We were pleased to hear that the University has finally hired a permanent Director of Sustainability after a year of searching for someone to fill the position. Having someone who can oversee sustainability projects, propose and implement ideas and coordinate initiatives is a necessity at this University.

Phil Valko, the recently hired director of sustainability, seems like a good choice for the job. He’s familiar with the school and has even started many of Wash. U.’s green programs that continue to this day. He’s knows St. Louis well, having worked with the community institutions to help develop underprivileged areas. Valko takes on sustainability as a personal mission and even bikes to and from school (ten miles) in order to decrease his own carbon footprint.

We only hope that Valko’s enthusiasm and ideas are not bogged down by administrative tasks and projects in which the Office of Sustainability has not been an equal partner.

The new bike plan is an example of an undertaking that the Office of Sustainability should have had more active involvement. The plan was designed by Facilities, with the Office of Sustainability brought in at a later date.

In our opinion, the school’s endeavors to date are more geared towards giving Washington University the appearance of a sustainable campus rather than developing a campus that is de facto sustainable.

Two projects include the showers in the DUC and last year’s Green Cup competition. The showers, which were ostensibly installed to promote biking to work, are rarely utilized. The Green Cup, a competition amongst the various Res Colleges and fraternities to reduce their carbon footprints, was poorly advertised and did not offer much beyond bragging rights to the victor. The winning fraternity received $500, and the winning Res College won a (literal) green trophy.

There are various smaller changes that could go a long way to reducing the carbon footprint at the University that we have not (as of yet) undertaken. Not all the lights in the residential colleges are activated by motion sensors, and in most of the bigger buildings, such as the DUC and Seigle Hall, the lights are kept on 24/7, even if the buildings are locked at night and rarely used during that time.

While Washington University isn’t going to solve the problem of global warming on its own, every little bit helps, and we believe that if we give Valko more freedom to enact his ideas, he can do something great.

With this freedom, however, comes increased responsibility. Valko should use his new position to enact some serious change to Washington University and get us beyond appearances, creating a truly green campus.