Sustainability Action Plan

“Do or do not, there is no try” – Yoda

The 2011 Environmental Audit is the result of many hours, questions, and conversations with dedicated people throughout the Mount Allison community. The Audit in its entirety contains a wealth of information and recommendations from that is written to be used as a tool for working towards being environmentally sustainable. This Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) presents the recommendations that the auditors felt were realistically the most important when it comes to the institution’s role not only as an establishment of higher education, but as a place that plans for a healthy tomorrow.

Update the Environmental Policy to reflect present day issues and needs.
Re-establish a vision and update its mandate and membership for the Environmental Issues Committee
Establish university wide paper, grounds and vehicle policies.
Determine targets to fulfill the requirements of the Emissions Reduction Policy.
Expand the Carbon Footprint Calculations to include student travel, undocumented faculty travel, farm activities and carbon absorption.
Clarify the Farm’s mission/mandate.
Install educational panels to inform campus community members of sustainable building techniques and materials.
Install rainwater collection in all new buildings and where renovations allow.
Establish an Energy Plan to help guide the Green Evolving Fund projects as well as a strategy to ensure accurate data collection.
Involve all stakeholders in a campus-wide Wet/Dry educational campaign. Re-implement education during frosh week activities.
Introduce the Green Pledge Alliance to Mount Allison prospective graduates as a way of asserting student commitment to the environment.
Efforts must be made by individuals and the university as a whole to communicate environmental initiatives internally and externally. Consider the benefits an Environmental Coordinator would bring to improving communication and the perpetuation of environmental initiatives.