Resolution Supporting

Principles of Environmental Sustainability

The Academic Senate calls on the President to endorse principles of environmental sustainability for Saint Mary’s College, either a pre-existing statement such as the Talloires Declaration (see below), or one written specifically for Saint Mary’s College.  

(N.B.: Sustainability refers to practices which meet the needs of the present and live within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Its aim is to keep environmental impacts low enough to allow affected systems to recover and continue to evolve.)

I. BACKGROUND. Interest in environmental sustainability is strong both at Saint Mary’s and in higher education generally.

A. In the spring, 2004, semester, some three dozen faculty, staff, and administrators met in reading groups to discuss Sustainability on Campus: Stories and Strategies for Change (Bartlett and Chase, MIT Press, 2004). Chapters in this anthology describe how various academic institutions have implemented policies and programs to reduce their environmental impact. The book highlighted the educational, environmental, and economic consequences of alternative approaches to campus sustainability.

The reading group discussions prompted interest in pursuing similar activities at Saint Mary’s. There is now an email list of over 60 faculty, staff, and administrators who have expressed interest in campus sustainability. These individuals proposed numerous steps the College could take towards the following goals:

• Fostering environmental literacy and educating for environmental citizenship.        
• Setting environmentally responsible policies and management practices for the campus.
• Encouraging research into problems of environmental degradation and remediation.
• Facilitating environmentally appropriate choices by College employees.
• Promoting student-run environmental activities.
• Identifying strategies for implementation of environmentally sustainable policies.
• Holding events/activities to affirm our concern for environmental well being.

              The members of this group were surveyed to gauge their support for/opposition to each of the suggested ideas. One of the items rated favorably by a majority of respondents was the following: “Secure the President’s agreement to sign the Talloires Declaration (developed by University Leaders for a Sustainable Future), or some other statement of commitment to principles of sustainability”.

B. Interest in campus sustainability among students has also grown. For example, service-learning courses in the Communication Department and the Liberal and Civic Studies Program provide opportunities for students to study the College’s environmental impact and to explore more sustainable alternatives. They have resulted in the following activities:

• A 2004 student proposal prompted the College Planning Committee to appoint a task force to study the feasibility of a Saint Mary's compost program.
• Another group of students discovered that harmful polystyrene products were used by Sodexho, the College food service. They persuaded Sodexho's Director to use sugar cane-based alternatives insofar as possible.
• A similar student project resulted in a switch to fair trade coffee at the student union.
• A student project in the spring of 2005 was designed to build support for the College’s endorsement of the Talloires Declaration. They created a web site which described the Declaration and the advantages of signing it.
• On November 16th, 2005, (National Recycling Day) students organized a buffet of fresh organic foods and distributed reusable drink mugs in Oliver Hall.

C. The College already engages in activities fostering environmental sustainability:

• Recycling: The College recycles roughly 30 cubic yards of aluminum, plastic, glass, and paper monthly. Used batteries and cardboard are recycled at the Physical Plant. On October 27th, 2005, a special electronic waste pick-up site collected eight pallets of waste electronic equipment from the college community and local residents, plus twelve additional pallets of campus-owned “e-waste”.
• Resource conservation: In April, 2005, the College received over $150,000 in utility rebates after installing energy and water conservation upgrades, such as high-efficiency lighting, plumbing retrofits, window film, vending machine controllers, sewage flow meters, ventilation improvements, and boiler controllers. These upgrades cut our annual energy use by 9%, peak demand by 500 kW, and water use by 4.3 million gallons in 2005. In September, 2005, Vice President for Finance Peter Michell committed the College to helping California achieve a 20% reduction in energy consumption in non-residential buildings by 2015, and to voluntarily energy reduction when supplies are tight.
• Carpooling: A carpooling bulletin board on the College’s website (http://smcnet.stmarys-ca.edu/discussion/viewforum.php?f=4) helps students, faculty, and staff alleviate parking problems on campus, reduce pollution, conserve energy—and save money.
• In November, 2005, Saint Mary's was invited to present its students’ campus sustainability service learning projects at the American Association of Colleges and Universities Conference on "The Civic Engagement Imperative: Student Learning and the Common Good".
• The School of Science is preparing a grant application to the Keck Foundation to support environmental research and restoration projects in the campus’ seasonal wetlands area.

• The Habitat Garden: Located on the east side of the School of Education building, the Habitat Garden demonstrates how water can be conserved and urban runoff pollution reduced. This small garden was funded by the Contra Costa County Clean Water Project.
• Campus Sustainability Day: On Wednesday, October 26th, 2005, Saint Mary’s participated in an interactive webcast in the Soda Center in which national academic leaders reviewed highlights from six higher education conferences on campus sustainability.
• With support from FCAT, the College has a website devoted to these and other campus sustainability initiatives (http://sustainsmc.stmarys-ca.edu/).

