Wishing Well
The SSAB, a group made up of 16 students—four from each class—recently hosted a campus panel that included A Drink for Tomorrow (ADFT), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing clean water and sanitation to impoverished communities around the world; and The Philadelphia Global Water Initiative (PGWI), a regional network of organizations that has water experts on the ground around the globe. Representing ADFT was Stephanie Weaver, founder and executive director. Her organization has helped construct clean water wells and improve sanitation in Africa, South America and Asia.
Representing PGWI was program manager Vivian Futran, who will graduate from Penn's Master of Environmental Studies program this May. She provided in-depth analysis of the international water crisis in an attempt to raise awareness for an emergency she believes is many times neglected, "When people think of the greatest threats to humanity, water doesn't usually enter their minds," she says.
PGWI was co-founded by Stanley Laskowski, a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, and its core volunteers include numerous Penn students. In order to select a community in which to build a well, the group contacted their experts on the ground in the region. Once the location was determined, SSAB kicked off the campaign, with the hopes of raising $5,000 for ADFT to aid in the implementation of the well.
"The campus panel grew out of the idea that ADFT would be a source of inspiration for the students on the advisory board, and a perfect match for Penn's 'Year of Water' theme," says Sara King, the School's Sustainability Coordinator. "We wanted to do our part to help in the fight for clean water, so we used social networking to announce the panel as our kick-off event for the fundraising campaign."
On hand to moderate was SSAB member Rosaline Zhang, a freshman in the Vagelos Scholars Program in Molecular Life Science. Zhang, who is majoring in biochemistry, helped formulate discussion topics for the panel.
"I was always really interested in sustainability and the environment. In high school I involved my family in a composting project, even though it didn't go well at first—things were really stinky! But it worked out in the end," Zhang laughs.
SSAB's structure is geared toward providing its members with a wide range of ideas and perspectives. One such idea proposed by fellow board member and College junior Doug Miller—a double major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and Environmental Studies—is to award dining credits to dorm residents who are able to cut energy costs.
"I think the students will really be motivated by these activists who are directly engaged with today's problems," says Ramin Sedehi, Vice Dean for Finance and Administration and SAS Chief Financial Officer. "These are people that show us that you don't have to wait for some magical thing to happen before you act; you can just take on a project and go out there and do it."
In order to reach its fundraising goal, SSAB is planning various events on and around campus, including a happy hour during which a small portion of sales would go toward the campaign—a nod to ADFT's Turning Wine into Water program. They also plan to host a movie night and show the water crisis-themed James Bond film Quantum of Solace.
