A Journey Home
I am so excited to be a part of the Colgate community. I feel like I have come full circle. Born and raised in central New York, my life’s journey has taken me around the world and back. Throughout this journey, I spent my time working to save – and living to savor – our natural world. Experiencing our planet’s natural and cultural diversity, its mystery, and its infinite beauty is a great joy in life.
However, people who share this deep appreciation live in a bi-polar world. Accompanying this admiration is the painful realization that our natural world and the human communities it supports are in peril and the pace is accelerating.
How are we going to get through the next 40 years in the face of unprecedented global crises? Can the human population continue to grow when the basic needs of half of today’s population are not being met? Can we extract and consume more resources and expect to increase the quality of life for billions of people when our planet’s life support systems (tropical forests, healthy soils, freshwater supplies, clean air, commercial fisheries, etc.) are universally in decline? Considering today’s land use practices, sprawling development, tropical deforestation, climate change, and rates of extinction, we have to wonder what will be left of our natural world in the coming years. What will the human condition be like? It is an open question as to whether or not progress will continue or grind to a halt.
How these questions are answered will impact all of us and define our place in history. The reason is simple: we live in an interdependent, globally connected world and contemporary environmental and social problems no longer exist someplace else.
These coming years are critical to all life on this planet.
On the one hand, this burden is daunting and uninvited. On the other hand, it is an exciting time to be alive. The world is waking up to new possibilities. The “green movement” is spreading with unprecedented enthusiasm and global support. We have the opportunity to lift society from the dirty and troubled world of fossil fuels, over-consumption, selfish-individualism, extreme poverty, and rampant extinction to a world of clean-renewable energy, experiential living, healthy and prosperous communities, and vibrant ecosystems. Imagine a society where our day-to-day activities and work responsibilities actually contributed to a healthier planet. Imagine living in a world where all people had access to nature's resources and the opportunity to live a good life.
This is the promise of sustainability. It is the hope of living a meaningful and fulfilling life in harmony with other people and our environment. From this guiding principle, a better way of living will emerge.
Sustainability at Colgate
Recognizing our place in history, I am highly motivated to be working on a daily basis on issues of sustainability. In April 2009, I eagerly became Colgate's first Sustainability Coordinator. I accepted the position knowing that the Colgate community is committed to a sustainable future. I want to do my part to help Colgate become a “laboratory for sustainability.” Colgate can be a leader in higher education and higher education can lead our society to a better more prosperous future.
Reporting to both Academics and Buildings and Grounds, I work conscientiously to foster a campus-wide culture of sustainability, create new opportunities to implement sustainability in our operations and in our classrooms, build new partnerships on and off campus, and to facilitate student efforts all with the goal of advancing sustainability at Colgate.
Be an Active Participant
Advancing sustainability at Colgate does not belong to any one person; it must be a community effort. I invite you to become familiar with our sustainability programs and to help create new opportunities. Lead by example! "Green" your personal life and be a champion for sustainability in your home, office, or classroom. Your Sustainability Coordinator is here to help. Together we can help advance sustainability at Colgate.
John Pumilio
Sustainability Coordinator
Merrill House 004
Phone: 315.228.6487
Email: jpumilio@colgate.edu
John's Biography