Where You Go When You Need to Know
By Michelle Scott
Contributing Writer
Michelle Scott, from Sustainable Clark, gives a weekly update about all things gloriously green on our campus.
Benjamin Gardner, Elizabeth Redlich and Deb Hecht have been working on something very important to Clark’s sustainable community. I met with Ben in the AC to hear what he had to say and I’m still talking about it. That’s how big it is. It’s called Clark Sustainability Collaborative (CSC), and it’s still evolving.
What is this Collaborative, you might ask? It’s the “phoenix from CSI’s ashes,” as Ben explained. CSI, Clark’s Sustainability Initiative, was a campus group that did wonderful work but eventually and unfortunately lost it’s membership. Although recently deceased, “CSI found a lot of success in being a springboard for the formation of new groups.” Which, as it stands, is exactly what CSC intends to do.
The schematics are still sitting on the drawing board. Ben describes it as a group that, “tries to be a place where the different members of Clark’s eco-community can come for networking…to share ideas, thoughts and plans.” In the words of its mission statement, “CSC is a forum for Clark students to discuss and act upon issues of environmental sustainability and climate change, and for varied eco-related groups on campus to work together via a common umbrella organization.”
How?, you are sure to be pondering. Delegates, Ben answers with a confidence in his voice that you just can’t bottle. Food Truth, Herban Gardeners, Clark Community Thrift Store, Eco-Reps, Cycles of Change, Recycle Crew, HAS TREES, Outing Club and Clark’s very own Sustainability Department, Sustainable Clark, have all committed to sending delegates to CSC’s monthly meetings. These delegates, as Ben describes, “serve as a liaison between their group and CSC to let us know what’s going on and let their groups know what’s going on.” CSC is not merely interested in involvement with student groups. They’re talking with everyone.
In theory, their mission involves a lot of meetings and penciling-ins. “Part of the issue is scheduling is a pain,” said Ben. “We want to get together a calendar of what other groups are doing… The hope is with everything in one place, it might make it easier.” CUSC makes it easier for these groups to collaborate with one another, easier for groups to work around one another, and easier for you to start your own group for sustainable students like yourself. CSC wants to be your resource.
Ben readily admits, “I’m really excited to see everything in practice rather than theory.” They have their coordinator, their treasurer, their delegates and their very democratic voting system in place. But there is room for growth and new members, because they don’t want “the same person doing the same thing all the time… What’s the point of having a sustainability collaborative that can’t be sustainable?” Hear, hear!
Although the black cloak remains to be lifted on the project, it isn’t entirely as top secret and mysterious as I made it out to be. As Ben said, it’s just “different groups with different motives working towards something bigger.” Look for the first open meeting in early October.
