Mills College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

In the 2013-2014 academic year, Sustainability Committee members’ deep engagement in the strategic planning process culminated in a strong institutional commitment to further inclusion, social justice and sustainability. A working group that included faculty and staff from the Sustainability Committee investigated the place of social justice, civic engagement, and sustainability in a liberal arts college for women and in our co-educational graduate programs and contributed to the following vision.

The strategic imperative 3, to strengthen our commitment to inclusion, social justice, and sustainability includes:

Providing opportunities for students to connect Mills’ experiences to interests in diversity, social justice, and sustainability. In thinking about this imperative, Mills can be a “living laboratory” to define and redefine social justice, build community, engage with communities beyond campus, and live in sustainable, climate-neutral ways. Mills is a campus full of intellectual and physical resources for our own learning about social justice and sustainability and for the larger Oakland community as well. Learning in this “laboratory” is not only extracurricular but also connected to the curriculum.

Creating an environment inclusive of all diversity. Creating a just, equitable, and inclusive environment for all students, while paying attention to diversity along many lines of identity including, for example, race, class, sexual orientation, ability, spirituality and religious diversity is ongoing work.

Focusing on sustainability across campus. Mills has been committed to sustainability for years. However, learning to live it in every aspect of our working lives remains a challenge. While Mills can be a learning laboratory of sustainability, helping students learn through curricular and co-curricular work about social justice and equality in the world around them, it is imperative that the Mills community live and model the value we hold dear. Mills will pursue initiatives which enable us to be viewed as a 21st century college committed to sustainability with efforts including developing a campus farm, adopting energy savings measures, promoting food justice and participating in the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment to lessen our environmental footprint.

Another substantive accomplishment of Mills College is the increased support of the Sustainability Center. During the past three years, the operating budget for the Center has significantly increased and been maintained even as other budgets have been cut. The Sustainability Center is now able to support four paid student workers to implement a variety of peer education programs, including a Creek Restoration Program, the Urban Farm at Mills College, a vibrant recycling and compost program, and other special events such as speakers highlighting the intersections of sustainability and social justice. The demonstration creek restoration site has developed significantly, the urban farm is hosting regular events, and the Mills College diversion rate is the highest in history.

A subcommittee of the Sustainability Committee has just completed a five-year development plan for an Urban Farm at Mills College. The Committee was able to obtain a $35,000 planning grant and now the completed document will help guide the next five years of program implementation.

Lastly, both the Sustainability Committee and the Sustainability Center has strengthened and deepened a variety of inter-campus relationships. Partnerships and collaborations have been forged between sustainability and the Diversity and Social Justice Resource Center, the Office of Residential Life, Facilities, Housing and Dining, and the Associated Students of Mills College. This includes all supervisory levels within these departments. With stronger relationships within a small liberal arts campus environment, initiatives to change systems, infrastructure and practices have stronger opportunities to succeed.

Mills: A Vision of Stewardship

Mission

The Sustainability Committee:

•promotes and develops environmentally sustainable practices, social responsibility and campus stewardship;

•provides policy leadership;

•facilitates community partnerships;

•encourages environmental inquiry, research and education;

•inspires future leaders in sustainability

During the 2012–2013 academic year, the Sustainability Committee will be focusing on these initiatives:

•The Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 15% by 2015. The primary focus will be on lowering energy consumption through buildings, infrastructure and behavioral change.

•The development of a campus farm grant package. The business proposal for the campus farm has been completed. Subcommittee members have visited local agriculture and garden programs. The next step is securing a planning grant, eventually leading to the community being able to eat food grown on campus.

•Create a plan to encourage higher participation in alternative transportation options and to reduce drive-alone commuting.

Sustainability Committee 12-13
Linda Zitzner, Asst. Vice President of Operations, Co-Chair
Karen Fiene, Campus Architect, Co-Chair
Britta Bullard, Sustainability Coordinator, Co-Chair
Dorothy Calimeris, Director of Auxiliary Services
Carolyn Sherwood Call, Visiting Assistant Professor, MBA Program
Jane Langner, Student Representative
Kristina Faul, Associate Professor of Geochemistry & Environment
Rachel Patterson, ASMC Sustainability Senator
Nina Rizzo, MPP Student representative
Erin Mullin, MPP Student representative
Mark Henderson, Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Siobhan Bryne, Area Coordinator
Niviece Robinson, Director of Public Safety
Sarah Swope, Assistant Professor of Biology
Sharon Tatai, Mills alumnae
Roselia Zendejas, Operations Manager, Bon Appetit@Mills College Dining Services

The Sustainability Center provides opportunities for the campus community to be involved in ecological restoration, resource stewardship, creative transportation strategies, and sustainable food systems initiatives. Students are provided with the resources necessary to accomplish effective sustainability advocacy and project implementation, giving them the experience required to succeed in future leadership roles. The Sustainability Center encourages the cultivation of innovative sustainable practices, opportunities to apply research, and educational outreach.

The Sustainability Coordinator manages the college’s sustainability programs, with the Sustainability Center as the home base. Projects include recycling and waste management programs, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, creek restoration programs, carbon footprint analysis, green dining and catering programs, and green transportation programs. This person reports to the campus architect and is part of the Facilities Department and co-chairs the Sustainability Committee.