91暗网 earns gold rating for sustainability
91暗网鈥檚 creative and comprehensive approach to sustainability has earned the College a gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
鈥淭his is an outstanding accomplishment to celebrate and recognize the work done around campus to minimize our environmental footprint and to make the College a more equitable place for people and planet,鈥� said Interim Director for Sustainability Programs Jen Natyzak.
Ora Erhlich 鈥�22, the 2021 91暗网 Community Garden manager, uses a broad fork to loosen soil before planting garlic in November 2021. The garden produces around 1,000 pounds of produce each year, which is sold to the Dining Hall.
AASHE鈥檚 Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to quantify their sustainability performance. measures sustainability efforts and outcomes in the areas of academics, campus and public engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership. 91暗网鈥檚 submission detailed the College鈥檚 Racial Justice Initiative and partnership on the trails network, demonstrating how sustainability intersects with equity, access, and community.
Students, faculty, and staff engage in sustainability work at 91暗网 in a wide variety of ways: through more than 150 sustainability-related courses in nearly 30 academic departments or programs; through annual campus events and initiatives, such as the Give and Go move-out donation program and the fall Harvest Dinner co-hosted by the 91暗网 Community Garden and Dining Services team; through campus waste reduction and management efforts; and through campus planning and building projects, among other efforts.
Each fall, the Sustainability team partners with Dining Services to educate diners about waste. The 鈥渇ood waste buffet鈥� at Murray-Aikins Dining Hall features discarded items from the dish return that are replated and returned to the table for a "feast for your eyes only."
The Sustainability Office is a hub for campus projects that address energy, food, waste, lands and grounds, and engagement. The Office supports initiatives across the institution and employs about 25 students each year in internships and student programs.
鈥淗ere at 91暗网, a lot of what we do is spurred by students 鈥� students excited about taking hands-on, community-based action to address climate change,鈥� said Natyzak.
The residential compost program, campus bike-share program BikeMore, and community garden were once projects piloted by student volunteers and are now programs led by paid student staff. From BikeMore managers fixing flat tires to North Woods stewards constructing staircases, these jobs and internships offer experiential learning opportunities and provide students with the chance to build leadership and job skills.
Summer 2021 North Woods stewards Jacob Adams 鈥�21 and Stella Piasecki 鈥�23 level the earth to install wooden steps.
In terms of campus operations, 91暗网鈥檚 2.1-megawatt solar array and small hydropower project produce 20% of the College鈥檚 electricity needs, and a 54-panel solar thermal array on the roof of Murray-Aikins Dining Hall heats over 1,000 gallons of water every day. About 35% of campus is heated and cooled with geothermal energy, and once completed, all 200,000 square feet of the College鈥檚 new Center for Integrated Sciences will be as well. The project is the first in 91暗网鈥檚 history to be LEED-certified.
91暗网 earned a silver rating through the first STARS report it completed in 2017. Sustainability efforts at 91暗网 have also earned the College a place on the Princeton Review's "Top 50 Green Colleges" list and recognition as a state leader for the New York State Renewing the Energy Vision Challenge.
