Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 53.57
Liaison Noah Upchurch
Submission Date March 3, 2023

STARS v2.2

Catawba College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:

The Sustainable Resource Group for the Catawba College Strategic Plan is charged with defining and implementing sustainable resourcing for the College by emphasizing the connection between people, well-being, equity and inclusion, resourcing, and environmental sustainability to ensure the long-term prosperity of the College.


Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:

1. Lauren Cox, Co-Chair
VP of Finance & Administration
2. Joe Poston, Co-Chair
Professor of Biology
3. Johnathon Boles '16
Associate Director, Lilly Center for Vocation and Values
4. Brad Ives
Executive Director, Center for the Environment
5. Mindy Miller
Assistant VP of Development
6. Russell Smyre
Executive Director, Facilities
7. Joanna Trammell
Associate Professor of Business


Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:

The Center for the Environment is the central hub for sustainability at Catawba College. Functioning similar to a traditional Sustainability Office, the Center houses the College's two Sustainability Specialists, Director of Operations for the Center, and an Executive Director. The Center's work spans implementing sustainable operational practices and projects around the College, assisting in the creation and cultivation of sustainability in classroom education, research, and student programming, reviewing the College's performance in relation to sustainability goals, and maintaining a positive relationship with the natural elements of our College, like the Fred Stanback, Jr. Ecological Preserve.

The Center for the Environment also is a think tank for sustainable ideas. In this capacity, it brings noted environmental speakers, visiting practitioners, and professors to campus for the benefit of students, staff, faculty, and our regional community. The Center also engages in policy research and advocacy.


Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
4

Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Brad Ives, Executive Director, Center for the Environment

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:

Accomplishments include:

- Hosting numerous speakers and events on campus including, among other events, an author talk by Corban Addison, author of Wastelands and The Mountain Film Festival, numerous visiting sustainability practitioners, and others
- Incubating promising NGOs like Muddy Sneakers and GALS, which are groups focused on getting K-12 students outdoors
- Implementing a campus-wide water bottle and Yeti mug program for faculty and staff
- Completing installation of water bottle fillers across campus
- Implementing a review of all campus decisions to determine the sustainability impacts and recommend best practices
- Leading a review of campus solar PV and solar thermal installations to ensure proper functioning while also planning for a transition to 100% renewables
- Installation of the campus's first electric vehicle charger
- Design and implementation of the College's carbon neutrality program for Fiscal Year 2023
- Obtained four Haven solar picnic shelters for campus
- Leading the installation of a Spotlight Solar Curve solar tree on campus

And many more programs and activities.


Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Executive Director, Center for the Environment

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:

The Executive Director of the Center for the Environment acts as a Chief Sustainability Officer for the College by overseeing the greening of campus operations, working with faculty to use the campus as a living-learning laboratory for sustainability, and leading a think tank that develops and advocates for state and national environmental policy, develops and hosts conferences and speakers on sustainability topics, and develops and hosts sustainability-focused activities for K-12 education.


Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Sustainability Specialist

Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):

The Sustainability Specialists support the work of the Center for the Environment and, especially, the campus-focused operational sustainability improvements and student-related sustainability activities and research opportunities.


Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Operations Director for the Center for the Environment

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):

The Operations Director for the Center for the Environment acts as the primary deputy for the Executive Director. In this role, the Operations Director is the lead for student and faculty engagement as well as for hosting events and conferences on campus.


Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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