Next Steps

Progress towards environmental sustainability is made through a series of steps.  Here are some of the things that are in the early stages–things that are new, things that are being refined, and some that are being imagined.

• We have outfitted all of our soda machines with EnergyMiser motion detectors to power down the machines when no one is around. By turning them off, we save energy–but rest assured the system’s smart technology ensures the drinks are always cold.
• The environmental proctors are working with the Sustainability Director to explore our options for reducing paper consumption on campus. They are also hoping to increase the recycled content of the paper we do buy.
• We have installed solar panels on two of the golf carts used on campus and will monitor the energy harvested from the sun to recharge their batteries.
• Our IT services department has recently moved to Internet-based phone systems for the campus; among other benefits, there is significant energy savings expected.
• We challenged our chemistry department with respect to its inventory of chemicals with the simple question of “Does it make sense to keep this on the shelf?”  The result was a significant disposal event of chemicals that just didn’t make sense.
• We are extending our recycling to include some wastes that are not commonly captured in a school environment, including Styrofoam packaging, bubble wrap, and plastic shopping bags. Containers to collect these materials are currently available in every dormitory.
• We are aggressively working to drive our re-use and recycling sites to a higher level. Our Think 80/20 campaign challenges all community members to reduce our landfilled-waste to only 20% of our total. Ambitious? Yes, but surely a worthy goal.
• We are rolling out a re-vamped “No Vehicle Idling” campaign to remind our entire community–from staff and faculty to parents and students to vendors–to comply with this requirement.
• Following formal adoption of our commitment to sustainability, we have embarked on a year-long process of Sustainability Action Planning. We have conducted surveys and empaneled 8 committees of faculty, staff, and students to respond to “Key Questions” and to develop broad goals and specific recommended actions for our community. This is an ongoing effort during the 2012-13 school year and is being overseen by ESAC and both our Environmental Compliance Manager and our Sustainability Coordinator.