| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.28 |
| Liaison | Ciara Tennis |
| Submission Date | Nov. 3, 2022 |
Eastern Connecticut State University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
The mission statement of the Green Campus Committee is to promote and implement sustainable initiatives, integrate sustainability into the physical infrastructures, academic offerings, and culture of the University.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Patricia Szczys, Director of the Institute for Sustainability (formerly the Institute for Sustainable Energy), has been appointed by the President of the University to serve as the Chair of the Green Campus Committee.
Other members of the Green Campus Committee include:
John Beck (Institutional Advancement)
Courtney Broscious (Political Sci, Philosophy, Geography)
LaMar Coleman (Equity and Diversity)
Bryan Connolly (Biology)
Bradley Davis (History)
Michael Desjarlais (Facilities Management and Planning)
James Dixon (Facilities Management and Planning)
Christopher Dorsey (Admissions)
Andria Fraser (Economics and Finance)
Ana Funes Maderey (Political Sci, Philosophy, Geography)
Eric Germain (Public Safety)
William Gonzalez (Housing and Residential Life)
Travis Houldcroft (Media Services)
Ronald Kaiser (Biology)
Casey Kensey (Student Activities)
Leigh Lafleur (Facilities Management and Planning)
Chantal LaRose (Mathematical Sciences and Data Science)
Cheryl Le Beau (Mathematical Sciences)
Katherine Manizza (Athletics)
Martin Mendoza-Botelho (Political Sci, Philosophy, Geography)
Sundeep Muppidi (Academic Affairs)
Steve Nathan (Environmental Earth Science)
Bryan Oakley (Environmental Earth Science)
Gayl Osuba (Human Resources)
Kevin Paquin (University Relations)
Laura Rodriguez (Education)
Mike Rouleau (University Relations)
Joe Salvaggio (Dining Services)
Paul Serignese (Housing and Residential Life)
David Stoloff (Education)
Josh Sumrell (Student Activities)
Ciara Tennis (Institute for Sustainability)
Renee Theroux-Keech (Facilities Management and Planning)
Theah Vasquez-O'Brien (Psychological Science)
Angela Walker (Library)
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
A brief description of each sustainability office:
The mission of the Institute for Sustainability (IS) at Eastern Connecticut State University is to serve as an objective resource and champion for the transition to sustainable practices in Connecticut. The work of IS will support diverse and bold actions required by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and resilience: for people, prosperity, and planet. The IS will connect individuals, organizations, businesses, and communities in Connecticut to meet the challenges of our changing climate. Staff for the Institute for Sustainability currently includes the Executive Director, a University Assistant, and one student intern.
Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
Eastern's Green Campus Committee is made up of representatives from many departments -- faculty, facilities, the Institute for Sustainable Energy, human resources, purchasing, dining services, housing and residential life, bursar's office, students, etc. The Green Campus Committee meets monthly and implements a broad range of sustainable initiatives on campus. Recent accomplishments of the Green Campus Committee (in the past 3 years) include:
Fall 2020 - Released new updated version of Eastern's Climate Action Plan, which includes a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
April 2021 - Coordinated an exclusive Zoom webinar for Eastern students where Connecticut state energy and transportation officials shared climate change plans. The discussion focused on the Transportation and Climate initiative Program (TCI-P), a regional collaboration meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions and fund a more sustainable transportation system. Students from over a half dozen departments participated. https://www.easternct.edu/news/_stories-and-releases/2021/04-april/state-energy,-transportation-officials-share-climate-change-plans-with-eastern-students.html
April 2022 - In April 2022, youth leaders Sena Wazer and Kimmy Reindl from Sunrise CT gave a virtual presentation titled "Climate Action for Connecticut’s Youth,” and focused on the realities of climate change and ways to get involved with the movement. They discussed strategies for students to get involved on campus and in their communities to promote action and legislation.
https://www.easternct.edu/news/_stories-and-releases/2022/04-april/sunrise-ct-calls-for-students-to-be-climate-activists.html
Fall 2022 - Developed and administered the ECSU Sustainability Literacy and Culture Survey (See AC-6 Sustainability Literacy Assessment and EN-6 Assessing Sustainability Culture), which will form the basis for targeted outreach and initiatives for the 2022-2023 academic year. The survey will be revised and administered annually in the fall semester.
Other achievements from the past three years can be found by looking at the press release archive found here:
https://www.easternct.edu/news/news-index-pages/sustainability.html
https://www.easternct.edu/sustainable-energy/isepublications.html
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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:
https://www.easternct.edu/sustainable-energy/_documents/easternct_2020_climate_action_plan.pdf
Information for this credit provided by Ciara Tennis, University Assistant for Climate and Sustainability Initiatives, and Patty Szczys, Director of the Institute for Sustainability.
https://www.easternct.edu/sustainable-energy/_documents/easternct_2020_climate_action_plan.pdf
Information for this credit provided by Ciara Tennis, University Assistant for Climate and Sustainability Initiatives, and Patty Szczys, Director of the Institute for Sustainability.
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.