Colgate University
PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination

Charge to the Colgate Sustainability Council As an educational institution, Colgate recognizes its responsibility to promote understanding of environmental stewardship and sustainable practices among its faculty, staff, and students. Colgate's setting near the foothills of the Adirondacks in central New York makes this responsibility an especially important one. With increased regional, national and global awareness of the importance of environmental and sustainability issues, and a keen sense of the leadership role educational institutions must assume in promoting best practices in sustainability, it is incumbent on the Colgate community to exploit the opportunities and meet the challenges inherent in this role. We believe that the university’s educational mission provides us with unusual opportunities to foster sustainable practices as we determine how to most efficiently and responsibly use, preserve, and renew our institutional resources. Through our collaborative efforts administrators, faculty, staff, students and members of the surrounding Hamilton community can join together to promote greater emphasis upon sustainability and to steward Colgate’s campus and land holdings. The Sustainability Council is charged with (1) encouraging the development of a coordinated vision for short-term and long-term planning for the University to ensure a safe, healthy and sustainable campus environment and infrastructure, including the protection of the integrity and beauty of the campus and other Colgate lands; (2) making recommendations concerning conservation issues including resource use and development, energy efficiency, waste reduction and recycling, pollution abatement, environmentally-responsible building methods and other measures consistent with environmentally sustainable practices; (3) assisting the institution with environmental audits on a regular basis (ca. 10 year periods); and (4) promoting and publicizing the activities and successes of the institution involving sustainability as part of our overall strategic goal of deepening Colgate’s status as a leading liberal arts institution.

The Sustainability Council is composed of a representative group of faculty, administrators, and students and will include the Director of Sustainability, the Associate Vice President for Facilities, the Associate Provost, the Directors of Environmental Studies and Outdoor Education, three additional faculty appointed by the President from the Natural and Social Sciences and the Humanities, a representative from Communications, the DOC staff, and the Upstate Institute, the Manager of Environmental Health and Safety, and two students appointed by the President. This composition will ensure strong ties between the educational and operational components of the institution and maintain close communication among these entities. The President may also make temporary appointments to this Council when a particular expertise is needed for a specific project. The Chair will be one of the faculty members, elected for a two-year term by the members of the committee.

The sustainability office is led by the Director of Sustainability and supported by a program assistant and student interns. The Office is responsible for advancing sustainability principles and practices in our operations, day-to-day decision-making, and across our curriculum and co-curricular experiences.

The Director of Sustainability is responsible for advancing sustainability principles and practices in our operations, day-to-day decision-making, and across our curriculum and co-curricular experiences. The Director of Sustainability mentors and manages a program assistant and student interns. The Director works closely with faculty members and students in our formal curriculum an co-teaches in our Environmental Studies Program.