Environmental Council
Minutes of September 27, 2004
Old Chapel 401 4:30-5:50
Attending: Nan Jenks-Jay (Chair), Connie Leach Bisson (Vice Chair), Anne Knowles, Jeff Munroe, Steve Trombulak, Brenda Ellis, Lance Leduc, Diane Munroe, Charlotte Tate, Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak '07, Whitney Creed '06, Olivia Katz '07, Sharai Lewis-Gruss '07, Makely Lyon '07, Louis Paolella '07, David Wright '05, Kelly Blynn '07, Sara Dewey '07, Clare O'Reilly '05
Missing: John Reed '07
The meeting began at 4:35.
- Welcome
Nan welcomed the Environmental Council and asked that everyone introduce him or herself.
- History
Nan provided a brief history of the Environmental Council which began in the 1970's as an Energy Council chaired by the Vice President of Administration and Treasurer Dave Ginevan. Through significant efforts in efficiency and conservation and infrastructure investment including co-generation at the central heating plant, dramatic energy savings were achieved and the Energy Council was discontinued. In the early 1990's, the Council was re-constituted with a broader charge and renamed the Environmental Council. Previous Chairs included Stephen Rockefeller and John Elder. President McCardell in 1994 named the Environment as a Peak of Excellence, merging academics, learning beyond the classroom, and campus operations. The McCardell administration developed and responded to the Environmental Peak strategic planning document.
The Environmental Council is a standing committee of the College and reports directly to the President. It may recommend policy to go to the President or the President's Executive Council. Policy examples that have started within the Env. Council include the Guiding Principles (for Sustainable Design and Construction) that then became the responsibility of a broader committee; and the Carbon Reduction Initiative, which also spun off to its own Working Group. They were successful last spring in recommending a carbon reduction resolution that was adopted by the Trustees in May 2004. Over the last couple of years, the Environmental Council has been working more closely with the Student Government Association (SGA). The SGA Director of Environmental Affairs is an ex officio member of the Environmental Council, this year held by Clare O'Reilly. Nan expressed the value of students' contributions and encouraged the student members to actively participate at each meeting.
Key documents that provide grounding for and from the Environmental Council include:
"Pathways to a Green Campus," an initial report of the Environmental Council
State of the Environment (1995-1997)
Nan also mentioned that a White Paper on the Environmental Peak produced in September 2003 is another document highlighting the contributions of the Environmental Council and Connie noted another framing resource for recent years has been the Environmental Peak Report and Recommendations 2001: A Vision for the Future.
Connie provided an introduction to the Environmental Council mission and the Environmental Policy, both updated by the Environmental Council in 2002. Hard copies of the Environmental Policy were distributed and Connie encouraged members to return to the policy as they wrestle with environmental initiatives throughout the year. Both are available in the college handbook (electronically on the web) and also on the Environmental Affairs webpage.
Environmental Council mission
Environmental Policy
- Highlights of Environmental Council 2003-04
Charlotte Tate, a staff member of the Environmental Council since 2000-01 provided a summary of work undertaken by the EC in 03-04. There were four subcommittees including: Environmental Assessment, Land Use, Paper Reduction, and Environmental Grants. A fifth subcommittee on the Earth Charter was discontinued based on limited support from the administration to pursue adoption of the Charter in its entirety at this time.
Asubgroup of the EC met with President McCardell in mid-October, briefing him on the goals of the Environmental Council for the year, suggesting areas where requests for new policies or changes to existing policy might be brought forward, and requesting insight on his environmental priorities. President McCardell mentioned the Trustee's request for presentation on college land holdings, noting that the GIS work by the Land Use subcommittee would be useful. Other projects of interest to President McCardell were biodiesel and its potential use in heating some campus buildings, Middlebury College Organic Garden, dining hall dish recovery (he commended students for their innovative display over Family Weekend, and the Cornwall Path (noting that he was including the project on the list of those that should be funded from Reserves).
Discussion with SGA President Sam Rodriguez regarding SGA's proposal to install network printers in all residential buildings on campus. The project was later discontinued.
An Environmental Fair was held in conjunction with Thanksgiving dinner featuring local foods. It was held in the foyer to Ross Dining featuring student environmental organizations and local growers invited as guests.
The Environmental Council awarded 7 environmental grantsin the spring; five of which were completed and two received extensions to be completed in the fall. Three Commons contributed a total of $550 in support of the campus grants program and Environmental Affairs dedicate $2000. Completed grants included:
Children's Garden
Digital camera for The Campus
Fair Trade Coffee campaign
College Lands Photos
Socially Responsible Investing
In process grants
Wind Turbine proposal
Middlebury College Organic Garden educational display
Environmental Council reviewed dish removal problem and received several presentations and updates from Ian Ausprey, SGA Director of Environmental Affairs on the Dish Recovery project that was implemented in spring 2004. Ian developed a cost benefit assessment of the dish recovery assessment to share with Dining.
The Environmental Assessment subcommittee conducted an environmental awareness survey in the dining halls, and received about 180 completed surveys. They also produced an outline for the environmental assessment. A student was hired to work with Connie over the summer on data collection. The Environmental AssessmentCommittee will work with Connie and Tyler this fall on data analysis, presentation, setting future priorities for full EC review, and celebrating successes.
