Ithaca College’s environmental efforts have been deteriorating according to community members. They are experiencing a lack of staffing support at the college campus.–Sustainability efforts
According to an independent study, the college was ranked among the most environmentally responsible colleges in America. The Princeton Review For 2022. Campus members are concerned by job cuts and a lack of staffing. While colleges are focusing on reducing carbon emissions, other aspects are declining.
Gregory LischkeEx-director of the Office of Energy Management and Sustainability (OEMS), who was responsible to many of the colleges’ environmental initiatives. Nov. 15: Resignation, 2021 and the job has not been filled yet. Dave Maley is the director of Public Relations and said that Lischkes’ successor is being actively sought after. Rebecca Evans, former campus sustainability coordination coordinator in OEMS, stated that she left at Spring 2021 because the college had cut her position due to budget cuts. Evans is now the sustainability planner for Ithaca.
Evans said that I know there is still passion and commitment to sustainability among the faculty, staff, as well as the students. I hope that this is only a temporary pause in progress.
Jake Brenner, associate professor and chairman of the Department of Environmental Studies and Science said that he can’t tell if environmental sustainability remains a priority for the college. He said that he has seen a decline in energy for the sustainability movement, and feels it has been somewhat dismantled.
There’s been no change in [the Senior Leadership Teams]Talk about [sustainability], Brenner said. But as I look around, the people that used to be in charge of these programs are no longer here and these programs seem to be difficult to get in touch with and it’s hard to really ascertain if they’re still even going on.
Maley stated that when Lischke resigned, the Student Eco Reps, an organization on campus led by students, was no longer reporting to OEMS and was now overseen under the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE).
Maley stated via email that the Center’s work is similar to other student community service activities.
Maley stated that David Harker, CCE director, is currently on temporary leave from April 4 through April 4. He met with Eco Reps before he started his leave and formulated a plan to re-connect with, strategize, and put together pieces so they can start Fall 2022 with a solid foundation.
The Ithaca: SustainabilityWebsite has three contact options: Junior Katharine Downey, Lischke and Junior Katharine Downey, former Eco Reps program manager,Junior Petar Odazhiev was a former intern at OEMS. These positions are not currently filled on the colleges website.
Odazhiev claimed he quit because he no longer had the leadership in the office. Lischkes will be filling the position again and the office will cease to function effectively because Evans was so important to the work done through volunteers and staff. He stated that Evans was the bridge for students and staff. The inconsistency among leadership positions, as well as unfilled positions, may be to blame for the decline in a campus culture of environmentalism.
We certainly don’t deserve applause for [sustainability]Odazhiev stated that the moment is now. We did three months ago. I think [Evans]was the most critical piece of the puzzle, and was ultimately the glue that held everything together. [campus sustainability]It began to fall apart.
In 2019, The college As part of its climate neutrality goal by 2050, the college has reduced its carbon footprint 50%. The college uses 109% of its energy to produce renewable resources. This means it purchases and produces more energy than is actually needed on campus.
Brenner said that institutions are in the difficult when they are in crisis financial circumstancesThat The college Is Currently in, decisions made for financial survival often involve negative trade-offs with the environment.
Brenner stated that the main shift from environmentalism to economics has occurred. The mechanism by which we are still speaking to our sustainability interests is through carbon emissions offset but it’s kind of like swimming upstream There is just not the institutional support for the other dimensions of sustainability that were there for a long time.
Ernie McClatchie was the executive director of Department of Facilities and Ground Transportation. He stated that decarbonization is putting too much emphasis on recycling. He stated that there is a way to reduce carbon emissions. Inadequacy of accountabilityThese values have been upheld by the campus community. Excessive littering. McClatchie stated that there are currently four positions for ground maintenance staff, which is putting a strain on their ability to pick up litter from students.
People deliberately dropped their belongings [masks outside]. Which is really disappointing because we’ve never had that atmosphere here, McClatchie said. We’ve been in a place where people care about their community and don’t let that happen. I feel that the sense of community is much less than it would be.