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THE VERDANT VINE Sending out an SES · · · · · · · Support Environmental Sustainability

A Yearly Newsletter Is Hunter College Sustainable? A deeper look into Hunter College’s role in the environmental arena. How does the college function and what is its impact? Page 2

Issue No. 1 - Spring 2009 The CUNY Sustainability Project Chancellor Goldstein’s plan for sustainability at CUNY and what the Hunter College administration has to say about it. Page 3

Let’s Get Going... Why environmental sustainability? And why Hunter College?

The Hunter Voice: Loud and Clear The latest student survey results on environmental sustainability. Find out what your fellow peers really think. Page 4

Special Feature: The Hunter Solar Project A new way to think about energy. Learn about an initiative to revamp Hunter’s outdated method of energy consumption. Page 5

tons of CO₂ were emitted per capita. (All figures are taken from the Council on Foreign Relations.)

What exactly does sustainability mean? Environmentally sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations). It means taking into consideration all factors that affect the quality of life on earth when pursuing our goals. For

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bility for what we have done and collectively continue to do to the place we call home. Only after accepting our responsibility for the present-day situation can we attempt to change our harmful ways, give back to our environment, and make the world a more sustainable place to live in. The first and most obvious place to start is where we nourish our minds and quench our thirsts for knowledge — a breeding ground for intellectual growth, social awareness, and innovation — Hunter College.

The most important thing we would like readers to depart with after reading this newsletter is the recognition that every individual effort towards achieving sustainability has a significant impact, just as every individual act towards destabilizing the earth has culminated to the environmental crisis we are in now. It is our hope that the urgency of the current environmental situation and the possible remedies offered in this newsletter will inspire readers to initiate action and implement change.

The United States makes up only approximately 5 percent of the global population. However, it consumes about one-quarter of the world’s energy and 15 percent of the world’s meat. That is proportionally five times as much energy and three times as much meat than would be true if energy and food were equitably distributed.

From the year 1950 to the year 2004, the United States has emitted a total of 213 billion tons of CO₂. Since 1990, U.S. emissions have increased by 20 percent as other nations pledged to reduce emissions by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. In 2004, 20.1

Make GREEN Your Color What can Hunter College do to improve its environmental standing? What can YOU do to improve your environmental standing? Page 7 and 8

Note to the Reader

The Big Picture: Outside of Hunter College and NYC

From the year 1990 to the year 2004, the United States has increased its oil consumption by 21 percent. In 2004, consumption reached 7,900 tons of oil per capita. Globally, that figure is among the highest. It is also a liberal representation of the United States’ energy consumption, for it concerns only oil and not energy sources such as coal. Comparable economically advanced nations such as Germany only consume about half as much oil as the United States.

Special Feature: Gwen Hill, Leo Delgado, and Environmentalism at Hunter Take a page from Gwen and Leo’s book. Read about how students can make positive changes that will improve the future for everyone. Page 6

Hunter College

every action, the decisions that are involved must be evaluated on societal, economic, and environmental terms. Essentially, sustainability is the model we all strive to attain so that there is a healthy, stable, and functioning system for future generations to thrive in.

Home Sweet Home As students of one of the most developed cities in the world, it is important to realize our obligation to the environment — our obligation to take responsi-

Allow us to implant into your minds three seeds of thought to consider while reading the rest of this newsletter. One from the 31st president, one from a great English playwright, and one from our very own school motto. Words without actions are the assassins of idealism. - Herbert Hoover Strong reasons make strong actions. - William Shakespeare Mihi cura futuri (The care of the future is mine) - Arthur Henry Dundon, a past Vice President from Hunter College

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Is Hunter College Sustainable? Have you ever wondered what Hunter College’s environmental impact is? Find out how much it takes to operate Hunter College.

