On We Go

After stretching down from Saturday’s hike on the Appalachian Trail, students woke up on Sunday and attended two of an assortment of faculty-led workshops. In Guerilla Gardening, students explored the reclamation of People’s Park in Berkeley, CA and discussed the efficacy of the seed bomb. In Earthcation, students examined the environmental implications of travel. Other topics included urban design, water, raising chickens, and tree identification.

Sunday afternoon saw a pilgrimage to Storrs Pond, where students enjoyed good food, volleyball, and aquatic merriment.

On Monday morning, students pitched their budding ideas for climate action campaigns, whereupon the community voted to narrow the list of actionable ideas down to six and teams formed around those ideas. The rest of Monday had teams refining their problem-statements, identifying stakeholders, and developing possible solutions to their problem, which were later validated (or not) by eliciting community feedback for their nascent ideas.

On Tuesday, teams partook in faculty feedback sessions and prepared to deliver a “rough draft” of their project in the form of a presentation. Teams were given 5 minutes (with a soft ceiling) to succinctly pitch their project before inviting questions. Extensive feedback was offered from peers as well as faculty. Teams will put forth their final pitch on Wednesday afternoon to a panel comprised of Dartmouth faculty. In the interim, much attention will be devoted to that task. But not at the expense of summer fun! Students continue to find ample time to socialize and enjoy the wonders of this time of year in New England.