D. Interest in education for environmental sustainability is growing, both nationally and world-wide:

• In January 2003, the National Science Foundation’s Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education called for a “concerted and systematic approach to environmental education grounded in a broad and deep research base that offers a compelling invitation to lifelong learning.” In 2005, however, the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation concluded that, based on almost a decade of research, our citizenry is by and large both uninformed and misinformed about environmental issues (Environmental Literacy in America, Washington, DC). But 95% of the public supports environmental education in our schools. And most Americans want environmental education to continue into their adult lives.

• In December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly declared a "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" to begin on January 1, 2005.
• There are three academic consortia dedicated to environmental sustainability:
• The Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP). Formed in response to the U.N. Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, the GHESP is dedicated to assisting academic institutions in reorienting their education, research, community outreach, and campus operations toward sustainability. (http://webapps01.un.org/dsd/partnerships/public/partnerships/71.html)
• University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF). ULSF assists colleges and universities in making sustainability an integral part of curriculum, research, operations and outreach. ULSF is also the secretariat for signatories of the Talloires Declaration (1990). (http://www.ulsf.org/)
• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASHE is a membership-based association of colleges and universities working to advance sustainability in higher education (http://www.aashe.org/)

II. WHAT IS THE TALLOIRES DECLARATION?

(from http://www.ulsf.org/programs_talloires.html)

Composed in 1990 at an international conference in Talloires, France, the Talloires Declaration is the first official commitment made by college and university administrators to environmental sustainability in higher education. It identifies ten action areas for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. As of December, 2005, it has been signed by 325 university presidents and chancellors in over 40 countries. It reads:

“We, the presidents, rectors, and vice chancellors of universities from all regions of the world are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources.

 Local, regional, and global air and water pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the ozone layer and emission of "green house" gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. These environmental changes are caused by inequitable and unsustainable production and consumption patterns that aggravate poverty in many regions of the world.

We believe that urgent actions are needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse the trends. Stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration are crucial elements in creating an equitable and sustainable future for all humankind in harmony with nature.

Universities have a major role in the education, research, policy formation, and information exchange necessary to make these goals possible. Thus, university leaders must initiate and support mobilization of internal and external resources so that their institutions respond to this urgent challenge.

We, therefore, agree to take the following actions:

• Increase Awareness of Environmentally Sustainable Development
  Use every opportunity to raise public, government, industry, foundation, and university awareness by openly addressing the urgent need to move toward an environmentally sustainable future.
•  Create an Institutional Culture of Sustainability
  Encourage all universities to engage in education, research, policy formation, and information exchange on population, environment, and development to move toward global sustainability.
• Educate for Environmentally Responsible Citizenship
  Establish programs to produce expertise in environmental management, sustainable economic development, population, and related fields to ensure that all university graduates are environmentally literate and have the awareness and understanding to be ecologically responsible citizens.
• Foster Environmental Literacy for All
  Create programs to develop the capability of university faculty to teach environmental literacy to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
• Practice Institutional Ecology
  Set an example of environmental responsibility by establishing institutional ecology policies and practices of resource conservation, recycling, waste reduction, and environmentally sound operations.
• Involve All Stakeholders
  Encourage involvement of government, foundations, and industry in supporting interdisciplinary research, education, policy formation, and information exchange in environmentally sustainable development. Expand work with community and nongovernmental organizations to assist in finding solutions to environmental problems.
• Collaborate for Interdisciplinary Approaches
  Convene university faculty and administrators with environmental practitioners to develop interdisciplinary approaches to curricula, research initiatives, operations, and outreach activities that support an environmentally sustainable future.
• Enhance Capacity of Primary and Secondary Schools
  Establish partnerships with primary and secondary schools to help develop the capacity for interdisciplinary teaching about population, environment, and sustainable development.
• Broaden Service and Outreach Nationally and Internationally
  Work with national and international organizations to promote a worldwide university effort toward a sustainable future.
• Maintain the Movement
  Establish a Secretariat and a steering committee to continue this momentum, and to inform and support each other's efforts in carrying out this declaration.”

III. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES TO SIGNING THE TALLOIRES DECLARATION?

1. Signing the Declaration would join Saint Mary’s College with a large international network of colleges and universities committed to a sustainable future.

2. The Declaration provides inspiration and motivation for the whole campus community to pursue environmental and sustainability initiatives.

3. The Declaration provides a comprehensive framework for shaping steady progress toward sustainability.

4. Signing the Declaration constitutes a commitment to which the College can be held accountable over time.

5. The Talloires Declaration is intentionally broad, covering the major areas of higher education: teaching, research, operations, outreach and service. The Declaration is designed to be interpreted and shaped for each individual institution.

