Sounding a Call: Students Publish Op-Eds on Environmental Issues
![As part of an intro-level class, first-years Thomas Baldini and Sylvie Duthoy published op-eds on the effects of climate change within their own communities. Photo by Dan Loh.](/images/ENST_161_published_Article_Students_20250203_LOH_001_700w.jpg")
As part of an intro-level class, first-years Thomas Baldini and Sylvie Duthoy published op-eds on the effects of climate change within their own communities. Photo by Dan Loh.
Essays shine light on environmental concerns at local, regional levels
By MaryAlice Bitts-Jackson
More than a dozen Dickinson students may add “published writer” to their LinkedIn profiles this spring—most before the end of their first year at Dickinson.
The students took an entry-level environmental studies course, Environmental Connections, last fall. After learning about central environmental ideas, concepts and debates, they wrote brief essays and submitted them to news outlets for publication.
“The point is to connect the very important issues students are exploring with a sense of agency,” says Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Michael Beevers, who taught last fall's class. “We want students to see that even though most of them are in their first semester of college, they have a voice, and they can be part of a broader conversation, and that they may have a valuable perspective to share.”
Alerting communities
The students wrote their op-eds on environmental topics they're passionate about. After a peer-review process and several rewrites, each sent an essay out into the world with a carefully crafted pitch.
Zoe Hiller '28 helped spread the word about parks and recreation initiatives in Baltimore. She hopes her op-ed will help further similar programs and move the needle on readers’ positive perceptions of her hometown. Thomas Baldini '28 wrote about the growing impact of microplastics on those living in West Hartford, Conn. Recognizing the importance of "thinking locally" about environmental issues, Baldini, a Connecticut native, was encouraged to learn that the news editor he worked with was passionate about environmental health.
Inspired by her grandparents’ experiences of life in a flood-prone area, Sylvie Duthoy ’28 investigated the role rain gardens can play in flood prevention. Her op-ed was published on the last day of winter break. “I definitely think the project helped me deepen both my understanding of and my appreciation for environmental science,” she says. “I had to take the time to understand how to address real-life environmental issues, rather than thinking hypothetically.”
Amplified voices
The publication notices are still rolling in. At the time of this writing, 17 students have been published. That’s an all-time high, says Beevers.
Some of the students are already seeing their pieces find still wider reach. Sophia Evans '28’s editorial on potential cuts to mine-cleanup funding, first published in The Daily Item, was picked up by the PA Environment Digest Blog. The blog reaches more than 5,300 unique visitors each month. After publication in a local paper, Rowan Curry ’27's op-ed on sustainable development was shared on Facebook by an environmental-justice nonprofit. "It was a super-cool experience," says Curry, a double major in environmental studies and food studies.
And the benefits can reverberate long after publication. Last year, Lucy Stott ’27 (environmental studies, quantitative economics), published an in a New York City newspaper about green roofs. It was republished in the spring 2024 edition of Living Architecture. And after taking a related course with Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Alyssa Decker, an expert on green roofs, Stott began student-faculty research on changes in vegetative cover on the roof of Tome Hall.
“This was an invaluable experience that honed my skills in Photoshop, Excel, data analysis, public speaking and more—all stemming from my initial work in ENST161,” Stott says.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published February 3, 2025