1/12/05 - sustainability group meeting minutes
Wednesday, January 12, 2005; 3:00 - 4:30 pm; Building 16, Room 211

Attendees:
Ellen Cantor, EFSL
Susie Cousar, Health & PE
Moriah Demers, Associated Students of Lane Community College
Jackie Fern, Science
Denise Gosar, Student
Jennifer Hayward, College Operations
Marie Matsen, College Operations
Bob Mention, Facilities Management & Planning
Mike Sims, Recycling & Surplus Property
Rick Venturi, Specialized Employment Services

Minutes:

1. Foundation Account

Hayward reported that there is a balance of $5126 in the Foundation account. She noted that $2000 was specifically donated to be used for curriculum development around sustainability training. Members discussed how we would use the remaining $3126. Members decided to explore the following projects:

• Alternative power (wind, solar)
  • The group will begin planning for alternative power use in more detail once the Energy Analyst is hired.


• Biodiesel (production, testing, use)
• Hayward will coordinate a meeting between interested people to develop the proposal. Meeting will include Matsen, Venturi, Mike Ruiz, as well as other interested staff and students.
   
• Expand the green bag lunch series
• Promote the series to a wider audience.
• Purchase give-aways &/or raffle items.
• Hire speakers.


• Sustainable paper use (double-sided printing, paper use reduction, paper purchasing practices including recycled content and use of chemical to whiten or dye paper, printing charges in computer labs, recycling)
• Sims will coordinate a meeting between interested people to develop a proposal for encouraging sustainable paper use practices. The group will initially focus on double-sided printing. The meeting will include Fern, Cousar, Hayward, and possibly representatives from Computer Services, Printing & Graphics, and Purchasing.
• Harvesting of apple trees on campus (cook & dry fruit for people to use, grab apple green bag lunch, involve OSPIRG as part of hunger & homelessness campaign).
• Revisit this idea when it gets closer to harvest time (late September/early October). Coordinate with Grounds, Culinary, and OSPIRG.

2. Coordination with Facilities Council

Matsen explained that the Facilities Council is working on drafting priorities and values that it will use to make decisions. Matsen asked that the sustainability group provide input to the Facilities Council. Hayward will e-mail the Facilities Council draft values, priorities, and policies to the sustainability group for review and comment.

Matsen also explained that the Facilities Council is chartering a Task Force to do long range transportation planning and would like a member of the sustainability group to be on the Task Force. Hayward will send an e-mail to the sustainability group asking people to let her know if they are interested in being on the Task Force.

3. E arth Week Activities

Demers reviewed Earth Week activities that ASLCC has been planning. They are planning to schedule two bands for each day during that week. They would also like to schedule a series of workshops and film showings. Members agreed that the sustainability group would coordinate workshops. Following is the list of workshops that will be scheduled and which group will coordinate it.

Members brainstormed on movies that could be included in the film series. The following films were suggested.

Members will continue brainstorming films that could be included in the series via e-mail.

Sims said that the Recycling Program would do a waste audit as another Earth Week event. Demers noted that she has been in contact with the Eugene Weekly and that they have said that they would highlight the activities at Lane Community College in their Earth Week paper.

4. Sustainable Building

The group was not able to discuss this item due to lack of time. It will be added to a future meeting agenda.

5. Green Bag Lunch Series

Sims reviewed the status of sustainability initiatives in Foodservice and noted that he is working on scheduling a green bag lunch on sustainability in foodservices for February. Members agreed that this would be a good topic for a green bag lunch.

6. Sustainability in Curriculum

Hayward briefly reported on the activities of the Sustainability in Curriculum group, noting that the Reading Together Coordinator, Ellen Cantor, said that there is a possibility that the Reading Together series for 2005/2006 could have a sustainability theme. Members will brainstorm on sustainability themed books that would be appropriate for Reading Together. Hayward will determine the status of the Reading Together Committee selection process for 05/06 and will let the group know.

Minutes prepared by: Jennifer Hayward                  

Date:   2/15/05                       

Action Items

• Venturi to audit environmental practices in the Laundry to determine whether improved environmental practices could be implemented. The investigation will include: chemical use; water volumes; temperatures; and heat recovery (Ebbage noted that an Energy Management class could help the laundry investigate heat recovery strategies).
• Hayward to ask the Green Chemistry Club coordinator, John Thompson, whether the Club’s students would be interested in researching Laundry chemical use as a project.
• Matsen and Hayward to propose a weekly time for Core Group meetings that will start after the first of the year.
• Hayward to e-mail the Facilities Council draft values, priorities, and policies to the sustainability group for review and comment.
• Hayward to send an e-mail to the sustainability group asking people to let her know if they are interested in being on the Facilities Council’s Long Range Transportation Planning Task Force.
• Demers to determine ASLCC’s interest in participating or co-coordinating a commute challenge.
• Members to brainstorm films that could be included in the Earth Week film series via e-mail.
• Members to brainstorm on sustainability themed books that would be appropriate for Reading Together via e-mail.
• Hayward to determine the status of the Reading Together Committee selection process for 05/06 and let the group know.

“Green bag” lunches

• Sims to schedule green bag lunch on sustainable foodservices.
• Hayward to determine whether architect, Galen Ohmart is available to do a presentation on Lane’s proposed Model Sustainability Building as a green bag lunch.
• Hayward to ask Marie Matsen to ask Tracy Simms if the monthly sustainability green-bag lunch event could be a regular event listed on the Lane home page.

Foundation account

• Matsen to provide suggested talking points for group members to use when promoting the sustainability account.
• Hayward to coordinate a meeting of people interested in working on a campus biodiesel project to develop the proposal.
• Sims to coordinate a meeting of people interested in sustainable paper use practices to develop a proposal.