A World of Change

Sustainability coordinator builds a better future, one student at a time

November 18, 2008

Sean Diamond '08 stands between solar panels on the roof of Kaufman Hall.

Sean Diamond '08 found that his study-abroad experience offered more than an opportunity to explore another corner of the world. It led him to discover his life's passion.

A physics major, Diamond had decided to study at the University of East Anglia. When he learned that the university didn't have a physics school, he signed up for environmental-science courses instead.

And with that, he found a career path.

"In England, I began to see how interconnected environmental issues are to so many other facets of society," Diamond said. He came to understand how the environment affects human health, that a food shortage can lead to war and that a climate change in one part of the world ripples across the planet.

Back at Dickinson, his commitment to sustainability deepened. He interned at the college's biodiesel plant, collaborated on a grant to fund a greenhouse-gas inventory for Carlisle and designed a sun-tracking solar water-heating system.

Diamond became Dickinson's sustainability coordinator in July. The one-year position enables recent graduates to use their environmental knowledge to help advance Dickinson's sustainability initiatives.

Hit the ground running

As a facilities management staff member, the sustainability coordinator oversees campuswide sustainability programs and looks for way to raise students' awareness of, and participation in, environmentally sustainable practices. The rotating post is filled each spring.

Diamond said that the transition from student to employee was seamless.

"I was very active in Student Senate, so I already knew about 90 percent of the people I'm currently working with," he said. "That allowed me to hit the ground running."

In his first months on the job, Diamond added a new responsibility to his position by working to increase sustainable practices in administrative offices.

To that end, he has helped the admissions office increase awareness of campus sustainability with prospective students and their families by suggesting that tours include the Treehouse and the solar panels at Kaufman Hall.

"I also thought that while they're in the academic quad pointing at the president's house, they might want to draw attention to his car, which runs on biodiesel," Diamond said.

Meeting the challenge

Diamond believes that even small changes are vital steps toward greater environmental awareness at Dickinson, across the country and around the world.

"In the last year or two the American public has started to focus more on environmental issues, but we have a long way to go to catch up with Europeans," said Diamond, who is considering pursuing a master's degree in environmental science in Europe after his post ends next spring. Diamond thinks that a sole focus on the dollars and cents is shortsighted and that while economics are important, if our planet begins to fail, money won't matter so much.

"It can be challenging to try to convince students who think that environmental issues don't really matter," he said. "But if they want to be prepared for the future, they need to be aware of this now."