This Monday marked the beginning of the college’s 11th Annual Sustainability Week, a tradition since 2006, which brings with it a host of exciting events. These events are designed to raise awareness in the community regarding the importance of treating our environment with the care that it requires and deserves in order to preserve it for the next generation.
The first event of the week was a lecture from Dr. Robert Pollin titled “The Green New Deal: Global Perspectives and a New York State Program”. Pollin currently serves as a Professor of Economics and the Co-Director of University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institution.
The talk, held in The Nelly Goletti Theatre, was attended by students of all majors, from Economics to Business, Journalism, Psychology, and more. The topics Pollin discussed ranged from carbon dioxide emissions to transitioning from our fossil-fuel centric energy system to a cleaner one.
Dr. Pollin shows students a graph regarding Carbon Dioxide emissions.
The talk that Pollin delivered was equal parts encouraging, honest, and also comprehendible. Pollin broke down the current situation regarding climate change, reducing fossil fuel usage, and the economic impact of these issues in a manner that was understandable to students.
“We have to make these adjustments now so they are feasible,” said Pollin during his lecture.
Further, Pollin provided students with the opportunity to get their pressing environmental questions answered in a question-and-answer session following the end of his presentation.
Sustainability Week is a significant one for a multitude of reasons, and this lecture was an excellent start to it. Sophomore Phoebe Smith summarized it best, stating, “It is good to advocate for the environment.”
Marist FoxTales 