Tales from Year One: Launching a Sustainability Office in Lean

Times

Ged MoodyCrystal SimmonsAppalachian State University

AASHE ConferenceOctober 11, 2010

Who are we? 2

Appalachian State University – Boone, NC – 3,333ft elev. 17,000 students, 7 colleges Part or 17-campus UNC System 20 year history degrees in

- Sustainable Development- Renewable Energy

Office of Sustainability – 2 FTEs Founded July 1, 2009 Ged Moody, Director

Crystal Simmons, Sustainability Specialist

4 graduate assistantsReporting to the VC for Business

Affairs

On your mark, get set…. 3

Started with a list of “40 things we’re gonna do!” Food, transportation, buildings, curriculum,

purchasing, website, renewable energy, and the list goes on….

Listening Tour “What is Sustainability?” “So What?” “Splintered” “Usual Suspects”

We learned… 4

Organizationally not structurally prepared

Institutional cultural vs. grassroots culture

Initiatives were not fully understood, and thus difficult to support or fund

No means to track/communicatesuccess

The backdrop? 5

Possibly, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression The economy

Budget reductions and reversions of $8 million, mandated furloughs, loss of travel dollars and funds for supplies and equipment…

The fallacy that change requires increased budgetsNeeded: Org. Structure, policy, awareness, financial modeling,…Shrinking budgets do not play well with new initiatives

Irony of do-more-with-less is a Sustainability principle.

The Realization:The Office of Sustainability cannot and should not do it all. It requires the subject matter experts to envision and own the initiatives that will transform our institution.

Approach to establishing the office 6

Low Cost Approach: Unused space, reused furniture Four graduate assistants Temporary to permanent

employee track Fellowship, grants, REI, … Partner/leverage cross-campus

resources

QUESTION: What are high impact activities that do not require large investments?

Preparing the Organization7

Build high level support Cabinet access, highlight successes, ID champions

Restructure the Sustainability Council Co-chair model Key stakeholders Faculty appointments

Creation of Sustainability Strategy Document Provides cultural backdrop Aligns with Campus Master Plan and

Strategic PlanMarketing Plan

Partnered with University Communications Branding, Website, Annual Sustainability Report

The Plateau: 15 Months Later: Today 8

Still an office of two plus GAs,Budget restraints remainHowever, the University is aligned

Organizationally prepared Cultural preparedness is developing and

will continue Sustainability Council NOW our list of 40 makes more sense

Recruiting new jobsUtilizing subcommittees as ‘centers for

leadership’STARS as institutional data

Climate Action Plan as strategic document

Successes in Year One Significant physical/resource reductions High degree of campus awareness Interdisciplinary cooperations

The envisioned future 9

Engage the 11 Sustainability Council subcommittees as centers of leadership, populated by key stakeholders

Integration of infrastructure and the academe in the effort to build the sustainable future through our students.

Sustainability as a leadership activityBroad transparency in reporting (the truth shall set you free)We must now become versus envision. Sustainability is NOW, thus the concept of

sustain Appalachian.

the end.

…our continuing obligation to progress our knowledge

and our commitments to the principles of sustainability.