Macalester College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The sustainability office has been a vehicle and support for many student led sustainable initiatives such as banning bottled water, switching disposable white board markers to refillable ones, implementing composting and recycling, promoting public transportation and bike usage among others. There also exists the student sustainability network where students can support each other and share ideas for projects and the faculty, staff and student sustainability advisory committee which acts as a space to talk about current sustainability projects.

Sustainability Advisory Committee: The mission of the Sustainability Advisory Committee is to oversee the implementation of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and the Talloires Declaration. The committee also recommends policies and practices which best reflect College’s commitment to an environmentally sustainable world. In addition, the committee will function as a conduit for information exchange about campus sustainability initiatives. Zero Waste Committee: The mission of the Zero waste committee is to work towards achieving this goal, the Zero Waste committee will be an advisory group to provide leadership for the Macalester College Recycling Organization (MacRO) program. In addition, the Zero Waste Committee will advise the Facilities Services department, and MacRO, on strategies for successful campus recycling efforts.

The Sustainability Advisory Committee is comprised of three staff members, two faculty members, four students (two are appointed by Macalester College Student Government and two are appointed by the Sustainability Manager to represent specific student sustainability initiatives). Faculty and Staff Members are appointed for two year terms. Students are appointed for one year terms. The Zero Waste committee is comprised of seven full time staff, one faculty member, and four students.

The mission of the Sustainability Office is to act as a resource for encouraging and enabling the advancement of sustainability across campus. It does this by: • helping to form connections between students, staff, faculty and the senior administration • creating and supporting campus communication structures • acting as a central hub of information on sustainability • supporting sustainability projects and policies The Sustainability Office works in conjunction with and under the oversight of the Sustainability Advisory Committee.

Suzanne Savanick Hansen, Macalester College’s Sustainability Manager, works with students, staff and faculty on campus sustainability projects. She led the effort to develop a comprehensive Sustainability Plan. That innovative plan includes a climate action plan for the college’s American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. She chairs the Sustainability Advisory Committee and co-chairs the Zero Waste Committee. She also typically teaches or co-teaches at least one environmental studies course a year. So far her classes have calculated the college’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory, developed recommendations for the college’s climate action plan and developed projects that advance the goal of zero waste by 2020. Kurt Miller, Sustainability Project Manger, works on sustainability projects for the office. He has implemented the AusPens pilot project, organized the installation of energy metering in the dorms. He also manages the student workers in the office and handles the administration of the office.