Is Hunter College sustainable? Depending upon who you ask, the answer to this question may vary. One factor that contributes to a certain answer is the personal judgment of how much sustainability there must be in order for something to be considered “sustainable.” Is it fair to label something as “sustainable” after it has reached a certain acceptable threshold of sustainability? Some would argue “no” and say that nothing is truly sustainable if it is not 100 percent sustainable. One must always work towards greater sustainability no matter at what stage they are in. Others would disagree and offer that being sustainable does not entail being 100 percent sustainable if the inefficiencies that do exist are not significantly harmful. But even so, how would one universally define the term “significantly harmful?” In light

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•Hunter (Main Campus) currently has 5 battery recycling cylinders; 2 will be shipped from Brookdale. •Hunter ships a truckload of electronic waste containing heavy metals every 2 months, including fluorescent light bulbs.

Hunter College’s sources of resource consumption

of these questions, it is difficult to objectively assert whether or not Hunter College is sustainable. This is why we want to give you the facts and leave the answer up to you to decide. What judgment we will provide is the belief that striving to increase sustainability is not dependent on whether or not something is already labeled as “sustainable.” In other words, you can never be too sustainable.

Facts on Hunter’s consumption (and more!): • Hunter (Main Campus) used 8,445,000 cubic feet of gas from July 2007 to June 2008 for heating and cooling. • Hunter uses #2 fuel oil, a lighter grade of oil to run emergency generators.

•Hunter ships out a lab pack every 6 weeks that can contain up to 1000 kg (2205 pounds) of hazardous chemical wastes. • Hunter ships out an average of 1500 pounds of biological waste each week. • After extensive research and investigation, we were unable to uncover any figures pertaining to electricity, water, and paper use.

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The CUNY Sustainability Project An opportunity for Hunter College to lead the way for change What is the CUNY Sustainability Project?

Hunter College - The “Green Trendsetter” for CUNY?

“The CUNY Sustainability Project was given institutional clarity and impetus through the acceptance by Chancellor Goldstein on June 6, 2007 of Mayor Bloomberg’s ’30 in 10’ challenge. This challenge will motivate New York City’s public and private universities to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions 30% by 2017” (From Establishment of the CUNY Task Force on Sustainability and Mission Statement).

Conan Freud, Acting VP for Finance and Administration at Hunter College, is also the chair of "Hunter Green” — the Hunter College Sustainability Council. Along with Andrew Silver, Director of Operations, Freud oversees the council and represents Hunter on the CUNY Sustainability Task Force. As "Hunter Green,” Freud and the other council members must propose and execute a plan for reducing Hunter's carbon footprint by 30 percent over the next 10 years. Although this seems like a daunting task, Freud is optimistic — he already considers Hunter relatively sustainable to other CUNY institutions for a myriad of reasons, yet expresses concern for the problem this may pose: If Hunter is already at a state of relative sustainability, what more can Hunter do to become even more sustainable?

In compliance with this new call for action against environmental degradation, the CUNY Sustainability Project decided that all 23 CUNY institutions would create a “unique” 10 year Sustainability Plan to work towards the goal of reducing ’30 in 10.’ Each plan should address methods of increasing conservation, preventive maintenance, awareness, and data gathering. Although the specific design of each 10 year plan is left completely up to the respective institution to which it belongs, certain benchmarks would have to be put in place in order for the CUNY Sustainability Project to be able to evaluate and monitor the implementation and progress of each plan. In fact, each institution will be expected to have created a comprehensive 10 year Sustainability Plan by January 2009. To ensure the creation of such a plan, each institution must also create its own Sustainability Council comprised of staff members, faculty, and students. The purpose of the council is to have an organized body dedicated to the realization of the CUNY Sustainability Project’s mission while also encouraging student involvement. To serve as a supportive resource for each institution’s council, the CUNY Sustainability Project has also established the CUNY Task Force on Sustainability. The Task Force is made up of representatives from various organizations who have specialized knowledge and resources in fields that could assist each institution in becoming more sustainable. The Task Force is also comprised of representatives from each institution’s Sustainability Council. One interesting aspect of the CUNY Sustainability Project is that the responsibility of moving towards sustainability still belongs primarily to each individual institution or campus. It is for this reason that there is a disparity in how much sustainability different campuses are achieving up to this point. For example, the College of Staten Island bought a Biodiesel Kit that can transform used cooking oil from the cafeteria into biodiesel fuel that would be used to run large vehicles and portable light towers. This seems to be a relatively larger progression towards sustainability when compared to the efforts of other campuses. Perhaps this means that the CUNY Sustainability Project has to work harder towards increasing accountability and dedication to the mission.

