Location: Facilities Conference Room

Time: 12:00 pm

Present Martha Larson, Rhys Lindmark, Ray McGaughey, Chris Remley, Sydney Weydemeyer

Absent Fadi Hakim, Dan Hernandez, Michelle Hesterberg, Mark Kanazawa, Ryan Noe, Kim Smith, Steven Spehn, George Vrtis, Nina Whitney

Secretary: Sydney Weydemeyer

I.               Meeting Minute Approval

 

Minutes from the March 31, 2011 EAC meeting were approved.

 

 

II.              Stewsie Award Announcements

 

The EAC decided that two student awards would be awarded this year because last year there was only one nominee and this year, the votes were split down the middle for Libby Nachman and Ryan Noe.  Both students were awarded the award. Gloria Heinz was the staff member awarded.  Ray McGaughey suggested presenting certificates in addition to the cash prize.

 

III.            STA Applications

 

STA applications have been received and will be reviewed Friday, April 29.  There will be two or three positions available for the school year of 2011-2012.  EAC members are welcome to attend the STA application review session on April 29 at 11:00 in the Facilities Conference Room.

 

IV.            Updates on EAC-Supported Projects

 

a.     Air miles calculator project update

 

Rhys Lindmark updated the EAC on the status of his air mileage calculator, which has been completed.  The air mileage calculator will work for Carleton’s purposes, but it is not easy enough to post online for use by other institutions due to various potential formatting differences.  The calculator calculates all staff flights, but does not calculate any off-campus flights or flights of Carleton students coming or leaving from campus.  These records are provided through the OCS office.  Martha Larson and Nina Whitney met with Linda Thornton and Randie Johnson in the business office to explore how air travel calculations can be refined in the future.  They learned that currently the P-card system does not include a field for miles travelled, but does include air carrier and to / from destination.  It would be too labor-intensive for the business office to hand enter miles data for each travel reimbursement.  It is hoped that the P-card system will calculate miles in the future due to increased demand from institutions such as Carleton who are tracking greenhouse gas emissions due to air travel.  

b.     PowerShift

 

Libby Nachman updated the EAC about the PowerShift conference.  The group from Carleton participated in rallies at the White House, listened to inspirational speakers, and connected with other schools around the country.  The Carleton students also met up with the other MN schools who attended the conference to create more local connections.  The Carls that attended PowerShift are working on post-conference events like workshops, leadership/activism training, and a film festival to share their experiences with the Carleton campus community.

c.     Earth Week update

 

Libby Nachman said the events for Earth Week went very well.  Movie screenings and dinner discussions had good turnout and the carnival had around 50 attendees (which she said was not bad considering the weather, which was cold and rainy).  Martha Larson asked for suggestions of what could be done differently in the future and Laura Henry replied that there is a lot more potential in the Earth Day Carnival.  Chris Remley suggested planning for the carnival farther in advance so it can be more organized.

 

 

d.     Eat the Farm Bill discussion (partially sponsored by EAC funds)

 

The event was very well attended, with most of the Library Athenaeum (where the event was held) filled.  There were talks by MPIRG, the Land Stewardship Project and local farmers.

 

 

V.             EAC New Funding Requests

 

a.     Pizza for MPIRG’s Waste Documentary Screening

 

Courtney Deufford of MPIRG requested $100 for pizza at the MPIRG documentary screening about waste on Carleton’s campus to attract more people.  Rhys Lindmark suggested that the EAC limit approving requests for funding food at environmental events instead of helping to the fund the actual environmental event.  It was noted that CSA does not fund food requests, yet food can be valuable when it directly influences attendance at environmental events.  Libby Nachman suggested setting a budget for the amount of food that the EAC could fund.  Martha Larson agreed, saying it is important for the EAC to establish a clear policy about whether food requests will be considered and if so, at what amount.    The EAC will discuss in a future meeting whether to continue considering food requests for funding approval or ban them but resolved to vote on this request during the current meeting.  Ray McGaughey motioned to approve the MPIRG request for pizza during the waste documentary movie screening and the motion passed.

 

b.     Portable Water Fountain

Trevor Hill from Student Activities requested $483.50 for the purchase of a portable water fountain for campus wide events like Rotblatt and Spring Concert.  The total cost of the water fountain is $900; Student Activities will cover half the cost and is seeking funding for the other half.  Currently, Student Activities is spending $500 on bottled water for Rotblatt, therefore not only is the portable water fountain more environmentally friendly than bottled water, it will pay itself back after two years.  The water fountain should last 10-20 years and the other institutions that Trevor has talked with who own this water fountain all gave very positive reviews.  Student Activities would either lend or rent the water fountain to other organizations on campus.  Ray McGaughey asked if Student Activities would be interested in loaning the money from the EAC and then paying it back in the next few years.  Trevor replied that Student Activities would be interested in a loan.  The EAC will discuss with Mark Kanazawa about proper loan procedures (interest, etc) and then discuss details with Student Activities.  Martha Larson will email the EAC once more details have been figured out. [UPDATE: subsequent to the 4/28/11 EAC meeting, CSA and Student Activties decided to jointly purchase the portable water fountain since it can be used for a variety of campus events.  The EAC funding request was rescinded.]  

 

VI.            Announcements

a.     April 29 – Earth Day Contra Dance, Northfield Ballroom

b.     April 30 (6:30-8:00pm)- Transit Initiatives interest dinner at City Council Member Suzie Nakasian’s house 713 Fourth Street East

c.     May 13-14- Climate Action Plan- Board Presentations/ Approval

d.     May 25- USGBC Green Roof Workshop (contact Steve Spehn for details)

e.     September 23-24- UMACS (Upper Midwest Association for Campus Sustainability) Conference at UMN Morris.