Guilford College 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application

Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions 1,000 - 7,500 Student FTE

What's Green at Guilford
Photographer: Sean Miller

Contact

Elizabeth Ann Vachon
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Intern (Student)
Environmental Sustainability Office (Facilities Department)
Guilford College
Greensboro, NC
(404) 372-5076
evachon@guilford.edu

Governance & Administration

The first, and foremost to be considered in the involvement of governance and administration would be the Strategic Long Range Plan and the Master Plan.  Both of these documents include environmental sustainability.  In the Master Plan the development standards list that "improvements should be designed and constructed with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. Facilities should meet the needs of today without compromising the natural environment of the ability of future generations to meet their needs"(19).  In the Strategic Plan Guilford includes in its future visions the goal that "Guilford College receives a national award for the environmental consciousness that characterizes its construction program, waste disposal, and land use. "(34).  The Strategic Plan also includes the Center for Principle Problem Solving, which  encourages student, faculty, and staff to develop projects that have to do with environmentalism (Kyle Dell has already received an award from the center to fund environmental work in Spring 09').

 Rhetoric and written commitment is important, but Guilford's governance and administration has also been working on acting on these principles.  Kent Chabotar, the college's president signing the President's Climate Commitment on May 19, 2007.  In January 2008 we hired our first full-time Sustainability Coordinator (before that the position was only part-time), and now have an official Sustainability Office, which includes the coordinator and the coordinator's intern(s).  Currently the Sustainability Office belongs to AASHE and the CRC (Collegiate Recycling Council).  Facilities also developed the Sustainability Council in 2005, which is a group of students, faculty, and staff that meet on a bi-weekly basis to discuss and implement ideas for furthering environmental sustainability efforts at Guilford.  In response to the signing of the PCC, a PCC Committee was also developed to research and create the first Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory.  Guilford has an Energy Star purchasing policy, and a LEED Silver Certification Building Policy. 

Operations

Guilford's administration has shown great support for environmental initiatives, and its community members have been happy to respond with institutional changes to better reflect our commitment. Already mentioned above are the Energy Star Purchasing Policy and the Building Policy, but there have been changes within other departments in campus as well.

The Facilities Department has led the way, installing low flow showerheads and sinks in a number of dormitories and installing dual position flush valves in most major academic and departmental buildings in response to the drought in North Carolina. Not only that, facilities is working hard to make all new buildings and renovations Silver LEED Certified or equivalent, including the current renovations in Archdale, which will have a grey water system and other green elements.

Recently, the campus decided to change its food service provider to Meriwether Godsey, a food service provider with a strong commitment to sustainability. They have been in the process of hiring their own sustainability coordinator in order to manage the many environmental projects that they agreed to take on in their contract. As a provider, they already use 100% recycled paper, and many of their cafeteria's have moved away from trays and encouraged students to take only what they can eat rather than letting their eyes lead them through the food bars. But at Guilford they've agreed to continue providing vegetable oil to a local bio-fuels company and are researching the institution of a pre and post consumer waste compost system.

Other parts of Guilford are also trying to become more environmentally sustainable, including our Library, which has developed a recycling system for its old books, and our paper services, which has recycled paper scraps to make sticki-note sized note pads. At IT&S, the technology department, we purchase 60% recycled paper, and are looking for ways to conserve the energy used by computers. Recently, a student completed a project about energy saving software that could be purchased in order to conserve.

Curriculum & Research

The Environmental Studies Program at Guilford incorporates an interdisciplinary understanding of environmental issues. There are classes in almost every academic department that count towards the ENVS major, including English, Business, Anthropology, and Art. Students interested in Environmental Science are encouraged to double major in Environmental Studies and one of the Science Majors (biology, chemistry, geology, etc.).

In many ENVS classes, students are required to complete a project which will help the college become more green. Examples would be a project that initiated the use of waterless urinals on campus, a project that stimulated the facilities department's interest in Green Cleaners, and a project that encouraged the use of recycled paper on campus.

In the past few years, a number of students have complete theses and independent studies incorporating environmental efforts, including Ian Breckheimer's study of the invasive plant species, Akebia, in the Guilford College Woods, and William Johnston's exploration of an energy saving program for Guilford's computer labs.

Besides supporting student projects, faculty have had projects of their own as well. To list a few, Angie Moore, professor of Geology, has recently created a bioretention cell next to the South Apartment parking lot on campus and Kyle Dell obtained an award for working on the President's Climate Commitment.

Campus Culture

Many of theses projects have faculty support, but all would not exist without student involvement.

The Pines Environmental House is a permanent theme house on campus that allows students to experience everyday green living. The Pines has a grey water system, communal meals, composts, purchases vegetables from the Veggie-Co-op and has convinced the college to offset its energy from 2006-2007 through purchasing green energy credits through Native Wind.

Veggie Co-op: The Veggie Co-op partners with Eastern Carolina Organics in order to provide organic, local vegetable to the Guilford College campus. Folks pay 10 a week to get a box of vegetables which is delivered to the Greenleaf for pick up.

Greenleaf Coffee Co-op: The Greenleaf is a coffee shop on campus, located in the basement of Mary-Hobbs Hall. They are committed to buying fair trade organic coffee and other treats for Guilford's students, faculty, and staff.

Forevergreen: Forevergreen is the official environmental club on campus. They hold events and meetings in order to better educate the campus about environmental issues and to get them involved in helping the environmental movement.

Organic Garden: The Organic Gardening Club is dedicated to teaching students about organic methods of growing vegetables and fruits. They use the compost currently collected by the Pines to help grow food, but do not use any other fertilizers or pesticides.

Community Service and Outreach

Forevergreen encourages students to participate in river clean ups etc. Last year for Earth Day, we partnered with the Cathleen Clay Edwards Library and set up a booth for kids. Currently the Environmental Sustainability Office is working on building its relationship with other college's Environmental Sustainability Coordinators in the area, including UNCG.