Chattanooga Pulse

Editor’s note: Our thanks to Elizabeth Crenshaw for her “Shades of Green” contributions, and welcome to Victoria Hurst, who is taking over this column.

“Be loyal to what you love, be true to the earth, fight your enemies with passion and laughter.”
— Edward Abbey

This quotation by the famous American author and environmental advocate has become one of my mantras as a young person, living in a time when the concept of making changes is being met with less fear and ever-weakening resistance.

I love to write. I have always been one to believe passionately in the concepts of family and home. As I have grown, I have come to recognize Earth as our ultimate home. And we must remember: The only true enemy a person can have is the self. We all have to coerce ourselves out of our comfort zones and start communicating about what actions we can take to redefine the basic American lifestyle. I am honored to be joining The Pulse and to have a forum in which to discuss where and how these changes are being made.

Four years ago, I moved from the foothills of South Carolina to the campus of Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. For those of you who have not heard of Warren Wilson (and I highly suggest that you “Google it”), it is a 900-student college based on a “triad” education. In addition to academics, students must work 15 hours a week for the school, and also complete at least 100 hours of community service to graduate. However, there is another distinguishing aspect of this college: dedication to the environment.

The school, which has its roots as the Asheville Farm School, still has an organic farm that contributes to the fare in the cafeteria. An appreciation for working with and living off of the land has been passed down through the generations and continues to be part of a Warren Wilson education.

One of the greatest benefits of living at Warren Wilson is developing basic habits. When living in a community where turning off lights, recycling, composting, and conserving water is commonplace, it is much easier to adopt these practices and make them routine.

At Warren Wilson, I was surrounded by people encouraging environmental citizenship and offering the resources to make the right choices. However, after three years of living in this pseudo-Utopia, I moved off-campus and started an internship. Both of these experiences brought me back to the reality of things.

My summer internship was under the Energy Coordinator for the City of Asheville, Maggie Ullman. We shared a cubicle in Public Works, next door to Waste Management and Recycling. Our main goal was internal marketing to encourage city employees to think about ways to reduce their impact at home and in the office.

Our tactics included “guerilla marketing,” which meant blitzing the municipal buildings on the weekends with “turn off the light” stickers on every switch and reminders to “use less paper towels” on every dispenser. I never met most of the people whose offices I was decorating with my messages, but I hope that the presence of my purpose will be felt as these little thoughts become less of a reminder and more of a protocol.

Between attending Warren Wilson and working for a municipality, I gained a width of perspective on how people are responding to the suggestion that they should make a change in their routines. I have met people who would sell their souls if it would offset their carbon footprint. I have also met people who believe the only reason for turning off lights is to save money—and I say, “Whatever works.”

The most realistic thing that we can do as a society is to shift our actions so that the repercussions will prove far less drastic. We all have an obligation to take care of our home, and we need the right tools to fix the leaks. But the best way to inspire others is to share your experience and your passion, and I feel fortunate to have joined The Pulse in hopes of taking part in these endeavors.

Victoria Hurst is a proud resident of the Appalachian Mountains. She has recently graduated from Warren Wilson College with a B.A. in English: Creative Writing.