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Environmental plan

Action Plan to Implement the Recommendations of the Environmental Task Force

President's Cabinet

Sept. 1, 2007

The President's Cabinet applauds the excellent work of the Environmental Impact Task Force. The work done by the task force is extremely helpful in developing a college-wide plan to reduce the environmental impact of Augustana College. The Cabinet submits this plan to the campus community for its comments, which it requests by September 15, 2007. Final revisions will be made to the plan and it will be submitted to the board on October 5, 2007.

Authentically Augustana: A Plan for a Premier Liberal Arts College, unanimously adopted by the Board of Trustees in January of 2005, recognized the importance of creating a smaller environment footprint, particularly by strengthening our energy conservation plans and developing strategies for greater use of recycling. Likewise, the Five Faith Commitments of Augustana College recognize the importance of responsible stewardship of resources. We also agree with the statement of the Environmental Impact Task Force that colleges have an ethical obligation, fiduciary obligation and academic integrity obligation to be mindful of our relationship with the larger natural community that sustains us.

The Cabinet believes that effective environmental plans at colleges and universities have three indispensable components:

• A commitment to adopt sound practices and practices and use sensible technologies that will enable us to reduce our environmental footprint.
• A commitment by each and every member of the Augustana community to consume less. This commitment extends to consuming less energy and reducing unnecessary consumption of paper, plastic, etc.
• A commitment to provide each and every student with an educational programthat includes an appreciation of environmental sustainability issues. This commitment should extend to creating or enhancing programs to help students who wish to have careers in environmental sustainability.

The Cabinet, therefore, recommends that the Augustana community work to lighten its environmental footprint. We recommend that the following practices and initiatives be implemented:

1. Establish a permanent Campus Sustainability Committee. The committee should be composed of term representatives from the faculty, staff, and student body, with permanent representation from Food Services, Facilities Services, and Residential Life. This committee will be the campus-wide advisory group on environmental issues, performing most, if not all, of the following tasks:

Timetable: Prior to December 2007

Responsible Party: President's Office, working with the Nominations and Rules Committee

2. Hire a Capital Projects and Environmental Practices Coordinator. The person filling this new position will have the responsibility of interfacing with the campus community to evaluate and recommend environmental initiatives and help coordinate the implementation of these initiatives. The Coordinator will work with the Sustainability Committee to provide recommendations for future development and expansion of the college grounds and of future construction projects. Because of the importance of new construction and renovation of existing buildings on campus, this position will also have responsibility for coordinating capital projects. The position will initially be a part-time position, but will be evaluated in two years to determine whether a part-time position is sufficient.

Timetable: As soon as possible, but prior to December 2007

Responsible Party: Vice President of Business and Finance

3. Consider, if curricular changes so justify, hiring a new faculty member with substantial expertise in sustainability issues to teach in the environment studies area. Should the Faculty decide to enhance substantially the environmental studies program at the college, additional faculty resources may be needed to sustain an expanded program. In this case, a top priority of the dean's office would be to staff the expanded program with a new faculty member. The faculty member could receive release time to monitor campus environmental programs, secure outside funding to help finance campus programs, and educate the campus and local community via the internet, seminars, convocations and other community events.

Timetable: Depends on the faculty discussion. We hope the discussion will take place and conclude during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Responsible Party. The Dean and the Faculty

4. Assess the level of energy consumption (particularly from nonrenewable sources) and seek to meaningfully reduce energy consumption for campus buildings and annually report the results to the community. During the 2007-2008 school years, the college, through its Campus Sustainability Committee, should engage in an assessment of establishing 3, 5 and 10 year targets for reduction in energy consumption. In establishing these targets, the Committee should assess:

• The willingness of students and faculty, staff to accept energy conservation measures, even if those measures mean a change in daily life.
• The willingness of students to accept larger tuition increases for energy conservation measures that have a lengthier payback period.
• Realistic constraints on financing capital projects, as set forth by the college's deferred maintenance reduction plans and capital improvement plans.

Working with the President's Office, the Office of Institutional Research and the Student Government Association, the Committee should conduct a survey of students and staff to assess the willingness of each to make the changes that might be necessary to achieve these goals.

The Committee should also assess the feasibility of annually reporting average miles per gallon of the college's vehicle fleet; the amount of glass, paper, aluminum, etc. used and recycled; percentage of all paper purchased with recycled content; total water use; and total volume of waste sent to landfills. The Committee should also assess reducing the amount of fertilizer and pesticides used on campus, acknowledging that some use of fertilizers and pesticides will continue to be desirable.

Timetable: Complete assessment by May 2008

Responsible Party. Campus Sustainability Committee, Office of Institutional Research and Coordinator of Environmental Practices

• Implement the following actions to decrease the environmental footprint of the college:
• The College will utilize the LEEDS standards as a guideline for new buildings and major renovations, and will strive at all times for a minimum standard of "silver" as currently defined by LEEDS. However, the addition of any LEEDS standards in excess of "silver" will be based upon the determination that such investment will have a maximum 8-year pay-back, and not on the merits of simple achieving a higher LEEDS standard. Exceptions to this pay-back may be made if other benefits are derived, such as an improvement that provides a unique educational opportunity. Furthermore, utilizing the LEEDS standards does not imply that such projects will actually be presented for LEEDS certification as it can costs $40k to $100k to actually meet the certification requirements.
• The College will consult with, where appropriate, the City of Rock Island's Sustainable Design Advisory Team, when planning for new buildings or remodeling buildings.

