Bowdoin College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Sustainability Implementation Committee (SIC) is responsible for the overall Climate Action Plan development, coordination, analysis, and goal setting. It is responsible for identifying, funding, and tracking greenhouse gas reducing initiatives, reporting annually on the College’s greenhouse gas emissions and updating the Carbon Neutrality Implementation Plan every two years. The Committee is composed of faculty, staff and students and is charged with producing a set of specific proposals that help align the work and lives of Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students with the goals of the Climate Action Plan and Environmental Mission Statement. This committee actively engages with the entire Bowdoin community and considers many aspects of campus life and their relation to Bowdoin's climate commitment, including the curriculum, student activities, residential life, athletics, dining, facilities, information technology and transportation.

This group is made up of a combination of students, faculty, and staff. As of Summer 2018: Keisha Payson, associate director of Sustainable Bowdoin; chair Sustainability Implementation Committee Don Borkowski, director of capital projects Nathanal DeMoranville, student class of 2020 Laura Henry, associate professor of government Bruce Kohorn, Linnean Professor of Biology and Biochemistry Erik Nelson, associate professor of economics Matt Orlando, senior vice president for finance and administration & treasurer Milo Richards, student, class of 2021 Ted Stam, director of facilities operations and maintenance Bethany Taylor, sustainability outreach coordinator Amber Rock, student, class of 2019 Emily Ruby, student, class of 2019

Bowdoin's Office of Sustainability, which is housed under the Office of Facilities Management and reports to the director of facilities management and the VP of finance and administration, employs the associate director of sustainability and the sustainability outreach coordinator. It also houses the student eco rep program, for which students work part-time in outreach or in the office itself. The office is in Rhodes Hall, the facilities management building, and has a meeting space for coordinating many of the sustainability-related events and programs on campus. The office provides strategic direction and leadership to promote a culture of sustainability at Bowdoin. The office develops and maintains programs and implements initiatives to reduce the impact that Bowdoin operations, construction, and other practices have on the environment. The office is accountable for researching, developing, managing, administering, implementing, and continually assessing sustainability projects and initiatives and does extensive outreach to the campus community to engage them in the process through initiatives such as the green living commitment and the green office certification program.

Major sustainability achievements over the past year include achieving climate action plan targets set in 2008- two years ahead of schedule. Overseeing the purchase of RECs and carbon offsets to achieve carbon neutrality. Collaborating with four other New England colleges and NextEra Energy to build an additional 25 MW of solar PV, adding to an already planned 50MW array in Farmington, Maine. Have begun preparing for a new 2030 Climate Action Plan. Through the Eco Rep program, the office also organized events like Greenstock, a music & food festival celebrating sustainability-related clubs on campus; an Earth Week celebration; piloting a new reusable cup initiative in the college houses, replacing the thousands of "Solo cups" that were previously consumed; orchestrated a clothing swap; managed two energy use reduction competitions to engage the student body that conserved over 32,000 kWhs last year; implemented a green living commitment challenge that garnered participation by over 200 students; and finally, coordinated a successful student move-out program that diverted nearly 38,000 pounds from the landfill.