IV. Does signing the Talloires Declaration further the mission of Saint Mary’s College?

A. The Catholic tradition.

In 1990, Pope John Paul II declared that “the ecological crisis has assumed such proportions as to be the responsibility of everyone… A new ecological awareness is beginning to emerge which, rather than being downplayed, out to be encouraged to develop into concrete programmes and initiatives.” In 2002, the Pope stated that “Christians and all other believers have a specific role to play in educating people in ecological awareness” (Italics in original. From Stockholm to Johannesburg: An Historical Overview of the Concern of the Holy See for the Environment Vatican City, 2002, p. 150).

Within the social teaching of the Catholic Church, concern for the environment is well established: “From the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of November, 1964, to the Venice Declaration of June, 2002, the message has been the same: we have a moral obligation to care for the environment, to respect all of God’s creation and to assure that its goods are equitably shared with all.” (Ibid, p.9).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has addressed the religious and moral dimensions of environmental degradation in publications such as “The Ecological Crisis: A Common Responsibility” (Publication #332-9), “Renewing the Earth: An Invitation to Reflection and Action on Environment in Light of Catholic Social Teaching” (Publication #468-6) and “Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good” (Publication #5-431). The Bishops specifically invite the following actions:

We ask scientists, environmentalists, economists, and other experts to continue to help us understand the challenges we face and the steps we need to take. We invite teachers and educators to emphasize, in their classrooms and curricula, a love for God’s creation, a respect for nature, and a commitment to practices and behavior that bring these attitudes into the daily lives of their students and themselves. (“Renewing the Earth”, 1992, p.13)

Eighteen Catholic colleges and universities around the world have already signed the           Declaration. Twelve other Catholic Universities in Europe, including the Università Pontificia Salesiana in the Vatican, have signed a similar statement, the “University Charter for Sustainable Development” (see section III below).

B. The Lasallian Tradition.

The United States Conference of Bishops observes that “the ecological problem is intimately connected to justice for the poor… The poor suffer most directly from environmental decline and have the least access to relief from their suffering” (“Renewing the Earth”, 1992, p.8). In 1993 the 42nd General Chapter of the Brothers of Christian Schools addressed the following call to Lasallian academic institutions:

“The General Chapter invites Lasallian universities and institutions of higher learning, according to their competencies, to foster:

1) scientific research into the causes of poverty and social injustice and into the elimination of these causes;

2) preparation of technicians and professional experts in the conservation of our ecosystems, in collaboration with national and international organizations.” (Brother Victor Franco, FSC, “Lasallian Formation of Our Faculty”, International Association of Lasallian Universities, Cuernavaca, Mexico, 2001.)

La Universidad de la Salle in Bogota, Colombia, is the first Christian Brothers school to sign the Talloires Declaration.

C. The Liberal Arts Tradition. 

Promoting environmental sustainability helps the College fulfill its commitment to civic engagement for social justice, which is identified as an educational focal point in our Program Planning Continuous Action Plan (CAP), and the College’s Self-Study for the WASC Educational Effectiveness Review (Fall, 2004, ch. 6). By helping students to see the environmental problems of the disadvantaged as at least partly their own, education for environmental sustainability is one expression of the liberal arts commitment to preparing students to become principled leaders and responsible citizens. Teaching and learning about environmental sustainability also promotes integrative thinking and encourages cross-fertilization among different disciplinary perspectives.

The College is committed to teaching and learning that is “transformative not only for the individual, but also for that person as a member of society at large.” Today’s students face complex and novel environmental problems. Teaching and modeling good environmental citizenship helps students understand their place in an increasingly interdependent world. Environmental understanding provides them with knowledge, skills, and values needed to meet one of society’s most pressing challenges and contribute to the common good.

The following liberal arts colleges are signatories to the Talloires Declaration: Antioch, Macalester, Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Oberlin, Occidental, Pacific Lutheran, Pitzer, and William and Mary.

V. WHAT ARE THE TANGIBLE COSTS AND BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNING SUCH A DECLARATION?

Potential benefits include the following:

• Environmental assessments of current practices in the areas of energy and water consumption, purchasing, waste disposal, landscaping, and transportation will highlight existing success stories.
• These assessments will also identify cost containment opportunities, and determine which ones would be relatively easy to achieve and which ones more difficult. Some of these may offer immediate savings; others would pay for themselves over time.
• Successful implementation of the principles in the declaration provides positive talking points for public relations, the recruitment of students, and soliciting support from donors, alumni, foundations, and granting agencies.
• Implementation of the principles will increase opportunities for collaboration with other academic institutions, through the higher education sustainability consortia listed in I. D., above.
• Moraga and other nearby communities (as well as other Bay Area academic institutions, e.g., UC Berkeley and Santa Clara) are currently undertaking major sustainability initiatives, providing opportunities for collaboration and community partnerships.

