December 1, 1999
Environmental Council Meeting Minutes
December 1, 1999
Geonomics Library
Chair: Nan Jenks-Jay
In Attendance: Nan Jenks-Jay, Amy Seif, Krista Siringo, Kathy Morse, Margaret Aleks, Charlie Sargent, Dan Bedford, Tom Kelly, Jessica Pasko, Mike Snow, Oren Frey, Tyson Schoelzel, Brian Harding.
Absent: Linda Pitkin, Jamie McBride, George McPhail.
1. The meeting was called to order at 4:20 p.m.
2. Feedback on Environmental Fair
A. Dining: All went well. One suggestion for next year is to put the dining vendors in the room with the organizations.
B. Fair: All are in agreement to continue the Fair next year. Use bigger tables and contact organizations earlier on. Put signs up in Proctor to route people through the Fair
3. Sub-Committee Reports
A. Transportation: 100 surveys were completed at the Environmental Fair. Next meeting will take place at 12:30 on Friday at the Grill. Jess and Amy or Nan will attend the Community Council meeting.
B. Audit Implementation: Identified projects that will help meet recommendations from 1998 audit. They are currently circulating an announcement to campus experts on the chosen issues to get their feedback. The next step will be developing an application so that the grant decisions can be made during J-term.
C. Audit Planning: "Audit" is a word that could upset people, so the audit will be called "The State of the Environment Report." A mission statement is being developed. They are developing a timeline to enable connections with classes. If we decide to do annual audits that focus on one issue, the Council should decide the issue of the year in advance. An institutional audit may happen in the summer every two to three years.
D. Outreach: Next meeting at 4:15 on Wednesday at the Grill.
E. Environmental Fair: Amy put out the suggestion to continue this committee through to Earth Day, which may include a faculty/staff activity and an Earth Day Art Exhibit. The Council decided that since this is the 30th Earth Day it would be a good idea for the Sub-Committee to plan some events.
4. Report on Greenhouse Project: Matt Biette and Vinita
A. History: Pete Johnson developed the greenhouse as part of a senior project. Abby Bradbury's later work was publicized. Sustainable Agriculture used to be a focus of Environmental Studies. The College used to have a farm.
B. Vinita's Work: Enables a close student-staff relationship and experiential learning. She has learned how hard it is to grow organically. The greens go to the Grill.
C. Future Plans: They would like to expand the project to get other disciplines involved. One idea is to use heat from compost to heat the greenhouse in the winter. The Warner Greenhouse may serve this function if it could be moved to the composting site. Another possibility is to have an organic farm at the college, since Midd is a year-long college. Students could learn about organic growing at a Freshmen or Senior Seminar. A Sustainable Agriculture focus may not be possible because there are no suitable faculty. A farm would not replace the agriculture of the region, but supplement it with hard-to-get varieties.
5. Lighting Walk Update
Oren and Mike attended the Campus Lighting Walk. Areas of discussion included light fixtures that shine down and overlit areas that make areas seem darker and create shadows. They also discussed areas that may warrant more light, like near some crosswalks. Most of the folks on the walk were in agreement. Mike offered his personal view that he came to Middlebury to be in the country and disagreed with over-lighting areas. Another issue discussed was corridors of light. The Council intends to invite Frank Winkler to speak at a meeting.
6. Revisions to the Environmental Policy :
Reserved for the next meeting due to lack of time.
7. Other Business
A. The Environmental Affairs Listserve has been launched and is open to faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
B. On Wednesday, December 8, at 4 pm in Old Chapel 206 we will hold our closing meeting for the semester.
C. Dining will use china plates at the President's Holiday Party instead of plastic.
D. A meeting was held with Richard Watts of EVermont to discuss the future of electric vehicles at Middlebury.
8. The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Amy Seif on December 6, 1999.
