Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 60.65
Liaison Michael Amadori
Submission Date March 5, 2021

STARS v2.2

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Michael Amadori
Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability
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Sustainability committee(s) 

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 Climate Task Force (CTF) oversees a wide array of sustainable initiatives on campus. This includes. planning and implementation of the Second Nature's carbon commitment, with the goal of delivering Hobart and William Smith Colleges to climate neutrality by 2025. Further, the Task Force reviews our STARS report and ensures members across HWS contribute to our goal of getting Gold by 2021. Based on recommendations from the Sustainability Manager, they have supported recent initiatives such as: having Human Resources offer sustainability training to new employees, reevaluate many facets of our operations to make them more sustainable, and promoting the sustainability literacy & cultural survey assessment across employees on campus.

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
1. Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies - Tom Drennen, Co-Chair (Faculty)
2. Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer – Carolee White, Co-Chair (Staff)
3. Associate Professor of Geoscience - Tara Curtin (Faculty)
4. Director of Finger Lakes Institute - Lisa Cleckner (Staff)
5. Vice President for Marketing and Communications - Cathy Williams (Staff)
6. Chief of Staff and Counsel - Lou Guard (Staff)
7. Vice President for Campus Life - Robert Flowers (Staff)
8. Director of Buildings and Grounds - Howard Simmons (Staff)
9. Associate Director of Planning and Construction - Chris Button (Staff)
10. Campus Sustainability Manager - Michael Amadori (Staff)
11. One William Smith Representative (Student)
12. One Hobart Representative (Student)

Sustainability office(s) 

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 Office of Sustainability oversees all sustainability programming on campus, which focuses on developing a culture of sustainability by reducing the Colleges’ impact on the environment, and promoting economic and social equity. This requires a cross-disciplinary approach that works with multiple departments to generate innovative ways to make Hobart and William Smith more sustainable. We have a unique program that uses the physical campus as a laboratory to explore different strategies and that encourages students to link classroom learning with real world applications.

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
1

Sustainability officer(s) 

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

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Michael Amadori, Sustainability Manager

Institution-wide coordination 

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:
The Office of Sustainability (OS) works across the spectrum of campus and community sustainability, with emphasis on student programming and sustainable operations. Annually, for the past four years, the OS has successfully held an intensive EcoRep training session during which student peer-to-peer volunteer educators learn about campus and local sustainability initiatives specific to waste, energy, water, food, and other important areas. After training the EcoReps assist making our first-year orientation nearly Zero Waste. They also work to educate the incoming students the correct way to recycle on campus as part of their introduction to the school. In addition, the Office of Sustainability carries out out the annual celebration of FoodWeek in the fall and EarthWeek in the spring semester.

A collaborative approach across the institution is required to resulted in meaningful change. For example, the Office of Sustainability coordinated efforts with faculty members from different academic departments along with facilities, Communications Office, and the local community for our Global Climate Strike. Students were provided prepaid postage and other supplies to write letters to their representatives in support of climate change legislation. Next they assisted the HWS Grounds department with planting a tree commemorating the occasion. Lastly, several faculty members led the students on a march into Geneva, NY to join with local community organizations voicing their support.

Other examples of institution-wide sustainability coordination provided by the Office of Sustainability are class projects that designed and planted pollinator patches around campus, worked with our Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning office to lead a group of students for Day of Service, oversaw the analysis of our solar farm production data and kiosk, and guided the installation of over 20 bottle refill stations across campus to encourage reusable water use.

Optional Fields 

Job description (1st position)

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

Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
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Job description (3rd position) 

Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
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Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.