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THE DREXEL COMMITTEE FOR SUSTAINABILITY (“Drexel Green”) was started as a student initiative in March 2008. Its energy and the number of its participants were very impressive. Among many achievements, we hosted seven “community presentations on sustainability” at which the administration was requested to present, in a public forum for the very first time, what it was doing (and what it was intending to do) to promote a more sustainable environment. Weak programs (like recycling) have been energized, and many new initiatives were launched and will continue this year. A new committee of administrators from each college and administrative unit (the Sustainability Council) has been meeting monthly since June to see how best staff can help make their units more “green”.
During the fall quarter of 2008, the objectives of Drexel Green will be to:
ACADEMICS What courses are now included in Drexel’s course catalogue that related to sustainability or environmental matters? What’s missing? Should there be certificates? Minors? Majors? Should all colleges/schools have sustainability-related course offerings? Should all Drexel students be required to have some exposure to sustainability issues?
BUILDINGS Can we have a uniform checklist of “green features” to look for? The list should be technological (e.g., the kinds of light bulbs) as well as user-related (e.g., are there reminders to turn off the lights when leaving, sufficient recycling containers)? Should we adopt a national standard like “Green Globes” or LEED? Can we rank the items by ease of adoption? How do our housing and academic buildings do on that checklist? With a checklist, we can easily monitor whether we are making a difference.
COMMUNITY what kinds of things should Drexel be doing with its neighboring communities, or with the City of Philadelphia whose Mayor supports green initiatives? Should we be supporting light rail, safer bike paths to encourage more bike use, share-a-rides, community recycling, remote parking with biodiesel shuttles? Can we play a meaningful role outside Drexel’s borders? This committee would also consider transit and transportation issues.
OPERATIONS there are many aspects to consider – things like purchasing, water usage, food (including paper, cups, utensils), drinking water (separate bottles vs. jugs), trash and waste, recycling programs, employee benefits…
RESEARCH what research is being done inside Drexel that is related to sustainability? What possibilities are there for student involvement? This Committee will identify fundamental and applied “green” research opportunities for all Drexel academic research areas with estimates of funding magnitude and sources.
STUDENT LIFE AND STUDENT LIVING We should pay particular attention to issues over which students will always have substantial responsibility. What students learn about how they live will be lessons they take with them after they graduate. This is about citizenship and duty. The power of our Sustainability Plan will be greatly magnified if we can affect how people behave – at home, at work, at play.
All committees will consider: What are Drexel’s “peer” and “stretch” schools doing? What are the universities doing that received a Green Grade of 99 in the recent Princeton Review? Would those initiatives “fit” Drexel? All committees will consider: (1) the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) for Colleges and Universities developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), (2) the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire that was issued by the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, and (3) the College Sustainability Report Card issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. The Committees may also consider anything else that is appropriate.
MEETINGS
At 6:00 pm, on Monday, September 29, and at noon on Tuesday, September 30, there will be two “Information Sessions” open to all faculty, staff and students. At those Information Sessions, we will talk about Drexel Green and introduce the attendees to the various committees; then sign up for working with the committee(s) of their choice. After the second Information Session, the Committee co-chairs will meet to review their lists and to set a time for the first meeting of their own committee, after which each committee will communicate and meet as it decides. The committee work will end with presentations to the Drexel Community at a series of six one-hour presentations in January about the work of their committee and its findings.
OBJECTIVES
The six committee presentations will not just be to the Drexel Community. A special “blue ribbon” committee of students, faculty and staff will be appointed and charged with the responsibility of reviewing the committees’ reports and issuing findings and recommendations for public comment by the community and presentation to the President in late April. This committee will need to consider in detail the financial and practical aspects of the sustainability proposals, and ensure their “fit” with the university’s other demands (academic strategic plans, campus master plans, and financial/operational realities).
During the fall quarter of 2008, the objectives of Drexel Green will be to:
- investigate what other colleges and universities are doing on their campuses;
- consider what recommendations are being made to colleges by national organizations;
- evaluate those possibilities against the reality of Drexel University (older buildings in University City; leased space in Center City Hahnemann Campus); and
- present recommendations to the University community during the second through fourth weeks of the winter term.
ACADEMICS What courses are now included in Drexel’s course catalogue that related to sustainability or environmental matters? What’s missing? Should there be certificates? Minors? Majors? Should all colleges/schools have sustainability-related course offerings? Should all Drexel students be required to have some exposure to sustainability issues?
BUILDINGS Can we have a uniform checklist of “green features” to look for? The list should be technological (e.g., the kinds of light bulbs) as well as user-related (e.g., are there reminders to turn off the lights when leaving, sufficient recycling containers)? Should we adopt a national standard like “Green Globes” or LEED? Can we rank the items by ease of adoption? How do our housing and academic buildings do on that checklist? With a checklist, we can easily monitor whether we are making a difference.
COMMUNITY what kinds of things should Drexel be doing with its neighboring communities, or with the City of Philadelphia whose Mayor supports green initiatives? Should we be supporting light rail, safer bike paths to encourage more bike use, share-a-rides, community recycling, remote parking with biodiesel shuttles? Can we play a meaningful role outside Drexel’s borders? This committee would also consider transit and transportation issues.
OPERATIONS there are many aspects to consider – things like purchasing, water usage, food (including paper, cups, utensils), drinking water (separate bottles vs. jugs), trash and waste, recycling programs, employee benefits…
RESEARCH what research is being done inside Drexel that is related to sustainability? What possibilities are there for student involvement? This Committee will identify fundamental and applied “green” research opportunities for all Drexel academic research areas with estimates of funding magnitude and sources.
STUDENT LIFE AND STUDENT LIVING We should pay particular attention to issues over which students will always have substantial responsibility. What students learn about how they live will be lessons they take with them after they graduate. This is about citizenship and duty. The power of our Sustainability Plan will be greatly magnified if we can affect how people behave – at home, at work, at play.
All committees will consider: What are Drexel’s “peer” and “stretch” schools doing? What are the universities doing that received a Green Grade of 99 in the recent Princeton Review? Would those initiatives “fit” Drexel? All committees will consider: (1) the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) for Colleges and Universities developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), (2) the Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire that was issued by the Association of University Leaders for a Sustainable Future, and (3) the College Sustainability Report Card issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute. The Committees may also consider anything else that is appropriate.
MEETINGS
At 6:00 pm, on Monday, September 29, and at noon on Tuesday, September 30, there will be two “Information Sessions” open to all faculty, staff and students. At those Information Sessions, we will talk about Drexel Green and introduce the attendees to the various committees; then sign up for working with the committee(s) of their choice. After the second Information Session, the Committee co-chairs will meet to review their lists and to set a time for the first meeting of their own committee, after which each committee will communicate and meet as it decides. The committee work will end with presentations to the Drexel Community at a series of six one-hour presentations in January about the work of their committee and its findings.
OBJECTIVES
The six committee presentations will not just be to the Drexel Community. A special “blue ribbon” committee of students, faculty and staff will be appointed and charged with the responsibility of reviewing the committees’ reports and issuing findings and recommendations for public comment by the community and presentation to the President in late April. This committee will need to consider in detail the financial and practical aspects of the sustainability proposals, and ensure their “fit” with the university’s other demands (academic strategic plans, campus master plans, and financial/operational realities).
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