Endowment
Student Environmental Leadership Fund
REP is thrilled to be the first endowed HGCI program. We have received two generous donations totaling $25,000 to found the Rachelle K. Gould Student Environmental Leadership Fund. The earnings from this fund will be used to fund the wages of future REP captains to guarantee the continuation of a formalized student leadership role in resource efficiency at Harvard College.
Having reached $25,000, thanks to our generous donors, our account meets the university requirements for an endowed account, allowing us to withdraw a portion of the interest earned on the account to support the wages of a REP captain.
Donate to the Environmental Leadership Fund
To contribute to the Fund or assist with fundraising, please contact Brandon Geller, Coordinator of the Resource Efficiency Program.
About Rachelle Gould & REP
Rachelle performs at the 2003 Earth Day
Rachelle Gould '03, a California native who concentrated in Environmental Science and Public Policy, was a leading campus activist as a member of the Environmental Action Committee, Undergraduate Council, and Lowell House Committee. Rachelle founded REP and served as REP captain during her senior year.
Rachelle also participated in the arts on campus as a singer. Rachelle received the Stewart Prize for contributing "most notably, whether through personal qualities or through activities, to the sense of community in Lowell House" and was nominated for the senior superlative, "Miss Harvard." After graduating (Phi Beta Kappa), Rachelle received a Richardson Fellowship to work in Washington, D.C. and Chile in support of the Nature Conservancy "Adopt-an-Acre" program to protect Nevados de Chillan in Chile.
To hear Rachelle speak about REP, please watch her enthusiastic presentation at the 2003 Harvard Environmental Symposium.
REP Steering Group Thoughts About Rachelle
Rob Gogan, Manager, Recycling & Waste Management, Harvard University Operations Services: Rachelle's leadership strength derives from passionate commitment to the environment, ability to negotiate and thrive in Harvard's decentralized administrative structure, enthusiasm in conveying excitement to others working with her, and deep respect and appreciation for those who help her.
Jay Phillips, Director, Building Maintenance & Operations, FAS Office of Physical Resources : I have yet to meet anyone who is as dedicated to making sure that real positive change takes place, in an institution as complex as Harvard University, as Rachelle Gould.
Dr. Antje Danielson, FAS Computer Energy Reduction Program Manager: One of Rachelle's many strengths is that she is an extremely talented negotiator. She is firm on her goals, knows what she wants, and reaches the stars - achieves seemingly outrageous results - by making bottom-to-top stakeholders take manageable steps in the right direction.
Emily Sadigh '99, REP Coordinator 2002-2004: One of Rachelle's remarkable talents is how she invites everyone's input and makes the Reps feel comfortable.
Rachelle's Reflections about REP, July 2004
Rachelle shows her spirit and appreciation.
REP embodies so many of the ideals that I see as critical to the success of environmental work. Perhaps most importantly -
Ideal #1 - it gets people talking, it connects. It brings together forces within the University that normally don't interact but, quite simply, should. As so often is the case, if people are simply put into communication, amazing symbiotic relationships emerge. That's how I see REP: a great big network of symbiotic relationships.
Ideal #2: REP is logical, factual, and non-confrontational. As I see it, if we really want to effect change and improve the environmental health of our planet, we need to make arguments and proposals that are based on good science and good sense. If we'd chained ourselves to recycling bins in 12 houses, maybe we would have gotten the same results that REP has. But somehow I doubt it.
Ideal #3: REP is fun. One of my grandfather's main lessons to me is "don't underestimate the importance of humor." He repeatedly reminds me to take life less seriously. Often the most effective way to convey a message is to integrate it into something everyone likes. A joke, a cheesy slogan, a game, a surprise gift, a bright green shirt (doesn't everyone like lime green shirts? If not, oops, sorry, Reps!).