Environmental Council Meeting with President Liebowitz
Monday, January 17, 2005
Old Chapel 401
Attending: President Liebowitz, Nan Jenks-Jay (Chair), Connie Leach Bisson (Vice Chair), Steve Trombulak, Jeff Munroe, Charlotte Tate, Diane Munroe, Brenda Ellis, Clare O'Reilly, Kelly Blynn, Sara Dewey, David Wright, Louis Paolella, Makely Lyon, Sharai Lewis-Gruss
Missing: Anne Knowles, Dalal Al-Abdulazzak (away J-term), Whitney Creed, John Reed
- Introductions and Environmental Welcome
After each Environmental Council member introduced himself or herself to President Liebowitz, several students presented gifts on behalf of the Environmental Council. These tools, to assist the President in continuing his environmental mindfulness, included a reusable CUPPS mug (and one for Jessica), a CFL bulb for a desk lamp, personalized notepads printed by Reprographics of 100% post-consumer recycled content paper, a canvas tote bag, and a year of Cow Power electricity from CVPS for the President's House. President Liebowitz also received a certificate noting that the carbon emissions generated as a result of the meeting (heat, electricity, travel) were being offset through a donation to Native Energy based in Charlotte, VT who would be investing the funds in a wind farm of a Sioux tribe in South Dakota. Several students also shared a few gently used items they had acquired at the college's reuse trailer including a book authored by President Liebowitz, a glass flower vase, and an environmental text book with a book mark in the section on global warming. President Liebowitz was pleased with this set of memorable gifts, noting that some would likely receive more use than others.
- Overview of Environmental Council
Pedestrian Campus—Steve Trombulak stated that this subcommittee's work is following an outline developed during a meeting with Treasurer Bob Huth. Their three tracks include defining the term "pedestrian campus" so that everyone is referencing the same concept, crafting a storyboard of components that might comprise the pedestrian campus, and focusing specifically on the bicycle transportation component. He shared that both he and Clare are on both the EC pedestrian campus subcommittee and the task force that includes the pedestrian campus so the two efforts will support one another. Ron asked for an update on programs that have already been engaged such as Yellow Bikes. After hearing that the inventory has been depleted to about fifteen, Ron asked if we had a sense of how many bikes would be optimal. More research on this program is needed.
Purchasing -- Olivia shared that their subcommittee were focusing first on cleaning products and had met with Linda Ross and Matthew Biette. They are working with the current supplier for Facilities Management to better understand the existing system, changes that have been made, and possible improvements that could be considered. They are also exploring the possibility of healthier food in the vending machines, biodegradable soap products and a comparison of new paper towels to electric hand dryers. Next semester they may address sustainable seafood and members of the EC are assisting with a paper reduction subcommittee of the Community Council.
Environmental Grants program – Charlotte Tate summarized the Campus Environmental Grants program noting that in the past five years, over 45 grants have been awarded ranging from $50-$10,000. Rather than describing the grants, she highlighted some of the benefits of the program in hopes of making a case for institutionalizing this program. The environment represents a rapidly changing field and the grants program provides an incentive mechanism encouraging entrepreneurial thinking, environmental innovation and leadership across campus. It provides an incubator for formulating and testing new ideas, both small and large and supports pragmatic proposals to improve the campus and the freedom to try something new.
During an assessment of the grants program, the Environmental Council has realized some unanticipated benefits including meaningful collaboration between groups of students, staff and faculty – that have led to ongoing partnerships beyond the grant.
Applicants have gained real world experience in grant writing, grant review, and grant implementation and management. Applicants learn to make clear and convincing cases for campus sustainability. There is an increased sense of institutional pride. In particular, we have seen that a substantial work is accomplished in a short amount of time with relatively small amounts of money. In some instances, the seed money is able to transform an initiative that had already been launched into a more successful project. Charlotte concluded by repeating the EC's interest in exploring with President Liebowitz ways to institutionalize the environmental grants program.
President Liebowitz responded that the Environmental grants program is a big interest of his. Sources of funding for the program were outlined beginning with a small amount of funds from Environmental Affairs, followed by three years of discretionary funds from President McCardell. Two years ago several Commons invested in the program along with Environmental Affairs, and this year it was support again by Environmental Affairs. Ron asked that the Environmental Council provide him with a description of the grant program and grant results.
