Location: Facilities Conference Room
Time: 12:00 pm
Present Dan Hernandez, Mark Kanazawa, Martha Larson, Rhys Lindmark, Ray McGaughey, Chris Remley, Steve Spehn, Sydney Weydemeyer, Nina Whitney
Absent Fadi Hakim, Kim Smith, Ryan Noe,
Secretary: Sydney Weydemeyer
I. Meeting Minutes Approval
Minutes from the 1/13/11 and 1/27/11 EAC meetings were approved by the committee.
II. EAC Secretary of the Committee Appointment
Sydney Weydemeyer was appointed Secretary of the Committee and will serve through the end of spring term 2011.
III. Trayless Tuesday Survey Results/ Next Steps
Michelle Hesterberg and Alex Lai gave a short presentation of the results of last weeks questionnaire surveying students’ responses to trayless dining on campus. The preliminary results demonstrated that around 90% of students support or “don’t care” about trayless Tuesdays in the LDC and 90% of students support or “don’t care” about trayless dining in LDC everyday. More comprehensive results are forthcoming. Mark Kanazawa asked if the team knew what the cost savings would be for reductions in food waste and why the proposal was limited to LDC, not Burton. Ms. Hesterberg noted they did not know cost per pound of food but would explore this question with Bon Appetit. She noted that Burton’s conveyor system requires use of trays and Bon Appetit indicated it would be very expensive to upgrade. This is why the proposal is limited to LDC. As a next step, Michelle and Alex are proposing to Dining Board that trayless Tuesdays continue in the LDC for the remainder of the academic year and that the LDC becomes completely trayless in the fall of 2011. Michelle gave evidence from fall term LDC food waste measurements that trayless Tuesdays in the LDC reduced food waste by 20% and have the potential to save Bon Appetit money that can go into improving food quality and service. Michelle also predicts that as incoming freshmen experience trayless dining for the first time, student discontent of trayless dining will begin to diminish as these behavioral changes begin to take affect. A motion was made and approved for the EAC to endorse this trayless dining proposal.
IV. SOPE Green Roof Proposal
SOPE members are seeking to revitalize the “green roof” on Olin Hall. Ray McGaughey gave a short synopsis of the goals of the revitalizing project. SOPE seeks to collaborate with Arboretum Director Nancy Braker and potentially other classes and professors in maintaining the green roof. This maintenance needs long-term dedication in order to be successful. Steve Spehn noted that the green roof as currently designed is not the most up-to-date design for green roofs and suggests that the roof should be re-designed (utilizing large containers of plants instead of placing soil directly on roof) in order to more easily access the roof surface for maintenance and reduce the chance of leaks. Dan Hernandez suggested that there needs to be a stronger educational component with the roof as an example of environmental engineering and management implemented by Carleton students. Dan suggested a possible paying position to support the upkeep of the roof. Ray McGaughey noted that Admissions used to make the green roof a regular stop on prospective student tours; revitalizing the green roof may benefit the admissions department by improving this feature of the tours. The EAC will wait for an official proposal from SOPE before continuing the discussion.
V. Funding Requests:
a. Powershift 2011 Budget Proposal
Ray McGaughey, Fay Li, Anne Sledd, and Chelsea Wagner presented on behalf of SOPE a $1,370 funding request to send five students to the Powershift 2011 Conference in Washington DC from April 15th -18th. Funding is also being sought from CSA, Dean of the Students Office, ENTS, and the President’s Office. Signups for the conference are based on a first come first serve basis. Mr. McGaughey noted that Power Shift is the only national student-focused environmental conference of its type that he is aware of, and draws a national audience of like-minded students. It is a valuable opportunity to attend workshops and exchange knowledge with other schools regarding campus sustainability initiatives. He emphasized the importance of Carleton representation to reinforce our leadership position in this area. Mark Kanazawa and Dan Hernandez both questioned how the students could bring what they learned at the conference back to the wider Carleton community- various presentation forums were suggested, and SOPE assures they will seek ways to share what they learned with the Carleton campus.. Because this was such a large budget request, questions concerning future funding of this conference were raised. Ray pointed out that this is a bi-annaul conference so requests would not be made every year. Rhys Lindmark suggested this would be a good use of some of the $11,000 of reserve funds in the EAC budget.. A motion to grant funding was made and approved by the committee.
b. Raffle Prizes for STA study breaks
Laura Henry is seeking funding for coffee mugs used in a raffle to increase attendance at study breaks where information from the STAs is presented. Because Laura was not present and the exact anmount of the request was not confirmed, the motion will take place at the next EAC meeting February 24.
VI. Stewsie Award Nominations
The EAC is seeking nominations for the annual Stewsie award, which awards either a student or a faculty/staff member who demonstrates a strong commitment to Carleton’s grounds and general environmental health. Nominations may be sent to Martha Larson. Mark Kanazawa suggests that two separate awards be nominated, one for a student and one for a faculty/staff member in order to recognize efforts put forth by all members of Carleton community.
VII. Sustainable Revolving Fund Committee Report
The Sustainable Revolving Fund Committee met this week and voted to approve a $280 proposal for a SOPE pilot project of placing drying racks in laundry rooms to reduce energy used by dryers.
VIII. Green Wars Update
Libby Nachman gave a brief update on Green Wars that will be starting Sunday, February 13. There will be events Sunday-Thursday night promoting the event. SOPE will submit a budget request for dorm energy competition prizes at the next EAC meeting February 24.
END OF MINUTES