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"Environmental stewardship is taking care of the place in which we live,"" Paul Schneller, coordinator of development for the physical plant, explained in March at the first meeting of IUB's new Council on Environmental Stewardship. ""This means connecting to successive levels—from campus to city to state to nation to planet—so that future generations can have it at least as good as we do."
The new, 28-member group is the result of over a year's worth of research and work on the part of a few, with support, cooperation and enthusiasm from many, including President Myles Brand, Vice President Terry Clapacs, Vice President and Chancellor Ken Gros Louis, and the Bloomington Professional Council. Its membership is broad-based, representing schools and departments across campus, students, faculty and staff. Its operation is expected to be democratic and pro-active.
The Council's first task is to compile an inventory establishing a baseline for where the campus is now in terms of environmental sustainability, then move forward with new programs and initiatives. "We're fortunate," said Schneller. "Our task is not so much to fix what is broken, but to build upon what has been done." The Council on Environmental Stewardship is not a group to which complaints are taken, nor is it a compliance agency.
"Our goal is for the Council to be a positive, action-oriented group," said Council member Marc Lame, director of the Lilly Community Assistance Fellowship program in SPEA. "We'll come up with real projects that can be done on this campus."Lame went on to note the global context of environmental stewardship and said that the Council also must tie into city and state initiatives.
"We're not just aiming to raise consciousness," said Schneller. "We want to inspire action. If you're going to be part of a community, you should be an active part.
"That includes students," he continued. "Universities teach, and our real test is to see how our students are living in the 'real world.' Once they graduate, do they continue to be environmentally aware? To a certain degree, the university is accountable for what kind of people our students become."
For details, visit:
http://www.envirolink.org/earthday
http://www.envirolink.org/earthday/indiana.html
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