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Freud firmly believes that “Hunter was Green before Green was fashionable.” As proof, Freud offers a laundry list of sustainable behaviors and conditions that have efficiently minimized Hunter’s carbon footprint: 1) most students and faculty take public transportation to Hunter, 2) Hunter’s swimming facilities have been recently renovated to include a dehumidification system, energy efficient lighting, and replacement thermostats, 3) occupancy sensors are installed throughout Hunter that conserve electricity from lighting, 4) Hunter has a recycling program that recycles glass, cans, paper, plastic, electronics, and batteries, 5) Hunter Public Safety officers ride on bicycles during nice weather, 6) the Hunter Cafeteria sells reusable mugs made of recyclable materials, 7) Hunter now asks students to pay their tuition bills online, reducing the need to waste paper for printing and postage, and 8) Hunter's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system has been upgraded. While all of these are examples of sustainable behavior and actions at Hunter College, they are not as visible as one would hope them to be. Moreover, although there is a recycling program in place at Hunter, students have identified that trash still mixes among recyclables. Freud and Silver agree that improvements to the program are imperative to refine recycling at Hunter, but ultimately, it comes down to modifying the behavior of both students and faculty for a Greener Hunter. In assessing what changes need to take place, the council is currently at a crucial “Measurement Phase.” The council is trying to establish baseline measurements to determine realistic carbon footprint reduction goals for Hunter College. Once the baseline is established and the plans are drawn, it is up to “Hunter Green” to lessen the college’s carbon emissions by 2017. Freud and Silver have plans and projects that they hope to enact or are already taking place. These include energy efficient windows for Thomas Hunter Hall, energy efficient escalators, planting small trees on Hunter’s terraces, and incorporating sustainability across all curricula at Hunter as a reminder that “we have a social obligation to do our best and to do our part.”

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The Hunter Voice: Loud and Clear Sick of hearing what you are supposed to think? Hear the truth straight from your own mouths. Student Surveys Results For those who claim that today’s youth is plagued by apathy, the results of the survey we conducted will show that their belief is a myth — especially when it comes to environmental sustainability. An overwhelmingly large 87 percent of students claimed that the safety and sustainability of the environment was an important concern to them. Not surprisingly then, 100 percent of students surveyed wanted to see more efforts made to improve the environmental sustainability of Hunter. What is surprising is the fact that a relatively large 47 percent felt that their own behavior was not environmentally friendly; there seems to be a disconnect between ideology and practice here. Perhaps this contradiction can be attributed to the fact that 93 percent of students felt Hunter College is currently only somewhat sustainable or even worse, meaning the current state of Hunter College may not be conducive for students to be as sustainable as they wish to be in their daily lives. The fact that 100 percent of students support improving the current recycling system, 87 percent support installing solar panels, 73 percent support using sensor activated escalators, 90 percent support using more sensor activated lights, and 86 percent support installing more thermostats indicates that the student body is ready for change to occur.

Anonymous Student Statements

Margaret Mead poignantly once said, “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Sadly enough, the profundity of this statement has been nullified as the world has now come upon an era when the efforts of a small group of people are no longer enough. Global coalition is absolutely imperative for not only the salvation of mankind but his redemption as well. 4

Regulating room temperatures with custom thermostats is a terrific idea. Not only is excess heating uncomfortable, it also wastes tons of energy. I would love to see efforts made by the Hunter administration to create a more comfortable learning environment while also doing its part in terms of conservation. It's a winwin.

