Center for Environment & Society

Everglades Trip

View Photos from Spring Break in the Everglades.

Student Environmental Alliance

The Washington College Student Environmental Alliance (SEA) is a student-run environmental organization dedicated to the following:

Striving towards making Washington College and the surrounding community more environmentally conscious through a series of ongoing and ever-evolving green projects, initiatives and other activities.
Educating and working in conjunction with the Washington College and Chestertown communities in regard to local and nationwide past, current and pending environmental issues, conservation and better environmental practices.
Helping future generations of SEA members to expand upon, improve, move forward from, or gain information from current SEA actions and ideas by keeping a detailed record of club history and all SEA activities and accomplishments.
Providing a fun, educational and encouraging club environment to all members, in hopes of fostering friendship, good will, independence and personal growth.
Positively impacting the Washington College and Chestertown communities through the actions, attitudes and programs of SEA.

Ongoing Projects

Ink cartridge recycling - collection box in the CAC mailroom
Weekly washing of recycling bins - Tuesday afternoons
Recycling coordinator Samantha Bulkilvish
Weekly compost maintenance - Friday afternoons

Upcoming Events

More to come soon...

SEA History

Spring 2007

Green Pledge Campaign
Green Flag Demonstration outside of Bunting Hall - for National Climate Action Day
- selling of green flags to represent campus commitment to sustainability
- marking off projected sea level rise due to global warming, along outside of Toll Building
Distribution of CFLs - at environmental lectures/events and in the dorms
Alternative Spring Break - March 10-17 - camping in Everglades National Park, FL
Activities: invasive species removal (Indian Rosewood); work at recycling center; canoeing, hiking, and snorkeling
Purchase 1 ton SO2 Allowance from the EPA
Unicorn Lake
- Letter Writing in support of SB-553, a bill that would permanently keep a rubble landfill from being constructed near Unicorn Lake
- Unicorn Lake protected indefinitely!
Camping: Assateague National Seashore
Participate in DNR Stream Waders Program - tributary health assessment
"No Electricity Day" & the Do it in the Dark Party (4/13)
- daytime activities on the green
- nighttime grilling and acoustic band, The Big Picture
- registered as a Step it Up 2007 campaign event
Participation in Recyclemania - intercollegiate recycling competition
Earth Day Celebration (4/21)
- members help organize, grill food, set-up and tear down
- SEA table: Earth Day Ts, tie-dye, seed planting
- proceeds to benefit campus sustainability project
Energy Competition - served Breakfast in Bed to the Hill Dorms
Weekly compost maintenance
Green Drinks - 2nd Thursday of the Month at Andy's
SEA seniors wear green ribbons at graduation

Fall 2006

President: Emily Richardson
VP: Christina Bell
Secretary: Samantha Bulkilvish
Treasurer: Meg Chapman
Historian: Bess Trout

Compost education
- sitting by bin in DH
- signs to be placed where compost is spread (straight from your plate)
- Weekly compost maintenance, Friday 3 pm
Camping: Echo Hill, Worton
Make A Difference Day - compost seed planting (10/28)
Colchester Farm: help in high tunnel construction (9/16 & 9/23)
Attend Green Festival in Washington, DC
Pickering Creek - stream buffer restoration
Launch Campus Green Pledge (featured as a choice of 10 environmental commitments; a featured page on the Center for Environment's site
Letter to Elm Editor

Spring 2006

Unicorn Lake bill: calls and emails to MD Senate and House, and Gov. Ehrlich
Email campaign in support of Blackwater NWR preservation and Critical Areas Program
Participate in composting program and education
Participate in DNR Stream Waders Program - tributary health assessment
Pickering Creek volunteer day to repair nest boxes, clean up, nature walk
Lobbying for Unicorn Lake Bill in Annapolis
Camping Trip: Tuckahoe State Park, MD
April - Earth Month - Energy Conservation Competition
- screening of Baraka
- participate in Earth Day planning, setup/cleanup
- Earth Day t-shirts
- tie-dying and Chesapeake ecosystem awareness tables

Fall 2005

President: Emily Richardson
VP: Christina Bell
Secretary: Pat Horley
Treasurer: Emily Debelius
Historian: Kimmy Kraeer

