Sustainability Council Meeting Highlights

Here are highlights from the spring meeting of the University of Arkansas Sustainability Council was held from 3:30-5 p.m., May 24 in the Executive Board Room of Willard J. Walker Hall.

ASG Report – Emily Crossfield, a biological sciences student, will be the new chair of the Associated Student Government’s sustainability committee. She had served on the committee last year and is moving to chair for the 2011-12 academic year.

Report from office for campus sustainability – Book Drives Inc., is a program currently under way, a partnership with the University of Arkansas Bookstore and sustainability office to repurpose, reuse and recycle textbooks. Un-sellable books can be sold to the Book Drives program, 22 percent of the proceeds are turned back to the university. Fund use to be determined, but a sustainability- or literacy-related RSO may be targeted.

State of the Campus – An annual report of sustainability accomplishments being drafted by the office of sustainability and will be provided to the UACS at the July meeting for review. It will quantify energy savings, recycling totals and other sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability at U of A publication – Larry Driver is working on a draft of a publication illustrating the breadth and depth of sustainability programs, research efforts and initiatives that have been conducted across campus. He will be completed in July. The publication will provide contact information for each entry.

Earth Day & RecycleMania report – Julia Nicholson and Jordan Schanda reported on the success of these two events. Earth Day was replete with documentary programming including the screening of Planet Forward, in which the audience was encouraged to vote for this research project by Jamie Hestekin. (His plan was selected as the winner of the innovator contest. ) The Earth Day fair also had 25 vendors, tofu dogs and chicken were served. Four cubic yards of trash was cleaned from Mullins Creek – the most successful yet. A “Care for the Creek” campaign will be initiated to provide more frequent opportunities for cleanup efforts throughout the year.  The U of A won RecycleMania in the SEC.

Reports from working groups:

• Research and academics
• Proposal to split research and curriculum components into two working groups was approved.
• Proposal to approach the Sustainability Curriculum Steering Committee as Curriculum working group was approved. Nick Brown will follow up.
• Pollution prevention
• Compost project – Currently, the only food waste being composted in the earth tubs at the University of Arkansas Farm comes from the breakfast and lunch meals at the Northwest Quad. The working group will continue to assess and look for alternative means to supplement the program.
• Land use and water
• Facilities management is in the conceptual design stage for doing work to botanically enhance the riparian zone along Mullins Creek and to aid the flow and keep foot traffic away from creek to reinforce the banks to alleviate erosion from Leroy Pond to Lot 56. This will eventually call to move the sidewalk. Designs may be available later this year.
• Campus community garden – Kurt Rom gave an overview of previous iterations of community gardens on campus and the idea for a new one was expressed.
• Community
• Full Circle Food Pantry – Angela Oxford made a presentation about the food pantry, distributed materials and encouraged folks to visit.

The next meeting will be held 3:30-5 p.m. July 19, 2011, in Willard J. Walker Hall 504.