Environmental Committee Meeting Minutes

DRAFT Enviro Committee charter - Oct 1 2008

Dear President Hexter,

The Hampshire community has a longstanding record of intensive involvement with environmental issues, which is reflected in our academic offerings, student and faculty research, student groups, invited speakers, and our program in sustainable agriculture. The missing piece has been organized administrative backing. The newly formed Environmental Committee proposes to serve as the administrative constituent in the above endeavors, coordinating campus-wide efforts towards sustainability and environmental awareness and providing much-needed support, information, and coordination. The Environmental Committee will be dedicated to attaining the highest possible level of sustainability in energy and materials use on campus, preserving ecologically important areas of Hampshire lands, and educating members of the Hampshire community on all manner of environmental issues. In short, the Environmental Committee seeks to be the body that thinks about sustainability across a broader spectrum, even metaphorically, precisely as a mode of futurity that permits future futures.

Last year, a group of students worked hard to establish the Environmental Committee (EC). After a year of planning, the goals, objectives, and structure for the EC have been worked out. A group of students, staff, and faculty were elected by their constituents and are ready to serve on the EC. All that we need now is official recognition and endorsement from you. Included below is our proposed official charter. We are ready to get to work, we just need a few things from you:

*Official charge and recognition within the governance structures of the campus *Acceptance as a useful and authoritative source of information and advice *Staffing support - at least half-time coordinator with expertise in sustainability coordination *Annual expense budget ($2000)

The EC will focus on several specific areas initially: 1. Help create the plan and process to meet the ACU Presidential Climate Commitment. 2. Develop guidelines for the energy and sustainability components of the Campus Facilities Plan 2009-2028, the Strategic Plan, and the President's "Making of the College" plan. 3. Help improve transportation options for student, staff, and faculty working on campus to reduce driving and parking congestion on campus. 4. Work with Physical Plant and consultants to reliably and consistently measure the campus carbon budget. 5. Work with Institutional Advancement to establish an endowment for sustainability awards: 1) to support student Div projects; 2) to recognize outstanding leadership, and 3) to create a revolving fund to help campus organizations (academic schools, recognized student groups, and administrative offices) improve their energy efficiency and/or reduce their environmental impacts through grants for low cost acquisitions that will reduce either the College's energy or disposal expenses (things like better lighting, better refrigerators, energy management software for computers, not for things like events or outreach programs)

Proposed Charter for the Hampshire College Environmental Committee

Our College’s motto, “Non satis scire,” embodies the philosophy that knowledge must translate into leadership and judicious action. There is no arena in which such strong, educated leadership is more urgently needed than in the confrontation of environmental problems. It has become increasingly clear that failure to address these issues could result in serious and irreversible damage to the biosphere and human quality of life. It is vital to the fulfillment of our educational mission, as well as our social responsibility, that we create a more sustainable campus.

The Environmental Committee (EC) will identify and evaluate opportunities for the Hampshire College community to decrease its “environmental footprint” and increase its overall sustainability. EC will coordinate and develop ideas and vet plans related to energy use, carbon footprint, and environmental sustainability and present recommendations to the College President. The EC will facilitate communication between administrators, trustees, faculty, and student groups in order to advance environmentally-related plans, interests, and activism. The EC will engage the entire community in environmental and sustainability issues from campus to global scales and increase the community's awareness of and accessibility to low-impact living options on and off campus.

EC will work in parallel with Campus Planning, Community Council, SafeCom, the President's Office, and other groups as necessary. EC will consist of students, staff, and faculty elected by their constituents (see below), and will establish sub-committees to work on specific tasks.

The committee will be made up of:

3 students

3 faculty members, preferably from different schools

3 staff, including a Facilities person

1 presidentially appointed administrator

All committee members will have an equal vote.

Nominations for the committee will be provided by community members. Ideally, potential members should nominate themselves, thus assuring an interest and dedication to environmental protection. However, faculty, staff, and administrators will be responsible for deciding how to elect their own representatives. Student elections will be conducted using a nomination and endorsement process, in which candidates submit a statement of why they would like to be elected and get signatures of endorsement by other students. Three students will then be chosen by a selection committee. Members will be asked to serve for a period of 4 semesters and may be reelected as the community sees fit.