Green Council established to advise the Vice President
Antioch College
Yellow Springs, Ohio
Purpose: Greening the Campus
Please note that the copyright for this profile is retained by the institution.
August, 2001
During the 2000-2001 Fall semester, Antioch College established a council known as "GreenCil." This council was inspired by many ideas from the Ball State Greening the Campus II Conference. This revolutionary council at Antioch College deals solely with environmental projects on the campus. Antioch College has been on the front line of most social movements in America for over one hundred years and the environmental movement is not about to pass us by.
GreenCil, short for Green Council, was established as a subcommittee of the two governing councils on campus, AdCil and ComCil. AdCil (Administrative Council) is an advisory body to the President that deals with the College's budget, personnel, and academic program. ComCil (Community Council) is the legislative body of Community Government (CG) responsible for the social, cultural, and community life on campus. GreenCil was established as an advisory body to the Vice President of Finance and Administration. GreenCil was strategically placed in this political position by its founders because of the tremendous influence it could have on the areas of curriculum, grounds and maintenance, purchasing, and policy. GreenCil is in a very practical position to influence the Antioch College community on many different fronts.
For this presentation, we will provide a brief history of GreenCil's origin, examine the organizational structure of GreenCil, and elaborate on the charge given to the committee. We will also review GreenCil's accomplishments and present future plans for this innovative committee.
The idea for an administrative decision-making body that deals with environmental issues at Antioch College was formulated in the Spring of 1997. The specific idea of a Green Committee first came from two students in one of our many Environmental Studies classes. Ruby Thompson and Maya Nye prepared the foundation for GreenCil in an upper-level Environmental Studies class called, "Theory and Practice of Ecology: From Indigenous Cultures to Sustainable Development." The class had an "action project" component in which the students were challenged to influence campus culture and to put theory into practice.
These two students were aware of the ideology (theory) that most Antiochians possessed concerning our relationship to the Earth. They knew, that if asked in a questionnaire, Antiochians would emphatically report that they were avid environmentalists. They also believed that the College did not do all it could to be environmentally responsible (practice.) They identified the need for institutional change and concluded that Antioch needed an Environmental Council. They drew up plans of how such a council might operate and how it would influence the College. These preliminary plans were taken to the Environmental Studies Committee, but the plans did not go any further than this student and faculty committee back in 1997.
Three years later another Antioch College student, Alex Stadtner, picked up the ball in his senior year at Antioch. In Fall 2000 he was doing his "Senior Project" (senior thesis) on "Greening Antioch Campus." He attended the Greening of the Campus II conference at Ball State University where he was introduced to the idea of a Green Council. There were four Antioch College representatives at that conference, two students (Shalani Deo and Alex Stadtner) and two faculty (Tom Ayrsman, PhD. and Rick Peterson, PhD.) All four Antiochians can clearly remember when they first heard about the idea of having a "Green Council." It was an epiphany of sorts, the Antiochians thought that such a council would fit perfectly into the College's political structure, and enable some substantial Greening efforts to become institutionalized.
The four Antiochians left the Greening of the Campus II conference feeling energized with new ideas for Greening Antioch. Alex was encouraged by his faculty advisor to focus his attention on creating the Green Council as a major component of his Senior Project. By using copies of notes that Ruby and Maya had developed in Spring 1997, hosting brainstorm sessions with the entire campus community, and seeking advise from the faculty and administration, Alex and some other environmentalists brought the idea to fruition. The proposal for GreenCil could not have been approved without the help of students Shalani Deo, Maggie Weber-Striplin, Stephanie Knol, Jessica Swadosh, and Adam Wortman These dedicated environmentalists helped formulate the structure, membership, and purpose of GreenCil. Were it not for the time and effort that these students gave, GreenCil would not exist at Antioch College today.
GreenCil was officially approved on March 28th, 2000 by recommendation of the college governing councils. The duties of GreenCil, as charged by AdCil and ComCil are:
1. Make recommendations to AdCil and ComCil regarding projects that will enhance environmental awareness and responsibility.
2. Act as a service and advisory committee to the administration regarding purchasing and "green" policy making and implementation.
3. Educate the community about the progress and problems of "greening" the campus.
4. Research alternative, more environmentally friendly products to be used at Antioch and research methods to reduce waste and conserve energy.
5. Develop and recommend green policies that will work for the community.
6. Advise relevant parties on any renovation, construction, and maintenance being done on the Antioch campus on ways to minimize environmental impact by providing research on modern, ecologically sensitive techniques and products.
7. Pro-actively address environmental concerns raised by community members.
8. Remain committed to networking with others and forming alliances to support the struggle against environmental racism, including becoming more aware of how Antioch participates in this pattern.
