Based on meetings with the interns at Cedar Crest, Lafayette, Lehigh, Moravian, and Muhlenberg, the following overall goals are common to the campus sustainability efforts at all Lehigh Valley campuses:
1. Document where the college is with respect to sustainability
- Inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using the Clean Air-Cool Planet tools
- Completed checklist of indicators in all elements of sustainability
2. Increase awareness
- Organize events, including speakers, films, and public forums
- Encourage classroom discussion and assignments related to sustainability
- Publicize efforts to become more sustainable
3. Get a Commitment to Sustainability
- American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment
- Talloires Declaration
- Sustainability section on college website
3. Implement Specific Actions for Sustainability
(Specific programs will vary from campus to campus and may include some or all of the following)
- Reduce waste & promote recycling
- Reduce consumption of
- Electrical power
- Fossil fuels
- Paper
- Water
- Adopt 'Green' Building Standards
- Incorporate elements of sustainability in curriculum
4. Communicate ideas, challenges, successes with other csi interns and with other colleges
- Maintain this wiki site
- Ensure coverage in campus publications
- Provide information and articles to the newsletter
5. Ensure Continuity
- Promote a sustainability task force (or work with the task force if one already exists)
- Identify CSI internship candidates
- Ensure that the college or university develops a process for annual updates to the GHG inventory and reporting to all stakeholders
A note on AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education)
AASHE membership can contribute to success with all these goals, by providing
- Tools and information for assessing sustainability
- Tools and strategies for implementation of the Presidents Climate Commitment and other approaches to sustainability
- Information about efforts at other colleges and universities, as well as successes and barriers encountered
- AASHE Bulletin
- Access to strategies and policies developed at other colleges & universities