Nurturing (the) Environment

In the Kitchen: September 2008

Written by Suzanne Guillette MFA ’05
Photography by Andrew Lichtenstein ’88

“Holy crap!” exclaims an undergraduate, her jaw dropped in awe.

Two young women are touring the new home of Sam Lipschultz ’09, ogling an impressive stainless steel refrigerator that takes up nearly an entire wall of the kitchen.

“It’s so big,” comments the second young woman.

“Open it,” Lipschultz says, arms folded across his chest.

“No,” says the first friend, shaking her head. “I’m intimidated. What if it speaks?”

“Yeah,” says the second. “We could practically climb into your refrigerator and blast off into outer space.”

Lipschultz is quick to inform the students that the imposing appliance is actually twice as efficient as the diminutive personal refrigerators of yesterday’s dorms.

The refrigerator is just one of many energy-saving features of Lipschultz’s new home. He lives in Warren Green, the College’s first environmentally friendly student residence. A pilot project of the College’s Sustainability Committee and Sustainable SLC, a student-led activist group, Warren Green was retrofitted over the summer and now features glycol-loop solar panels, a heat-recovery system for used water, low-flow bathroom fixtures, and a side garden that will be planted in the spring.

The 13 students who have just moved in are a diverse bunch, representing all class levels and hailing from every corner of the United States. They study music, biology, chemistry, politics, and geography. Many are vegetarians, and two are vegans. Two are actively campaigning for Barack Obama (hence the bullhorn in the main entryway). But they share one very important thing: a staunch commitment to environmental justice.

Justin Butler ’10, the house RA and co-founder of Sustainable SLC, on dinner duty