El Anatsui, Hovor, 2003
Aluminum and copper wire, Hood Museum of Art
El Anatsui, Peak Project, 1999
Tin and copper wire, collection of the artist
The Dartmouth Sustainability Initiative (DSI) has trained 48 individuals to be sustainability coordinators in offices, Greek houses and dorms. By engaging the Dartmouth community’s creativity and knowledge of what would work best in their residences or offices, individuals are more likely to take ownership for moving toward sustainability practices. To this end, we have conducted three Sustainability Coordinator Training Retreats to date titled: The Art of Sustainability.
This program is designed to train individuals with the skills needed to identify and coordinate practical sustainability projects. These coordinators then solicit ideas from their colleagues to enhance: waste reduction, recycling, furniture re-use, energy reduction, sustainable lunch-rooms, car-pooling, composting, indoor air quality and paper reduction. Each Coordinator receives a Training Manual that includes:
The original Art of Sustainability retreats were offered in collaboration with the Hood Museum of Art and included a discussion in the El Anatsui: GAWU exhibition. El Anatsui is an artist living in Nigeria who makes "tapestries" and sculptures from discarded materials. These large, visually stunning pieces demonstrate the power of transformation.
As we work to transform Dartmouth College's practices, the creativity and playfulness of El Anatsui's work might inspire our path. Future retreats will be combined with other campus departments or events to bring fresh insights into the creation of a sustainable culture.
