Monday, August 17, 2009

Suny Canton: Toward a More Sustainable Future

As another academic year starts, it is with a mixture of enthusiasm and gratitude that I approach my new duties as Sustainability Coordinator/Right to Know Officer. I am very thankful for the opportunity to serve the campus community in this new capacity. There is much to be done in making the campus more sustainable, but also a lot of interest and ideas. I am encouraged by the changes in the past year while I was on sabbatical such as the implementation of the Sustainability Task Force, two student recycling efforts, and the creation of the Sustainability Coordinator position. One of my projects since returning on July 1 has been working on creation of the campus Green Pages.
Through a number of Executive Orders from the Governor’s Office and SUNY Central policy statements, it is apparent that the goal is for the SUNY to become the Sustainable University of New York. In the weeks and months ahead we will see more changes in energy, recycling, purchasing, and other areas. SUNY Canton is being asked to reduce its energy use by about 40%
Despite, the current lull in regard to energy, there is a certain urgency to all this; the prospect of higher priced and/or scarce energy supplies. Last fall I was working with a consultant who told me, “In the past the assumption was that when energy prices went up they would come down again. Now, the assumption is that when energy prices go down, they will go up again.” Beyond our current financial challenges, those institutions and businesses that have taken sustainability seriously will be in the best position to continue carrying out their missions. It is important that SUNY Canton is one of those institutions.

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