Campus Sustainability Fund To Build Upon
From the January 2011 issue of Our Moment, the UConn Foundation's e-newsletter.
It’s not unusual for UConn’s athletics program to rank highly among its peers, or for the University to be recognized for academic success.
In the fall of 2010, though, UConn appeared in a different ranking altogether: in the top 50 “greenest schools in the country”—and among the top 15 public state flagship schools—by The Sierra Club, a leading international environmental advocacy organization.
The national recognition highlights what has become a visible and successful internal effort since 2002 to transform how the University views itself as a steward of the planet.
From the development of a Climate Action Plan, with detailed energy and transportation action items; to the establishment of Ecohouse, an environmentally focused living and learning community; trayless dining halls that serve locally-grown food; a new state-of-the art composting facility; and an annual “EcoMadness” energy and water conservation competition in the dorms—among dozens of other efforts—the steps that the University has taken to be “green” have increased tremendously.
Now, a commitment to support these activities through private giving has seen some success as well, says Rich Miller, UConn’s director of environmental policy. A Campus Sustainability Fund at the UConn Foundation that supports programs to raise environmental awareness and develop conservation-minded students has grown to more than $10,000 from the generosity of donors, allowing Miller and his staff to expand their acclaimed work.
“In order to sustain our programming, we need to aim for program support of about $50,000 a year,” Miller says. “So it’s a stretch from where we are today, but it’s attainable. We know residents of the state and our alumni have a high environmental IQ, and we want to remain leaders in this area.”
Miller says that the green efforts coordinated by his office fall perfectly within UConn’s new academic plan, which specify the environment, human health, sustainable ecosystems, and sustainable energy as “focused areas of excellence.”
Miller believes that it also goes beyond aspirational plans; in order for UConn to compete for the top students today, its environmental awareness could differentiate it from others.
“The Princeton Review recently published a survey that showed two-thirds of parents thought the environmental policies of prospective colleges were important factors to consider when helping their son or daughter choose a school, and about a quarter said it was ‘very important,’” Miller says. “UConn’s existing strength in these areas is vital to our future success.”
Some key support for Miller’s plans and the Campus Sustainability Fund have come from like-minded corporations, including Willimantic Waste Paper Company, which assists with a number of on-campus efforts, including the annual recycling project that collects used sneakers from UConn students and donates them to a Nike program for conversion to new surfaces, such as running tracks and playgrounds.
Another donor, Providence-based natural and organic food distributer UNFI, has an even more direct connection to UConn’s efforts.
Alissa Becker ’08 is UNFI’s sustainability and philanthropy projects manager, and worked in Miller’s office as an intern during her undergraduate career at UConn.
“Environmental issues are at the heart of UNFI,” Becker says, noting that the company has five pillars to guide all of their charitable giving: hunger, humanitarian work, local giving, the environment and organizations that align with their focus.
“Particularly in its role as the state’s land grant university, UConn’s work falls under a few of them,” she explains. “We hope that by supporting the Campus Sustainability Fund, we can allow Rich’s group to expand their programming, reach more students, and get more people interested in environmental issues. We see a lot of UConn alumni coming to UNFI for employment. We like to support sustainability initiatives on campus so the next generation who enters the workforce comes into it with a preexisting commitment to the environment, which can in turn benefit the corporate culture up and down our supply chain.”
Another ally is Mark Summers, the founder and CEO of Tolland-based CNC Software, located just a few miles from the Storrs campus. A committed environmentalist himself, Summers says that witnessing UConn’s passion for the issue convinced him to support the University.
“To us, it’s just common sense and an awareness that we’re going to have to change the way we all do business,” he says. “My feeling is, ‘Why not get a head start?’ by supporting UConn’s work in this area.”
CNC began to reduce its energy consumption more than 20 years ago, and relies heavily on geothermal and active solar technology to power its operations. The company also hosts an incubator project by a UConn engineering alumna to design geothermal systems for residential use.
“In ten years’ time, I hope we’ve all made progress in reducing our footprint even more, and that green ideas that are viewed on the fringe today have become mainstream,” he says. “We support UConn because we can see that they sincerely want to change things.”
To support UConn's environmental programs, please contact the Foundation's development staff for more information.
