Carrying the Mission Forward:
Louise Gava '07, St. Lawrence’s First
Sustainability Coordinator
By Alexander Eaton ’08
Louise Gava ’07 says when her relationship with the North Country
began as a student at St. Lawrence, it was love at first sight. “Who
wouldn't love the vast fields, the meandering rivers and the
stands of trees that dot the landscape?” she remarks.
Her attraction
based on aesthetics very quickly developed into a love based
on community and its relationship to its environment. “I believe
that one of the root problems of our climate crisis is our lack of community,” she
says “Individuals taking
responsibility and taking action is very important; however, it is only through
working collectively that we can have any hope of achieving real solutions
that do not simply shift the problems elsewhere.”
Gava’s passion
for the environment and her concern over the climate crisis led to her becoming
the first sustainability coordinator at St. Lawrence. In May of 2006
the University’s Board of Trustees approved a student-drafted resolution
that made environmental sustainability a “core University value”. Having made a commitment to sustainability, the University
established the position of sustainability coordinator so as to ensure that
it fulfills its goals of reducing its impact on the environment.
“The sustainability
coordinator is responsible for supporting green initiatives
on campus and providing a resource for those who are already working to
live a more sustainable lifestyle on campus and in their communities,” Gava
says.
In addition, the coordinator is responsible for monitoring and developing
plans to reduce the school’s
heat and electricity use; educating the campus on issues such
as energy use and recycling; and organizing, hosting and publicizing special
events related to greening the campus, such as last spring’s Step
It Up rally that called attention to the planet’s climate situation.
“I
have come to understand that you can't change people,” Gava says. “All
you can do is give them the resources and inspiration to want to change themselves. I
think that with the help of many others we can create a culture of sustainability
at St. Lawrence and in the local community.” Given her energy
and zeal, Gava has a good a chance as anyone of bringing that about.