Continue the policy of purchasing compact fluorescent or similar energy-saving light fixtures and low consumption plumbing in all such projects.

Make building renovation projects greener by using low VOC paint, carpet and wall coverings.

In addressing deferred and other maintenance schedules, to give priority to projects which decrease energy use (e.g., replacement of drafty windows with treated panes/less porous frames).

Evaluate the feasibility of establishing large-scale food/landscape waste composting with goal of creating a usable fertilizer in conjunction with the City of Rock Island and its Advanced Technology & Sustainability Consortium (ATSC).

Purchase Energy Star rated products, or the equivalent, for all applications for which they are available and for which there are reasonable payback periods.

Set a long term goal of replacing Augustana's vehicle fleet with hybrid, alternative fuel vehicles or energy efficient vehicles. Evaluate as an immediate demonstration project, converting an existing diesel vehicle to run entirely on used cooking oil from Augustana Food Services.

Investigate purchasing or generating power from renewable resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal, where budgets permit.

• Timetable: As funds and human resources permit, with the expectation that most of these initiatives will receive "fast-track" consideration. A status report is expected by July 1, 2008 .
• Responsible Party: Vice President of Business and Finance and Environmental Practices Coordinator. Construction practices, construction contracts and specific pay-back guidelines are subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.
• 6. Study, and implement where appropriate, the following administrative actions and policies:

Accelerate move toward incorporation of greater post-consumer recycled paper products in all campus operations.

Continue to work with the City of Rock Island to support integrated development.

Provide a discount for people who use personally owned refillable cups and mugs for beverages in all food service venues.

Reduce wherever possible reliance on gasoline-powered engines in Facilities Services (e.g., mowers, leaf blowers and snow throwers). Institute a "no idle" policy for fleet vehicles.

Remove refrigerated vending machines wherever two are present; ensure all machines in "nine-month" buildings are shut down during all breaks in the academic calendar.

Add more bicycle racks on campus in an effort to encourage riding rather than driving. Create disincentives from driving from one end of the campus to the other, by promoting the virtues of walking or bike riding.

Continue the College's award winning recycling programs.

Implement recommendations of the Landscape Task Force -- especially regarding the abatement of sites at risk for heavy erosion, incorporation of native plants to slow and reduce erosion, and creation of rain gardens and other storm water retention strategies.

Investigate increasing use of locally-grown produce and meats insofar as is possible. Investigate offering more organically grown produce. Many students will choose healthier foods (even at a cost) if they are given an option.

Continue and expand the use of environmentally friendly cleaning solutions by facilities and food service staff.

• Timetable: As funds and human resources permit, with the expectation that most of these initiatives will receive "fast-track" consideration. A status report is expected by July 2008.
• Responsible Party: Vice President of Business and Finance
• 7. With respect to residential life, implement the following:
• Organize environmental awareness programs for students and incorporate them into the first-year orientation weekend. These programs should at first encourage, and later expect, recycling, and reducing electricity use in residential halls.
• Encourage members of our community to use public transportation, walk, or ride bicycles. Institute and assess specific policies to facilitate this including a more prominent ride board and relationship with Metrolink.
• Assist students in understand how to use intercity bus systems currently offering service to the Quad Cities.
• Develop a "Sustainability Interest House" for upper-class students, to be used as a venue for teaching and learning and for the implementation of student-driven sustainability projects and lifestyles.

• Timetable: As funds and human resources permit, with the expectation that most of these initiatives will receive "fast-track" consideration. A status report is expected by July 2008.

Responsible Party: Dean of Students

8. With respect to academics, recommend that the faculty evaluate the following:

• Encourage more first-year LS courses to focus on environmental issues such as population growth, global warming, energy resources, etc. Offer a modest one-time stipend to faculty interested in developing sustainability-related curricular offerings.
• Encourage faculty to develop more upper-level Learning Communities that study environmental issues. Offer a modest one-time stipend to faculty interested in developing cross-disciplinary sustainability-related curricular offerings.
• Given the demand by students for an environmental studies major and the view of many that an environmental studies minor is not sufficient, encourage the faculty to consider creating an environmental studies major.

• Timetable: As funds and human resources permit, with the hope that most of these initiatives will receive timely consideration. A status report is requested by July 2008.

Responsible Party: Academic Dean

9. Publicly acknowledge this environmental plan.

• Publish Augustana's environmental policies on the AASHE website.
• Establish and maintain a sustainability web presence on the Augustana website. This website should feature an Augustana statement of environmental principles, as well as feature specific environmental initiatives.

• Timetable: December 31, 2007
• Responsible Party: Marketing and Communications Office