PULLMAN — Washington State University held its first Environmental Management System/Sustainability Initiative Summit on June 15, focusing on a campuswide effort to implement Executive Policy 24, also known as WSU Sustainability Initiative.
The summit is the first meeting of campus organizations involved in implementing the policy, which was approved by President V. Lane Rawlins last November. The policy states that the university is “committed to improve its performance in sustainability in all areas of operations to meet the needs of current generations without impairing the ability to meet the needs of future generations.”
“An Environmental Management System incorporates environmental care throughout the organizational structure that enables a reduction in environmental impacts and an increase in operating efficiency,” said Dwight Hagihara, Environmental Health and Safety director.
Five different areas of the university are implementing a seven-part plan to improve environmental management and sustainability in accordance with the new policy, including:
* Materials and Resource Management (recycling)
* Capital Planning and Development (facility design)
* Environmental Health and Safety (air quality, water quality, hazardous materials)
* Facilities Operations (energy)
* Food Services (local/organic food)
Each area contributes to a different aspect of the whole project, including actions such as recycling, reduction in the use of energy and water, maintenance of air quality, hazardous waste management, and the use of locally grown food, to name a few.
Richard Heath, senior associate vice president for Business Affairs, said that the WSU leadership is very committed to improving environmental management and sustainability across campus. “WSU has been a leader in the state and nationally in environmental management and sustainability. Executive Policy 24 underscores the importance of not resting on past successes and of continuously seeking to improve our performance in this area.”
Lisa Brown from the Washington Department of Ecology attended the summit and visited different facilities in the Pullman campus. Brown praised WSU for its continuous efforts to improve the campus environment. “It takes commitment from everybody involved, starting from the top,” she said.
WSU has been recognized on the national, state and local levels for several programs developed to minimize waste and improve the environment. The university has received the National Recycling Coalition Award for Outstanding University Recycling Program and the Governor’s Pollution Prevention and Energy Conservation awards.
For a full version of Executive Policy 24 (WSU Sustainability Initiative), visit: http://www.wsu.edu/%7Eforms/HTML/EPM/EP24_WSU_Sustainability_Initiative.htm.
