GCI (Green Campus Initiative)

Contacts: Christina Melander , Liz Selbst

Listhost: gci@listhost.uchicago.edu

Website: envirocenter.uchicago.edu/gci

Current Projects: Sustainability guide

Past Projects :

• Energy – GCI has worked, and continues to work, to encourage the University to adopt a more sustainable energy strategy.  This project involves lobbying the administration to invest in green energy (i.e., a 5 – 10% package investment in wind energy) and working with Facilities Services, students, staff and faculty to promote energy conservation and awareness.
• Native Plants/Campus Arboretum – The University grounds have been designated as an arboretum, but most of the plants/trees lack identification (that is, small “tags” that indicate the plant’s name).  We are working with campus landscape planners to implement a tagging system, and hope to develop a map of the campus arboretum.  Further, the University has allocated a small plot of land for a Native Plants Garden.  We are currently applying for grant money, and developing plans for the garden.  We will begin planting in the spring.
• Bicycles – We will collaborate with the Cycle club to promote the installation of more bicycle racks to serve the cycling campus population.  Long-term strategies include meeting with the alderpersons to discuss the designation of bicycle routes on one-way streets in Hyde Park.
• Greening the New Dorm – GCI students are serving on the advisory committee for the new dorm.  We will continue to lobby the administration to ensure that the architects/planners incorporate energy-efficiency-oriented mechanisms in the new dorm.
• Organics – We continue to work with Campus Dining Services to encourage the incorporation of more organics products in the dining hall.  We have also engaged in a campus education campaign to increase awareness about organic farming among members of the campus community.
• Sustainability Council (independent of GCI, but several GCI students sit on the council)– The Sustainability Council is an interdisciplinary council that brings staff, administrators, faculty and students to the table to discuss issues of campus environmental sustainability.  Currently, the Council is addressing recycling – working to improve and make uniform the recycling on campus.
• Battery Recycling – Environmental Studies funds a battery recycling program.  We have several “drop-off” locations on campus – students can drop their batteries, and we collect them and the Environmental Studies program funds the recycling of batteries.  

            ONE-TIME

• Organics Night in the Dining Halls (annual)
• Earth Week Activities (annual)
• Critical Mass Bicycle Rides (monthly)
• Energy Independence Day (October 2004) – study break and petitioning
• Organics Speaker event (Spring 2004)
• Various tabling activities

Dream Projects (11/19/04):

We need to find significant financial resources to fund our proposal for the University’s investment in green energy.  We have not located grants that will fund the corporate/institutional purchase of wind energy, and have not been successful in our administration lobbying efforts.  The continued use of dirty energy impacts significantly our greater community (particularly when one considers the grandfathered coal power plants in Pilsen/Little Village). 

Resources Needed (11/19/04) :

            FOR CURRENT PROJECTS

- Grant money for the native plant garden.

- Student support for lobbying efforts (encouraging the administration to adopt reasonable proposals that encourage campus environmental sustainability).

            FOR DREAM PROJECTS

• Financial support for at least a minimal University investment in wind energy.