On a sunny day, the temperature inside the greenhouse on the McGoff Hill property, owned by the school, is warm enough to make those who enter remove their coats.
As drips of condensation rained down from the ceiling, Sustainability Club president Chris Mullen worked on the pipes and water containers being used for the water catch. The spinach, radishes, and kale growing within the greenhouse died not because of temperature, but due to lack of water. Although the family living in the nearby house is friendly, there is no way to use the hose from their house in winter.
The Sustainability Club, formerly known as Students for Campus Conservation, built the greenhouse from a frame provided by a campus professor as well as plastic designed for greenhouse use. Much of the structure was formed of found materials to reduce environmental impact.
In spite of some issues with a transition in management and fluctuating membership over the course of the past year, the club now has its own office in the science wing. Maintaining and upgrading the greenhouse is the most important venture at the moment. Later in the spring, the club will be able to work on the 100 x 100 foot plot nearby and work with the garlic planted outside to germinate through the winter months.
Mullen is hopeful for the future of the project.
“The more steps we take toward self-sustainability, the closer we get toward achieving campus-wide carbon neutrality,” says Mullen.
Meetings are held every Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the science wing room, S-123.