Commission Charges and Goals

President's Sustainability Lecture

Each year the President's Commission on Sustainability organizes the President's Sustainability Lecture.  We invite sustainability leaders from a variety of fields to share their perspective on sustainability and engage all areas of our campus community.

2020-2021 Working Groups

Strategic Planning

Charge: Engage actively as the campus undertakes work in preparation for its next strategic plan, with the aim of ensuring the integration of sustainability considerations into the plan. Develop strategies and make recommendations based on best practices observed at other institutions and professional organizations as resources allow.

Goals:

Benchmarking

  1. A working group in 2018-2019 did considerable research looking at other institutions. Look at these documents, find other examples, develop key goals and action items for Geneseo to work toward.

Embed Climate Action Plan / Sustainability Action Plan into the campus strategic plan

  1. Previous groups of people on this campus have put considerable time and effort into creating a Climate Action Plan and a Sustainability Action Plan.  Review these documents.
  2. After benchmarking and reviewing the Geneseo documents, identify long-term, measurable goals to add to the strategic plan and action items for each goal.
Social Justice

Charge: Recognizing that social justice and equity is a key component to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in collaboration with the President’s Commission on Diversity and Community and the Chief Diversity Officer, develop and promote strategies to diversify the voices and perspectives on our commission and on campus regarding sustainability issues.

Goals:

Diversifying Sustainability Voices

  1. Develop an education plan around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with campus partners, to broaden how sustainability work is viewed on our campus.
  2. Reimagine the Commission structure and structure of sustainability work to include more voices and perspectives (propose (a) new structure(s)).

With the Commission on Diversity and Community and the Creating an Anti-Racist College group, identify and propose new policies to address inequity or propose changes to existing policies that lead to inequities

COVID-19

Charge: Recognize potential impediments to sustainability that are brought on/heightened by the COVID 19 pandemic and recommend responses. Subject to approval by the appropriate individual/office, identify and implement potential solutions to mitigate the identified concerns.

Goals:

1) Identify unsustainable practices of the college in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2) Propose sustainable alternatives to those unsustainable practices.

3) Identify positive sustainability outcomes as a result in the shift in operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

4) Propose suggestions for continuing these sustainable practices after the pandemic.

Recent Accomplishments

Fall 2020
  • Geneseo has hired its first ever Energy Manager, a significant step toward reducing carbon emissions, increasing efficiency, and saving money!
  • The Commission developed a Statement of Support and Action Plan for Racial Justice. You can see the full statement and plan on the Office of Diversity and Equity webpage.