ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES COMMITTEE
February 18, 2003
Rogue Room

Attendees:

Bob Jones, Joni Herbst, Christine Thompson, Chris Jones, Steve Mital, Robyn Hathcock, Wayne Jewett, Julia Heydon, Dorene Steggell, Paige West, Gregg Stripp, Jo Rodgers, Dean Livelybrooks, Erin Rowland, Kay Coots, Anne Forrestel, J.R. Gaddis

Announcements

Erin Rowland has been appointed to the Committee and is the ASUO environmental coordinator.

The University Planning Office is sponsoring and funding the SCUP satellite telecast on April 10^th. Christine Thompson suggested that a brief introduction precede the 9:00 a.m. event with discussion afterward. She hopes that EIC can help get the word out and coordinate registration, possibly through the EHS office.

The group has not yet decided on a name. They have been building partnerships on the campus and in the community. The Department of Landscape Architecture is endorsing the project. They like the idea and can see how it could fit into their curriculum. It will be part of the HOPES conference. EWEB has expressed a lot of interest and may provide some funding support. They are waiting for official University commitment and funding for the house.

J.R. and Harriett met to review government orders and OSU’s policy. They will meet again with Karyn to work on UO policy revisions and will bring a draft to the Committee. J.R. feels that we could go to a 100 percent recycled paper default since the quality is very good and it works well in copiers.

The program is dormant because the space under consideration needs funding for repairs.

Subcommittees

Education Brainstorming –

• Kay noted that Peter Reppe’s class is working on environmental education issues. The Committee may want to invite Peter to lend his expertise as an ad hoc member.
• Educational tours to focus on areas where environmentally sound practices are in place. These could be conducted during HOPES and be expanded to include self-guided tours, regularly scheduled campus tours, and Week of Welcome.
• The subcommittee was considering whether to concentrate on curricular or non-curricular environmental education.
• Some ideas for non-curricular involvement: Programs Council presentations to demonstrate how student groups can be more environmentally responsible; high school outreach; a regular environmental tips feature in The Daily Emerald; KWVA; sandwich boards. Does the Committee have a specific awareness goal that should be targeted such as conservation, transportation, recycling, etc.? Should there be a rotating list of target areas?
• Concentrate advertising and education around Earth Week, HOPES, SCUP telecast, research projects, classes, and other events where people are already gathering.
• It’s important to do something frequently enough to encourage mindfulness about environmentally responsible behavior. For example, remind people to use recycle mugs or to place their beverage containers into recycle bins.
• The Environmental Studies Service Learning Project will experiment with a new type of project - campus energy conservation and education project. The team’s responsibility will be to do research on the state of energy use on campus – who uses the most, where it’s wasted, what measures have been implemented and what’s on the table, etc. The idea is then to give educational presentations in classrooms, faculty meetings, and residence halls.
• Stuff: The Secret Life of Everyday Things, a book by the Northwest Environment Watch, is a great source for ideas.
• Find a way to include an ecological footprint component in a class that is required for all incoming freshmen.
• Enlist the assistance of other organizations to help implement these ideas.

Transportation –

• Chris suggested that EIC develop an informational list of alternatives to purchasing a parking permit for inclusion with renewals. He drafted an example that explains single-day permits, bus, park and ride, guaranteed ride home, bike or walk, and carpool. EIC would need to contact Rand Stamm about the possibility of implementing this idea.
• Staff a table at Earth Day with transportation information.
• Find out if a message can be put up on a banner at the EMU.
• Distribute alternate transportation information leaflet with parking tickets.
• If there is a future vision to work toward, what steps can be taken to help realize it?
• Take advantage of rising gas prices to remind people of ways to save money.

The next Environmental Issues Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 12, from 10:30 a.m. – Noon in the EMU Umpqua Room.