Jim Dees is an easy guy to get to know. Rarely seen without a roguish sort of grin on his face, Dees radiates an easygoing, approachable demeanor. He is good with names, and once he has learned yours he will be sure to say hi every time you cross paths. Despite his involvement with a massive number of campus projects, Guilford College’s environmental sustainability coordinator can often be found getting his hands dirty in the community garden or talking it up on the quad. Dees is one of those characters on campus who seems to epitomize “Guilford.” He certainly looks the part, with a close shaven head, bearded chin and comfortable, casual attire that suggests he will be ready for whatever the day may bring. The giant steps he takes when he walks hint at his inner country boy and at a past spent traversing large swaths of undeveloped land.
When asked about his job as sustainability coordinator, Dees says without hesitation, “I love it, absolutely love it.”
His passion for environmental justice grew through a series of revelatory moments. One of these moments was during high school, when Dees went backpacking in New York’s Adirondack Mountains.
“I saw all these rock climbers and I thought to myself, man, I have to try this,” Dees said of the experience. Upon returning home, he immediately went out and purchased climbing equipment. Dees moved on to earn a geography degree, he branched out from climbing and explored the world of rafting, kayaking, canoeing and biking.
After graduation from college, Dees had another life-defining moment when he put in several hard months of work-exchange on a farm. After helping the livestock through the harsh winter, he found himself devastated by the spring slaughter.
“I wanted no part of it,” Dees said. He has been a vegetarian since then, though seafood made it back on the menu after his pregnant wife started having dreams about eating fish.
For a while after college, Dees spent summers as a white water raft guide and winters on the ski slopes. He moved on to construction work, surveying land, and eventually had a job with an environmental engineering firm before joining the ranks of Guilford staff.
Dees has always enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors, but with age, experience and increasing maturity, he has cultivated a deep sense of environmental responsibility within himself. His goal now is to instill that environmental awareness deep within the heart and soul of Guilford.
After two years as sustainability coordinator, with assistance from students, faculty, staff and administration, Jim Dees has helped Guilford cross a milestone. Some of the better known accomplishments of the sustainability department include the newly installed solar panels, the cafeteria’s compost system, waterless urinals and energy-efficient, motion-sensing classroom lights.
Dees is quick to emphasize the importance of the social approach to using resources more responsibly.
“It’s about changing your behavior,” Dees explained. “We can put energy efficient light bulbs all over campus, but it’s not going to save energy if you don’t turn it off when you leave.”
The road to environmental justice is a long one, but Guilford has already begun the journey and Dees has big plans for the future.
“Ideally . . . and realistically, I’d like to see the campus become completely independent from gasoline,” Dees said. This process would rely on a natural gas fueled steam system. The steam would heat buildings and generate electricity. Ultimately, he would like to rely on methane, but since Guilford doesn’t sit on an old landfill, it will be difficult. Scientists have not yet developed this idea into the most practical system, but with a little time this option will be more feasible.
When he’s not re-negotiating the college’s relationship with the environment, Dees spends time with his wife and kids.
“I’m a family man,” Dees said with enthusiasm. “I love that part of me. Someone a long time ago once told me ‘Jim, you’re a late bloomer aren’t ya? You haven’t quite hit your stride yet.’ It was kind of a vision into my future . . . It wasn’t until I became a father that I realized, O.K. this is who I am. (Having kids) is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done.