When it comes to sustainability at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Vice Chancellor for Administration Rich Walker believes it takes “a village” to raise awareness and improve and expand outcomes as it relates to what he sees as one of the world’s critical issues of the day. That is why he incorporated action into the group focused on the topic – literally.
SIUE’s new Sustainability Action Group (SAG) is focused on updating self-reporting tools that measure sustainability performance, developing a mission statement and vision, and promoting campus-wide sustainability.
Its steering committee, chaired by Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, currently has nine members, including:
- Katherine Mora, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Health
- Jessica DeSpain, PhD, associate professor in the Department of English Language and Literature
- Susan Morgan, PhD, associate dean in the Graduate School
- Sadie Spears, vice president elect for SIUE Student Government
- Matthew Maas, director of the Environmental Resources Training Center
- Michael Grandy, architect II in Facilities Management
- Heather Kniffel, creative director in University Marketing and Communications
- Ben Greenfield, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences
- Kevin Greer, graduate student in the Departments of Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies
“Dr. Frey Spurlock was the perfect choice to chair SAG,” said Walker. “She has made it her mission to enthusiastically teach every member of the SIUE community what sustainability means. Her work in the classroom, as well as her wider campus outreach, is unmatched. I’m impressed with what the SAG committee has accomplished and look forward to what they have planned for the summer and fall.”
“One of our goals is to make SAG a model for how other groups can break down disciplinary and constituency silos,” said Frey Spurlock. “We still have work to do to truly reflect the diversity of our campus and community, but current SAG membership includes faculty, community members, students, staff, administrators, and even a retiree. Membership also reflects a range of disciplines, programs, offices and schools.”
This summer, the steering committee aims to update the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) report, which is a self-reporting tool for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS was developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
SIUE has received three ratings from STARS, but SAG has its sights set on gold for its next submission, according to Frey Spurlock.
“I hope that this new group accomplishes all the sustainability related projects that drive us towards a gold rating in the STARS rating system,” said Greer. “SIUE is currently in silver status.”
SAG’s other action items for the summer include creating a mission statement, developing a vision and promoting campus-wide sustainability.
“One of the more important items for the group is finding a use for the large amount of food waste generated by the campus,” offered Greer. “An area of campus dedicated to composting would be a dream scenario, but if this cannot be accomplished it would be good for the campus to be able to separate food waste, and distribute it to someone with an established infrastructure for composting.”
Photo: SIUE’s new Sustainability Action Group (SAG) steering committee, chaired by Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology.