Environmental Council
Minutes of October 13, 2005
Old Chapel 401 4:30-5:40
Attending: Nan Jenks-Jay (Chair), Jay Leshinsky ( Temporary Vice Chair), Glenn Andres, Don Mitchell, Matt Landis, Diane Munroe, Charlotte Tate, Alexandra Coleman, Austin Levihn-Coon, Aaron Tucker, Caitlin Matthews, Marie Horbar, Katie Flagg, Moriah Helms, Nick Dickerson, Jon Warnow.
Not present: Drew Macan, Brenda Ellis.
The meeting began at 4:35.
Announcements
Nan announced that President Liebowitz allocated $25,000 for the Environmental Grant program. Glenn announced a series of lectures entitled Architecture &... "Remaking the Way We Make Things". The first lecture is "Building Momentum: Green Design Comes of Age on October 26th at 7 PM. Nan announced that our Central Heating Plant co-generation system (Combined Heat and Power Plant) has won a 2005 Energy Star Award. This award is presented on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
Cornwall Path
Nan welcomed guests Anne Knowles, Tom Corbin, Tom McGinn and Luther Tenny. Anne is chair of the Cornwall Path subcommittee and presented a history of the project including a summary of the spring 2005 findings of the subcommittee. Their recommendation was to build a path along Route 125 staying off road through College property to James Road. Also MALT was given a right-of-way through the Rockefeller property which would allow the path to continue to Lemmon Fair Road. The Athletic Department also gave its support to this project. Anne reported the Town of Cornwall did a study of possible town path along Route 30 or Route 125. The engineer's report from that study is to be released on October 14, 2005. Anne asked for a summary of the College's position on the path. Nan passed around a letter of June 23rd, 2005 from Bob Huth, Executive Vice President and Treasure of the College which stated his preference to participate in a widening of Route 125 based upon the model of the Route 23 widening in 2000. Tom Corbin added that the College had concerns about safety and maintenance of an off road path. There are also issues of the path going through wetland and farmlands. There was a discussion of availability of State funding for widening Route 125. Anne said that DOT told the subcommittee that there wasn't money for widening Route 125 in the near future. Tom McGinn stated that there was a fund at the DOT for local initiatives and that it needed to be pursued through the Addison County Regional Planning Commission. Nan suggested that when Susan Personette's planning process is completed that path can be included as a formal part of the College planning process.
Glenn suggested that this project can be an opportunity for collaboration among the College, Cornwall and the State of Vermont rather than solely a College project. Tom McGinn said that the College's goal was to make Route 125 safer and if the DOT got involved that could even include leveling the two hummocks on Route 125. Nan suggested that Tom Corbin, Tom McGinn, Luther Tenny and Anne Knowles study the Cornwall report and after evaluating it send an electronic update to the Environmental Council. The Council can use the findings to craft a letter of support for the next phase of the project.
Other Items
Tom McGinn mentioned that a proposal for a hydro-generation of electricity at Lake Pleiad for the Snow Bowl might be a good demonstration project, but was not economically feasible. Tom also reported that the Trustees endorsed Facilities' Biomass boiler presentation and the project will move ahead. Caitlin Matthews reported that the Sunday Night student group was trying to establish a 2 Degrees Program that would lower thermostats in certain dorms around campus. Jon Warnow wanted to know if anyone knew why previous efforts to reduce set points have failed. Tom offered that it could be related to different set points in different buildings. He offered data from Facilities that could help with the 2 degrees project. Charlotte Tate suggested that energy saving hints (like closing windows) could be more effective if groups other than the E.C. also communicated them around campus.
Tom also mentioned the proposed Brainerd Commons "pool party" which had many positive attributes, but one troubling energy use aspect. The pool temperature was to be raised 6 degrees for the pool party. It will take about 400 gallons of oil to raise the temperature of the 275,000 gallons of water in the pool by 6 degrees for that one evening. It will take a week to accomplish this, and another week for it to cool down to standard temp. As a benchmark, the average house has a 275-gallon oil tank, and one fill-up will heat an average house for about a month. Discussion ensured about the best way to turn this into a "teachable moment". Nan asked if the Council would like to take a position on this issue. Is there a precedent for the Environmental Council to take a stand on specific issues? In the recent past the Council did take a position about printer use in dorms. Diane recommended that two students serving on the Environmental Council, who are from Brainerd Commons agreed to talk to their Commons about the environmental concerns about this activity Nan will write a letter to Susan Personette about the E.C. position on this issue.
Jay reviewed the process for discussing and choosing the Council's "areas of interest for the upcoming year. Since little time was left in the meeting Jay will share people's ideas by e-mail so they can be reviewed before the next meeting.
Nan recounted that the 10 year report made 46 recommendations, most of which have been accomplished. With the College's strategic planning task force reports due soon this could be a time for the Council to work as efficiently as possible without many subcommittee meetings and pursue initiatives that can be accomplished this year.
The meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.