Colgate University is a small school in central New York that features big time academics in a small town setting. The school is abounded on all sides by farmland, and with the Great Lakes just a few hundred miles northwest, lake-effect weather causes the quiet campus to be under a blanket of snow from October to April. As part of what Newsweek deemed the "New Ivy League," the prestigious school has decided to begin a huge undertaking: Going green. Although the Colgate has always been environmentally conscious (its location in the middle of vast tracts of farmland and forest make it difficult not to be), recently, professors, administrators, and staff have converged to form the Environmental Council to facilitate the University's widespread environmentalism.
Colgate University is a small school in central New York that features big time academics in a small town setting. The school is abounded on all sides by farmland, and with the Great Lakes just a few hundred miles northwest, lake-effect weather causes the quiet campus to be under a blanket of snow from October to April. As part of what Newsweek deemed the "New Ivy League," the prestigious school has decided to begin a huge undertaking: Going green. Although the Colgate has always been environmentally conscious (its location in the middle of vast tracts of farmland and forest make it difficult not to be), recently, professors, administrators, and staff have converged to form the Environmental Council to facilitate the University's widespread environmentalism.
Professor Ian Helfant, a Russian professor and Chair of the Environmental Council who has been known to host dinners for students with locally grazed and grown meat and produce, is just one of the diverse body of Colgate professors who takes the University's green policies home with them. Said Helfant, "historically, many individuals across our campus have had a personal or professional stake in sustainability." The academic stresses the importance of publicizing Colgate's green efforts both to encourage other institutions and to inspire students and alumni to join in the fight for sustainability.
Helfant also emphasized the need for large institutions to get serious about their environmental efforts by hiring outside professionals to take charge. Hence, John Pumilio, Colgate's freshly hired Sustainability Coordinator has arrived on campus. Pumilio, who sports a master's degree in environmental studies and has worked as a field biologist for the National Park Service is adamant that large institutions become more responsible. Pumilio feels that "it is a moral obligation for Colgate to embrace sustainability," and points out that "at Colgate, we understand this challenge and are trying to do our part… We are striving to be a model for sustainability"
When asked about Colgate's future plans, Pumilio identified four key areas that frame the University's approach to sustainability: Creating A Culture of Sustainability in which "all Colgate employees and students accept responsibility for advancing sustainability"; Sustainability In Practice, which literally will translate sustainable ideas into procedure on campus; Sustainability In The Curriculum, which will bring the science and practice of sustainability into the classroom and activities; and Fostering Community Partnerships, which describes the goal to build local and regional relationships that will help Colgate become part of a larger environmental community, allow increased field experience for students, and support local business that practice green policies.
So what has Colgate actually done to be more sustainable? They have:
- Contracted a professional forester to plan a 10-year stewardship of Colgate's 1100 acres of undeveloped open and forest lands
- Created a "campus sustainability fund"
- Designed and currently hold an environmental studies senior seminar
- Planted 60,000 Willow tree shoots in a "pilot plot" that will yield 900 dry tons of biomass to help fuel Colgate and aid to reducing oil use on campus
- Sported a steam-generating wood-burning facility that generates 70% of the university's heat and hot water for years
- Bought a fleet of "Greek Bikes" for students to use instead of driving cars
- Designed a "local buying" plan for dining services
- Signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2008
- Held a Green Summit, an annual event for students and locals to discuss and implement ideas for increased sustainability. (At last year's summit, students planted 200 trees and held a vegan, locally- bought BBQ.)
- Planned and will start the Eco- Rep program, where students are trained to help others go green in residence halls, office areas, and in event planning
- Signed on to participate in RecycleMania, an inter-college competition to increase recycling on campuses across the country and Canada
ENN spoke to Teddi Hofmann, a rising senior and Outdoor Education member, who spoke to her school's environmental consciousness, saying "[Colgate] students do not only work diligently to succeed in academics, but are motivated to be leaders. Colgate students are not only concerned about local community members and issues, but look to influence populations outside of Hamilton, NY."
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