I think a major area of concern in terms of waste and greenhouse gas emissions is the way in which Hunter procures food for their cafeterias. Efforts to purchase food that is locally grown would reduce the food miles traveled and the associated environmental impact. Farm-toschool initiatives, for example, could help build a Greener food market for universities like Hunter to purchase from.

I find it ridiculous that we have self-flushing toilets. People know how to flush. It is just wasteful when the sensors are not perfect. What results is excess flushing, wasting water and energy. The other day, on the 11th floor, an empty toilet was flushing every 20 seconds. I was pissed.

There is a lot of wasteful activity at Hunter, especially with this new exhibit on the front of the building, and excessive printing, etc. I think a lot of simple, easy changes could do a lot to make Hunter more environmentally sound.

I am ashamed to say that I do not know much about the sustainability of Hunter. I do know, however, that those who are wasteful and think their actions are insignificant are all contributing to the massive problem we’re facing today. Perhaps if Hunter were to do something like install solar panels, students like me would be more likely to know a little more about our environment at Hunter. And please, no more excuses about money.

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The Hunter Solar Project Are you an environmentally conscious student confused as to how you can make a concrete contribution to Hunter College’s sustainability? Fear not — here is an interview with Noah Ginsburg, someone who was in the same situation you find yourself in now. This is the solution he, along with other dedicated students, created for this dilemma. Q: What is the Hunter Solar Project? A: The Hunter Solar Project is a student organization dedicated to advancing renewable energy at Hunter College through events, outreach, and by installing a solar energy system on campus for power generation, education, and research. The project was conceived in Spring 2008 by a group of Hunter students who were tired of just talking about environmental issues, and wanted to do something to be a part of the solution. Q: Of all sources of renewable energy that are available, why solar power? A: Solar energy produces no pollution, and is the most practical renewable energy source for rooftops in densely populated urban areas like NYC because solar panels have no moving parts (unlike wind turbines), which makes them safer and makes the permitting process less difficult. Solar is projected to be the leading alternative energy technology in New York City (Center for Sustainable Energy - “New York City’s Solar Energy Future Report” January, 2006), making it an important source of energy for students in NYC to learn about.

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and research opportunities for the Hunter community. By installing a web-based monitoring solution, live data regarding the solar energy system’s power generation and CO₂ emissions mitigation will be accessible via the Internet, data valuable for both education and research. We are working with academic departments to integrate the Hunter Solar Project into relevant courses and projects on campus, maximizing the solar installation’s educational value. We are also developing educational programs and materials as part of an awareness campaign, to communicate the benefits of solar energy to members of the Hunter community. Q: How will solar energy be used by Hunter College? A: We are going to install a 3-10 kW (kilowatt) solar energy system. This is a size range typical for residential solar installations. A 3 kW system produces 3000 watts of power in full sunlight (enough to power 50 sixty watt light bulbs for example). Due to Hunter’s massive energy consumption, a system of this size will generate less than 1 percent of our electricity demand. While this is a small percentage, it is a good start. The electricity generated by the solar energy system will feed into the electrical panel for the building on which it is located. This means that rather than having solar energy power one specific room or area, it will provide a small percentage of the power required to each room in the building when it is sunny. This configuration is called a grid-tied system, and has the advantages of no electrical interruption to the user while not requiring any battery storage: when it is sunny, Hunter College will use more solar electricity, and less from the utility. On a cloudy day, we will use more from the utility, and less solar. Q: How much will the implementation of a solar energy system cost Hunter College? A: The estimated cost for a 3 kW solar energy system prior to any incentives, tax abatement, educational discounts, or in-kind donations is $27,000 $33,000. Often, incentives cover up to 50 percent of a system’s installed cost. Ongoing maintenance costs are minimal, and can be recouped through the monetary savings the solar energy system will generate by producing free electricity from sunlight. (For information on a cost analysis, check page 8)

