Concrete Seeds: Is the Year of the Environment Performative?

It is no secret that the College of William and Mary is undergoing a rebranding effort. On every lamppost, banner, and program, enormous insignias proclaim the “Year of the Environment.” This public shift was accompanied by substantial donations, resulting in the establishment of the College’s Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences following a $100 million donation from Jane Batten HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19. On the surface, this shift appears to be extremely beneficial. Environment and Sustainability and the Coastal and Marine Sciences have both become dedicated major programs. The Parks and Ecotherapy Research Lab’s Campus Nature Rx program actively advocates for nature engagement and student mental health, and it has seen positive results. Additionally, shiny new solar panels will soon be seen on top of the recently constructed West Woods Dining Hall. 

These initiatives seem to be massive steps forward for the campus as a whole. Sociology professor Brent Kaup remarked positively on the College’s designation. 

“The Year of the Environment has nicely drawn attention to the environmental work that faculty and students at William and Mary have long been doing,” he said. 

The spirit of the Year of the Environment appears to be alive and well in every speech, email, and action taken by the administration, even if these actions do not exactly trickle down to the departmental level. However, some skeptical students have raised questions about whether this push is largely performative. Whether through passive remarks about constant construction or Yik Yak posts about sprinklers running after the rain, an air of skepticism seems to permeate the student psyche. 

To what extent does the College genuinely care about the environment? Or is this a cumulative push to appeal to the large donations from Batten, Dr R. Todd Stravitz, and the Brunckhorst Foundations that led to the creation of the College’s Batten School of Coastal and Marine Sciences? These donations are big and incredibly beneficial to the College’s environmental initiatives. However, do these donations accurately reflect the administration’s overall objectives, and can the school be encouraged to continue its environmental initiatives beyond the Year of the Environment? With its grand unveilings and speeches, many are left wondering how the College has been treating its environmental responsibilities throughout the years. 

Now, the College’s mismanagement of the environment does not seem entirely apparent at first glance. The campus as a whole has initiated efforts to become more energy efficient, as evidenced by a variety of energy efficiency-related initiatives. The College installed 531 geothermal wells around dormitories and dining halls to facilitate heat exchange. It has also begun purchasing its electricity from Dominion Energy's solar farms. 

Biology professor and director of the Keck Environmental Field Lab, Randolph Chambers, celebrated the College’s efforts to become more sustainable with its energy sourcing.  

"These are tangible efforts toward reduction of the campus carbon footprint and promotion of sustainability,” Chambers said. 

However, every improvement that comes to campus seems to bring another negative. One of these negatives is the damage to the lakes and waterways in direct proximity to the College. Lake Matoaka, the Crim Dell, and ponds adjacent to the Lettie Pate Evans Wildflower Refuge have all suffered noticeable damage from runoff, ill management, and neglect. Although the Crim Dell has been drained and cleaned before, there has not been a considerable effort to do a thorough cleaning since 2018. This oversight not only affects the key waterways on the campus but it also impacts everything from ponds to streams — all due to the surge of runoff.

If one would like an example of this oversight, look no further than ponds adjacent to the Wildflower Refuge. Advertised on the College’s website as “a walk through the brick-lined paths within the refuge and [a] cool respite from the high energy campus environment,” the pathways available to students have been sectioned off due to persistent flooding. Most seasons, one can find large pools of water over the brick-lined paths that the College advertised. Not far from this, the West Woods Pedestrian Bridge cuts directly through the largest natural segments of the campus. Large pillars of rusted steel are planted alongside what is traditionally a lovely, natural walk. Aside from being a visually jarring addition to what is already a relatively small path through the natural center of campus, numerous other oversights became apparent only once the cost of this construction is considered.

Runoff from the construction site flows directly into the lakes and rivers surrounding the campus. It is most common after rainstorms, but, even on clear days, one can see the sediment dredged up as a consequence of the construction. The ponds are muddy and dark, choked with the chemicals and dust from the construction sites of the West Woods Dining and Residential Halls. The damage is visible to anyone who takes a closer look at the Crim Dell or Lake Matoaka. It is a common sentiment echoed through student talks and stated clearly on Yik Yak: 

"My Year of the Environment wishes: 1. Make Lake Matoka safe to swim in,” an anonymous user wrote.

The feelings behind this complaint can be found in conversations with many students on campus, but construction and destruction continue nonetheless. One can hope that these faults are symptoms of a positive change. Chambers commented on the environmental complications from the stormwater runoff. 

“One hopes that an outcome of all the messy runoff will be better stormwater management and protection of our aquatic resources,” he said. 

However, the College has issued no official comment about its own pollution, with many of its focuses being on the water quality of the Chesapeake, rather than on the quality of the lakes in its own backyard. 

Even before the days of construction, these ponds were filled with algae that grew relentlessly in a dense, green layer on the water. Even at a distance, one could smell the sickly-sweet smell of rotting plants on the surface. This smell persisted for several years, only disrupted by the onslaught of runoff. These problems are not only detrimental to the College community but also to the local flora and fauna. These runoff issues and the resulting damages are numerous and persistent in the campus’s greenspaces and waterways. Downed trees clog the streams by DuPont Hall, and similar felled trees lie in the ponds adjacent to the Wildflower Refuge. To celebrate the environmental benefits without acknowledging the shortcomings would ultimately harm us in the long run.

So the question remains: Is the Year of the Environment performative? Yes. Like most outward changes on campus, the purpose of the Year of the Environment is to garner support for the campus’s environmental initiatives. It is hard to argue that such an intense focus on the environment in a year so marked by construction and water pollution is not, to some extent, performative. Nevertheless, I believe there is another question to be asked: How much does the performative nature of these actions really matter? Improvements from the Year of Environment’s changes are set to be primarily beneficial to the long-term health of the campus as a whole. These benefits should not be downplayed, nor should they be forgotten. As the College progresses into the future, it is essential to encourage the administration to continue making strides to improve its environmental impact. There is still much to be done in terms of further cleaning of our waterways and developing a carbon-neutral campus. 

This work is of the utmost importance, regardless of the year or designation. Although this year’s push may be ultimately performative, the benefits we can reap from such efforts are anything but. If we are to achieve a substantive future as an environmentally friendly college, we must continue to critique the vices and encourage the virtues of the administration’s decisions regarding all environmental matters. Chambers framed the ideal mindset for the College perfectly: 

“Every year is the year of the environment in the Environment and Sustainability Program,” Chambers said.