Enjoying the warmth of the sun and the freshness of the air, I sat on the grass and watched as people walked, ran, played with their dogs, and hung out with their friends. Despite having lived in Austin for almost two years now, I’d never been to Zilker. It was only during this past month that I was able to experience the park for the very first time. I liked it so much that I went back with a friend just to sit on the grass and take it all in again. Additionally, I spent some time watching spring arrive on the beautiful St. Edward’s campus. For example, I got up especially early and watched the sun rise over the campus the other day.
That hum I spoke of in my previous post wasn’t as noticeable during these last few experiences. Perhaps it was the people at Zilker and the early morning time here on campus while people were still waking up, but the hum wasn’t there. I’m finding that the more time I spend outside, actually appreciating the green life that surrounds us here in Austin and at St. Edward’s, being detached from that hum isn’t the end of the world.
Apart from continuously trying to understand my own relationship with nature, I have begun to study and become more involved with St. Edward’s University’s relationship with it as well. I began my research on policy changes and implementations from the most immediate level present to me – St. Edward’s University policy. Since I live on campus, I spend the vast majority of my time here and, as such, am directly affected by the policy decisions the university makes in all realms, especially environmental/sustainable ones. I reached out to Cristina Bordin, Sustainability Coordinator for St. Edward’s University, and we set up a meeting time. We met for about and hour and had a very interesting conversation where I was able to ask Ms. Bordin a series of questions and address various issues surrounding on-campus policies.
My first question for Ms. Bordin regarded policies that have already been established involving sustainability and environmentalism. She pointed me toward http://think.stedwards.edu/itresources/content/sustainability-policies. This website contains the university’s set policies; however Ms. Bordin explained that since it is very difficult to enforce certain rules, much of our policy at St. Edward’s is simply recommendations and/or suggestions for community members to follow. I further asked how difficult it is to implement policy and she explained that, “It varies, sometimes it can take less than a week, or it can take years”. Bordin maintained that it has a lot to do with “need, requirement, and leadership”. She expressed that projects are largely reliant on perceived need, requirement by local ordinances, and the initiative and leadership behind the projects.
I next inquired about whether St. Edward’s measures itself against other institutions of higher education and their attempts to be more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Brodin responded, “Yes, we see what other institutions are doing and we copy and paste, and tweak for our university.” She further explained that she greatly appreciated St. Edward’s because “we don’t need mandates and policies to do better. [We] have an informal culture, and we’re trying to do better [on our own]”. Even though we are inspired by other universities, we as a community are conscious enough about the issues surrounding sustainability that we can make our own unique improvements. Since St. Edward’s is a private institution, she emphasized the fact that the university has a great deal of autonomy in instituting policy, and that we are already practicing sustainable and environmental efforts even if they are not written down explicitly.
My final question for Ms. Bordin had to do with understanding the barriers that stand in the way of establishing a fee to collect funds for sustainable projects. In our discussion she expressed that since we are such a small institution a fee of even $5 a semester would not go too far. Projects like solar energy collection are incredibly expensive. Because the state of Texas and the city of Austin specifically receive large amounts of sunlight throughout the year, it would be wise for the university to perhaps invest in solar energy collection. I asked Bordin if she saw the university investing in solar energy and/or renewables in the near future and she expressed that the university already buys a small amount of wind energy and that the university has been assessing solar panels for the past 3 to 4 years. She expressed that a provider recently delivered a proposal and that as awareness grows there is a strong desire to pursue that route. If we do the math, and we charge each student $10 a school year and we have roughly 5,000 students that would amount to $50,000. However, Brodin believes that these funds would best go towards smaller projects around campus.
As a political science major, I understand the significance of the various actors that contribute and influence policy changes and implementation. “Internal and external pressures,” remarked Ms. Bordin, “pressure from the city or from students who want change or have plans like the city to be zero waste by 2040” are who ultimately guide sustainability efforts here at St. Edward’s. Consequently, as a Senator for the Student Government Association, I have personally been working on leading 1) an ad hoc committee to investigate the feasibility of establishing a green fund and 2) proposed that the question of establishing a green fund be placed on the Student Government’s ballot this election season.
Overall, my general impression is that change and sustainable policy implementation is achievable here at St. Edward’s. Because we are a private institution, we enjoy some autonomy in policy implementation; all that’s left is for students, staff, and administration to agree the best way to achieve specific goals. This past month has revealed some interesting observations and findings. The first is that I am becoming more used to spending time out doors, and as such, the hum I’ve always found to be comforting, isn’t solely necessary for my enjoyment of the outdoors. The second is that we are fortunate to go to a school that focuses on sustainable and environmental efforts. Although, I personally feel we can do more in this realm, I am optimistic that the future is very bright for the things we can do to shape policy on our campus.
Works Cited
Bordin, Cristina. Special Assitant to the President and Sustainability Coordinator Carlos A. Martinez. 31st March 2016.
St. Edward’s University . think.stedwards.edu. 1 January 2016. 31 March 2016 <http://think.stedwards.edu/itresources/content/sustainability-policies>.