1
The
Brewster Browser
April 30, 2023 Wolfeboro, NH
Volume 45 Issue 4
Brewster in Santiago: A Day in the Life by Logan Cliche ’25
our lives with a little bit of history in a city that seems mostly frozen in the 17th century. Let me take you through one of the final days of a student abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. We awake sometime around 8 a.m. in one of the most historic buildings in the city - a monastery that has been in this same space continuously since the Middle Ages. This building is the residence hall and classroom for our small program. This year, the program consisted of ten students residing in single rooms in this monastery. However, in the future, it will likely shift to a homestay style. Students may wander into the monastery to get themselves breakfast, with classes beginning at 9 a.m. The class situation in this program is one of the major perks cont. on pg. 3
Biden Approves Controversial Arctic Oil Drilling Project
by Elisha-Grace King ’23
On March 13, President Joe Biden’s administration announced their approval of one of the largestever oil drilling projects on federal land. Their announcement arrived amidst fiery public disapproval from environmental groups concerned with the environmental sanctity of the development, which spans the country’s most expansive reserve of land. Located in the Northernmost-point of Alaska, the $7 billion project would cover 23 million acres over the state’s largest tract of undisturbed public land in the United States with multiple drilling sites and miles of roads and pipelines. The Willow Project is sponsored by petroleum refinery and exploration company Conoco Philips. From its headquarters in Houston, TX, the multinational corporation has projected that the project will bring in $17 billion in revenue from an estimated 600 million barrels of oil that are available for extraction. Their lobbyists and public relations representatives argue that the project will alleviate the United States’ dependence on foreign oil which currently faces heavy strain due to the Russo-Ukrainain war. Russia is one of the largest exporters of oil to the US, and has faced aggressive trade restrictions from the American government over
the past year. During his presidential campaign back in February 2020, Biden took a town hall question from a woman in Hudson, New Hampshire. Arctic drilling had just become a hot topic due to President Donald Trump’s approval of Willow’s master development plan. The New Hampshirite woman asked about the future president’s thoughts on oil drilling in Alaska. Biden pledged in response that he would ensure, “No more drilling on federal lands, period”, calling the proposal to drill for oil in the Arctic a “big disaster”. According to the Biden administration’s own estimates, the Willow project will generate enough oil to release 9.2 metric tons of carbon pollution– equating to adding 2 million gas cars on the roads or 76 new coalfired power plants. The administration, which has previously been very publicly in favor of green energy expansion, is under fire for hypocrisy. Voters for Biden who value environmental protection alongside environmental NGOs are calling out the contradiction of his campaign promises to follow climate-combatting guidelines. The White House’s defense has been that their hands were tied by the threat of legal action from ConocoPhillips. The company legally obtained leases
Map found on CBS News online. Link: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/willow-project-alaska-oildrilling-plan-biden-approved-explained/
to the reserved land and complied with the Interior Department’s denial of two of their five proposed drilling sites. The company also relinquished rights to 68,000 acres of its existing lease to protect the habitats of endangered species. The Willow Project has gained immense attention on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Many young people frequent the apps and can use them as a source of news. Brewster Current Issues teacher Taisa Rivellini, who is disappointed in
Willow’s approval, prompts students to stay updated on climate policy by finding sources that can relate to their experiences as young people facing the climate crisis. “When people are eligible to vote,” Mrs. Rivellini said, “They are gonna vote on [climate policy] and have an impact on their day-to-day lives and the day-to-day lives of future generations.” She added, “When you don’t know a lot about [climate change], there’s this big doomsday feeling. But when you can cont. on pg. 3
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Gracie Mouradian ’24 learns about seafaring life from the captain on an excursion off the coast of Spain during the Brewster Global Programs trip to Santiago. photo by Kara McDuffee
Brewster Global Programs are a unique feature of our wonderful organization, a chance to go out and experience the world through the eyes of another, to experience cultural awareness, and to enter into a world wholly unlike the one from whence you came. For most schools, this would be a pipe dream. Here at the Brewster Santiago temporary campus, it’s a Tuesday. As our five weeks here come to a close, many of us are stepping back, reflecting, and considering the possibilities of our future. We have become attached to this place, prepared for the rhythm of life that we are set to, and many of us are worried about what may become of us when we return to a space under pressure. We have had numerous experiences here, coloring