Greens Meeting 10-24-12
E-forum:
What does “green” mean to you?
- Recycle
- Buzz word
- Carbon footprint
- Green washing (cool)
- Justification for consumption (if a product is labeled “green”, it’s ok to consume)
- More than just green products
- 1st world problem
- Branding
- Green practices interfering with comfort and convenience
What role do institutions play? Which institutions have an effect?
- Government
- People who donate to colleges
- College investments (endowments)
- Fight back – divestments
- Invest in green institutions that make the same amount of money for the long term
What is your role?
- Hire contractors that have green practices
- City planning…homes near public transportation
- Income? Affordability? Attractive?
- Designing homes to use passive energy – solar, wind
- Does green cost more?
- What about free options?
- Social stigma: money vs. not-money
- Education system: more relevant to every day life regarding a more sustainable lifestyle
- Applicable to BMC?
BMC and Sustainability
- LED lights in Brecon
- Solar panel! 1st one by SGA house! Will power SGA house emergency lightening
- Still need to CUT BACK
- REDUCE, REUSE, then recycle
- Library computer labs – talk to IT about turning all off at night
- Why Styrofoam?
- Health code issues with using reusable containers
- Overcrowded dining halls – don’t physically have space to dry containers
- Many variables and interrelated maths
- All trash incinerated – Styrofoam produces less CO2 (but more chemicals) than paper
- 50,000 take out containers per year
- Sustainable Food Committee
- Running food week
- Where does our food come from?
Debrief:
Did we really start a conversation?
Continue with this type of conversation a couple times a year
Roses:
- Diversity of people and lots of people
- People were authentic and shared a diversity of opinions
- The people there carried the conversation
Thorn:
- More time!
- Some voices were heard more often than others
- Some were more opinionated than others and they carried the conversation in the direction that they wanted it to go
Bud:
- Mix of class years – will help carry this forward
- Possibility to expand for next time
Next time:
- More focused conversation and have a more cohesive direction?
- Have projects come out of e-forums?
- Try to be more of a liaison between the students and the administration about green issues
Environmental Senior Seminar:
Develop a sustainability tour with admissions for prospective students
November 13th!!! 4:30-6: Tri-Co Environmental mixer!! Fun times!!!! J
Greens can help fund this event!