Unfortunately, I would have to consider myself a part-time resident of Farmville. Not only am I currently in Pennsylvania for college, but I also went to a boarding high school in Madison County. That being said, I would estimate that over the past five years I have spent a mere 20 percent of my life in the place that I call home.

This is a sobering fact to read aloud, but looking at the flip side of that number means that I have spent 80 percent of my time missing Farmville. Thankfully I am in no way, shape or form a ‘City Person’, so I chose to stay closer to the places that I thought would resemble home. Farmville, in my mind, served as the quintessential college town, and it had me believe that it is the epitome of ‘Small Town America.’ As I have come to learn, however, this is not the case. Farmville is different.

One of the things that sets Farmville apart from so many other towns is its environment, and I don’t mean environment in the sense of how pretty the buildings are or how nice the community is – although these are very valid arguments. I mean environment in the most literal way: the woods that surround each and every residential community, the fields that give our rolling hills a lush green coat, or the farms for which our town is named.

The second thing that I have found to set Farmville apart is the potential and ambition for expansion. With two colleges, one knocking at the back door and the other beating like a heart in the center of town, we have a unique and reliable opportunity for growth.

As with all great things, these qualities of Farmville come with responsibilities. First, those sanctuaries of green which exist throughout the town are not permanent. By building an apartment building here, or a new restaurant there, we give way to the temptations of urbanization.

Such an insurance of vitality would fall primarily in the care our Town Council and Planning Commission, but we, as members of a community, must be prepared to use our voices to guide officials toward sustainable decisions. Furthermore, keeping green zones alive and well in Farmville can be seen as a strategic economic decision: in the long run, a greener environment will prove more appealing to prospective community members than a half-weight concrete jungle.

Secondly, if we are going to develop, why not do so with the environment foremost in our decision making. This choice would manifest itself in a surge for renewable, sustainable energy; the cultivation of landscapes with an emphasis on water conservation; or simply the use of recycled materials in buildings.

Seeing as it is a highly debated topic, I will stay away from using the mitigation of climate change to qualify the movement proposed. However, more unequivocal reasons to move toward sustainable development in Farmville include: solar power and other forms of renewable energy having greater efficiency fiscally; the accessibility of water globally is dwindling, and there is no reason to waste it on landscapes that could sustain themselves; and finally the world is inevitably building an environmental conscious, and what I’m proposing would put Farmville, as a town, at the head of that movement.

As I said before, Farmville is not the quintessential small town, for if we consider Farmville an epitome, then the average becomes nearly unattainable. We have more assets, more potential, and more engagement then any average could claim. In the hustle and bustle that comes with economic growth communities enjoy a certain numbness to the process of urbanization.

In the case of Farmville, we are provided the unique opportunity to grow in a time which society’s focus is shifting toward a more sustainable way of life. Historically those who innovate reap more rewards than those who follow the path previous innovators have made. So, let’s respect the name our town has been given, and keep our farms and the environment surrounding them at the heart of our growth plan.

GUY WALL is a Farmville native and student at Dickinson College. He can be reached via email at wallgu@dickinson.edu