Attend Green Festival in Washington, DC
Camping: Cape Henlopen, Lewes, DE
Working through Sierra Student Coalition
- Petitioning in the CAC for ANWR - handwritten letters to congress,
- Film screening: Oil on Ice
Chester River Association - Pumpkin Party volunteers
Chester River Association petitioning - Non-Contiguous Development Rights Participate in Initiation of WAC composting program - bin next to tray collector in DH
3 week campus environmental campaign: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Reduce: double-sided printing (instructional cards in library computer labs, copy room signs, sit in CAC, bake sale)
- Reuse: compost awareness (seed planting in compost in CAC, posters)
- Recycle: what, how and when to recycle on campus (DH)

Spring 2005

Work with Brownie Troop from Garnett Elementary to earn nature badges
Participate in DNR Stream Waders - tributary health assessment
Chester River Association petitioning - "4P's" bill for the reduction of mercury and other toxins emitted from MD coal-fired power plants (helped CRA to collect over 800 signatures)
Unicorn Lake - Annapolis - attend and testify in MD Congressional hearing
- phone calls and emails to MD congress
- collection of signed petitions
- letter to the editor of Kent County News
Camping trip: Elk Neck State Park, Elkton, MD
Earth Day Celebration

Fall 2004

President: Astra Haldeman
VP: Emily Richardson
Secretary/Historian: Kim Lyall
Treasurer: Aimee Kirby

Chester River Association - Pumpkin Party
Oct 28 - Informational visit to Days Cove, landfill site visit and tour
Camping trip: Killens Pond State Park, DE
Work with Garnett Elementary Brownie Troop - earn plant badge and nature education

Spring 2004

Unicorn Lake
- Visit Annapolis
- Members speak on WKHS 90.5 FM for advocacy of Unicorn Lake
- Attend MDE's informational meeting concerning the construction of a rubble dump at Unicorn Lake (Millington, MD)
- Attend and speak at American Legion (post 18) meeting and Queen Anne's County
- League of Women Voters
- Collect petition signatures
- Take 9th graders from Queen Anne's County HS to Unicorn Lake to test water quality; learn about advocacy, ecology
- Members write articles for the Elm
Work with Brownie Troop from Garnett Elementary to learn about recycling
Trip: Spring Peeper Hike, North Point State Park
Earth Day - make flags, trash sculptures, planning

Fall 2003

President: Alana Wase
VP: Erica McDaniel
Secretary: Kim Lyall
Treasurer: Aimee Kirby

Camping: Trap Pond State Park, DE
Chester Rive Association Pumpkin Party
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center - trail maintenance and clean-up
Unicorn Lake - collect petition signatures to prevent rubble dump

Past Publicity

10/27/06 - Campus Composting Picks Up Pace
4/23/04 - Come out and play: how we celebrated Earth Day
3/19/04 - SEA works to keep landfill away from lake
4/09/04 - Congressman Gilchrest on Unicorn Lake controversy
11/07/03 - Save the Unicorn
4/18/03 - Earth Day to be a Day-long Celebration of Community and Diversity
3/21/03 - Environmental lobbying - can students do it?
2/07/03 - Student Environmental Alliance implements paper recycling on campus
11/08/02 - WC Students do their part to serve humankind
3/01/02 - Ever seen a hippo waddle in a plastic jumpsuit?
3/01/02 - Column, Being "eco-friendly" on campus
2/15/02 - SGA begins campaign to clean up campus litter
11/09/01 - SEA plans a litter campaign to beautify campus
9/21/01 - Recycling back again at WC
4/20/01 - Fornos gives lecture on issue of overpopulation
02/16/01 - SEA, SGA take steps towards an environmentally friendly campus
10/13/00 - College joins county in recycling
9/15/00 - Bell brings Eastern Shore environmental concerns to center
11/07/97 - W.C. keeps recycling working
10/24/97 - Sierra Student Coalition is back to save the world
9/19/97 - W.C.'s recycling program continues, undergoes transition
9/19/97 - Letters to the editor, Raudenbush explains W.C.'s recycling situation
9/12/97 - Letter to the editor, student angered by removal of recycling program

Recycle on Campus

Meetings

Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. at White Cottage (Service House)

Fall 2007 Officers

President: Samantha Bulkilvish
Vice President: Danielle Aloisio
Secretary: Alyse Bensel
Treasurer: Melody Warner
Historian: Alex Borden

300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782