Core Curriculum
Contact Information
Please contact us at corecurriculum@smcm.eduElizabeth Nutt Williams, Ph.D.
Dean of the Core Curriculum and First Year Experience
St. Mary's College of Maryland
18952 E. Fisher Rd.
St. Mary's City, MD 20686
Phone: (240) 895-4467
Email: enwilliams@smcm.edu
Ruth Feingold, Ph.D
Assistant Dean of the Core Curriculum and Advising Program
(contact for Experiencing the Liberal Arts in the World)
Phone: (240) 895-4388
Email: rpfeingold@smcm.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Diane Wimberly
Phone: (240) 895-2185
Fax: (240) 895-2234
Featured Student - Evelyn Brooke
Polar bears drowning because of melting ice caps. Botanical life blooming prematurely. Species of flora and fauna reaching extinction. The melting of glacial ice at significantly higher volumes, much earlier in the year. All of these, and many other occurrences, can be directly linked to global warming, the result of increased greenhouse gas emissions. While so many projected solutions to this problem are quite expensive, require drastic action, and produce results only after extensive time investments, I found a way to make a positive impact on the environment that could be done easily and inexpensively. And what better place to start than in one's own backyard?
Clotheslines are extremely practical, easy to use, inexpensive to operate and repair, portable, and beneficial to the environment. Yet Homeowners Associations (HOAs) across the nation have decided that clotheslines are aesthetically unattractive, and therefore shall be prohibited in their neighborhoods. Because of a narrow view of what constitutes physical attractiveness, the monetary savings that could potentially be reaped by residents and more importantly, the positive effects this minor change could have on the floundering environment have been disregarded.
Starting four years ago, I decided that I would try to prevent HOAs from being able to prohibit the use of clotheslines. The accessibility of this project made it something that I, and many other people could pursue. My own family has had a clothesline in our backyard for as long as I can remember, and have found it quite useful. We are able to complete laundry more efficiently, as multiple loads can be dried simultaneously, and clothes off the line rarely have to be ironed, as the hanging prevents wrinkling. Our utility bill has decreased desirably, as we now use a significantly lower amount of energy. In ninth grade, my school mandated that we students complete individual projects focusing on improving the environment. Having heard about the prohibition of clothesline use by HOAs, I decided to make the prevention of this the focus of my project. The success of this project would serve two purposes: it alone would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be beneficial to the environment, and it's acceptance would open the door to other "go green" efforts formerly considered aesthetically unappealing such as solar panels and windmills. In this way, its effects would not only be immediate, but had the potential to carry over to other environmental efforts.
My project eventually made it to the desk of Delegate Sally Jameson, who expressed interest in the idea. While, I am not sure of the project's status as of now, I am proud of the fact that I was able to publicize this possibility. The more people that are aware of this and other efforts, the bigger and more immediate the changes and improvements can be.
