The other morning, I was walking through puddles, left behind by the recent rainfall, and came across this scene. I just stood there and laughed. I made a point to position myself directly in front of a group of plant ops. workers, put down my coffee and backpack in an exaggerated fashion and take this picture.

Watering the Grass

I’ve been thrilled about the recent developments in sustainability at Lafayette (sustainability officer, Environmental Studies/Science room, connected communities module, etc.), but there is still a disjoint between words and actions. This is why we need to point out things like this.

Dave and Andy reiterated that we should post more campus observations, and I was planning to do so, but the moment I saw this scene I realized why that is so important. We need to continue to take pictures of unsustainable practices. We must still show up to sustainability committee meetings (though they are at the same time as this class 🙁 ). We must report everything we see that needs to change. We’ve made really fantastic strides and have accomplished a TON, but that does not mean we can take our foot off the gas pedal. As an activist of any kind, you have to know your work is never finished and victories are meant to be celebrated and used to propel your movement forward. Let images like this anger you and empower you at the same time. Shaking your head and moving on with your day creates no progress.