Sustainable Institution

Sustain Champlain Committee

Founded in 2005 as the Post-Carbon Committee, the Sustain Champlain Committee is a group of faculty, staff and students who are interested in the environmental impact of Champlain College. Our goal is to discuss and develop strategies and recommendations that will help create a more sustainable, efficient, and environmentally friendly Champlain. Committee members are asked to lead by example, act as a liaison to their respective department/division, and speak on behalf of their role on campus. Membership and meetings are open to the Champlain community.

2011-2012  Key project: Assisting with creation of comprehensive sustainability plan for Champlain College (target date: 2020)

Process: At each meeting, group will receive background information on the topic, including past work completed, reports, plans, etc. and then group will brainstorm goals and specific, tangible outcomes with specific targets related to that topic in the immediate range (by 2015) and longer-term range (by 2020).  Ideas will be collected, reviewed and prioritized by a smaller group.

Institutional Memberships

AASHE

Champlain College is a member of AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. All Champlain College community members are able to access on-line resources as well as take advantage of other membership benefits.

VCSN

Champlain is also a participating member of the Vermont Campus Sustainability Network.  This group meets twice annually to share best practices from Vermont campuses and to collaborate on statewide initiatives.

USGBC

Champlain is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has two LEED-certified buildings on campus.

EPA Energy Star

Champlain is registered as a U.S. EPA Energy Star campus.

Tracking and Assessment

Annual Reporting

Champlain College is a client of Sightlines, a facilities asset advisory firm that specializes in tracking sustainability indicators including energy, transportation, waste, and greenhouse gas emissions. Each year, Champlain submits our latest figures so that we can track our own progress, compare that to peer institutions, and set benchmarks as we move forward.

See the 2008 Report here.
See the 2009 Report here.
See the 2010 Report here.

In 2008, Champlain College contracted Spring Hill Solutions to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the carbon emissions created from our facilities and operations.  This report found that on a per student basis, Champlain College's emissions are some of the lowest calculated for colleges located in the northern United States.

The Sustainability Director also creates reports reviewing aspects of campus operations, such as copy paper procurement and waste statistics.

2008-2009 Sustain Champlain Annual Report
FY09-FY10 Waste Analysis
FY06-FY10 Copy Paper Analysis
2009-2010 Sustain Champlain Annual Report
2009 State of the Campus Environment
2010-2011 Sustain Champlain Annual Report

Sustainability Director

The creation of this position in 2008 was based on a recommendation of the Sustain Champlain Committee. The Sustainability Director recommends strategies for carbon and waste reduction across college operations, facilitates student leadership around environmental issues, and is developing a comprehensive sustainability plan for Champlain College.

Contact:

Christina Erickson, Ph.D., Sustainability Director
Skiff Hall, Room 201 | Campus Mailbox #8 | 802-865-5449 | cerickson@champlain.edu