When Jim Hourdequin '97 recently hosted a dinner party outside the tent where he is living for the summer, his guests ate lettuce he had grown himself.
And before long, more than just Hourdequin's dinner guests will be able to eat fresh, local, organically grown produce planted by him at Dartmouth's new organic farm, where he works.
This summer, the biology major from West Hartford, Conn., is not taking classes, but pursuing what he loves, "be[ing] close to the woods and the mountains."
And that means forsaking the dormitory lifestyle for the sake of his Robinson Crusoe-like existence in the wilderness.
Although he says he does not spend much time in his tent, he does have the necessities of home. He has a Coleman burner, a mattress, books, clothes and a lantern. Outside the tent, he has a bench to enjoy the summer evenings when he is home.
Hourdequin said his A-frame tent could fit up to four people, but he prefers one or two.
Although Hourdequin's abode might sound ideal, he said it is not as simple as he thought it might be and "tenting can be a real hassle."
In an electronic-mail message, Hourdequin wrote "I sometimes shower at friends' houses off-campus and I do a lot of swimming in the river."
Hourdequin cited three reasons why he decided to live in a tent this summer rather than in a more traditional setting.
"First, I thought it would be fun and a good challenge, second I didn't want to pay rent when it was practically just as easy to camp out ... and third, and most importantly, I saw it as kind of an experiment in living a more simplified life," Hourdequin wrote.
His summer residence is exemplary Hourdequin's overall approach to life. When he has an idea, he does not just let it sit and gather dust. The organic farm and the tent are two examples.
Hourdequin has toiled since last spring to get the farm under way. It won final approval a couple of weeks ago, but only after months of toil.
William Hochstin, director of Dartmouth Recycles!, said it is "easy for a student to come in with a starry-eyed plan," but Hourdequin did much more.
Hochstin, who met Hourdequin when the student interned at Dartmouth Recycles! his freshman year, "obviously loves Dartmouth and the environment" showed by his spending hundreds of hours working on the organic farm idea.
Deputy Provost Bruce Pipeshas worked with Hourdequin in finding funding for the farm, and ways to make Dartmouth more environmentally sound. Pipes said Hourdequin has pressed the College about many environmental issues, but he believes "we need to be pressed."
Hourdequin has been involved in many other environmental crusades in his two years at Dartmouth.
Hourdequin has fought to have Collis Cafe to decrease the tremendous waste it produces from disposable utensils and dishes. He described Collis as "one of the most blaring examples of waste at Dartmouth."
Another top concern for Hourdequin is energy waste at Dartmouth, especially in the realm of computers.
"I think [computers] tend to be a little too sacred at Dartmouth," he said.
He is currently doing research on birch trees for the biology department and presidential scholar program, which he said serves as a full-time job.
