Below various members of the WA community articulate how or why the environment is important to them personally. Everyone is encouraged to add their own testimony.
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I value our environment both locally and globally because of the amazing benefits that it gives us. Riding my bike, sitting on the beach, and skiing in New Hampshire are all things i enjoy and hope that I can enjoy for the rest of my life without being run over by a car, overshadowed by a building, or skiing on slush. By continually trashing our planet and our atmosphere we are slowly destroying our opportunity to enjoy these activities in the future. If everyone makes a little extra effort to help keep our environment clean, these benefits of the environment will never go away.
Stephen Wright (Class of 2010)
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The environment is a sublime and endless source of wonder, inspiration and peace for me in its land, creatures, intricacies-exquisite reason to celebrate every day.
It can be a source of sustenance, of good life, of healthy, safely grown and delicious food, of clean water to nurture my children’s, their children-but not, devastatingly, for all children.
Environment is to me something that is endangered, abused, undervalued, at risk and misunderstood-and I must speak about, overtly value and passionately protect it.
Leslie Wales (Faculty Member)
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In honor of snowboarding, which is my favorite thing to do, I strive to lesson the effects of Global Warming so that by the time I’m 60 years old, there will still be snow enough for me to carve down the slopes. Obviously this is only one of the many reasons I devote myself to the environment, but it is an example of something many of us would take for granted, and do. It is important that you think about the many things you enjoy everyday and make an effort to preserve them.
Melissa Mello (Class of 2009)—–
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Over the course of my life … I have seen huge environmental changes because of people’s awareness and the resulting changes. One example is the Millers River that runs along Route 2 on the way to and from Greenfield, Massachusetts. 30 years ago the water that flowed down the river was brown and had sludgy foam on the shores. Now … 30 years later … the Paper Mill that once was responsible for polluting the river from all of its manufacturing residue ….. has built a wastewater treatment plant to treat the water coming from the paper-making process. Now you can see that the water has greatly improved and … hopefully …… the flora and fauna as well.
Joan Judson (Administrative Assistant)
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I value the environment and support planting vegetable gardens. Gardens provide fresh all natural vegetables that are highly concentrated with vitamins and minerals. Planting organic gardens can provide more nutritious food that can reduce hunger, decrease obesity, and improve health in the United States. Getting back to earth with a fresh garden is enjoyable!
Zack Luczyk (class of 2010)
- I value the ozone layer to honor both my parents who have had skin cancer.
That two bites of whale skin exceed safe levels of toxic PCB’s for Inuit woman enrages my sense of injustice.
Sustaining our environment is vital to me as I desire healthy water, air, food, and shelter for myself, others, and for all future generations.
Michael Carroll (Director of Sustainability)
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Dream of your perfect day. Are you outside, is the sun shining, are you enjoying the water, can you see the sunset over the horizon? Your dream is tangible, you can have that day. Have you ever spent time with an elder, imagine if they were telling you stories of blue skies and clear water, imagine what your perfect day has become.
Derek Segesdy (Faculty Member)
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I was born in 1946. I spent my entire childhood outdoors, from early morning until after dark, year round.
As I was growing up, the Town used the river as our water treatment system. No one could swim in it, drink from it or fish in it. Newly fallen snow was covered by a fine layer of coal soot from the railroad steam engines. Each Spring people would gather on their front porches to watch the town trucks billow clouds of DDT into the neighborhoods to control mosquitoes.
This was not Newark, or Cleveland, or West Virginia.
This was VERMONT!!!!!!
I now have 3 grandchildren, so far, and I want them to be able to enjoy the outdoors as much as I did, without being afraid of the environment.
William Toomey ( Business Manager)
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I recycle to prevent pollution in rivers and streams that serve as drinking water thousands of miles away.
I carpool to reduce pollution that kills thousands of Americans every year.
I turn lights off to prevent the possible flooding of coastal cities like New York and Boston, cities we may not have in fifty years.
I care about the environment because it’s the one thing we all depend on and have in common, yet it is also the most important thing we take for granted.
Ryan Barry (class of 2009)
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