With the creation of the President’s Advisory Council for Sustainability Planning in 2009, OU President Roderick McDavis made a commitment to minimize the university’s ecological impact.
The council, composed of faculty members, students and Athens residents, met last night to launch the Ohio University Sustainability Plan.
“(Sustainability) is clearly a university priority, and we are going to keep it as a priority,” McDavis said. “Sustainability is at the top of the list in importance.”
The attendees were asked to brainstorm ways to carry out the plan. These included projects that can be undertaken to help accomplish the plan’s goals, which include increasing recycling rates, purchasing more local foods and increasing use of sustainable cleaning products.
“We’ve been trying to engage people throughout the university,” said Jill Carlson, a senior studying chemistry who serves on the council. “We’re all in this together. … Anybody in the university can read the plan and get something from it.”
In addition to discussing ways to implement the plan’s goals, the people who were at the public discussion said they gathered to celebrate the work that went into creating the plan.
“One of the purposes of tonight was to show appreciation for the people involved,” said Michele Morrone, director of environmental studies.
The plan includes numerous goals that are grouped under citizenship, stewardship and justice.
Information and input were taken from various students, faculty members and residents, along with other universities’ sustainability plans, to shape the first draft of OU’s plan.
Now that the sustainability plan has been formally launched, its creators will present it to McDavis for approval later this quarter.
The Board of Trustees will then review the final product at its June 24 meeting.
Once the board approves the plan, OU will begin working on each objective.
The Office of Sustainability will work with Faculty Senate to oversee the implementation of its goals.
Some of the goals that could be easiest to initiate are the ones dealing with sustainability education, Morrone said.
“Those are the types of things we can get started on with little investment,” she said.
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