By Marc Weilenmann, EC president
With a good glass of wine and snacks, the EC members met to decide by vote who will be vice-president and president for the year 2018. We were happy to receive also the majority of GISA members and Vanessa Valerio from Développement Durable IHEID.
The incumbent president Marc Weilenmann introduced the election with a short review of his term. Most memorable for him was the farm field trip to “Aigues Vertes”. In the last two semesters the EC grew from 3 to 17 members and started working more project-specific in the all-famous “EC-clusters”. We also found a firm place within the Graduate Institute as the most active student-led initiative. Before commencing the election, he expressed his gratitude for the continuous support from GISA, the Graduate Institute, and, most importantly, from all the dedicated EC members!
Three candidates ran for President indicating the amount of vision and ideas within the EC. With much applause (for and from all candidates) Gianluca Gygax was elected new President of the Environmental Committee. Amongst others, he proposed to give the EC a more dynamic and accessible image.
Malvika Verma was approved unanimously to continue her work as Vice-President. This semester, she had taken up a major part of coordinating the EC by gradually stepping in for the former Vice-President, Daniel Reimers. The applause dedicated to her echoed the EC members’ enthusiasm to make the EC evolve with her.
For the reminder of the semester, the EC will focus on completing a smooth transition and getting ready for the next semester! There are many exciting ideas and opportunities waiting for us in 2018… think about the Swiss Sustainability Week that we will co-host in Geneva with the environmental committee of the UNIGE (EDD)!
But until then, we have two pieces of good news for you. First, there will be SCOOP Fidelity Cards that you can get next Tuesday at noon – each card is a single piece, handmade and 100% recycled! Second, we will screen “Chasing Coral” the 12th of December, 6.30 p.m. – perfect to switch off your head during exams time!
On a personal note, I would like to thank to every single member of the EC that has been part of a journey that started one year ago. Your enthusiasm, engagement, and friendship is the best salary one could have hoped for.
The IHEID Environmental Committee 