Minutes
sustainability group
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • 3:00 – 4:30 pm • Building 16, Room 211

Attendees:
Sherisa Aguirre, Oregon Bioneers
Susie Cousar, Health & PE
Rick Crawford, Student
Denise Gosar, Disability Services
Moriah Demers, ASLCC
Jennifer Hayward, College Operations
Marie Matsen, College Operations
Bob Mention, Facilities Management & Planning
Joseph Newton, Science
Amanda Poston, Conference and Culinary Services
Mike Sims, Recycling & Surplus Property
Tammie Stark, Antioch University Student
Susan Tatar, Facilities Management & Planning
Rick Venturi, Specialized Employment Services

Minutes:

Fall Conference
Sherisa Aguirre from Oregon Bioneers provided a brief description of Bioneers and the Bioneers conference. Aguirre showed a video from the 2004 Bioneers conference. Members were impressed by the video and expressed excitement about working with Bioneers in 2005. Hayward reported that Anthony Cortese, founder of Second Nature and college sustainability activist, is scheduled to be at Lane during the conference to give presentations and lead workshops. Hayward also reported that there is a meeting scheduled for Friday, May 6 from 12-1pm in Building 3 Room 216 to discuss how Lane and Bioneers will work together. Sustainability group members are welcome to attend.

Hayward will investigate ordering videos of the plenaries from the 2004 Bioneers Conference and will purchase them if costs are not prohibitive.

Earth Week
Hayward reviewed the Earth Week schedule. Demers explained how Earth Week has been and will be promoted. Demers has sent press releases to all local news outlets, including the Torch. ASLCC students have made posters, table tents, and flyers. Demers will provide Matsen with 25 flyers to distribute during the Board Meeting. Hayward will put up a website within the next couple of days and post Daily announcements. Members discussed additional promotional strategies to ensure that these excellent events have as much attendance as possible. Cousar said that she is telling students in her classes about the events and giving them extra credit for attending. Cousar and Hayward will send an e-mail to faculty asking them to promote the events in classes and to also give extra credit to students for attending, if possible.

City of Eugene Meeting on Sustainability
Matsen reported that Mayor Piercy has convened a meeting of local business and organization leaders to discuss how to move Eugene toward sustainability. Matsen will be attending the meeting for the college.

Project Updates
Sustainable Paper Use: Sims reported that he is awaiting information from Printing & Graphics Manager, Gary Anderson, about the annual costs of paper. This information is critical to a promotional program. In the meantime, Sims will design and print stickers encouraging double-sided copying to place on copiers and will remain in contact with Anderson regarding the elimination of fluorescent and heavily died papers. Members suggested looking at purchasing paper from local alternative paper producers like Living Tree Paper Co.
Biodiesel: Hayward said that the biodiesel project is currently underway. The students who are working on the project have met with Science Faculty and Facilities Director, Mike Ruiz. This group has developed a plan for obtaining all of the necessary parts and many parts have been gathered to date. Facilities staff is helping obtain parts, providing technical guidance for the students, and working on finding a semi-permanent location for the project.
Talloires Declaration: Matsen reported that she drafted statements explaining, in very general terms, how the college would commit to most of the ten actions listed in the Talloires Declaration. Matsen explained that she has not filled in commitment statements for actions 2, 3, or 4 because these are actions that would come from instruction and not from operations. Matsen has asked Sonya Christian and Stan Taylor to draft commitment statements for these actions. Matsen distributed this draft of the Declaration (attached). Her comments are written below the individual actions in the Talloires Declaration. Members will provide Hayward with any additional comments.

Other Business
Board Presentation: Matsen noted that she, Sonya Christian, Jennifer Hayward, and Margaret Robertson presented information about the college’s sustainability program at the March 9 th Board Meeting. Matsen said that the Board was interested in the information and made several supportive comments afterwards.

Minutes prepared by: Jennifer Hayward
Date: 4/28/04
Attachments (1): Talloires Declaration with draft college commitment statements

Action Items:

Laundry Environmental Audit

• 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.

Coordination with Facilities Council

• 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.

“Green bag” lunches

• 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.

Talloires Declaration

• Taylor to request that consideration of the Declaration is included on the Learning Council agenda.
• Members to e-mail Hayward comments or suggestions regarding the Declaration.

Sustainable Paper Use

• Sims to meet with Information Technology to discuss how double-sided printing can be increased in labs and offices.
• Sims to move forward with a promotional campaign regarding sustainable paper use, including designing and printing stickers encouraging double-sided copying to place on copiers
• Sims to remain in contact with Anderson regarding the elimination of fluorescent and heavily died papers.

Fall Conference

Earth Week

Community Garden