Accomplishments
Sustainable Dining
- Formed the Sustainable Dining Committee.
- Launched Sustainable Dining Club with 140 members. Members can dine waste-free on and off campus by carrying a cloth napkin, metal silver ware and a refillable water bottle and mug. Washable to-go containers are available in Collis Café and Homeplate.
- Implemented a Sustainable Dining Prototype in the dining hall know as Homeplate. Changes include:
- 90% post-consumer, 100% recycled, chlorine-free napkins & dispensers.
- Compostable and durable take-out container options.
- Extensive bulk condiment bar -- eliminated almost all packaged condiments.
- Installed cases for muffins, cookies and bulk snacks.
- Increased food items from Vermont and New Hampshire farms.
- Moved to-go containers to less convenient location.
- Installed milk machine.
- Reduced packaging.
- Identified products with compostable and or minimal packaging.
- Enhanced recycling and composing behind the scenes.
- Education – social marketing, developed “Taste not Waste” tag line, displays and articles.
- Redesigned tray clearing area and processing of compost, recycling and trash.
Support of Student Initiatives
- Supported the formation of Sustainable Dartmouth, a student-led roundtable.
- Employ student interns.
- Formed Green Greeks intern position.
- Supported Sustainable Move-out and move-in where 3 tractor-trailer loads of items to be discarded were captured, cleaned, repaired, priced and sold back to incoming students.
Carbon Reduction and Energy
- Energy Task Force Initiated.
- Energy Campaign 2006.
- New light switch logo designed & released – replacing existing stickers as needed.
- Worked with FOM in developing and releasing a campus-wide energy conservation statement.
- Supported SPARC Dorm Energy contest.
- 5.5 % oil use reduction 2004-2005 Oct.-April, $250,000 savings.
- Solar Thermal Project -- Completed matrix analyzing 30 buildings. Researched and toured four best applications.
- Proposal received for Alumni Gym.
- Engineering study approved for McKenzie Hall.
Garbage Reduction & Recycling Enhancement
- Solid Waste Reduction Committee Initiated.
- Recycling in Greek houses and Dorms improved. Sustainability coordinators enlisted and trained for most of the Greek houses.
- Waste-free dining initiated.
- Worked with ECO to secure recycling in every dorm room.
- Carry your Trash for EarthDay.
- Sustainable move-out and move-in.
- Conducted detailed dining waste survey
Sustainable Office
- 27 Sustainability Coordinators enlisted and trained in a retreat titled The Art of Sustainability, run in cooperation with Hood Museum of Art exhibit “El Anatsui.”
- Training Manual created for offices, Greek houses and dorms.
- Sustainability Brochure, Survey and Eco-Audit created.
- Developed power point and Sustain-conserve Checklist.
- Led visioning session at Provost Office retreat.
- Duplex printing analyzed and software installed.
- 100% recycled chlorine-free paper now available through Procurement.
- Enhanced lunch room recycling.
- Purchased two catering kits for Presidents and Provosts office.
- Catered waste-free lunches for large groups.
- Evaluated Parkhurst (2nd and 3rd floors) for motion & IR detectors, timers, lighting retrofits w/costs and payback periods.
Indicators
- Sustainability data published in annual Fact Book.
- Sustainability Report released 10/2/06.
- Building Feedback poster in 60 buildings display monthly water, electric and heat use compared to last year and compared to average campus building.
New Building Projects
- Provide input on new building projects as needed.
- Assisted in creating Integrated Design and Performance Matrix.
