Council on Environmental Sustainability
Sustainability @ the
University of Rochester
Council on Environmental Sustainability
(From the Report of the University Council on Environmental Sustainability, February 2008)
In November of 2007, President Seligman appointed Provost Ralph Kuncl and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Science and Engineering Peter Lennie to co-chair a University Council on Environmental Sustainability. The Council on Environmental Sustainability built on the earlier work of a Sustainability Task Force, chaired by Senior Vice President Ronald Paprocki, that had inventoried University environmental sustainability initiatives, articulated a Statement of Commitment and Environmental Sustainability Principles, and identified 25 specific ongoing or proposed sustainability initiatives in the areas of energy, waste management, recycling, purchasing, business practices, land use, building design, construction, transportation, parking, and dining services.
The Council was charged to:
- Develop a University-wide vision for environmental sustainability that also addressed academic and research initiatives.
- Review the Task Force’s 25 initiatives and make recommendations regarding their implementation and sequencing.
- Endorse or modify the Task Force’s proposed Principles, based on its consideration of research and academic proposals.
In February of 2008, the Council reported to President Seligman; the report focused on four basic areas:
- First, the Council refined and prioritized the list of the 25 operational initiatives. The Council proposed a specific timeframe for implementing these initiatives, to establish and develop metrics for gauging progress on current and future University-wide initiatives, and to link operational initiatives to academic programs through faculty supervised projects. Given the need for initiative-by-initiative review of certain of these projects and the potential significant costs involved, this represented a major area of the Council’s recommendations.
- Second, the Council proposed a provisional Vision for Sustainability, providing a starting point for a longer-term, University-wide conversation to result in an integrated roadmap for sustainability at the University of Rochester.
- Third, the Council endorsed and modified the Task Force’s Statement of Commitment and Environmental Sustainability.
- Fourth, the Council recommended the creation of a small University Council on Sustainability to provide integrated advice on all matters relating to sustainability including research, curriculum, campus operations, and community.
In March 2008, President Seligman issued a statement, implementing these proposals generally and supporting the creation of a University Council on Sustainability for five years.
This new, five-year Council will:
- provide an annual review each January of our progress with respect to the current and future operational initiatives described above;
- describe University-wide faculty and student academic initiatives with respect to environmental sustainability;
- establish an ongoing comprehensive catalogue of sustainability initiatives at the University and develop a web site and other media to communicate the University’s sustainability initiatives; and
- recommend new initiatives that the University might undertake in areas of environmental sustainability, including speakers, forums, or similar means of University conversation.
President Seligman appointed Provost Ralph Kuncl and Senior Vice President Ronald Paprocki as Co-Chairs of this new Council.
