Building a Sustainability Culture at SMC and How

Building a Sustainability Culture at SMC… and How You Can Help? Riley Smith, Sustainability Coordinator Staff Council 10/13/15

Today’s Flow 1. Wait, what does Riley do again? 2. What is the college doing? 3. What can Staff Council & Staff do?

What is sustainability? Saint Mary’s defines the term as “commitments and behaviors that are ecologically viable, socially just, and economically sound, and will continue to be so for future generations. ” Community Campus Curriculum

SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE AND SUSTAINABILITY

History of Sustainability at SMC 2006 2011 Sustainability Committee formed Mission & Vision adopted 2014

Sustainability Distinctions at SMC

Sustainability Highlights – This semester Waste Diversion (move-in, Oliver Hall, Residence Halls) • Spring 2015 – ~25 -35% diversion rate • Fall 2015 -Spring 2016 – Goal of 50% diversion rate Student Life: Green Gaels & Waste Defense Team (2015) Newly hired staff: sustainability orientation Initiated our 1 st Sustainability Assessment to Freshman (2015) New programs: Farmigo, Carpool program, lighting audit, & more.

Laudato Si’ and Saint Mary’s College

2015 -2016 Goals 1. Build the student voice on campus 2. Create a sustainability experience for each student & staff 3. Streamline our waste stream experience at Oliver Hall & the Residence Halls. 4. Continue to build sustainability as a brand unique element at SMC. a. Events (ex. Encyclical; climate change) b. Tangible projects (ex. Light and water audits) c. Programming (ex. Gonzaga energy/waste competition) d. Staff coalitions (ex. Ambassador program)

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Personal Commitments Make a commitment to have a personal affect and share your story: - Water: navy shower? graywater? irrigation? - Food: local? seasonal? meatless? - Waste: Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, Rot - Energy: heating/cooling? hang drying? outlets? - Transportation: bike? bus? carpool? - Purchasing: is price the only factor?

Green Gael Living, #greengaels Need a guide? goo. gl/HVMD 31

WHAT CAN YOU DO IN MY SMC COMMUNITY?

Host Green Meetings/Events

Sustainability Ambassadors Purpose: to serve as a liaison Commitment: 2 hours/mo. Duties: • • • Learn about different facets of sustainability (ex. brown bag lunch) Apply simple tactics at workspace Communicate efforts to peers/ colleagues What I need: • • • Identification of staff Promotion/marketing Other support as needed

Office Certification

Contact info Have a question? Email: smcsustainability@stmarys-ca. edu Tweet: @SMCsustain Facebook: https: //www. facebook. com/smcsustainability Instagram: smcsustainability