn’t called “the Green” at the time, there were
buildings on its southeast corner up to 1791, according to Dartmouth College: An Architectural Tour
by Scott Meacham ‘95. Even after all the trees were cut down, the area was covered in stumps for
many years, and, until around 1820, the College required each graduating class to remove a stump. The
College formally prohibited building on the Green in 1827, and the last stump was removed in 1836.
Interview with Classmate Anne Burrill
You work for the European Commission – how is that related to sustainability?
The European Commission is the public administration of the European Union. We draft the legislation that
is debated, and possibly voted into law, by the European Council and the European Parliament. We are also
responsible for making sure that the legislation in force is actually applied by the 28 countries that make up the
E.U. The Commission's Directorate General for Environment, where I work, is responsible for environment
policy.
What is the scope of the EU's environment policy?
One of the fundamental principles of the EU is that legislation should be adopted at the most appropriate level of
government. In areas such education and cultural affairs, national policy is the norm. However, environment
policy is predominantly agreed at the level of the EU for two reasons: first, because environmental challenges
don't stop at borders, they need a common response and second, there is a close link between environmental
legislation and the functioning of the EU's common economic market. There are over 300 major EU
environmental laws, covering subjects ranging from water quality standards or waste management obligations, to
requirements for Strategic Environment Assessments of public plans and programmes. Overall, it is estimated
that some 80 percent of national environmental legislation in EU countries stems from EU requirements. For
instance, national laws on the permitting of industrial installation need to take into account the emission limits and
the technical standards set out in the EU 's Directive on Industrial Emisisons.
In addition to developing and monitoring the implementation of environmental legislation, the EU also funds
environmental, nature conservation and climate action projects throughout the EU, and ensure relations in the
area of environment with third countries, including major trading partners and those nearby countries who hope
one day to join the EU. The European Environment Agency helps the Commission keep an eye on the state of the
environment on the ground in Europe through its monitoring and information networks.
What are the biggest challenges presently facing the EU in the area of environment?
The EU has been very successful in improving and maintaining the quality of its air and water. Waste management
is also generally a success story across the continent. We have been somewhat less successful in addressing the
loss of biodiversity; despite creating an extensive network of protected areas (the Natura 2000 network) where
human activity should respect ecosystem needs, the EU is still losing species and habitats at a worrying rate. This
is partly due to the limited finance available for the management of natural areas. We are working to improve the
general understanding of the value of natural capital and to integrate biodiversity considerations into other policy
areas including agriculture, fisheries and regional development. The biggest overall challenge at the moment is
finding a way to rebuild our economy without damaging our natural resource base. In this context, for example,
we are looking for ways to establish a more 'circular' economy, and promote eco-innovation.
Is this very different from the US approach?
The underlying challenges facing the EU and the US are very similar. At the same time as wanting to ensure a
sound economy, citizens on both continents want clean air and drinking water, want to be sure that they are not
poisoning themselves with the products they use to clean their houses and want to be sure that their children and
grandchildren will also live in a safe environment. In fact, early EU environmental legislation was built on models
developed in the US with the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act from the 1960s and 1970s. However, over
recent decades, the US has opted for a more voluntary approach to management of the environment, while the EU
Interview with Classmate Anne Burrill
has gone on to codify more of its standards and norms. In both the EU and the US, nevertheless, environment
policy is only a success when it is put into practice through a partnership involving both the public and private
sectors, in cooperation with the citizens.
And, how do the EU citizens feel about sustainability?
In a recent survey of 28,000 EU citizens, 95 % of those interviewed said that protecting the environment is
important to them personally and many think more can be done. A large majority of people share the view that the
efficient use of natural resources (79 %) and the protection of the environment (74 %) can boost economic growth.
While 80% consider that the economy influences their quality of life, 75 % think the state of the environment
has a similar impact and 77 % of EU citizens believe that environmental problems have a direct effect on their
daily lives. They worry most about pollution – air (56 %) and water pollution (50 %) ranking highest – as well
as waste generation and the depletion of natural resources. An increasing number (59 %) believe that social and
environmental factors should be as important as economic criteria in measuring progress in their country. There is
still, however, a big challenge to translate this public concern about sustainability into real action: This morning's
news reported a new study that shows that the per capita 'footprint' of Belgians has now even passed that of the
US…. and this is certainly not sustainable!
Class Agents Report
Roger Baumann and Dave Ellis
Our sincere thanks to our fellow ’83’s who have contributed generously to the 2015 Dartmouth
College Fund. Thanks to you, to date we have collected more than $600,000 to help move Dartmouth
forward! A Dartmouth education today is funded from three primary sources: tuition, gifts from
alumni, and research grants for specific projects. With nearly 60% of students receiving some form
of financial aid, gifts to the Dartmouth College Fund are critical to the College’s continued ability to
support both need-blind admissions and the highest-quality student experience. If you would like to
contribute, but have not yet given, please take a moment now to help us reach our goal of 50% class
participation. Regardless of the amount, Dartmouth is extremely grateful for your gift, and so are we!
Give online at http://dartmouth.edu/giving-dartmouth or by mail to:
Dartmouth College
c/o Gift Recording Office
6066 Development Office
Hanover, NH 03755-4400
Please also feel free to contact us with any questions or suggestions at: [email protected] and
[email protected], and thank you so much again for your support!