We get HEATed: The Husky Environmental Action Team

We get HEATed: The Husky Environmental Action Team

By Hugh Shirley, Biochemistry, 2019

“Environmentalism is not political, it’s based in science,” said Winifred Gallogly, a 4th year Biology major and president of the Husky Environmental Action Team. HEAT is a club at Northeastern engaged in environmental activism. The team has set their sights on issues of food sustainability, plastic waste, and more. But as a club that’s actively attempting to sway Northeastern and its students, HEAT faces significant challenges every step of the way.

The group was founded 35 years ago as the Husky Energy Action Team. The goal back then was to advocate for clean energy and for Northeastern to divest from fossil fuels. As the scope of the club expanded from energy to other environmentally relevant topics, the name change was a logical step.

The team has set their sights on issues of food sustainability, plastic waste, and more.

Over its history, HEAT has served as an incubator for many initiatives. Members team up to work on issues that are personally important. Recent incubators have focused on establishing a community garden, called NU Grounds Garden, or on installing more hand dryers to reduce paper towel waste. While these incubators aren’t always successful, several of them have spawned offshoot clubs that focus on developing the incubator’s goals independently. DivestNU is one club that has its roots in HEAT and was an active voice of protest against Northeastern’s financial ties to the fossil fuel industry. Other sapling clubs from the HEAT tree include Trash2Treasure, Slow Food NU, and an up-and-coming club called the Food Recovery Network that takes restaurant leftovers to a women’s shelter.

Gallogly joined the club during her first year at Northeastern and was swept up into the activity surrounding President Donald Trump’s election, when HEAT participated in several demonstrations. Gallogly has served as president for two years and has directed HEAT’s recent goals and strategies to reflect her sustainability mindset. “My philosophy on sustainability and the education that we give to Northeastern students is that [it] should be daily thinking. You should be an activist for the issues that you care about,” Gallogly said. “I’ve done that in my own way and it’s not really the same as what my prior presidents had done.”

“My philosophy on sustainability and the education that we give to Northeastern students is that it should be daily thinking. You should be an activist for the issues that you care about.”

Gallogly demonstrated that mindset by changing HEAT’s annual Do it in the Dark event, an energy saving competition for freshman dorms. Historically, they’ve held a barbeque to get students excited about participating, but only a handful of people would show up. This year Gallogly decided to avoid food and paper waste. HEAT paired the event with the global climate strikes and had students recycle cardboard for sign making. “I thought it was more beneficial and a good teaching moment than having a barbeque that 10 people show up to,” Gallogly said. That practice-what-you-preach motto is strong with Gallogly’s HEAT. While the shift from big-and-showy towards more lowkey events might not score HEAT much recognition, it does speak volumes about their renewed dedication to environmental action.

The students in HEAT are passionate about their work, but roadblock after roadblock does begin to take its toll. Faculty are often supportive of HEAT’s initiatives, but many final decisions are made by administrators who might not share the same goals. Gallogly’s incubator attempted to reduce the sale of plastic bottles from campus stores. They were met with administration claims that such a dramatic change would be impossible. Gallogly argued that “by stocking the bottles, you’re encouraging people to buy them. If you decreased the number of bottles and told people why and showed that you cared about [that issue], then change would happen.” After months of red tape, the project fizzled. To thank Gallogly for her efforts, she was gifted with a reusable metal bottle, on-sale now at the university bookstore.

The club is a poignant educator for students interested in sustainability.

While HEAT might not often instigate change at the administrative level, the club is a poignant educator for students interested in sustainability. They host talks on a diversity of sustainability issues. Gallogly worries that inundating bright-eyed freshman with the many ways they are contributing to environmental degradation might create apathetic students. “I feel like it can be overwhelming because every week we are like, ‘this is a new facet of your life … that you should be changing your mindset about,’” Gallogly said.

With Gallogly graduating this Spring, a new era for HEAT could be on the horizon. She is preparing to pass the torch on to younger students, but she wants the next E-board to take HEAT in whichever direction they want. “HEAT is here for everyone, it’s environmental issues in general.”