CornwallPath – In Anne Knowles's absence, Steve Trombulak provided a brief update on the Cornwall Path. The goal is to develop a safer recreational opportunity. While most of the focus has been on the Route 125 corridor, the group is linking in to a whole network of recreational paths including the Trail Around Middlebury. There are still many design elements to define including use level – foot traffic and bikes? All season? The college is embedded in a rural landscape and the intensity of jogging on a high traffic narrow road is a significant safety issue. Could it have a commuter use? Missy Foote is very interested in it from Athletics. Members of the broader community have been participating in this subcommittee and some of Anne's students have been doing GIS mapping work. Current funds (through President McCardell) have enabled the hiring of Gary Fern from Phelps Engineering to design and cost out several options. The low end might be in the $30,000 range but depending on the surface and purpose, the cost could be significantly higher. Luther Tenney is also active on this committee which is very useful given the technical stage. Ron noted that most roads leading to campus are accidents waiting to happen. He asked about a time table and the subcommittee will need to provide this information to Ron. Cost estimates for the routes should be available by the end of May.
Lands Committee – Nan suggested that the time may be appropriate to re-engage this committee in a lands policy discussion with the Administration. Through Tom Corbin's office a student has been hired to continue to update a GIS database of college lands – that will assist in understanding what we have, which to retain and why.
Nan noted that it is important to have a process for holding land in a sustainable, thoughtful way even if only on an interim basis. Ron asked if Dave Ginevan provided an update from the Trustee's subcommittee that investigated college land holdings last year. Nan indicated that Dave had not been available but that Tom Corbin had provided an interpretation. Ron felt that the Trustees were motivated to assess the land that had accumulated partially for strategic reasons and by gift. Given where we are now, some of this land may no longer be strategic and it may make sense to reassess how best to use this land. It has been impressive to see all the data in one place. Ron suggested that it might be a good time to merge the work of the two committees.
- President's Environmental Vision
President Liebowitz began by stating that he is doing a lot of listening. He noted how far the college's environmental program had come, Steve Trombulak's role in invigorating the Environmental Studies program. He shared that while the environmental ethos may be natural to the college, it had not been honed in and that it was the excellence in the academic program that allowed its true emergence. This led to the creation of environmental affairs and the wisdom of Steve, John Elder and Chris Klyza to bring Nan to Middlebury that resulted in a campus-wide environmental gestalt. He noted his appreciation of Nan's work as Director of Environmental Affairs. Ron shared his sense that the external world sees this about Middlebury, using comments received by a group visiting campus in recent years on behalf of the Mellon Foundation as an example. Their comments included recognition of the presence of an environmental ethos consistently present among the faculty, staff and students.
President Liebowitz does not see the vision as coming from the top down. It is his job to set the openness for vision but it should come from within the institution.
He indicated that he was interested in reinstating the grant program. He also hoped to establish a regular time to meet with the Environmental Council.
President Liebowitz brought up the carbon reduction initiative and indicated that Bob Huth is excited about the biomass analysis. He noted that Mike Moser and Tom McGinn are preparing a memo to for the Trustees. Nan shared that the carbon reduction focus began within the Environmental Council and then expanded to its own ad hoc committee for two years, with the group presenting a carbon reduction resolution to the Trustees that they endorsed last May. Nan noted that the initiative has since been in hiding – work has been occurring but it has not been visible. This lack of transparency and communication has been difficult for people who had been actively "on the team" for several years. President Liebowitz said that he was aware that a Powerpoint presentation had been prepared though he did not know its intended audience. Clare added her hope that students would be included in any updates. A large group of students have been meeting in January, hoping to push carbon reduction initiatives forward. Several students not on the Environmental Council had hoped to attend this meeting. (Nan explained that she had restricted attendance to Environmental Council members today.) President Liebowitz said he was not sure why there was a log jam in communication and would encourage this to be corrected.
Steve felt that Ron had downplayed the role of the Administration in Middlebury's environmental success. "You don't achieve the kind of success that Middlebury has with a passive Administration." He is very grateful of the partnership that is at play in creating and expanding this ethos. Steve then asked what role the Environmental Council might provide as it exists to serve the President's office.
Ron stated that he did not have his arms around the environmental agenda. Though he has been part of the institution for a long time, there is a different vantage point at different levels of the Administration and he is now at 30,000 feet. This meeting has been useful and helpful and he would like to be able to ask questions of the Environmental Council. His hope is that he and the EC will be more interactive in the future.
There was a short discussion about the planning process, and his hope that it will allow many good things, including prioritization. He did state that if an important issue came up outside of this process, it would not supercede the work of an existing body or Council.
Olivia shared that she wished more students were aware of what the College has already done as she is very proud of what has been accomplished. Ron noted that we still have much work to do on both our internal and external communication.
In concluding the meeting, President Liebowitz reiterated that he would like to receive a summary of the environmental grants program – what it has done, how much has been awarded, what have been the results. He would like to establish a regular meeting time with the EC. Ron will follow up with Bob on communication about carbon reduction.
Thinking ahead to next week, Nan suggested that it would be great if Ron would say something substantive about Middlebury's environmental ethos rather than just "welcome" at the opening of the "What Works" conference. When interacting with alumni, prospective donors, foundations, it is important how the President reflects on the environment in both internal and external communication.