A Hunter Solar Project Meeting

Q: How will solar energy benefit Hunter College? A: Installing a solar energy system on Hunter’s campus will offset a small portion of the school’s non-renewable energy consumption. It will initiate our transition to sustainable energy sources on campus, reducing Hunter’s greenhouse gas emissions and increasing awareness of the benefits and applications of renewable energy in the urban environment. Additionally, having a solar energy system on campus will create substantive education

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Q: Which of your goals have you accomplished so far? A: So far, we have chartered as a student organization; built a strong coalition of students, professors, faculty, and CUNY academic institutes; developed a detailed project proposal with assistance from Hunter faculty and staff; researched opportunities to integrate the solar energy system into course curriculum and to utilize the system as an educational tool; applied for grants from two foundations, including the Clinton Global Initiative; and presented the solar project to the Hunter Sustainability Council, which is a body of students, faculty, staff, and

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E administration that is charged with developing a Sustainability Plan for Hunter College. On December 2nd, we conducted a rooftop feasibility study where we determined that Hunter College has several roof spaces ideal for a solar energy system. This study was conducted free of charge by a team of students, professors, CUNY engineers, Hunter Facilities, and Administration. In late March, USG demonstrated incredible leadership and became our first sponsor, committing $16,500 to the Solar Project. On April 22nd, Earth Day, under the direction of President Raab and Administration, Hunter's Auxiliary Enterprise Board unanimously approved a motion to grant $15,000 to the Solar Project. President Raab is contributing an additional $2,500 for the project, and we anticipate receiving $1,000 from the Hunter Sustainability Council's Green projects competition. This means that in total we will have raised $35,000, which is more than enough money to install a 3-10 kW solar energy system.

The Rooftop Feasibility Study

Q: What was the experience of corresponding with the Hunter Sustainability Council like? A: We were invited to one of the Sustainability Council’s meetings, where we presented the solar project to the council. Members of the council were very interested in the project, and invited the Hunter Solar Project to send a representative to future council meetings. While members of the council were very interested in the project, they did not offer us any direct support or assistance at first. However, we now have official support from several faculty members, the Sustainability Council, and the Geography Department. The Sustainability Council has also assisted us in fast-tracking our roof feasibility study. Q: What has the feedback been from the Hunter administration? A: Feedback on the project has been extremely positive. People are excited to learn that we are focusing on maximizing the educational value of the project. They are supportive of the project and want to work with us to achieve our goal of installing a small solar energy system on campus for electricity generation, education, and research. Q: How instrumental have students been in helping you accomplish your goals?

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H A: The solar project was conceived by students, and is being led by students. There is a very active core group of 10 - 15 students that attend weekly meetings, organize events, and are involved in all aspects of planning and implementing the project. This is a bottom-up initiative, making it unique among campus sustainability projects. Q: What haven’t you accomplished yet? Why? What will the next step for the Hunter Solar Project be? A: Now that we have reached this milestone [of raising $35,000], we will focus our time and energy on getting the PV [photovoltaic] system installed as soon as possible, and on developing the Solar Project's educational program that we plan to pilot in the Fall. Q: If you can say anything to the students of Hunter, what would your message be? A: One thing I want to stress about the Solar Project is that it will take time. Even if everything goes to plan, it could be as late as Spring 2010 that the solar energy system is installed on campus. This project is part of our legacy; this solar energy system will produce clean, free electricity for at least 25 years. It will serve as a powerful educational tool for future Hunter students, providing them with greater resources and opportunities on campus than we have today. By installing a solar energy system on campus, we are modeling a practical solution to climate change, and the power of bottom-up student-led initiatives. I hope that the Hunter Solar Project is only the beginning, and that it inspires members of the Hunter community to step up as leaders and take action to address the environmental and social challenges we face in the twenty-first century. As college students, we are America’s future leaders and decision makers — rather than waiting for an invitation to make change, let’s do something today.

