Oberlin College
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

The Oberlin College Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) has two staff working full-time on sustainability covering the entire institution, as well as a half-time staff member working jointly between a project in the Environmental Studies Program and Office of Environmental Sustainability.

The Environmental Sustainability Working Group hereby moves that a Committee on Environmental Sustainability (CES) be established as a standing committee of the General Faculty. The CES’s principal duties will be to plan, oversee, and promote implementation of the Oberlin College Environmental Policy, as set forth by the President’s Environmental Policy Advisory Committee (EPAC) in August of 2003 and approved by the Board of Trustees in March of 2004; to facilitate future environmental initiatives; and to foster an on-campus culture of environmental stewardship. The CES will also support and facilitate efforts by Oberlin College to publicize its role as a leader in campus sustainability and environmental citizenship in general. As such, it will be charged with ensuring that the campus and outside world are educated as to the progress Oberlin is making towards a green campus. —From the Motion to the General Faculty to establish a Committee on Environmental Sustainability

a) six (6) members of the teaching faculty b) the following ex officio members, or their designates: • Assistant Vice President of Energy Management and Sustainability • Assistant to the President for Community and Government Relations • The Vice President of Finance • Director of Facilities Operations • Director of Facilities Planning and Construction • Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs c) two (2) student members, appointed by the Student Senate d) a member or designate of Oberlin City Council (non-voting)

The Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) works to facilitate the implementation of the College’s comprehensive environmental policy in line with the College’s strategic goal of sustainability and commitment to carbon neutrality. OES interacts with the administration, faculty, staff, and students to focus attention on ways to maximize the environmental performance of Oberlin College and develop the awareness and tools required to respond dynamically to issues affecting them. It also reaches out to the wider community and provides a connection between Oberlin and regional and national activities.

Assistant Vice President of Energy Management and Sustainability: Energy Management: The Assistant Vice President leads the ongoing strategy and development of the College's energy management programs. S/he will review designs of new systems for compliance with best engineering practices, with the College's commitment to carbon neutrality, and conformance with College standards on capital projects. The Assistant Vice President assesses HVAC systems campus-wide and coordinates equipment maintenance and replacement to increase overall efficiency. S/he is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to sharply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Sustainability: The incumbent serves as a key member of the Committee on Environmental Sustainability, which promotes implementation of the Oberlin College Environmental Policy, facilitates environmental initiatives, and fosters a culture of environmental stewardship. The Assistant Vice President serves on the planning group for the Oberlin Project; a college-city partnership and model of integrated sustainability. The Assistant Vice President manages necessary resources of budgets, timelines, and staff, including the Sustainability Coordinator who is responsible for implementing programmatic and behavioral initiatives among students, faculty, and staff. The Assistant Vice President reports on greenhouse gas emissions and fulfills data collection and reporting requirements for the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Sustainability Coordinator: Responsibilities: The Coordinator will interact with the administration, faculty, staff, and students and will be instrumental in focusing attention on ways to maximize the environmental performance of Oberlin College. The Coordinator will reach out to the campus and wider community and provide a connection between Oberlin and regional and national activities. The Coordinator will serve as the administrator of the Committee on Environmental Sustainability. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following: • Identify and determine the focus of existing student sustainability groups on campus. Provide direction for, and act as a liaison between student groups and office initiatives. • Present relevant and timely information to the administration and campus community about ways to improve environmental performance. • Oversee College sustainability website. • Create and implement educational campaigns and activities that promote sustainability among all members of the college community. • Develop relationships with outside parties including the City of Oberlin, local community organizations, and other educational institutions in which Oberlin could collaborate. • Schedule meetings for the Committee on Environmental Sustainability. Prepare meeting agenda and minutes; send assignments, oversee subcommittees, and other duties as assigned by Chair. • Collect and collate data, and aid in the preparation of submittals for various environmental ranking systems, and for reports required by the President’s Climate Commitment and other sustainability initiatives. Seek out grants and award opportunities to maintain Oberlin College as a leader in sustainability. Sustainable Energy Research Technology Fellow - Assist in the development and management of hardware, software and data associated with “Environmental Dashboard,” a novel technological system that provides community residents, faculty, students and facilities personnel with real-time feedback on energy, water, and other environmental conditions in residential and commercial buildings at the College in the in City of Oberlin. More information on the project can be found at: www.oberlindashboard.org. Specific responsibilities include: Manage monitoring hardware to ensure that it remains functional. This includes “ground truthing” metering technology installed in campus buildings and in facilities within the community to ensure that they deliver and continue to deliver accurate data. Manage data display hardware and web technologies that includes a server, a website, digital signage and “Environmental Orbs” on the Oberlin College campus and in the city. Actively participate in and provide technical support for the expansion of the existing electricity, heat and water monitoring system at Oberlin College to include all campus buildings as well as its central heating plant. Oversee implementation of a system to acquire data from utility meters through “smart metering” technology. Assist facilities personnel, faculty and students in accessing and interpreting data on the environmental performance of buildings. Assist in managing students who work on the project.