Office of Sustainability Opens Doors for the First Time

Illinois State University made history this year with the introduction of the campus’s first-ever Office of Sustainability headed by Director Enid Cardinal. Successful programs, cost-saving measures, grant acquisitions and the support of the campus and community have enabled the creation of a designated office and additional staff. “We’ve been working towards this for a long time now,” said Cardinal.“With this move, the University has signaled that sustainability is truly a priority on campus.” Since Enid joined the University in 2007, the institution has been working towards national recognition as a green college, a goal that was acheived in 2009 and again in 2010 with Illinois State’s listing in Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green College Campuses.

“When I learned that we had made Princeton’s list, I was really pleased,” said Cardinal. “From the bike share program and local food initiatives to the Student Sustainability Committee and the Center for Renewable Energy, Illinois State has a lot of exciting efforts underway. In addition to advancing these and other current projects, the newly created Office of Sustainability will work to ensure continued progress in furthering the University’s sustainability policy and commitments.” The new office, located at 302 N. Normal Street, has become a common stop for students with a desire to learn about sustainable opportunities at Illinois State and beyond. The school year was kicked off with a new initiative: the“Good to Go” campaign. Partnering with NPR affiliate WGLT, the University is challenging

commuters throughout the community to use alternative transportation instead of driving alone. During its first ever ‘commuter challenge week’ over 4,000 miles were logged. Efforts such as the university’s biodiesel production and student run herb garden are just a few of the examples of environmental action that students on campus have been taking. With the increase of sustainable community and classroom outreach programs, the newly established office encourages local and student organizations to host meetings in their house. The office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.For more information contact Enid Cardinal (ecardin@ilstu.edu) or Missy Nergard (mashall@ilstu.edu), or call 309-438-1860.

Page 1 of 4 sustainability.ilstu.edu

Illinois State University

Sustainability ISU Responsible social, environmental and economic

programming for the campus and community

Upcoming Events 2/24-Speaker: Peter Corcoran 4:00pm, University Galleries, CVA2/22-27-Play: Rahul Varma’s, Bhopal, Westhoff Theatre 2/28- Discussion: Corporate Environmental Responsibility: The Legacy of Bhopal, 7:00 pm Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall 3/26- Earth Hour 8:30pm - Campus Wide Event

Office Location at 302 N. Normal Ave.

Student Herb Garden

Feb/March 2011 Volume 1 Issue 1

Page 2 of 4 sustainability.ilstu.edu

At the beginning of every semester, the campus comes to life as students manuever the quad searching for new classes, and faculty and staff get back to work. Unfortunately as soon as campus is full again people find themselves wasting time searching for a parking spot. The Office of Sustainability has partnered with Hertz to create a car-sharing program, to complement alternatives such as biking or public transportation. When Enid Cardinal, Director of the Office of Sustainability, moved to the community three years ago, one of the first items on the her agenda was addressing transportation challenges in an eco-friendly way. “I had come from an area where it was very easy to get around without a car,” said Cardinal. “After living here for a year and a half I had to buy my first car just to get from place to place.” In October 2009, the “Connect by Hertz” program began offering luxury rental cars at low rates. The program offers a minimal fee to students, faculty and staff to rent the car by the hour or day--and they have designated parking spots right in the heart of campus. Staying in line with the University’s sustainability principles, the vehicles involved get high gas mileage while the company encourages students to round up a group of friends to carpool. It takes a few short steps to become a member of this program and the benefits are well worth the time. To begin the process log-on to the “Connect by Hertz” website connectbyhertz.com (also accessible through the Office of Sustainability home page) and register.

See our youtube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo-aNrZE2D4

Connect-by-Hertz Offers ISU Community With Options for Cars

Student Sustainability Committee

ISU’s Student Government Association has recently appointed Rob Martin as the organization’s Secretary of Sustainability. The committee’s efforts aim not only to facilitate and encourage sustainable projects on campus but to relay those efforts and progressions to the students, faculty, and staff. Martin works with the Office of Sustainability to meet the goals of a sustainable campus.

RSO

Spotlight

Student Herb Garden Receives 2010 Environmental Stewardship Award

Kelly Schneider and Cristina Munoz, members of the Student Environmental Action Coalition, spent a year researching and planning for Illinois State University’s first ever herb garden. The two students researched and promoted the benefits and importance of the use of locally grown produce and planned to utilize the project in several ways. Their plan was to present the harvested produce to Campus Dining Services to utilize in the kitchen, while the garden would also serve as a form of advocacy for cooperation between the students, the community, and the environment. The project was approved and has been implemented on the West side of Campus near the Linkins Dining Center where it can be enjoyed and utilized in the years to come. Thanks to the ideas and outstanding dedication of these two seniors, ISU has taken yet another step forward on the path to sustainability and the flourishing garden will be their legacy as they graduate this year.

Kelly Schneider explaining the herb garden project at a faculty symposium

Compete. Save. Win.

wglt.org/goodtogo

September

13-17

The Good to Go Commuter Challenge

is a free, week-long friendly competi-

tion between workplaces, organiza-

tions, teams and individuals to

encourage sustainable transportation,

healthy living and save you money.