Gwen Hill, Leo Delgado, and Environmentalism at Hunter

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It is no surprise, then, that she was one of the key participants involved in Hunter’s Earth Week. Gwen is a firm believer in student action, and this is a clear demonstration of that. “We have an amazing student body full of people who are really dedicated to making our school a more environmentally and socially responsible place, and who are not afraid to work hard for what they know is right,” she asserts. During Earth Week, Gwen held a "Movie and Mapping Night" as an extension of a project that she is working on called the CUNY Mapping Project. Along with her fellow graduate students from the Geography Department, Gwen is attempting to "map sustainable food networks in NYC using particapatory mapping, in which community members [Hunter students] contribute information for a map of restaurants, farmers markets, natural food stores, co-ops, etc. in NYC that sell organic, local, fair trade, and/or vegetarian foods." Holding events, such as this, allow students to educate themselves on the details behind the lofty notion of being environmentally conscious in terms of their behavior and diets. With knowledge, students can start to implement changes in their own lives that contribute to sustainability. Moreover, that is the point where students can reach out to other students to spread the message. That is why an event such as Earth Week is so valuable. This year’s collaboration on Earth Week between USG, the Hunter Solar Project, the GSA, NYPIRG, The Roosevelt Institute, the Green Apple Multimedia Association (GAMMA), and the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities (CISC) offered a wealth of information to the student body from Monday, April 20th to Friday, April 24th. Including events such as an Earth Week kick-off party, a screening of “King Corn,” a tap vs. bottled water taste testing, and USG's Earth Day Fair, Hunter’s Earth Week served as a student operated and community-oriented way of initiating change among peers. When asked about Hunter's present state of sustainability, Gwen comments, "I think Hunter has a long way to go, but I am confident that our campus will only continue to become Greener in the coming years."

Every individual action counts, and these two students are the perfect examples of that. As a member of the Hunter Solar Project and the Graduate Student Association's executive board, Gwen Hill has been exposed to environmental concerns and how they pertain to Hunter College. As the Commissioner for Institutional Responsibility for GSA, she oversees all sustainability and environment related events on campus that are sponsored by GSA. Now a second year graduate student working on her MA in Geography, Gwen has already had her fair share of experience trying to make her immediate environment, Hunter College, a more sustainable place.

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Leo Delgado

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E Hunter College. According to Leo, witnessing the lack of concern for pollution in the Dominican Republic has “awakened a sense of social responsibility in [him].” Commenting on how last November’s Environmental Week was initiated by a student government senator and how last year’s was initiated by an environmental intern for NYPIRG, Leo expresses unease over how inactive a majority of the student body has become over issues concerning the environment. “It’s only him and maybe four other students who actually get the speakers, get the food, reserve rooms, plan events, make sure security is there, advertise, etc.,” says Leo. “We know that the impact [of Environmental Week] may not be as big as installing solar panels, but any awareness we can raise, any students we can reach, any time we can make sure they know what’s going on — it’s a good thing.” The sense of urgency to push the student body to motivate itself to actively care for the environment may be due to the apparent exclusiveness and ineffectiveness of “Hunter Green,” Hunter College’s Sustainability Council as mandated by the CUNY Sustainability Project. Leo, an active member of the council, mentions that there are only a few students involved in “Hunter Green” — going so far as to say they just might be the only students who regularly attend the meetings. The council meetings are officially open to all students, but they are never advertised to any extent except for on “Hunter Green’s” own website. Perhaps this is because including less people might be more advantageous to getting decisions made on a timely manner. However, the end result perpetuates apathy and disregards possibly valuable opinions. Instead, there should actually be a bid for student involvement. It should be noted, though, that students such as Leo do acknowledge the good deeds of “Hunter Green.” “They do have good intentions,” and what they are trying to do is indeed “commendable” says Leo. But is that enough? It does not seem so at this point. The “circular discussions” that lead to nowhere during the council meetings, as Leo describes them, hinder “Hunter Green” from accomplishing its carbon-reducing goals. What is the solution then? What Leo and various other students propose is for students to get involved and to push “Hunter Green” to decide on concrete goals to aim for in the near future. Besides inviting more interested students to the council meetings, Hunter administrators should find a way to incorporate the importance of environmental sustainability into daily academic life. This means an inclusion of classes that address sustainability in all major academic departments. It is imperative to accomplish this, especially since garnering the support and enthusiasm of the student body is key to getting anything done successfully at Hunter College.

