us creates by virtue of all the
little decisions we make
through the day about what to
buy, what to consume, what to

reuse, and what to throw away.

What matters is not so much
how big the footprint is,

but how quickly we can shrink
it. And this is where the
Environmental Committee is
making a difference. They
have introduced composting in
the common kitchens and in
the Dining Hall. They have set
up recycling programs for
batteries, CDs, and electronic
equipment. They have intro-
duced cloth shopping bags in
the communal kitchens to

cut down on the consumption
of plastic bags. They have
installed experimental water-
reduction showerheads

and sink aerators, proving that
water consumption could

fall by a third, and even half in
some cases. These excellent
initiatives have raised aware-
ness in the College, encouraging
me to think that eventually

| won’t see windows left open
in the winter, hear of ther-
mostats being cranked up to

summer temperatures when

a sweater would do most of
the thermal work electricity
does, discover lights left on
when no-one is in the room,
and find recyclable materials

tossed into the wrong bins.

The best thing about seeing
this change in the environmen-
tal culture of the College,
besides the change itself, is
that it has happened without
my having done a thing!

The initiative has come entirely
from the Junior Fellows:

Laura to begin with, but also
Chantal Beauregard, Maxime
Foucault, Veronica Lo,

Gregory Biniowsky, and
Danielys Coz—and by naming
this half-dozen | do not

mean to exclude the many
others who have helped

push the College forward on
the path to a smaller

footprint. What each of us
does as individuals matters,
but the best way to

shoulder this burden is to do
it together. And as Laura
assures me, nurturing environ-
mental responsibility around
the College is no burden at all.
“It’s been fun!”

College welcomes

Protessor Li Tiangang

By: Tim Sedo, Junior Fellow

Last fall, St. John’s College
opened its doors to the first
Johannean Visiting Scholar,
Professor Li Tiangang. From
September 17 to December 1,
2006, Professor Li lived in
residence, generously sharing
his time and insights.

The professor’s erudition and
passion for broad learning

never failed to draw a crowd

of interested residents for
informal breakfast and dinner
conversations. The many
students at SJC who study China-
related topics were especially
lucky to have such an approach-
able and learned expert on

hand. | count myself in this circle
and as such, Professor Li’s

kind mentorship will remain one
of the highlights of my many
experiences at SJC.

Capping off Professor Li’s visit
was a talk entitled, “The End of
East and West,” when he spoke
with Dr. Tim Brook about

the history and doubtful value
of the bipolar portioning of

the world into ‘east’ and ‘west’
categories. Their conversation
explored the historic origins of
this division and questioned

its ‘naturalness,’ concluding with
a provocative and timely
question about the relevance of
east and west distinctions in

our increasingly globalizing world.

Professor Li Tiangang at lunch

with Johanneans.

Professor Li, a former student
of Fudan University (PhD 1994),
now serves there as Professor in
the Institute of Religion and

the Department of Philosophy.
Previously, he was at the Institute
of History in the Shanghai
Academy of Social Sciences. His
1998 publication, Chinese Rites
Controversy: History, Documents,
and Significance, earned the
prestigious Xu Guangdi Prize
from the Institute of Sino-
Christian Studies in Hong Kong.
Most noted for his work

on the history of Sino-Western
Contact, the Jesuits in China,
and Western Learning in the
Ming and Qing Dynasties, he is
also a celebrated expert on the
history of Shanghai and an active
public intellectual in China.

Professor Li’s visit was made
possible by the generous support
of St. John’s University Alumni
Association. We are grateful for
their commitment.