Transcript Slide 1
What is your Sustainability Commitment? Why Bother? Think of it as Creation Care How do we care for God’s creation…land, air, water? How do we act responsibly regarding our resources? Our actions today will profoundly affect future generations. Sustainability… What is it? It is more than recycling. Recycling is a way to resource what we have already consumed; Sustainablility encompasses ways to reduce before we consume. Recycling should not be license to overconsumption. Rather, we need to reduce our overall impact on the resources we have been given. GET STARTED *Join existing organizations *Enter contests *Create your own Sustainability program How do we get started? 1. START SMALL Appoint a Sustainability Taskforce. Hire a Director of Sustainability, or recruit a volunteer. Monitor your energy usage so you have a baseline for future savings. EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE Plan a Creation Care week to build awareness and excitement. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE How do we get started? 2. PARTNER WITH LOCAL AGENCIES Work with your waste management provider to provide recycling containers. Partner with your food service provider: composting, water conservation, fair-trade products, locally grown foods… Team up with local charities who need your leftover food. Research conservation discounts available through your utility companies. Research deals that are available for solar and wind energy. How do we get started? 3. INVITE STUDENT PARTICIPATION Encourage students to embrace a Green Fund for sustainable projects. Solicit and implement conservation ideas from students. Partner with your business department to encourage students to submit business plans for projects related to building a more sustainable campus. How do we get started? 4. LET SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN EFFORTS BE A PART OF ALL CAMPUS DECISIONS Commit to high environmental standards in new construction and new purchases. Incorporate LEED components in project management. Recycle building materials and reuse them in new construction. Go trayless in the cafeteria. Stop printing handbooks; post them online instead. Switch to electronic Christmas cards. How do we get started? (cont.) Convert campus vehicles to electric or hybrids. Sponsor a “Bike to Work” day each week. Retrofit exterior street lighting to cut energy use. Use Green Seal cleaning products and microfiber materials. Install Hydration Stations for free filtered water for use in reusable bottles. Plant a community garden. How do we get started? (cont.) Switch to waterless urinals and low-flow shower heads. Install modified irrigation systems. Install energy saving light bulbs. Install front-loading washers in the dorms. Use motion or photo sensor light switches where possible. Expand curriculum so that sustainable science and business practices are being taught. If you’re already “Going Green,” just keep adding to what you’re already doing. If you’re wondering how to begin… Start small…but DO start! Resources and Links www.recycleday.org www.climatechallenge.org http://sustainability.publicradio.org/consumerconsequences (Find out how your lifestyle impacts the environment.) www.earth911.com www.green-e.org (Renewable Energy) www.icarpool.com (Find people to carpool with to work, events, or long trips!) www.lowimpactliving.com www.nrdc.org http://awesome.good.is/transparency/008/trans008vampireenergy.html (Vampire Loads, or Phantom loads…how electronics use energy while they are turned off) www.recyclemania.org (National university competition) http://www.pointloma.edu/PhysicalPlant/Sustainability.htm