Purpose

The Campus Sustainability Committee was established to support and promote sustainability efforts at Penn State Mont Alto. Increase of sustainability awareness, integration of sustainability practices into all community work, and publication of Mont Alto’s sustainability commitment and successes are Penn State Mont Alto strategic plan strategies that are upheld by the Sustainability Committee.

Committee Composition

The Sustainability Committee membership includes a voting body of faculty and staff. The Sustainability Committee will also encourage student representatives to serve terms to bring the student perspective to the group.

Membership Terms

Standing Members

The campus Chancellor may appoint standing members to the committee to ensure that those members can share their specific expertise, as it applies to campus sustainability efforts.

Campus Representatives

Campus representatives are solicited as volunteers from the campus community.

  1. The committee should consist of both faculty and staff.
  2. If no students answer the call to volunteer, the committee may look for recommendations from the Office of Student Affairs for representative students to invite to join the efforts.
  3. There are no membership term limits.

General Responsibilities

The Sustainability Committee elevates Penn State Mont Alto’s work toward sustainability goals

The following are examples of possible endeavors to support that undertaking.

  1. Research ways to cut electricity, fuel, water, and materials use
  2. Develop strategies to increase campus recycling
  3. Educate the campus community about sustainability
  4. Infuse sustainability into the curriculum
  5. Reduce the campus carbon footprint
  6. “Green” campus purchasing
  7. Reduce what the campus sends to the landfill and waste in general
  8. Publicize campus efforts
  9. Identify funding sources to support campus sustainability efforts.

Reporting

Transparency to campus

Meeting minutes will be disseminated to campus stakeholders.

Regular reporting to Policy and Planning Committee

An annual report will be shared to summarize activities, decisions, and successes throughout the year.

Member Responsibilities

  1. Attendance at Sustainability Committee meetings
    1. In order to best vitalize the collaborative work being done, committee members are strongly encouraged to participate in monthly meetings.
    2. In the case a member may not be able to physically attend meetings, alternative methods of participation may be configured.
  2. Make self available as representative member of committee through sustainability efforts on campus and in community.
  3. If a member has volunteered to contribute, the committee depends upon that member to serve as an active member through the remainder of the operating year.

Executive Committee

Executive Committee Members

  1. Co-chair, faculty
  2. Co-chair, staff
  3. Secretary

Executive Committee Selection

  1. Sustainability Executive Committee members may volunteer or be nominated.
  2. Election to the role formalizes the Executive Committee member.
  3. In the case a different committee member has volunteered or has been nominated to serve on the Executive Committee, a vote decides which member will assume the responsibilities of the Executive Committee member role, beginning the following operating year.
  4. In the case an Executive Committee member must step down, an election process will take place to vote another member into the role, to assume responsibilities as soon as is necessary or possible.

Executive Committee Rules and Responsibilities

  1. Executive Committee plans Sustainability Committee meeting agendas.
  2. At least one Sustainability Committee co-chair conducts meetings.
  3. Sustainability Committee co-chairs perform administrative duties, such as reminders to the group about meetings.

General Sustainability Committee Operations

Meetings

Sustainability Committee meets monthly, from September through April, but may agree to meet more frequently in order to address current responsibilities.

Operating Year

Sustainability Committee operations follow the University's fiscal year.

Decision Making

  1. A quorum of 5 committee representatives must be present to vote.
  2. A majority yes is required for a vote to pass.
  3. In the case of a tie vote, the issue will be re-introduced at the next meeting.
  4. Sustainability Committee reserves the right to determine appropriate method of voting.

Amendments and Changes to the Charter

  1. Any member of the Sustainability Committee may propose an amendment to the charter at any time.
  2. An amendment may only be ratified by an affirmative quorum vote of the Sustainability Committee. Clerical errors or omissions are not considered amendments and may be corrected at the discretion of the Executive Committee leadership, as long as the correction doesn’t change the meaning or intent of the original.
  3. Approval: Individuals authorized to approve the Sustainability Committee charter sign with their approval.

Approved by unanimous vote, April 2, 2018