During the competition track dollars

saved, calories burned, gallons of gas

not pumped, greenhouse gas reduced,

and miles and hours not driving alone.

Registration starts August 27. The first

200 registered get a free Good to Go

water bottle.

Drive to work.Carpool

Bike Walk Telecommute Bus Train Skate

Every day we hop into our cars to get somewhere. Whether that is work, the gas station, or the grocery store, we normally do so without giving a second thought to the idea of utilizing an alternative form of transportation. WGLT is working hand-in-hand with ISU’s Office of Sustainability to change that thought pattern through a new campaign titled, Good to Go. Good to Go is a community wide project that encourages daily commuters to try alternative forms of transportation, advocating a healthy life and a healthy earth. A few alternatives Good to Go promotes in its campaign includes: the B-NTPS bus system, biking, walking, and even carpooling. These alternative forms will be highly useful to those who decide to compete in Good to Go’s upcoming event, the Commuter Challenge, held annually on the third week of May. Plan to join us this year for the week of May 14 thru May 20.

Compete. Save. Win.

wglt.org/goodtogo

September

13-17

The Good to Go Commuter Challenge

is a free, week-long friendly competi-

tion between workplaces, organiza-

tions, teams and individuals to

encourage sustainable transportation,

healthy living and save you money.

During the competition track dollars

saved, calories burned, gallons of gas

not pumped, greenhouse gas reduced,

and miles and hours not driving alone.

Registration starts August 27. The first

200 registered get a free Good to Go

water bottle.

Drive to work.Carpool

Bike Walk Telecommute Bus Train Skate

The Commuter Challenge is a weeklong free event taking place from May 14 - 20. In this week a competition to achieve the most sustainable commute will

be held between workplaces, teams, and individuals. Competitors will be able register and track thier progress online. This progress will be determined through comparing the competitor’s baseline transportation to this week’s transportation. Comparisons will reveal statistics such as money saved, emissions avoided, and calories burned.

To learn more about the event go to:http://www.wglt.org/goodtogo/commuter-challenge/

Spread the Word!Follow us on Facebook and

Twitter to find out about all of the sustainable initatives and events

on campus!

University’s Sustainability Policy“Illinois State has been preparing students to be informed and engaged citizens and leaders in their chosen fields. A strong commitment to a sustainable future ensures that the University’s tradition of excellence will continue well into the future. Promoting a healthy, safe and environmentally sustainable campus is a central goal of the Illinois State

University Educating Illinois 2008-2014 strategic plan.”

Page 3 of 4 sustainability.ilstu.edu

Is Your Office an Eco-Office?The Office of Sustainability is working with different departments on campus to establish each office’s standing in sustainability. Offices will be assessed on the following office practices: - Purchases - Computer/appliance settings - Waste Reduction - Marketing and Outreach - Employee TrainingSustainable offices will receive recognition as an ISU eco-office and receive assistance in maintaining their sustainable title.A sustainable office is one step closer to a sustainable university!

*For more information on applying contact the Office of Sustainability at: Sustainability@IllinoisState.edu

ISU’s $45,000 Student Sustainability Fund

At the beginning of this school year Illinois State began utilizing a newly implemented sustainability fund of $45,000. This fund could have been attained through an additional student fee, however, the university has provided this money through internal funding. University President Al Bowman and the vice-presidents worked closely to ensure the fund was establishing a path of future progress for the university. The fund will continue to increase by $45,000 for the next 4 years, until it reaches $180,000. The current task of the Student Sustainability Committee is generating ideas on where to apply the funding. Applications are available online and suggestions are being accepted by all.

To learn more or obtain an application visit:http://sustainability.illinoisstate.edu/about/ssc/fund.shtml

Page 4 of 4 sustainability.ilstu.edu

Take The Pledge! Take the sustainability

pledge! Visit our website to find out how you can

make a difference on campus!

Enterprise Systems Support (ESS) is contributing to the University’s mission with an innovative program that rehabilitates discarded computer desktops, laptops and monitors and then returns them to circulation on campus. The program, operating under the guidance of Ballard McCleskey and Bart Lytel, is housed at the Property Control warehouse, the landing place of all of the University’s discarded equipment. The program now captures viable machines and their components, fixes them and then offers them for free to departments on campus. The program works like this: discarded computers are sent to Property Control where student technicians Brad Harris and Lucas Ross sort through them, remove the hard drives and wipe them clean, rebuild the systems that are viable, and then post a notice to campus advertising what is available. The last offering of systems was spoken for in 13 minutes. The one previous to that was gone in 17 minutes. Two initial ‘offerings’ held in November allowed University departments to reincorporate over 100 computers back into production. Not only is that a significant number of computers that did not have to be purchased, it is over 100 computers that did not end up in the landfill. For a program that is still in its first phase, it has proven to be overwhelmingly successful, and incredibly sustainable. For more information on this program contact Bart Lytel at bjlytel@ilstu.edu or by phone at 438-3746.

Rebuilding Computers to Reduce Waste

Student Technicians Brad Harris(left) and Lucas Ross

(right)