Paper Reduction developed a draft paper quota policy, tracked paper use & waste in computer labs for a week, and ran an educational campaign including posting an ad in The Campus and Also, and posting signage at computer lab printers about the impact of wasted paper.
Land Use committee – work focused on a GIS mapping initiative in Anne Knowles' class, using data from the Assistant Treasurer's office and guidance from Facilities Planning. Anne noted that the prototype developed proved so useful that the Assistant Treasurer's office hired three students over the summer to continue working with the GIS mapping process.
Nan also provided an update that the Cornwall Path received up to $10,000 in support from a combination of funds from President McCardell and Environmental Affairs at the close of FY '03– enough funds to get a path designed. The cost of constructing the path could run as high as $500,000.
Nan also explained that at the beginning of each meeting there will be time for announcements of events that are parallel to the work of the EC including conferences and workshops. She indicated that the EC could help support the cost of attending these events. Nan also shared her expectation that members will be ambassadors of what the Environmental Council is doing – having their ears to the ground of things we should or might address – and bring these back to the Council. "With the human capital in this room we have an extensive reach, richness, representation and diversity."
- Presidential Event Brainstorming
Nan briefed members on the discussion held in March with last year's Environmental Council about how the Council would connect with the new President. At the time, no candidate had been named. Some of the brainstorming centered on a creative hook such as a sunset dinner at the organic garden, a hike on college lands – something that would be memorable and distinct. Hearing this description, Clare noted that Jessica Liebowitz is interested in having the President's house a more public venue. This led to discussion of other possible venues including places with a view of the campus such as McCardell Bicentennial Hall roof, Mead Chapel. Charlotte suggested that he bring his chore boots and meet with us at the Recycling Center or compost facility. Sharai noted that New York Pizza from their shared neighborhood would be a hit; dinner at Weybridge was also suggested. Steve cautioned that the place could lead to priority inferences and give an unintended message. He also noted that Ron is meeting with every department and encouraged everyone to take advantage of this by bringing the environment into these discussions. Nan asked people to send other ideas to her or Connie.
- Subcommittee Priorities
Carbon Reduction – Nan explained that Carbon Reduction started outside the EC, became a subcommittee and then spun back out to a broader constituency with the formation of the Carbon Reduction Initiative Working Group. In May, the Trustees endorsed a carbon reduction resolution. Currently, several ideas are on the table for how the implementation phase will be managed—Should oversight be managed by the Environmental Council or an ad hoc committee? Will the strategies be assigned as individual or team projects? Should a post-grad position be created to oversee the initial years of implementation?
Lands Policy – in 2002-03, the Land Use subcommittee drafted a Land Stewardship policy but most of this committee's work was put on hold last year due to the changes within the administration. The emphasis is on how the College treats all the lands we own (leased, managed, educational, research, forest, farm, gift, etc.) The land is often maintained for different purposes, sometimes with multiple and conflicting roles. This subcommittee work rose out of an ES401 project looking at lands used for educational purposes. In EC's meeting with President McCardell last year he indicated that the Trustees also want a handle on the College's land portfolio, what we buy and sell and why, what the costs are and future potential. Environmental Council is interested in ensuring that the College is a good steward of the lands in our portfolio.
Cornwall Path (this could be a sub committee of the lands committee or stand alone) – As mentioned earlier in the meeting, funding has been secured to plan and design the path . The Path received a small amount from a Campus Environmental Grant to create a rudimentary GIS map. Need to continue to get key players involved such as Athletics, Facilities Management, Facilities Planning, Treasurer's Office and the community. A path that could meet many goals will be planned this year and hopefully will be installed in the not too distant future, Anne will be on sabbatical next year.
Environmental Assessment -- The Environmental Council will preview Environmental Assessment data at the October 11th meeting. The data will be provided in a powerpoint presentation and is not yet in report format. A subcommittee will work with Connie and Tyler Williams '06 (research assistant) to recommend strategies for presenting the data campus-wide and external to the college. The subcommittee will also expand data and recommendation sections of the assessment.
Purchasing – Middlebury College is a major purchaser of goods and services. An environmentally preferable or sustainable purchasing policy does not exist though the college has made significant advances in specifying certified and local building materials, and purchases copier paper with a 30% minimum recycled content. This subcommittee would potentially seek support from the Purchasing Office and used data from the environmental assessment to set an agenda for the year.
Pedestrian Campus - President Liebowitz has identified the pedestrian campus as one of his early priorities. A subcommittee interested in working on components of this might inquire during EC's meeting with President Liebowitz about areas he is interested in focusing on. Recommending a plan for institutionalizing the community bikes (Yellow Bikes), drafting policy or, suggesting an incentive program for commuters, and reviewing student vehicle registration policy are a few of the directions this subcommittee could head in addition to many other possibilities depending on discussions with the President.
Nan indicated that EC members would receive a short description of each subcommittee identified and they should then send their first and second choice preferences to Connie.
[Note: The above subcommittee descriptions were enhanced by Connie and Nan subsequent to the Environmental Council meeting to avoid the meeting running over time. Therefore, section 5 provides more information than was covered during the meeting to assist EC members in selecting a first and second preference.]
The meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.