New Group to Boost Campus Sustainability Effort

The "A Greener Blue" initiative has already produced several successes.

October 07, 2008 — When Phillips Academy’s Head of School Barbara Landis Chase wanted to invigorate campus sustainability efforts, she turned to her dean of studies, John Rogers. A chemist by training, Rogers teaches environmental science and oversees Andover’s academic programs. As the new sustainability advisor, Rogers has been asked to build on an already active program and lead PA into a new era of environmental awareness, action and responsibility on campus.

The initiative, called “A Greener Blue,” is already underway with the naming of a Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC) during the summer, which began weekly meetings on September 19. Members are Rogers; Steve Carter, chief operating and financial officer; Michael Giampa, dining services operations manager; Chad Green, director of community service and cluster dean; Tom Hodgson, chair of philosophy and religious studies; Sally Holm, public information specialist; Patricia Russell, instructor in biology, head of the division of Natural Sciences and newly appointed sustainability coordinator; and Michael Williams, director of facilities. The SSC will reach out to others in the community as projects demanding further expertise evolve.

Among Rogers’ first actions was to appoint Russell as Sustainability Coordinator. In that capacity, Russell helps to implement ideas and programs, and coordinates student efforts in this area. Russell said the SSC has begun work on drafting a mission statement, and will develop an environmental strategic plan—both with substantial input from Andover constituencies. A request has been made to have the School Congress consider a draft in a formal meeting in mid-November. Russell noted that there a rapidly growing number of students are interested in studying environmental science, joining the campus Eco-Action and Energy Resources Awareness Club and in participating in sustainability efforts both on and off campus. “It will be the partnerships among student, faculty, staff and alumni that Andover will continue to move this effort,” she said.

The SSC is also simultaneously reviewing the results of the Sustainability Audit, conducted by the environmental engineering consulting  firm Woodard & Curran last spring. Results of the audit will be available to the PA community in the next few weeks to provide a baseline for data in all school departments. Once vetted, the audit will inform much of the work of the SSC.

Rogers noted that groundwork had been well laid by many faculty, staff and students to set the stage for this new initiative. “Over the past couple of decades, Andover has made good progress in becoming more sustainable.  To large extent, these efforts have been piecemeal, relying on decisions and initiatives by individuals or small groups.  One good example is the modernizing of our central power plant over the past 15 years, including the addition of a sophisticated energy management system and the move from burning fairly polluting oils to very clean natural gas. Based on information we have gathered for the audit, it is clear that many institutions are just now making these transitions. There are a number of these success stories that we want to tell.  More importantly, though, we want to help fully integrate the ethic of sustainability into our core community values, and create policies that will allow all of us to participate in these efforts on a regular basis.”

A number of recent initiatives include:.

• A new lecture series, “Speaking of Sustainability,” is being organized to provide timely, external expertise in pursuit of greater sustainability. The first speaker is economist, sociologist and author Juliet Schor on October 8 at 8 p.m. at Kemper Auditorium. The “No Impact Man,” Colin Beavan has been booked for Earth Day, April 22, 2009.
• Professional and curriculum development is evolving, with plans to provide at least one summer student experiential program by 2009. Last June, six faculty members participated in the on-campus Global Studies Seminar on Sustainable Foods, making short- and long-term recommendations to be reviewed by the SSC.
•  In dorms, all proctors and prefects have been trained to serve as environmental stewards in their dormitories.
• With the renovation of the Commons dining hall, a LEED certification goal has resulted in the reuse or recycling of more than 98 percent of project-generated waste.
• Faculty, staff and students have increasingly turned to reusable water bottles and mugs toward an institutional goal this year of halving the 32,000 water bottles used by the PA community, with continued reductions in the future.
• OPP decided, in light of mild weather this fall, to delay turning on the steam heat system by as many days as possible, saving 15 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and $3,500 in fuel costs each day we waited. The heat was turned on Monday, September 29, seven days later than scheduled, saving 105 metric tons of CO2 emissions and approximately $24,500.
• The Gazette, PA’s weekly campus newsletter, has gone virtually paperless, saving roughly 2,700 sheets of paper each week—and more than 90,000 sheets per school year.
• Sixteen of 47 local Non Sibi Day projects last month involved sustainability-related or environmental community initiatives.
• An Abbot Academy Association Grant is supporting nutritionist Agatha Kip’s work with food services to increase local and organic food offerings on campus.
• Planning or further expansion of campus recycling which currently includes: glass, plastic, cans, paper, cardboard, lamps, batteries  wood, metal, computers, furniture, books, and construction materials.

Rogers encouraged all constituencies to get involved in upcoming opportunities to contribute, and said the SSC was eager to entertain questions, comments and new ideas