Another student who shares this sentiment is USG member and Environmental Science major, Leo Delgado. Influenced by his childhood in the Dominican Republic, Leo is also extensively involved in the pursuit for environmental sustainability at

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Make GREEN Your Color Now that we’ve addressed the issue, let’s figure out how we can solve it.

Ten Proposals for Hunter College

5. Hunter College should install thermostats in all classrooms that would regulate the heating and cooling for these individual rooms. This would prevent excess heating and cooling when it’s not needed at the occupants’ discretion.

A Call to Arms! Student Action at Hunter

6. Hunter College should provide more classes aimed at educating its students about environmental sustainability. These courses could be offered to fulfill a GER, so as to ensure awareness for all students. Additionally, sustainability should be integrated into the curricula of most disciplines in which it applies, such as Political Science and Biology.

1. Hunter College should invest in a Recycling Campaign that would revamp the program already in place. The goals of this campaign should be to place more recycling bins around Hunter in high-traffic areas, to group clearly labeled receptacles for paper, glass, cans, and waste adjacent to each other to ensure that Hunter students and faculty will dispose of their waste and recyclables in the correct bins, and to also provide signs in the proximity of these receptacles detailing the correct way to recycle. These measures would help improve recycling at Hunter College, considering that 57 percent of students surveyed said that they only sometimes knew how to recycle properly or not even at all. 2. Hunter College should place friendly signs in the cafeteria and the bathrooms that would encourage students and faculty to limit the amount of resources that they use. These signs could come in the form of “Use Less Napkins” in the cafeteria and “Use Less Toilet Paper/Paper Towels/Water” in the bathrooms. 3. “Hunter Green” should be more present on campus and should engage students and faculty in the process of making Hunter College more sustainable. 4. Hunter College should equip ALL rooms on its campuses with occupancy sensors that would control overhead lighting and prevent wasteful energy expenditure. With all of its rooms furnished with these sensors, Hunter College will become Greener.

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7. Hunter College should initiate a Composting Project in which wastes produced from the cafeteria could be decomposed and turned into beneficial soil. 8. Hunter College should invest in revolving doors that would generate electricity as they turn, cutting back on its energy consumption from less-sustainable sources. 9. Hunter College should invest in solar panels that would harness solar energy and convert it into electrical energy for Hunter’s energy needs. 10. The Undergraduate Student Government should appoint an officer that would be responsible for implementing these proposals.

1. Take advantage of the CUNY Suggestion Program. Students can “submit a cost saving or energy saving idea related to sustainability that can be implemented on a CUNY campus.” Funds will be provided to execute winning ideas. 2. Visit the “Hunter Green” website to keep informed as to sustainable developments at Hunter College. You can take the time to sit in on a meeting of “Hunter Green” or take the extra step and join the council! 3. Support the annual Environmental Week at Hunter, the Hunter Solar Project, and Earth Week to help spread awareness about environmental issues at Hunter, New York City, and the World. 4. Students interested in environmental issues and sustainability should take related courses offered by the Urban Affairs and Planning Department and Geography Department. Perhaps you can then band together and charter a club to further educate your peers about these issues and promote sustainable behavior at Hunter College. 5. Demand a more sustainable Hunter College in whatever way you can. It is your right to have your voice heard, especially when it’s about something as important as our environment.

