Muncie, IN: The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) presented its annual Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards Friday, Sept. 7. The winners were Michigan State University, Middlebury College, Green Mountain College, and Chandler-Gilbert Community College.  In addition, Evergreen State College and University of California, Berkeley received honorable mentions. The awards recognize institutions that have demonstrated an outstanding overall commitment to sustainability in their governance and administration, curriculum and research, operations, campus culture, and community outreach. 

Photo by Patrick Bradford Berea College Public Relations 2007 Berea College grad Megan Naseman cares about keeping her ecological footprint – the impact she makes on Earth – small, and living sustainably. The photo was taken during an Earth Month 2007 workshop taught by Naseman last year.

Megan Naseman, a recent graduate from Berea College received the Student Sustainability Leadership Award.  The award, which comes with a $750 prize, honors an undergraduate student from an AASHE member institution who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting campus sustainability.

Naseman, of Anna, Ohio, graduated with an independent major in Outdoor Education in May 2007.  At Berea, Naseman led sustainability outreach efforts.  She served as the Outreach Coordinator for the College’s Sustainability and Environmental Studies (SENS) Program and was a student director of the SENS demonstration house in the Berea College Ecovillage, a residential and learning complex on campus that models sustainable building and living practices. Megan organized major events and activities including Campus Sustainability Month, StepItUp, Earth Month, and more.  Megan also organized a sustainability-focused training session for all of Resident Assistants in the College’s Residential Housing and produced a directory of campus sustainability efforts as well as educational handouts about the Ecovillage and sustainable living.  Judges were particularly impressed with Megan's collaborative and welcoming approach to sustainability and her success at engaging new audiences in sustainability efforts.
 
The awards were presented at the 7th biennial Greening of the Campus conference entitled, Partnering for Sustainability: Enabling a Diverse Future (Sept. 6-8 at Ball State University). 

"We had a very competitive pool of applicants this year, so winning one of these awards is a major achievement," said Tom Kimmerer, the Executive Director of AASHE.

The awards are endorsed by the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium (HEASC), a network of 13 leading higher education associations with a commitment to advancing sustainability within their constituencies as well as in the system of higher education. 

AASHE received 21 applications for the campus awards and 12 applicants for the student award.  The award winners were selected by pools of campus sustainability experts assembled by AASHE.

In 2006, Berea College received the AASHE Campus Sustainability Leadership Award for overall commitment to sustainability.

AASHE is an association of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada working to create a sustainable future.  It was founded in 2005 with a mission to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education - from governance and operations to curriculum and outreach - through education, communication, research and professional development. Its membership has quadrupled since its establishment. It now counts 150 campus members and is still growing rapidly.  AASHE defines sustainability in an inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. For more information visit: www.aashe.org.

Summary of Other Award Winner Achievements

Campus Sustainability Leadership Awards

One Campus Sustainability Leadership Award was given in each of the following categories:

• Community colleges and other two-year institutions
• Four-year and graduate institutions under 1,000 student FTE
• Four-year and graduate institutions 1,001 - 7,500 student FTE
• Four-year and graduate institutions over 7,500 student FTE

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Chandler, AZ) has committed to climate neutrality through participation in the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.  The College requires LEED Silver certification for all new construction, and uses reclaimed water for irrigation.  A campus-wide lighting retrofit was recently completed, and the College is engaged in a comprehensive energy audit.  In addition, a student sustainability pledge has been incorporated into the commencement ceremony.

Green Mountain College (Poultney, VT) has oriented its mission around environmental responsibility. Students are required take sustainability-related courses as part of GMC's core curriculum in environmental liberal arts. GMC purchases renewable energy credits to mitigate more than half of its electricity consumption, and has installed solar panels and a small-scale wind turbine on campus.  Thirteen percent of the food served in its dining hall is produced locally, and organic waste is composted on campus.  GMC employs a full-time sustainability and service coordinator, and a student-approved fee of $30 per year supports Campus Greening Fund that allocates $25,000 annually for student-initiated sustainability projects.  GMC is a signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) has committed to become climate neutral by 2016. It has oldest undergraduate environmental studies program in the US and its students are on the forefront of student climate action, playing leadership roles in major national events like StepItUp. 25 percent of Middlebury’s dining budget is spent on locally grown and produced food and the College recycles 60 percent of its waste.  It is installing a biomass gasification facility that will use wood chips from local suppliers who practice sustainable forestry and will cut the College's fuel oil consumption in half.  Middlebury employs a Dean of Environmental Affairs as well as a Sustainability Coordinator, and sustainability is incorporated into orientation for new students, staff, and faculty.

Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) has adopted environmental stewardship as a major component of its campus vision.  The University has committed to 2% annual reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through participation in the Chicago Climate Exchange.  MSU has committed to meet LEED standards for new buildings and has the lowest electrical consumption per square foot among the Big Ten universities.  The University has a wide variety of academic programs and research initiatives related to sustainability, and five times more courses on sustainability are offered this year than in 2000. To coordinate its efforts, Michigan State employs a director of campus sustainability, a campus environmental management systems manager, energy and environment engineer, solid waste coordinator, and an environmental stewardship project coordinator.  

Honorable Mentions:

The Evergreen State College's strategic plan commits the institution to achieving carbon neutrality and zero waste by 2020.  100% of the College's electricity consumption is mitigated through the purchase of renewable energy credits, and 40% of its food budget is locally grown and/or organic products.  University of California, Berkeley has committed to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2014.  Both UC Berkeley and Evergreen State are signatories to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.