At the start of this semester, we launched an exciting, yearlong project: the Year of Sustainability. As the semester comes to a close, we have made good progress so far in assessing our status with regard to sustainability; we are spreading the word about the critical importance of this issue; and we are taking steps to protect valuable resources and limit our impact on the environment. In that spirit, we also are looking at what we might do to increase our sustainable practices.
With the goal of creating a more sustainable campus, we are looking at possible institution-wide changes that can help us take such positive steps. Of course, it is important to include everyone’s input when considering changes that could have an impact on us all, so we have developed an online survey for faculty, staff and students to gauge their interest in the kinds of changes we could pursue. The survey will ask about using public transportation; shortening the summer work week; consolidating summer, weekend, and night courses into common buildings; and other topics.