Open Discussion
Contents
Open Discussion [edit]
Thanks for visiting this new (March, 2008) page. We hope that this page can be used to discuss issues without requiring everyone to come together to meet.
Aramark Page [edit]
There is a new Aramark page for discussion of issues of on-campus dining, plus suggestions for the Sustainability Week bulleting board.
Master Plan [edit]
Please visit WFU Master Plan to review and comment on WFU's 50-year master plan. Now is the time for you to have an impact on the long-term progress of the university!
Earth Day Planning [edit]
We are still hoping to have more ideas for Earth Day in addition to the "Celebrating Nature" panel and our student-led effort to work with Aramark. Some other ideas are:
Have the WFU website change to mark the day. (RW is looking into this)
Provost Tiefenthaler has agreed to make an Earth Day statement.
Host a walk through Reynolda Gardens.
Ask students to make an "Earth Day Resolution", akin to a "New Year's Resolution", to change one habit to be more sustainable. List of possible resolutions: 1. Give up bottled water 2. Eat less meat 3. Walk rather than drive 4. think before you print two-sided 5. pick up litter 6. Carbon offsetting – offset next road trip 7. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store
We are working with the OGB to make a special Earth Week section to publicize these things.
Curriculum Planning [edit]
What can we do to have more environmental courses in our curriculum?
Students can ask department chairs for specific courses within their majors. Faculty can propose new courses as well.
Specific small things WFU can change [edit]
This can be a place to talk about small things that WFU does that can be changed.
Embrace the Bike: One possible idea is to install bicycle lanes on campus and on streets surrounding campus that are heavily trafficked by students (for example to some of the apartment complexes and neighborhoods that are heavily populated with Wake students as well as grocery and convenience stores). By providing a safer alternative to riding on the street in vehicle lanes, more students would ride to and around campus drastically cutting down on consumption of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gasses, not to mention solving some issues of parking on campus!
Wake could also encourage pedal power by implementing a bike share program as many schools around the country have done. See [1] for more information.
Other issues [edit]
How can we ensure that our endowment is invested in an environmentally conscious manner?
How can we create an attractive official web page that summarizes WFU's environment-related initiatives and programs? As an example, see Portland State University's page, which is linked to from the main PSU front page.