Mahliat Tamrat ‘23
Trisha Tsundupalli ‘21
The new Biden administration is actively working to solve the conflict of climate change and foster a culture of eco-friendliness that will permeate the Episcopal community and our daily lives. Although 2020 may be over, it was the second hottest year in history, once again igniting concern for the state of our climate. The Biden Administration specifically plans to slow this deterioration by implementing policies to help Americans lead greener lives. The Episcopal community will be among the many institutions to adapt to this change, building upon the past initiatives on campus. Although EA has become increasingly cognizant of its environmental footprint, the student body still believes that there could be some work done around Episcopal to make it as environmentally conscious as possible.
In a larger context, The Biden Plan For Environmental Justice which claims that, under their jurisdiction, “the U.S. will achieve a 100% clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050.” To enact these promises, one of Biden’s first actions as commander-in-chief was rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, which was previously redacted by Trump. This agreement aims to limit climate change by strengthening countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change. Anya Kohli ‘21, Vice President of Save the Planet Club, hopes that Biden will bring about positive, concrete changes, commenting that “as a community, we always look up to our leaders of the country, especially the President, and the fact that our president is addressing these issues within his first week of office proves that it is an important issue that every American should keep in mind. I am sure that our EA community will strive to do better as well alongside the country.”
Although many students have hope for the future, they also have mixed opinions on the effectiveness of Episcopal’s previous actions to combat global warming. Mia Filipovski ‘23 says, “From what I’ve seen first-hand, I think they are doing a great job.” For example, Filipovski states, “In the field house there are now separations from recycling bins and trash cans. I think that that is a great step into becoming a more eco-friendly school.” Meanwhile, Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf ‘23 explains, “I feel as if Episcopal could be more eco-friendly. Of course the recycling bins have been a great addition this year, but I feel as if there is always room for improvement.” Gianna Trala ‘23, an active member of Save the Planet club, shares this sentiment and feels that “EA could be doing more to inform the student body on how dangerous climate change is. I think most students are aware that it’s a problem, but it doesn’t resonate with many people that the earth is moving towards a very dangerous temperature that could be detrimental to all of our lives. I think EA could bring experts in to talk at Chapel.”
As they hope for change in the future, the student body also acknowledges that COVID guidelines limit climate activism this year. Prior to the presidential shift, groups like The Global Youth Leadership Institute (GYLI) and Save the Planet Club at EA were working to make the community more climate friendly. GYLI installed a composter in 2019 in hopes of reducing trash production. However, the use of this facility has been halted. Will Hopkins ‘21, a member of GYLI, comments that “[they] did not continue composting this year because of COVID restrictions, and [they] were collecting trash everyday without taking the proper sanitary precautions so [they] had to stop.” Morgan Bramwell ‘21 also comments on recycling amidst the pandemic: “I feel like a lot of students don’t really pay attention to the bins. But, it’s not really fair to judge right now since COVID has halted almost any possible environment plan.” Keffer-Scharpf adds, “Students have been consuming way more plastic with the pandemic, which is understandable, but I’m sure there is a more eco-friendly alternative that is still disposable-like paper.”
Despite the effects of COVID, Kohli hopes that both Biden’s nation-wide policies and EA’s policies will prove effective in the long term, noting that “we’re in hard times right now, but I hope the EA community and the world can now reignite their concern for our environment.”