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Minutes of October 2, 2001 SWG Meeting

4:15 pm, New Science 146, SJU

The meeting convened with Derek Larson offering feedback from the 9/12/2001 SWG meeting and suggesting that there was particular interest in projects aimed at energy conservation, improving recycling at SJU, and green purchasing.  Ernie Diedrich also announced that students were needed to continue work on the campus environmental audit (via ILP).  A wide-ranging discussion ensued about what sort of projects would be most practical to take on this fall and what would draw the most participation from the campus community.  Among the ideas suggested were:

• sustainable food service-- locally grown and/or organic foods
• a student garden project (land is available at SJU)
• working with the newly formed CSB food service committee to promote purchase of sustainable foodstuffs
• a "tree-free" campaign to reduce the amount of virgin fiber used in office and other papers on campus
• attracting graduate students from the UM to study elements of our resource use as research projects
• publicizing CSB/SJU sustainability efforts via the NextStep newsletter
• a possible competition in energy conservation between campuses or buildings
• the need for/possibility of establishing building-level electric metering at SJU (this already exists at CSB)
• the idea of creating a "green dorm" or floors that are environmentally aware
• banning or reducing the use/sale of plastic beverage containers on campus
• the need for large scale, visionary efforts as well as small projects
• the possibility of grant funding to support some of these projects

There was some discussion about focusing near-term efforts on energy conservation, the plastic container issue, and a food service project.  After the meeting adjourned at 5:30, however, people remaining in the room volunteered to work on a recycled paper feasibility study, the plastic container issue, and creating an SJU student garden site in particular.  Teams to work on these projects will be solicited over the next two weeks and meetings for individual projects will begin from there.