Communication
- Logo and 'Branding' design
- Created Website
- Served on Review board for ENGS 44 Ecological Design
- Lectured:
- ENVS1: Humans and Nature in America
- ENGS 44: Sustainable Design
- ECS 151: Environmental and Occupational Health
- GEOG 1: Introduction to Human Geography
- GEOG 5: Global Climate Change
- ENVS50: Environmental Analysis and Policy Formulation
- Tuck School BSI Conference
- Health Awareness Program lunch-hour lecture
- Collis Common Ground, First Friday, Rotary, Sustainability Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, UNH Department Seminar, UVM Class, Vital Signs
- Thayer School Jones Seminar
- Commencement speaker -- Putney School, Vermont Law School
- Published Articles:
- The Green Magazine, Winter 06, full page, The Latest Word…
- Thayer School of Engineering, 01-06-06, Sustainable Design at Dartmouth
- Valley News, 10-23-05, Back Talk, Low-Wattage Living
- The Green Magazine, Fall 05, The Latest word…
- Notes to Neighbors, Sept. 05
- Media coverage:
- The Harvard Crimson, 02-01-07, Green Harvard Makes the Grade
- Grist, 01-27-07, Have Some Class: College Sustainability Report Card
- Yale Daily News, 01-26-07, Univ. fifth in sustainability, Investments bring overall score down
- The Dartmouth, 01-25-07, Sustainability initiatives earn College top marks
- Inside Higher Education, 01-24-07, A Sustainability Report Card
- The Chronicle of Higher Education. 01-24-07, On Sustainability Report Card, Most Colleges Surveyed Earn Only a C
- CNN Money, 01-24-07, Universities don't ace the green test
- USA TODAY, 01-24-07, Colleges graded on environmental practices
- Channel 3 TV interview, 10-16-06, Sustainable Dining at Homeplate
- The Dartmouth,09-21-06, Front page, Homeplate aims to be waste-free
- VOX, 09-25-06 Waste Watchers – Pilot program invites campus community to join Sustainable Dining Club
- New Hampshire Public Radio, 09-19-06, an experiment in "sustainable dining"
- Times Union, Albany, NY, 08-20-06, With World in Mind, he is living with less
- The Dartmouth, 08-15-06 Front Page, Pilot Dining Program targets student waste
- The Dartmouth, 07-04-06 Front Page, Greener to-go boxes debut at Food Court
- The Dartmouth, 08-15-06 Front Page, Pilot Dining Program targets student waste
- Valley News, front page 04-21-06 The Hallowed Hauls of Trash
- The D Opinion 04-21-06 Sustaining Earth Day
- Yale Herald, 04-07-06, Green eggs in Hanover
- VOX, 04-03-06 Shell Game
- Dartmouth Alumni Magazine Mar/Apr 2006, Environment
- The D, front page 03-30-06 DDS switches to eggs from Cage-free chickens
- Valley New, 03-26-06, A good Day for Chickens
- New Hampshire Business Review, 03-16-06, Two more schools pick Pete and Gerry’s
- The D, editorial 03-08-06, Verbum Ultimum
- The D, Front Page, 03-06-06, Year later, sustainability still in planning stages
- New Hampshire Magazine, Feb 06, Frugal New Hampshire
- Valley News 02-22-06, letter to the editor
- Valley News, Calendar, 01-31-06
- The D, 01-27-06, Discussion focuses on waste in Greek houses
- Cornell alumni magazine, Nov/Dec 06, across the green divide
- The Green Magazine, Fall 05, Sustainability: More than a one man job
- Dartmouth Free Press,11-18-05, Sustainability Arrives
- Valley News, 11-05-05, Sustainability Director wants less Waste at College
- The D, Front page, 11-04-05, Merkel preaches sustainability
- Valley New, 11-03-05, Dartmouth to Unveil Sustainability Plan Valley News, 10-25-05 Energy Expert Says it Pays to Build Green
- Connecticut Valley Spectator, 07-07-05, Weapons engineer morphs into sustainability guru
- Vermont standard, 06-23-05, Energy Woes Threaten Suburbia
- NHPR, 06-17-05, Front Porch with John Walters, Sustainable Living
- Dartmouth Review, 06-02-05, Sustain This
- The D, 04-27-05 Merkel appointed first sustainability director
- The D, 03-27-05, Students cite Merkel as first choice for position
Last Updated: 4/12/07