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Years for the Environment

Benedictine University's Three Year "Go Green" Initiative

Scientists warn with increasing urgency that we may be reaching a tipping point in climate change. Babies are born contaminated with a toxic array of pesticides, phthalates and other environmental chemicals; cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, autism, asthma and other environmentally linked diseases are on the rise. According to the World Health Organization, billion people use unsafe water sources. The time is right for Benedictine University to go green and step-up its environmental efforts.

As part of a three-year, campus-wide effort to green Benedictine, the University is planning an array of courses, events, speakers and activities. Elizabeth Kolbert’s book “Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change” will kick off the first year, with students, staff and faculty reading the book and discussing the problem of climate change. Courses for the Fall include Ecology of a Changing Planet, Readings in the History of Biology, Disease and the Environment, World Religions and Core courses. Each semester, students and faculty in these courses will meet and discuss links among different disciplines. Faculty will address connections between environment, faith and institutional identity at six Center for Mission and Identity colloquia throughout the year.

In the Fall, the Global Studies Program, having addressed climate change and the population explosion in Spring 2008, will lead a forum on “Faith and Reason: What’s Sufficiency?” Benedictine University hosted the Sustainable Cities Symposium on October 24, 2008. For the fourth consecutive year, Benedictine hosted the DuPage Conservation Foundation Environmental Summit in January 2009. In addition, a major speaker, student presentations and other activities will cap the year in April.

As part of these environmental efforts, the University has begun examining its own carbon footprint and environmental practices. Last spring, Jay Stuart (Sodexo Services on campus) accepted a Clean Air Counts award on behalf of Benedictine for helping to reduce ozone in the Chicago region. Benedictine was also recognized for a reduction in energy consumption made possible by a grant from The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation to increase lighting efficiency. The prairie garden supervised by Larry Kamin, Ph.D., was also recognized. In addition, 75 percent of the demolition rubble from Kohlbeck Hall was diverted from landfills and will be recycled in various ways, which will support LEED certification of a new building. Sodexo, the campus food service provider, buys Fair Trade coffee and will be switching to potato-starch disposables.

At the heart of the University’s institutional mission is a commitment to prepare people “for a lifetime as active, informed and responsible citizens and leaders in the world community.” There is a growing need for enlightened business leaders who are able to find creative ways to benefit not only their organizations, but also society as a whole. In the upcoming academic year, the University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in the College of Business will offer two new concentrations to help prepare the next generation of business leaders: Sustainable Business and Sustainable Leadership.

Because environmental concerns like clean air, water and food are basic to the health of the public, Benedictine’s Master of Public Health program requires students to take The Environment and Public Health and Biology and Public Health courses to assess the soundness of local environments. The Colleges of Liberal Arts and Science are exploring an Environmental Studies major that emphasizes economic, social and policy issues of environmental science.

Each year, the University will present a full slate of educational opportunities, identify additional ways to reduce its institutional footprint and start conversations that will lead to best practices in sustainability. All parts of the University will be engaged in this effort — academic and business — as this exciting process begins.

Top 10 "Green" Achievements by Benedictine University

10. Recognized by Clean Air Counts for reducing pollution levels.
9. Established the ozone-friendly Jurica Tallgrass Prairie.
8. Instituted a campus-wide recycling program.
7. Received "Green" credit for recycling Kohlbeck Hall rubble.
6. Replaced Styrofoam containers with compostable materials.
5. Improved lighting efficiency in campus buildings.
4. Reduced throw-away plastic materials in the bookstore.
3. Exchanged dishwashing chemicals for environmentally-friendly products.
2. Conducted major tree planting effort on campus.
1. "Greened" curriculum by revising CORE and Cultural Heritage classes.

Top 10 things faculty, staff and students can do to "Green" Benedictine University
  
10. Recycle.
9. Ride your bike or carpool to work.        
8. Use reusable containers.
7. Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
6. Save paper by reducing use of campus printers.
5. Turn in old printer cartridges.
4. Take shorter showers.
3. Use a brick in the water reservoir of toilets.     
2. Replace consumer items and light bulbs with "energy star products"    
1. Learn more, read more, do more!