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Holly Elwood still remembers when she first started thinking about the environment. Professor Chuck Green told his political science students to pick a public policy issue and write a paper about it. Elwood chose the ozone layer. "That paper and that process of putting the paper together really got me excited in terms of what was possible. It was definitely one of the keystones for me."
"The goal is to reduce your impact as much as possible, but not to let perfect get in the way of the good," says Holly Elwood '90.
MARK CHARETTE |
Elwood works at the federal Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., where she helps big purchasers such as federal agencies, hospitals, universities and Fortune 500 companies buy environmentally friendly computers. "Looking for innovative solutions has been one of the most important things that I've done here at the EPA and Macalester really helped me prepare for that."
She credits two internships with guiding her career. While interning for St. Paul City Council member Bob Long '82, she researched a plan to ban plastic packages in restaurants and grocery stores that both St. Paul and Minneapolis adopted. "It was a wonderful opportunity for me because I was right in the middle of the actual development of the policy." The political science and women's studies major also interned with state Rep. Kathleen Osborne Vellenga '59. "I have a huge amount of respect for her and her work," Elwood said, adding that Vellenga arranged her first post-college job interview.
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Nearly 1,000 recent grads have taken the 'green pledge' to be 'environmentally ethical'
by Michael Barnes '06
I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.
Since May of 2000, close to 1,000 graduates have taken the "green" pledge at Macalester. The pledge was introduced by Professor Aldemaro Romero, then head of the Environmental Studies Department, as a way for graduates to consider their future choices within a "framework of environmentally ethical behavior."
Part of a national effort, the green pledge at Macalester includes a little-known tradition at the commencement ceremony in May. A small loop of green ribbon is pinned onto the gowns of participating graduates. The ribbon is easily lost amidst a sea of cords, tassels and caps adorned with everything from origami flowers to toy army soldiers.
But for some alumni, the pledge is a way of life.
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This winter, the Minneapolis native visited the Twin Cities to talk to local businesses about the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), a tool to help purchasers buy greener computers (see www.epeat.net). She says many companies, including Target, Best Buy and 3M, want to learn more about how to buy environmentally preferable products and services. "The work I'm doing on computers right now is the most exciting I've done in my career so far."
| 'Looking for innovative solutions has been one of the most important things that I've done here at the EPA and Macalester really helped me prepare for that.' |
Elwood admits, "We have the mini-van and we have major mini-van guilt." But she has found a constructive way to balance her mini-van miles. She supports a program that helps people offset their carbon dioxide emissions by making donations to reforestation projects.
"I think a lot of people get challenged and frustrated about their environmental impact on the world and they feel if they can't do it perfectly, they're not going to do anything. I feel that I'm always striving to become greener than I am. It's really important to keep in mind that the goal is to reduce your impact as much as possible, but not to let perfect get in the way of the good. Don't get too upset with yourself for not being completely 100 percent green."
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