Center for Environment & Society

President's Climate Action Committee

Consisting of staff from the Center for Environment & Society, as well as other college staff, faculty, and students, the President's Climate Action Committee is hard at work to help the college meet first-year goals set by the American College & Universities Presidents Climate Commitment. Here is a look at some of the committee's recent accomplishments and on-going projects:

In the Summer of 2007, WC President Tipson joined with leaders of more than 300 other institutions of higher learning in the US in signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.
Additionally, Chestertown's Mayor Margo Bailey signed the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.
In Summer of 2007, the Center for Environment & Society received grants from the Town Creek Foundation, the Shared Earth Foundation, and the Chesapeake Bay Trust in order to assist the College and the town in their efforts to meet these climate commitments.
The Board of Visitor's and Governor's adopted a campus wide green building policy, pledging that all new construction and renovation be built to LEED Silver standards.
In Fall of 2007, CES hired a Climate Action Coordinator and a Research Associate to oversee the management of the climate action plans being drawn up by the College and the town.
Washington College has undertaken numerous actions already in its effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Among these are: establishing a Sustainability Committee, made up of students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community; adopting Energy Star procurement policies; ramping up the campus recycling program; using re-useable inter-office envelopes for campus mail; replacing production of paper materials with online alternatives; promoting the use of printer settings and paper reduction software; using bulk condiment dispensers instead of single-serving packages in dining operations; replacing all incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones; and, incorporating materials management information into new employee and student orientation programs.
CES will have an inventory of the College's greenhouse gas emissions by the Fall of 2008.
CES is currently assisting Chestertown in its efforts to reduce the carbon footprint, as described in the Mayors Climate Agreement. As part of the town's climate effort, CES will provide data regarding the town's Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) and make recommendations for new tree plantings as well as other urban greening options.
CES is also working to create an urban greening tool kit that can be used by other local municipalities on the Eastern Shore in order to help the region achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Committee Members

Baird Tipson, College President

Joe Holt '83 M'98, Executive Vice President

Briggs Cunningham, Climate Action Coordinator

Dr. John Seidel, Director of the Center for Environment & Society, Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies

JoAnn Fairchild '84, Program Manager, Center for Environment & Society

Shannon Holste '07, Research Associate, Center for Environment & Society

Dr. Jeffrey Brown, Professor of Biology

Dr. Anne Marteel-Parish, Professor of Chemistry

Dr. Leslie Sherman, Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Studies

Dr. Brian Scott, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies

Stewart Bruce, GIS Program Coordinator

Rob Courson '10, SGA Representative

Samantha Bulkilvish '09, President of the Student Environmental Alliance

Jared Halter, Director of Student Activities

Reid Raudenbush, Director of Physical Plant

Laura Johnstone Wilson, Director of Campus Events

Jim Gatto, Chestertown Planning Commission

Jennifer Endicott, Center Coordinator

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