Potential costs include the following:

• There is presently no steering committee or other structure designed to coordinate and direct a comprehensive sustainability action plan across the College’s different areas of responsibility.
• The time and energy devoted to implementation of these principles is time and energy not devoted to other matters.
• Not all sustainability initiatives pay for themselves; some may require allocation of scarce resources.

VI. WHAT ARE THE ALTERNATIVE STATEMENTS OF COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION?        

A. The COPERNICUS ("COoperation Programme in Europe for Research on Nature and Industry through Coordinated University Studies") University Charter for Sustainable Development has been signed by more than 300 European Universities to date. Twelve of the signatories are Catholic Universities. It contains the following principles:

• Institutional commitment: Universities shall demonstrate real commitment to the principle and practice of environmental protection and sustainable development within the academic milieu.
• Environmental ethics: Universities shall promote among teaching staff, students and the public at large sustainable consumption patterns and an ecological lifestyle, while fostering programmes to develop the capacities of the academic staff to teach environmental literacy.
• Education of university employees: Universities shall provide education, training and encouragement to their employees on environmental issues, so that they can pursue their work in an environmentally responsible manner.
• Programmes in environmental education: Universities shall incorporate an environmental perspective in all their work and set up environmental education programmes involving both teachers and researchers as well as students - all of whom should be exposed to the global challenges of environment and development, irrespective of their field of study.
• Interdisciplinarity: Universities shall encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative education and research programmes related to sustainable development as part of the institution's central mission. Universities shall also seek to overcome competitive instincts between disciplines and departments.
• Dissemination of knowledge: Universities shall support efforts to fill in the gaps in the present literature available for students, professionals, decision-makers and the general public by preparing information didactic material, organizing public lectures, and establishing training programmes. They should also be prepared to participate in environmental audits.
• Networking: Universities shall promote interdisciplinary networks of environmental experts at the local, national, regional and international levels, with the aim of collaborating on common environmental projects in both research and education. For this, the mobility of students and scholars should be encouraged.
• Partnerships: Universities shall take the initiative in forging partnerships with other concerned sectors of society, in order to design and implement coordinated approaches, strategies and action plans.
• Continuing education programmes: Universities shall devise environmental educational programmes on these issues for different target groups: e.g. business, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, the media.
• Technology transfer: Universities shall contribute to educational programmes designed to transfer educationally sound and innovative technologies and advanced management methods (http://www.copernicus-campus.org/sites/charter_index1.html)

B. Several academic institutions in the United States have developed their own set of principles of commitment to environmental sustainability. Here are two examples:

1. Harvard University:

“Harvard University is committed to developing and maintaining an environment that enhances human health and fosters a transition toward sustainability. Sustainability should be advanced through research, analysis, and experience gained over time. To that end, Harvard University is committed to continuous improvement in:

• Demonstrating institutional practices that promote sustainability, including measures to increase efficiency and use of renewable resources, and to decrease production of waste and hazardous materials, both in Harvard’s own operations and in those of its suppliers.
• Promoting health, productivity and safety of the University community through design and maintenance of the built environment.
• Enhancing the health of campus ecosystems and increasing the diversity of native species.
• Developing planning tools to enable comparative analysis of sustainability implications and to support long-term economic, environmental and socially responsible decision-making.
• Encouraging Environmental inquiry and institutional learning throughout the University community.
• Establishing indicators for sustainability that will enable monitoring reporting and continuous improvement.” (http://www.greencampus.harvard.edu/about/principles.php)

2. Duke University:

“Duke University seeks to attain and maintain a place of leadership in all that we do. This includes leadership in environmental stewardship and sustainability on our campus, in our medical institutions, and in the larger community of which we are a part. We will bring vision, intellect, and high ethical standards to our pursuit of environmental leadership in research and teaching, institutional operations, and our relationship with the community.

• Academics

Duke University will continue to be in the forefront of environmental research and education and will continue to use our institutional capability to constructively affect environmental policy throughout the world.  We are committed to supporting interdisciplinary environmental scholarship and research, disseminating information about environmental research and policy, increasing faculty and student awareness of environmental issues, and enhancing environmental educational offerings.

• Operations

Duke University will comply with all relevant environmental laws and regulations and go beyond compliance by integrating the values of sustainability, stewardship, and resource conservation into our activities and services.  We will make decisions to improve the long-term quality and regenerative capacity of the environmental, social, and economic systems that support the University’s activities and needs.  We will engage in pollution prevention activities and develop and promote practices that maximize beneficial effects and minimize harmful effects of operations, research, and activities on the surrounding environment.  We are committed to assessment of the environmental impacts associated with our activities and services, and we will develop and track measures of our progress.

• Community

Duke University is committed to playing a constructive and collaborative role as a responsible environmental citizen in the life of the surrounding community.  We will maintain a positive and proactive role in communicating with the surrounding community, especially the Durham community, regarding our environmental activities and performance.” (http://www.duke.edu/sustainability/policy.html)