Environmental Council Meeting
Minutes from January 12, 2005
Attending: Nan Jenks-Jay (Chair), Connie Leach Bisson (Vice Chair), Steve Trombulak, Anne Knowles, Jeff Munroe, Diane Munroe, Charlotte Tate, Sara Dewey, Kelly Blynn, David Wright, Clare O'Reilly, Makely Lyon, Olivia Katz
Missing: Brenda Ellis, Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak (away in January), Whitney Creed, Sharai Lewis-Gruss, Louis Paolella, John Reed
1. Minutes ofDecember 8, 2004 approved as submitted
2. Announcements
*What Works Conference – January 26-27 as part of the Social Movements/Climate Change J-term class. Conference will take place at Middlebury with over forty climate leaders from around the country attending.
Eban Goodstein keynote "Global Warming & the Meaning of Life" BIH 216 on Thursday, January 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Food Roundtable January 19 at 4:30 in RAJones featuring a discussion by faculty and instructors offering food related courses during January
Screening of Natural Connections followed by discussion with producer Michael Rosen. McCardell BIH 220 at 4:30
Energy Team meeting January 18 at 7 p.m. in Ross 011
Bus Shuttle for end of J Term. Clare looking for volunteers to help sell tickets
Cornwall Path meeting January 13 at 4; and January 27th
3. College Planning Process
Nan described the College's planning process that will include about a dozen task forces. Peter Broucke is Chairing a task force focusing on Facilities and Environmental Initiatives. It is likely that this task force will explore numerous priority areas or the Environmental Council including Pedestrian Campus, Cornwall Path, Lands and Carbon Reduction. Claire, Steve and Nan are on this task force and the pedestrian campus subgroup, with Steve spearheading this component.
Alison Byerly has described the process as an opportunity to think about what we want the campus to look like in 2012. Susan Campbell has noted that it will allow the college to come up with priorities.
During discussion, it was noted the EC's Lands subcommittee should provide language to the Task Force of how the College should address College lands.
What would make a lands policy a college priority?
Does the Environmental Council need to be thinking about environmental issues that will be coming before Facilities, Ped Campus & Environmental Initiatives. Charlotte also suggested bringing to the task force's attention the College's Environmental Policy. Charlotte is on the Planning Steering Committee. Nan asked Charlotte to scan the other task forces to see where else the Environmental Council might contribute.
Steve suggested that he EC meet with at least Peter's task force. Steve also suggested that each EC member participate in the visioning process by listing five things that you would like the campus to look like in 2012. These should be submitted to Connie by early February.
What are the Task Forces for?
Charlotte explained that the college has been involved in about twelve years of adding infrastructure to the campus, forecasting a budget for a decade or so about twelve years ago. This process is intended to enable a six year strategic planning process that will explore student body, faculty, staff, town relations, alumni relations, curriculum, personnel, and physical infrastructure.
"We can do anything but we can't do everything" - Ron Liebowitz
This process will assist in setting the new president's agenda. Then the Trustees will be asked to endorse the agenda for the next six years and engage in a fundraising process for implementing this plan.
4. Preparation for meeting with President Liebowitz
Meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 17 at 4:00 in Old Chapel 401.
Nan outlined the agenda as potentially inclucing a description of EC's work for the year, a discussion with Ron about his environmental agenda, and then possibly requesting something from the President or alerting him to the possibility of such a request in the future.
There was some discussion of seeking support for institutionalizing the Environmental Grants program. Nan also mentioned an idea suggested before by Connie that there be some percentage of funds set aside for funding the institution's infrastructure shift to clean energy. The model for this exists with the Committee for Art in Public Places where 1% of new facility construction is dedicated to creating art in public places on campus. Several other potential funding sources were suggested including the avoided cost of a parking space at a value of approximately $5000; or targeting credit card revenue for cards provided to faculty/staff.
Charlotte suggested that it would be important to confirm that the Administration endorses the environment. Anne noted that the faculty are uncomfortable with "Peaks". How does this institution talk about environment beyond the Peak. How deeply embedded is it in the institution? It is important to replenish its role on a regular basis.
Connie shared a few ideas she had to make the meeting memorable. She suggested that we provide his and her CUPPS mugs, personalized recycled content notepads, a canvas tote bag, CFL bulb, and possibly team up with the Treasurer's office to purchase Cow Power from CVPS for the President's House for one year. Diane suggested making the meeting carbon neutral by purchasing an off-set from Native Energy. Connie also invited students to visit the reuse trailer at the Recycling Center to see if there might be a few other memorable gifts there for President Liebowitz.
5. Dish Recovery
Clare provided an update, announcing that the Dish Recovery program would be disbanded at the end of January. There will be a re-education campaign on why the program is ending and encouraging the use of reusable CUPPs and nalgenes. Dining will be hiring students to monitor at dining hall entrances. Dishes will be able to be signed out for those attending meeting in the building (example LaForce 121) or for eating outside during warm weather. CRAs will inform RAs based on talking points provided by Clare.
Someone asked if affordable reusable mugs would be available in the bookstore. Connie will follow up as the supply from Dining's last order several years ago is almost completely depleted. Olivia asked if disposables are really bad or from a renewable resource. What about Tupperware? There was some dialogue about the difficulty of capturing takeout containers for composting or recycling. Tupperware containers increase the risk of improper storage of food and detract from the residential dining experience. Dining makes bag lunches available for those times when schedules are too tight to eat in the dining hall.
Clare and Connie requested the use of up to $300 from the remaining Environmental Grant funds to hire some students to oversee a creative re-education campaign. The Environmental Council endorsed this request.
Reminder:
Send Connie a list of five environmentally-related things (initiatives) you would like to be in place on this campus by 2012.