Window-Dressing: The Sheer Hypocrisy of the University’s Sustainable PR Image
By Matt Miranda
If one goes by appearances and marketing, the University of Minnesota might as well change its colors to gold, maroon, and green. The university certainly seems to be a veritable bastion of environmentally progressive thought: according to public relations releases, the Twin Cities campus is one of the greenest in the nation, with subsidized public transit, 75 E85-powered and 53 hybrid vehicles in its fleet, on-campus farmer’s markets, and even a minor in Sustainability Studies. The University Dining Service purchases 18 percentof its food locally. There’s even a student-run organic farm. At first blush, our august institution certainly looks to be leading the way into a bright, green-tinted future, with CFL light bulbs illuminating kitchen tables everywhere and solar panels on every roof.
So why is U of M Biology, Science, and Environment major and local/organic food activist David Rittenhouse dissatisfied?
The answer is that it’s all PR spin. Rittenhouse says the university supports a few sustainability programs, and then “cleverly words” PR copy to make it appear far more representative of the school as a whole. “If we want to see change, we’ll first have to expose all the lies, and then offer solutions for …



