Environmental Council Minutes
February 26, 2002
Meeting with Acting President Ron Liebowitz
Le Chateau D 4:30 – 6:00
Present: Jon Isham, Helen Young, Lori DelNegro, Charlotte Tate, Charlie Sargent, Nan Jenks-Jay (Co-Chair), Connie Leach Bisson (Co-Chair), Kaitlin Gregg, Mandy Helwig, Ben Wessler, Katy Saunders, Tim McCahill, Dane Springmeyer, Andrea Hamre, Ben Brouwer, Caitlin Hicks, Oren Frey
Missing: Mike Moser, Stephen Switzer, Abiezer Miranda, Erika Holsman, Erin Jensen, Sarah Herrup, Valerie Benka
Guests: Ron Liebowitz, Diane Munroe, Doug Dagan
- Introductions of the Environmental Council and guests
- Announcements
Nan commended the group who represented Middlebury at the College Climate Response meeting at Lewis and Clark, indicating that she had received word from organizer Eban Goodstein that the Middlebury team was impressive and the College would be one of the leaders in establishing sound initiatives in lowering campus emissions.
Nan highlighted the College's success in recovering over 97% of the old Science Building in the deconstruction process. Typical demolition processes recover 25-30% of a building for recycling. Deconstruction is more labor intensive and selectively dismantles the components of the building, making them available for reuse and recycling. More information will be available on the web about the entire process in the near future.
- Nan introduced Ron Liebowitz, Acting President, and welcomed him to the EC meeting. She shared with the EC that it was Ron who created the position of Director of Environmental Affairs and commended Ron for the breadth and depth of understanding he provides in his leadership role at the college. Council members then provided a briefing of key initiatives being undertaken this year.
Carbon Neutral:
Jon Isham and Kaitlin Gregg presented information on behalf of the Carbon Neutral subcommittee. By fall, the EC plans to outline a strategy for substantially reducing emissions on campus. Key areas of this plan will include improving energy efficiency, incorporation of renewable energy, and supplementing campus initiatives with a carbon offsets portfolio (purchasing an efficient boiler for a school in the area, as an example).
Kaitlin summarized some of the steps Lewis & Clark had taken to reduce emissions including investment in a convenient shuttle system between campus and Portland, and improvements to energy efficiency. The student body had recently voted to increase their student activity fee by $10, with the money being dedicated to meeting Kyoto Protocol. The Trustees did not approve the student request for a fee increase, because of the "earmark" provision. However, they indicated that next year they would approve a $10 fee increase for unspecified purposes, and the students would be free to do with it what
they wished. (Since the EC meeting, we have learned that the students secured $17,000 from this year's student fees, managed by the Chartering and Budgeting Commission of the Associated Students of Lewis & Clark to bring the college into compliance with the Kyoto Protocol. The funds will be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7% below 1990 levels.)
Emissions Inventory
Doug Dagan, student research assistant working with Connie Bisson, conducting the college's emissions inventory, summarized emissions data and the importance of conducting the inventory. Doug used Excel graphs to show trends in energy use over the past ten years, and the main sources of carbon dioxide. The two most significant trends are that there has been almost a doubling of the CO2 emissions from 1990-2000 (an
increase of 94%), and the most significant contributors to these emissions are the colleges fossil fuel use, gasoline, diesel, heating oil, and propane. Due to CVPS's energy mix portfolio (significant dependency on nuclear and hydro), our electricity consumption is not as large a source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Doug also explained that the transportation data is incomplete and thus the data does not yet present the real impacts of the transportation component in producing greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy Audit
Mandy Helwig shared impressive results in studying lighting patterns in a campus residence hall. EC members and students from SGA's Facilities group audited the electricity use in Hepburn Hall. With the assistance of Mike Moser (Central Heating Plant Manager for Facilities Management and Env. Council member), students recorded light levels in hallways and tracked weekly meter readings. As a result of the audit, hallway lighting is now staggered 24 hours/day (every other overhead light is off), and unnecessary lighting in the stairways and adjacent to the elevators were permanently shut off. The hallway lighting will save 111,690 kw per year, a savings of $985. The stairway and elevator disconnects will save 475 kw/year and about $50. Environmental Council members plan to expand this audit to other residence halls.
Ron Liebowitz commended this research and extending similar work throughout the Commons.
Environmental Grants
Caitlin Hicks provided an overview of the environmental grant process, noting that 19 grant applications were received and 12 were awarded funding. Ron asked if there had been any kind of report analyzing the effectiveness of the grant program. Nan indicated that the Council would be performing an assessment at the end of this grant cycle. President McCardell has committed funds for an additional year. The EC feels that it is important to evaluate the program at the end of this cycle and make appropriate adjustments to the program before soliciting grants next year, or seeking other sources of funding. Ron also suggested providing Career Services with the grant information since many students use them to find grant funding.
Events
Tim McCahill and Oren Frey described the Environmental Fair held in the fall and preliminary plans for Earth Week. In recent years, the EC has intentionally reduced the number of events it sponsors to enable more time for undertaking projects such as the emissions inventory.
- Dialogue with Ron Liebowitz
Nan opened the dialogue by asking Ron to comment on how he has seen the role of the Environmental Council evolve and how it might best serve the College in the future. Ron responded that the college is transitioning from a highly centralized institution to one where there is much more decentralization, giving the example of BANNER that will ultimately enable much more decentralization of information, and the Commons system. Ron encouraged the EC to seek opportunities for spreading the environmental message more strongly throughout the campus, developing liaisons, for example, within each of the Commons. He also encouraged the Council to continue to provide guidance such as had been presented at the meeting on reducing fossil fuel dependency, providing financial savings through simple conservation measures, etc.
Nan and Ron announced that the College gave permission to fund raise for the Environmental Center, sustainably renovating Farrell House and 23 Adirondack View structures linking them with a new facility that will highlight green design and have program space for the weekly Colloquium and ES 401 classes. Sally Holland, Vice President for College Advancement, has embraced this project and along with her staff will assist in raising the necessary funding. Ron encouraged the Council to invite Sally to an Environmental Council meeting.
In closing, Ron asked that he be invited to another meeting so that there would be more time to continue the dialogue. The EC looks forward to this meeting, later in the spring.
- Next Meeting
The next EC meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 12 at 4:30 in Le Chateau D. All subsequent meetings during spring term will begin at 4:30 unless otherwise noted.