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What NOW? Ten Things You Can Do for a Greener Hunter 1. Take advantage of public transportation instead of using a car when commuting to Hunter. Several bus routes, such as the M66, pass by Hunter College, and the 6 Subway Line has a station at 68th Street and Lexington. 2. Bring water bottles from home that you can fill up throughout the day. Avoid purchasing bottled water and take advantage of the drinking fountains located through-

out Hunter College. Also, purchase the PLANit Mugs sold at the cafeteria — not only do you get a discount on refills of coffee and other beverages, but you’ll also reduce your waste!

water run if your hands are not directly beneath the faucet.

3. Use only as many napkins, paper towels, and squares of toilet paper as you need in the cafeteria and bathroom.

5. In the cafeteria, avoid using the thick paper trays unless it is absolutely necessary (for example, only if you’re trying to balance your container of sushi, pizza slice, soda bottle, and fries all at the same time!).

4. When washing your hands in the bathroom, do not let the

6. Bring your own eating utensils with you to Hunter.

Check out these websites for more information and events concerning environmental sustainability at Hunter, in New York City, and as it applies to YOU: cenyc - http://www.cenyc.org/recycling/recyclingevents Cost Analysis of Solar Energy - http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme Crisis Guide: Climate Change - http://www.cfr.org/publication/17088/crisis_guide.html CUNY Newswire - http://www1.cuny.edu/forum/?p=2962 CUNY Sustainability Project - http://web.cuny.edu/about/sustainable.html

After lunch, you can wash them and use them to eat tomorrow’s lunch, instead of using the plastic disposable utensils provided by the Hunter Cafeteria. 7. If you’re going up or down a few floors, take the stairs instead of the elevator. You’ll conserve energy while working those calves! 8. Take advantage of the Battery Disposal cylinders lo-

cated throughout campus. Hunter College will take your household batteries and recycle them for you. 9. When printing or copying at Hunter, try to use both sides of your paper to avoid waste. 10. Convince your professors to accept e-copies of your papers and other assignments — think of the amount of paper you’ll be saving!

Some Parting Words... Please take a moment and reflect upon a more sustainable Hunter. Is this reality or something unfathomable? We hope that, to you, it is reality. Whether you believe Hunter is already sustainable, see room for improvement, or are discouraged to the point of inaction, bear in mind that progress and advancement are always options and should not be disregarded. If you are dissatisfied with Hunter's present state, then please consider the stories and insight we have shared with you in this newsletter. We hope that it has given you the knowledge, the motivation, the passion, and the hope you may not have had before to leave your mark in making this world a more sustainable place. In whichever way you can or choose to, we hope that you will send out an SES ... . ... Support Environmental Sustainability.

CUNY Task Force on Sustainability http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/huntergreen/repository/files/Mission%20Statement.pdf Earth Day Network Footprint Calculator - http://www.earthday.net/footprint/flash.html Ecovian - http://www.ecovian.com/events/newyork Environmental Advocates of New York - http://www.eany.org/calendar.html Hunter Green - http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/huntergreen plaNYC - http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml Sustainable Times http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs045/1101960157170/archive/1102044961147.html The Greener Apple - http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/thegreenerapple/ *An electronic version of this newsletter is also available on this website!

Contributors: Elias Saber-Khiabani & Chui-Hung Wong

This newsletter was composed by us, Elias Saber-Khiabani and Chui-Hung Wong, for the fulfillment of the written assignment requirement of our CHC 200 class. We weren’t sure of where this would take us when we began, but look at it now! During the first few days of planning, it became clear that completing this newsletter would be more than just completing a regular school assignment. What we gained from this experience exceeded our expectations, and we’re so happy that we can share it with you.

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The Verdant Vine