Northland College
PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination

Formed in 1989, the formal charge of Northland's Environmental Council reads: The Environmental Council will be a catalyst for change that provides direction and encouragement to Northland College in carrying out its environmental liberal arts mission and the goals of the Northland College Sustainability Statement. Toward this end, it will seek to provide vision, encourage community participation, strengthen our academic programs, uncover root environmental problems, and provide sustainable and manageable solutions for them throughout the college.

The committee consists of two faculty, appointed every year by Faculty Council; four staff -- the campus sustainability coordinator and representatives from The Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, Student Life, and Facilities; and numerous students. At least 12 students have workstudy positions with various sustainability initiatives and are responsible for working group meetings of Council. 20-30 Students on average attend meetings and volunteer on Council projects throughout the year.

The Sustainability Coordinator reports to the Dean of Student Life and the President. The Coordinator manages roughly 15-22 students throughout the year who organize 12 initiatives.

Campus Sustainability Coordinator/ Environmental Educator Job Description Northland College Draft August 14, 2008 The campus sustainability coordinator is responsible for the coordination and advancement of sustainability initiatives to reduce Northland College’s environmental footprint. Sustainability at Northland is defined through the Natural Step Framework. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES: 1. Advance Northland College to be a national leader in campus sustainability • Develop strategies, goals, and benchmarks to meet the American Colleges and Universities Presidents’ Climate Commitment, STARS pilot, Climate Registry, and other national initiatives • Work with all departments on campus to accomplish strategic operational initiatives developed in Environmental Council • Build connections between faculty, staff, and student interests and campus sustainability needs • Foster a culture of sustainability throughout the campus through clear and regular communication through diverse venues, with particular emphasis on the web and other digital media • Develop web-friendly monitoring and tracking systems to document successes, measure progress, and identify bottlenecks to future development. • Represent Northland College in local, regional & national organizations, events & conferences • Develop outreach strategy and systems for sustainability programming with SOEI, Admissions, and Advancement 2. Educate the campus community about issues in food systems, energy and buildings, transportation, waste minimization, and recycling. • Collaborate with faculty to identify partnership opportunities and develop programs contributing to both sustainable operations and the academic mission of teaching, research, and outreach • Collaborate with Student Life to identify partnership opportunities and develop co-curricular programs contributing to both sustainable behavior and the student experience • Recruit, interview, hire, and supervise student interns performing research or work on sustainability projects • Serve as a guest lecturer and adjunct instructor • Keep current with applicable laws, regulations, products, programs & other initiatives & ensure the information is distributed appropriately