COMMITTEE CREATION GUIDE
USD OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
CREATING A SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE A guide to starting your own committee to promote sustainability and social responsibility on campus and beyond
SUSTAINABILITY AT USD Our world faces increasingly complex and urgent challenges that affect our environmental, social and economic wellbeing. Responding to these challenges in a holistic manner is the essence of sustainability, and the University of San Diego recognizes its responsibility to be part of the response. The USD Office of Sustainability seeks to create a university culture that embraces environmentally and socially responsible practices and processes through student action, faculty research, curricula, and daily operations, resulting in lasting change that will transform the university and society. To help catalyze this cultural change, the USD Office of Sustainability has launched several initiatives. In 2016, USD published a Climate Action Plan which set goals for
reducing the university's carbon footprint; this will be updated in 2020 as we rise to meet the new challenge established by President Harris to achieve climate neutrality by 2035. The Office has created programs to educate students and employees on ways to make their daily work and living practices more sustainable. USD also adopted Pope Francis’ Care for Our Common Home philosophy as one of the six Pathways to achieve its mission. Many students and employees seek ways to live and work more responsibly, and some departments have created sustainability committees to support this. We encourage you to get involved in these and other sustainability initiatives on campus. The Office of Sustainability is here to support your efforts, and we look forward to working with you to meet the urgent challenges of the 21st century.
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USD OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
COMMITTEE CREATION GUIDE
COMMITTEE BLUEPRINTS Getting Started In order to start a sustainability committee, it is important to get buy-in from upper-level administrators and encourage faculty, staff, and students to participate. Having faculty and admin involved will help with the continuation of your committee. Offer official titles and positions. If the committee does grow, consider gauging student interest in offering internships or leadership positions. Assigning roles will keep committee members more accountable and help divide responsibilities. Designing the Committee Align your committee with a specific area of sustainability that relates to your dept./school. For example, a committee in the DAA+AH dept. could focus on sustainable art and building; corporate sustainability could be a focus for the School of Business; Dining Services could focus on food waste; etc. This helps set specific sustainability intentions and guides committee initiatives. Setting Intentions and Goals Have a clear mission statement and goals that help define the type of work and projects your committee will pursue. Be clear how programs, projects, and initiatives relate to your mission. Presence on Campus Host an orientation for students, faculty, and staff/administrators who are interested in becoming committee members. Encourage people to join an e-mail list so they can stay informed and get involved.
SUGGESTED RESPONSIBILITIES 1) DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING Learn from where you are and plan for where you want to be. Collect and analyze data in order to identify areas for improvement. Survey environmental impact through observing your surroundings (office space, break rooms, etc.). Note waste production, purchasing habits, paper usage, energy consumption, recycling bin locations, etc. 2) PRIORITIZE COMMITTEE GOALS & ACTION PLANS Examples: Increase recycling; recycling education Compost or food waste management Water conservation Energy conservation Purchasing Practices Green Office Certification 3) EDUCATION Presentation from the Office of Sustainability Employee sustainability orientation Student sustainability orientation Workshops and presentations 4) COMMUNICATION Market the committee, how to get involved, achievements, current projects, etc. Committee web page can exist within sandiego.edu/sustainability/get-involved 5) ESTABLISH SUBCOMMITTEES For specific projects, e.g. recycling, waste, energy, education, purchasing, etc.
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USD OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY
COMMITTEE CREATION GUIDE
TIPS
Stay Organized
Encourage Ownership
Keep It Fun
Case Study SOLES (School of Leadership and Education Sciences) Sustainability Committee Their beginning: Founded in 2009 Their members: Staff, faculty, and graduate students. Their definition of sustainability: "Enabling all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life for future generations.” Their goal: To create a culture in the SOLES community that “understands, cares about, and values sustainability, promotes accountability and behaviors that are sustainable, and strives to improve operational and administrative behaviors that promote and support sustainability.” Their focus: Frame sustainability within a social justice lens by concentrating on underserved communities, considering the impact of unsustainable practices on lower-income areas, and being mindful of surrounding communities. Their motto: “Each day we must consider the future when making decisions, large or small.”
Communicate
Appreciate
1) Start Small: Set reasonable goals until you get the swing of things 2) Hold Regular Meetings: Having regularly scheduled meetings will keep your team on task and organized Have a meeting agenda and send it out to members before the meeting so they can add to it/prepare Set goals at meetings and assign projects/tasks Host get-togethers at the beginning and end of each year, such as an informational meeting or banquet; this will help you kick off the year and also celebrate your successes at the end of it 3) Collaborate Collaborate with our office, as well as other departments across campus to share ideas, reach a broader audience, and expand programs Contact the Office of Sustainability for additional resources that can help you kick off your committee. sustainability@sandiego.edu sandiego.edu/sustainability
@usdsustain
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