| Overall Rating | Bronze |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 35.50 |
| Liaison | Brian Kelley |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2025 |
Christopher Newport University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Brian
Kelley Sustainability Specialist Facilities Management |
1.1 Coordinating committee, officer, or office for sustainability
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s sustainability committees:
GoingGreener Task Force
This committee was formed in late 2022 to propose the writing of the University's first Sustainability Plan to the new President, President Kelly, who was inaugurated in July 2023.
Since the initial meeting and approval, this committee is collaborating with stakeholders throughout campus and the community to finalize a sustainability plan with objectives to be conveyed in early 2025. With the welcoming of the new President, the University is updating the strategic plan for the University, and sustainability has been incorporated into Priority IV: Building a Foundation to Thrive with the fourth goal being "Proactively enhance campus environmental sustainability." The task force is divided into working groups to determine objectives and write programs.
Chair and Working Groups:
- Benjamin Redekop; Chair of Task Force, Professor
- Energy Group
- Phil Melillo chair; Energy Manager
- Waste, Water, and Grounds Group
- Brian Kelley chair; Sustainability Specialist
- Education, Research, and Campus Culture Group
- Linda Manning chair; Professor, Director (Center for Sustainability in Education)
- Communications, Advancement, and Outreach Group
- Jim Hanchett chair; Chief Communications Officer
- Energy Group
The GoingGreener task force meets quarterly with the President to provide updates on progress and seek input and feedback from the community.
University Sustainability Committee
The University Sustainability Committee consists of over 20 individuals from operational departments throughout campus as a report-out and discussion of initiatives within departments and where assistance is needed. This committee meets at least every-other month, but has been meeting monthly during the STARS collection process to ensure proper reporting and answer any questions.
The mission of the USC is to promote interdepartmental collaboration around the implementation and improvement of Christopher Newport’s efforts to infuse sustainability principles into operational aspects of campus activities.
Please view the charter here.
Affiliate Faculty (Center for Sustainability in Education)
Under Linda Manning, the Center for Sustainability in Education is the central hub for student interns, fellows, and faculty members involved in sustainability. The affiliate faculty consists of 26 members and is focused on incorporating sustainability into the curriculum.
Does the institution have one or more sustainability officers?:
Narrative and/or website URL providing an overview of the institution’s sustainability officers:
The Sustainability operations for campus are within the Facilities Management department, with academic sustainability initiatives under Linda Manning and the Center for Sustainability in Education. Key individuals to the sustainability team include, but are not limited to, the following:
David Guglielmo: Director of Facility Planning and Sustainability
Brian Kelley: Sustainability Specialist (primarily waste focus)
Phil Melillo: Energy Manager
Dr. Linda Manning: Professor; Director of the Center for Sustainability in Education
Benjamin Redekop: Professor; Chair of the GoingGreener Task Force
Does the institution have a sustainability office that includes more than one full-time equivalent employee?:
Description of each sustainability office:
Although sustainability is not a separate department, Facilities Management includes the Director of Facility Planning and Sustainability, the Sustainability Specialist, and the Energy Manager.
Academic sustainability and outreach is within the Center for Sustainability in Education under Linda Manning and includes student interns, fellows, and faculty members.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability offices:
Is at least one of the institution’s sustainability committees, officers, or offices charged with coordinating various campus constituencies in the advancement of sustainability across the entire institution?:
Narrative outlining the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
CNU established its first sustainability committee in 2012. The committee identified campus stakeholders, implemented a recycling plan, and identified actionable sustainability goals with the introduction of the University Sustainability Committee to include departments across the university in initiatives. In 2015, CNU hired the university's first sustainability coordinator, Ryan Kmetz, followed by Jen Jones and then Brian Kelley in 2022.
At the retirement of the former President in 2022, an interim president was in place from FY 2022-23, with President Kelly being inaugurated in July 2023 with a renewed emphasis of sustainability in the updating of the University's strategic plan. In 2022, the Sustainability Coordinator position was filled by Brian Kelley with the new title of Sustainability Specialist within the Environmental Health & Safety Department, but the position was moved to Facilities Management in July 2023 as part of a restructure to enhance sustainability on campus.
The current operational structure of sustainability includes the Vice President for Facilities and Operations, the Director of Facility Planning and Sustainability, the Sustainability Specialist, and the Energy Manager.
Ultimately, sustainability on campus is driven by the GoingGreener task force to represent members across the community and how the University can be more efficient, the University Sustainability Committee to encourage departments to consider sustainability aspects in planning events, and the Center for Sustainability in Education to provide resources to students and faculty members.
Over the last couple years, especially with President Kelly's support, there have been several key developments:
- A large donation to set up a revolving green fund
- Announcement of the GoingGreener campaign to write a sustainability plan
- Retirement and restructure of individuals has allowed for more efficient operations regarding sustainability projects
The Reporting Tool will automatically calculate the following figure:
Optional documentation
Additional documentation for this credit:
Job descriptions
Copy of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (1st position):
Text of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (2nd position):
Copy of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (2nd position):
Text of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (3rd position):
Copy of the job description for the institution’s sustainability officer (3rd position):
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.