How Many Harvard Students Does It Take to Spell "Sustainability?"

By Manizha Kholmatov

Breaking news that I’m sure was highly anticipated by the Harvard student body: Dictionary.com has released a list naming the most searched word at colleges across the country. Ranging from some of my personal favorites such as “sociopath” at the University of South Carolina, “gag” at the University of Wyoming, and “cauliflower” at Boise State University, the most-searched words clearly run the gamut.

Here at Harvard, our most-searched word was “sustainability.” Now while Heather Henriksen, the director of the Harvard Office of Sustainability stated that she regarded this as “just one great example of the level of interest and passion for this issue at Harvard, and the fact that everyone has a role to play in addressing sustainability,” I’m not just going to accept this so easily. What exactly motivates a Harvard student to search “sustainability” on Dictionary.com? I’ve brainstormed a few possible scenarios:

1. Following the trend set by Drew Faust herself:

President Faust’s recent climate change talks at Tsinghua University in China very well could have sparked some interest in the topic on campus. Naturally, of course, leading to a sudden burst in people searching “sustainability” along with “China”, “climate”, and “change” on Dictionary.com. Anything to channel your inner Drew Faust.

2. Frequent Tealuxe Patrons:

What exactly is this “sustainabiliTEA” and how can I get some? I’m always looking to expand my tea horizons!

3. Pure Curiosity:

What is this sustainability movement I keep getting emails about? What are those trucks with the green Harvard seals that I always see around the Yard? How does one even spell “sustainability”? I know where to begin, by looking up the definition of sustainability!

4. Needing the actual definition of sustainability:

Whether it’s for the opening sentence in an EPS essay or a strongly worded email by Divest, if you look hard enough, you can (probably) find a use for the definition of sustainability.

For anyone else looking to engage with Harvard’s environmental activism, a great place to start is by taking a look at the awesome Office of Sustainability’s Sustainability Plan. Or of course by keeping with the trend searching “sustainability” on Dictionary.com...