Water Watch @ TCNJ has been an environmental organization at The College of New Jersey dedicated to improving water quality in the Trenton area for years. The main charge of Water Watch is service, where students participate in river clean-ups in the Mercer county area, stream-walking on campus where water tests are performed (most recently with water test kits from the NJDEP), and education youth in elementary and grammar schools nearby. However, we have grown as a student-led group to encompass many environmental issues such as global climate change, the energy crisis, and education for sustainability. Over the past two years Water Watch has coordinated as well as co-sponsored various campus-wide events such as the NJ Climate March, an Environmental Forum for students, TCNJ “Goes Green!”, and “Energize”, as well as petitioned for Global Warming solutions and clean, renewable energy on TCNJ’s campus. I will highlight two of these events in this post.
The NJ Climate March in April 2007 was coordinated with Environment NJ (http://www.environmentnewjersey.org/) and included a rally and a lobby day at the Statehouse in Trenton where students, environmental activists, Environment NJ representatives, and New Jersey Sen. Barbara Buono urged the passing of the Global Warming Response Act for solutions to climate change in New Jersey. The march passed through NJ universities, ending with a rally TCNJ in the Student Center. Speakers included Ralph Copleman from Sustainable Lawrence in Lawrenceville, NJ, Ted Glick, the NJ Climate March organizer, and Andrew Mathe (the current Vice-President of Water Watch, and then Publicity Coordinator). To read the article covered by The Signal (TCNJ’s student newspaper) please visit :
NJ Climate March braves the storm
The Environmental Forum was held in the Fall ‘07 on campus, where a presentation was given by Andrew Mathe and myself (as Student Liaisons to the President’s Climate Commitment Committee -PCCC) about what the committee is, why it was created, and what initiatives were being looked into. Joannne Bertonazzi ‘08 discussed the Greenhouse Gas Inventory which was completed in the Spring ‘08 that details our carbon dioxide equivalents (eCO2) emissions from all aspects of our institution: transportation, electricity, heating, cooling, etc. The meeting also allowed for students involved in other organizations to give a brief presentation of what they do and how to get involved. To read The Signal article please visit:
Environmental concerns voiced in student forum
Water Watch has been not only the most active environmental organization on the campus of TCNJ for quite some time now, but the sole student group of its kind. However, along with President Gitenstein’s signing of the American Colleges and Universities President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) that commits TCNJ to achieving climate neutrality (ie. net zero greenhouse gas emissions) two new student organizations emerged: Roots and Shoots and RISE. Both of these groups are still in their infancy, but we [Water Watch] expect to collaborate extensively in the coming academic year for events and student involvement. I hope to see sustainability in every facet of the campus; where we will have climate change education through a multi-disciplinary approach, a behavioral shift towards conservation of energy and water, and students demanding the purchase and use of clean, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
This up-coming academic year Water Watch will be recruiting new members, and differentiating between the two important components of our organization: service and activism.
Related Links:
Water Watch website: http://www.tcnj.edu/~watwat/
Recycling at TCNJ: http://www.tcnj.edu/recycle/
Energy Conservation at TCNJ:http://www.tcnj.edu/energy/
Water Conservation at TCNJ: http://www.tcnj.edu/energy/water/index.htm
PCCC: www.tcnj.edu/climate (currently under construction)
Meagan Terry, President of Water Watch @ TCNJ