Council Acts as Environmental Advocate

Author: Gale Berninghausen

The Environmental Council is the driving force behind many of the environmental programs, projects and initiatives at Middlebury. The Council, comprised of students, faculty and staff, has wide-reaching effects as it seeks to improve the College's environmental awareness and use of resources. Connie Leach Bisson, campus sustainability coordinator and co-chair of the Environmental Council, is extensively involved in the Council's efforts and initiatives.
Bisson assists students, faculty and staff in the development of environmental projects. She does much of the background work in the organization of those projects. Bisson also works to bring education materials to campus that, she remarked, put "an emphasis on environmental features, sustainability and buying local." Some of those materials include the table tents and the photo displays about local Vermont food and wood products used in Ross Dining Hall and around campus.
The Environmental Council has been an active influence at Middlebury since its founding in 1977. The Council assesses priority environmental issues for the campus each year and strives to accomplish new environmental actions based upon the needs of the College. Currently, the Environmental Council is engaged in efforts to reduce carbon generation on campus and to establish more mindful policies regarding the management of College property. It is hoped that both of these will continue to improve the College's use of, and position within, the natural environment of Vermont.
The Environmental Council is known for the environmental grants that it offers each year. These grants, totaling $25,000 per year, are awarded to faculty, staff and students who submit proposals relevant to sustainability issues. The grants have in the past been for any sum from $150 to $10,000, although it is determined that no single grant will be more than $15,000. This money is made possible through an endorsement by President McCardell to use the College's discretionary money. The environmental grants are used for academic research and a variety of campus initiatives and programs that include the yellow bikes, an emissions inventory, wind monitoring of the Snow Bowl, the compost-heated greenhouse, outdoor recycling bins and more. Bisson spoke about the importance of "using that money wisely and getting substantial benefits for the campus." Thus far, it seems that this has been the case with the wide success of the grants.
Bisson mentioned the environmentally friendly and interactive dorm room that the Environmental Council set up at the first-year Student Welcome Center in September. This mock dorm room showed students how to recycle paper, plastic, glass and metal from trash items, how to dry clothes on a drying rack instead of in the dryers and how to use their computer in a more energy-efficient way. Bisson stressed that the Middlebury College experience has an element of "sustainable living, deep ecology and voluntary simplicity."
While the Environmental Council continues to fund environmental proposals and increase awareness of issues and initiatives, it is able to note the progress of the College towards the goal of more sustainable living. Bisson's attitude is very positive about this: "The campus is growing in awareness and interest in the number of people who want to get involved in environmental issues … The importance of environmental issues is very strong, very present here." Like the position of the Environmental Council and the environmental grants it offers here at Middlebury, this will only become stronger in the future.