Middlebury College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Environmental Council has researched local food purchasing, whether biomass is carbon neutral, positive, or negative, and has aimed to educate the College campus about controversy surrounding the College bio-methane project. The Environmental Council also provides $25,000 per year for proposals to fund student, faculty, and staff projects that advance Middlebury's sustainability leadership. Among many grants given, the Council funded and supported four Real Food Interns for the 2014 Winter Term who processed one month's worth of food purchasing receipts through the Real Food Calculator to assess how much of the College's food purchases met the high standards of the calculator (Fair, Organic, Humane, Local). They ascertained that 20% of the College's food purchasing met the calculator criteria.

The Environmental Council (EC) is a standing committee that recommends policy, undertakes assessment and projects, educates the college community, and advises the President. The EC has worked on policy and outreach efforts related to management of college lands, environmentally preferred purchasing, energy, transportation, food, and carbon neutrality. The Environmental Council also awards grants to members of the college community for sustainability projects.

Students Asher Talerman ‘16 Caitlin Haedrich ’16.5 Lucas Onetti ’16.5 Sarah Gledhill ‘17 Anahi Naranjo ‘17 Alison Surdoval ‘17 Thomas (Graham) Kenter ’17.5 Mariah Nielson ‘18 Michael Shrader ‘18 John Petrillo ‘18 Oscar Johansson ‘18 Jennifer Ortega ‘18 Jennifer Damian ‘18 Valentina Rios ‘19 Anastasia Novak ‘19 Sedge Lucas ‘19 William DiGravio ‘19 Will Dowling '19 Faculty David Allen, Biology, Co-Chair Ellery Foutch, American Studies Ellen Oxfeld, Anthropology Alison Nurock, Biology Staff Jack Byrne, Director, Office of Sustainability Integration, Co-Chair Charlotte Tate, Rohatyn Center for International Affairs Victoria "Tori" Jones, Assistant Director Annual Giving Eva Fillion, Outreach/Communications Coordinator, Office of Sustainability Integration

The Office of Sustainability Integration (OSI) develops, implements and supports sustainability initiatives at Middlebury College, striving for efforts that simultaneously achieve environmental, social, and economic goals throughout the campus community and college operations. The OSI works with students, faculty, and staff in many different ways, from supporting independent research projects to working alongside administrators and facilities staff in the creation of green campus infrastructure such as the biomass gasification plant. The OSI is also responsible for conducting an annual greenhouse gas inventory, which tracks Middlebury College’s carbon dioxide emissions and helps in our effort to be carbon neutral by 2016. The Global Food and Farm Program is also a program of the OSI. The GFFP coordinates the Middlebury College Organic Farm, Real Food Challenge, summer FoodWorks program, numerous student groups, events and special projects.

Jack Byrne is the director of the Office of Sustainability Integration and is in charge of carrying out the duties of the office described above.