9. When appropriate, encourage community awareness of the responsibility to serve as advocates in decision-making at the local, regional, or national level concerning environmental issues and environmental justice.
10. Serve as Antioch liaison to other NAAGE (National Alliance of Green Educators) schools.
11. Provide a forum for sharing previous, current, and upcoming senior and class projects relating to environmental issues.
The first meeting of GreenCil occurred on September 28th, 2000. This date is now established as "Green Day" at Antioch. The College is planning to celebrate the first anniversary of GreenCil by having everyone wear green, hosting Greening workshops, and encouraging the entire community to participate in environmental events.
At Antioch College it is generally the students who lead the way toward change. This instance proved to be no different. Behind every student-led initiative is a helpful faculty member or administrator who sees potential in the student and is willing to help guide the student in the right direction. GreenCil could not have come into existence were it not for the overwhelming support of the entire campus community. In particular, faculty members, Tom Ayrsman, Ann Filemyr, Rick Peterson, Steve Schwerner, and Peter Townsend, and administrators, President Bob Devine, and Vice-President Barb Stewart poured ideas, time, and support into the creation of GreenCil.
GreenCil meets weekly for most of the year and has a constituency that includes representation from all segments of the College. By including students, staff, faculty, and administrators in the council membership, GreenCil benefits by having a wide variety of views and opinions represented at the table. Since the Vice President of Finance and Administration oversees most purchasing for the College and manages the Directors of such operations as the Bookstore, Grounds and Maintenance, and the Cafeteria, the founders of GreenCil thought it appropriate that this VP chair the committee. Fortunately at Antioch College, we have support for environmental reform from the upper level administrators. The VP, Barbara Stewart, has proven to be a very effective chair, subtly guiding the Council toward great accomplishments.
The importance of the diverse membership cannot be stressed enough. An example of how the membership comes into play can be seen in a discussion about recycling. Who creates the greatest amount of recycling? The students. Who has experience in collecting recycling? The maintenance staff. Who purchases the recycling bins? The Director of the Physical Plant. Who knows which company picks up our recycling, and where it goes from the College? The Vice-President. Who uses the recycling program? Almost everyone. In order to successfully make any significant changes to the recycling program, one would have to arrange to get information from all these different groups or individuals. Bringing this diverse crowd to the table for council meetings provides an efficient method to address numerous perspectives of any Environmental project.
GreenCil provides a forum for environmental ideas, and frequently helps these ideas turn into something real for the College. GreenCil has an email address and mailbox and leaves its agenda open to new ideas, complaints, and/or questions. Many student projects have had to do with ways Antioch could become more environmentally sound. Already, GreenCil has heard student projects presented as proposals for the College. To list a few; Marcus Brevik and Joe Green presented about recycling and composting. Ben Gillock shared a survey done to assess the willingness of community members to pay a "Green Fee," which would help pay for Environmental projects. Neil Gilbert proposed an Arboretum project that would include the planting of many native trees. Sarah Gorskey shared her research on the impacts the different methods of drying our hands have on the Environment. She reviewed the impacts of recycled paper towels vs. cloth towels vs. electric hand dryers. Thanks to GreenCil, these projects may lead to real change instead of just sitting in a file-cabinet somewhere.
Since its first meeting on September 28, 2000 GreenCil has been very busy. Below is an abbreviated list of GreenCil accomplishments:
- Completed a Sustainability Assessment Questionnaire.
- Expanded the Recycling and Composting programs.
- Created a Full Time Recycling/Composting Coordinator position, which enabled the Recycling and Composting programs to have needed management and continuity.
- Purchased more recycling bins for the campus.
- Antioch College President signed the Talloires Declaration April 19, 2001.
- Established a Green Orientation program for entering new students.
- Submitted articles to numerous publications emphasizing Antioch's
active participation in the Environmental Movement.
Below is an abbreviated list of projects GreenCil is currently working on:
- Completing an Environmental Audit of College facilities and systems.
- Improving the Recycling/Composting programs.
- Developing more environmentally friendly policies for procurement, building, etc.
- Ecologically renovating campus buildings.
- Reforesting the Golf Course.
- Researching grants for Green initiatives.
- Researching alternatives to paper towels in our restrooms.
- Researching energy efficient light bulbs and the recycling of old florescent bulbs.
- Substituting diesel fuel with BioDiesel, an alternative soy-based product.
- Substituting plastic cups, garbage bags, and eating utensils with
biodegradable cornstarch products.
Antioch College recognizes that establishing a dialogue that is both internal and external to the institution is critical for successful campus efforts. Through this presentation, it is our intent to communicate the unique position of Antioch College to initiate and sustain environmental policy and action. These efforts, on campus and as a dialogue across academic institutions, may encourage and engage the communities of Antioch and other colleges and universities to aggressively move toward environmental sustainability.
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