When I first arrived in 2010, Fred [Rogers] and Steve [Spehn] said the top two priorities were to install a commercial-scale wind turbine and write a climate action plan to become carbon neutral by 2050. Wow! A tall order — but what fun. This little college was doing big things! With lots of help from the STAs and Carleton’s first climate action plan steering committee, I quickly got acquainted with all that was included in “campus sustainability.” Meanwhile, as Nat and I made the daily walk to and from our apartment in Faculty Club, I was awed by the beauty and intimacy of our new environment. Having attended a huge university, I couldn’t believe how welcoming and special it felt to be on a small, liberal arts campus.
Over the years, I’ve watched (and hopefully helped) many Carls grow into their adult selves, leaving here with knowledge and perspective to become the wise, capable, and benevolent leaders that our world truly needs. Along the way, we’ve all renovated a completely flooded Stadium, sat on lawn chairs in a cornfield while watching a wind turbine get hoisted into the air, pushed fiber optic cables 520 feet down a 6-inch borehole, turned into a dusty mess climbing through the tunnels, published two climate action plans (Carleton’s climate action plan and Northfield’s climate action plan), inaugurated two Carleton presidents, celebrated the end of steam, and driven 5,000 cardboard boxes back to campus in a rented Home Depot truck for an emergency evacuation in March of 2020.
During this time, Nat and I also bought a house, got a dog and cat, had two kids, made great friends, started a local music studio, trekked to and from Northfield Day Care and Spring Creek Elementary, and did so many other things that laid down deep roots here in Northfield. Our kids rode the ferris wheel at the Carleton sesquicentennial, “helped” with annual alumni wind turbine tours, posed for photos in a giant excavator, took cooking classes with Bon Appetit and each picked out their favorite dorms (Olga — townhomes for the independence. Gus — Burton for the easy access to lots of amazing food). We have become part of Carleton, and Carleton has become part of us.
It’s difficult to leave a place with all these memories. But thankfully I’m working remotely and staying in Northfield, so we’ll remain part of the community. My new job as Director of Sustainability at RMF Engineering allows me to keep “sustainability” in my title, while focusing on energy and utility decarbonization projects at schools across the country. It’s the perfect opportunity for growth and a way to share Carleton’s story even more broadly. I have great hope that Carleton’s next climate action plan will be ambitious and holistic, rising to meet the urgency of this challenge before us. As we’ve heard already (most recently in Carleton Today — check it out if you haven’t already), President Byerly’s vision of campus sustainability is truly holistic, and the upcoming strategic plan presents an incredible opportunity to envision the next decade of turning vision into action.
Many thanks again for the unwavering support and collaboration over the years, and for all the amazing things we’ve done together.
Martha
