| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 54.23 |
| Liaison | Jeff Jeremiason |
| Submission Date | Nov. 30, 2021 |
Gustavus Adolphus College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Jeff
Jeremiason Co-Director of the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation, Professor of Environmental Studies and Chemistry Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation |
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:
Gustavus has one major sustainability committee that encompasses all aspects of sustainability on campus. The President’s Environmental Sustainability Council (PESC) is charged with bringing environmental sustainability into the top-level discussions of strategic planning at Gustavus. Comprised of the College President and select members of the President’s Cabinet, staff, faculty, and student body, the PESC demonstrates the college’s determination to work together to overcome difficult challenges and weave sustainability into everything we do. The PESC meets once a month to develop policies and plans, establish benchmarks and report on progress to ensure that we meet our goals.
Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
President (ex officio): Rebecca Bergman
Vice President for Finance and Treasurer (ex officio): Curt Kowaleski
Provost and Dean of the College (ex officio): Brenda Kelly
Associate Provost and Dean of Sciences and Education (Provost's designee): Valerie Barnschbach
Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation Co-Director (ex officio): Chuck Niederriter and Jeff Jeremiason Chairs
Compost, Waste & Environmental Sustainability Manager (ex officio): Kari Wallin
Arboretum Director (ex officio): Scott Moeller
Auxiliary Services Associate VP (ex officio): Steve Kjellgren
Director of Residential Life (or designee): Anthony Bettendorf
Environmental Health, Safety, and Risk Management Director (ex-officio): Dale Plemmons
Faculty representative (appointed by the Faculty Senate): Ian Hill, Chemistry
Faculty representative (appointed by the Faculty Senate): Darsa Donelan, Physics Vice Chair
Physical Plant Director (or designee) (ex officio): Travis Jordan
Staff representative (Administrative): Nick Sonsteby
Staff representative (Non-administrative): Adam Ellefson, Landscape Specialist
Student representative (At-large): Gabe Mauer
Student representative (Student Senate appointment): Juliet White
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:
Gustavus has one major sustainability office that encompasses all aspects of sustainability on campus. The Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation supports environmental sustainability on the Gustavus Adolphus campus and in the surrounding communities while equipping students to continue that work in their lives beyond Gustavus. To accomplish this mission, the Johnson Center works as a catalyst for environmental innovation on and off campus with the broadest understanding of innovation: not only technical innovation, but also business, policy, and social innovation.
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:
1.) Developed the KPIs for Goal 3G of the Gustavus Acts Strategic Plan:
KPI 1: Reach the President’s stated goal of reducing energy usage by 25% by 2024 KPI 2: Develop and implement an internal and external sustainability communication plan.
KPI 3: Create an implementation plan to move us to becoming a Zero Waste campus in three years and carry out that plan.
KPI 4: Incorporate environmental sustainability into the curriculum through the General Education requirements and into the co-curriculum for students through various aspects of campus life, and for staff through training and professional development.
KPI 5: Incorporate environmental sustainability into all aspects of College planning including investments of fossil fuels, fundraising for sustainability, and LEED certification for new construction/renovations.
2.) Rolled out campus-wide composting: In February 2021, for the first time, Gustavus rolled out campus-wide composting, a big step towards the goal of being a zero-waste campus, which means that 10% or less of our waste goes to a landfill. Campus-wide composting was achieved once all the operational tools were in place to collect compostables and organic waste from all on-campus buildings, including residential halls and apartments, which was the result of years of advocacy, operational adjustments, and staff, faculty and student time dedicated to get the composting program to this point.
3.) Assisted in hosting the 2019 Nobel Conference 55 - “Climate Changed: Facing Our Future”. Gustavus’ yearly Nobel Conference in 2019 (Nobel Conference 55) focused on climate change in all aspects. Nobel Conference 55 brought together seven leading thinkers to address climate change from perspectives including paleoclimate studies, climate justice, climate modeling, and climate adaptation.
Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
The purpose of this position is to provide leadership to the campus’ sustainability efforts and teach in Gustavus’ Environmental Studies Program. The Co-Director will develop strategies that embed the principles of sustainability into the operations of the college and advocate for sustainability at an administrative level. This also leads the President’s Environmental Sustainability Council and supports campus strategic planning in sustainability.
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):
The primary purpose of this position is to be a hands-on individual with the ability to discuss waste prevention, audit waste and recycle bins, and manage sustainability related projects and events. The individual selected will develop new policies and guidelines, managing tasks related to Sustainability research and analysis and data analytics.
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:
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.