APUS Develops Sustainability Committee
by Ashley Adams
American Public University Systems’ (APUS) President, Wallace Boston, signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in September of 2007. As part of the requirements for the Commitment, APUS has established an Institutional Structure. The ACUPCC states that this structure can be a committee, taskforce, council or other body that will implement the terms of the commitment.
Initially, APUS’ institutional structure included the University’s President and Director of Facilities. As the institution has moved toward achieving the specific goals set out in the Commitment, it has evolved into a committee, known as the APUS Sustainability Committee, with two co-chairs, both of whom work in the Office of the President, and 18 staff members. A presentation at a university-wide staff meeting reached out to those interested in helping achieve the goals of the ACUPCC. The volunteers represent many of APUS’ departments bringing diverse perspectives to APUS’ ACUPCC initiatives.
APUS has two locations, one in Manassas, Virginia and one in Charles Town, West Virginia. Within these two locations there are 14 different buildings or suites. Having a group that represents the various locations was very important when creating the Sustainability Committee in order to ensure that each portion of the campus was represented. The committee’s volunteers are equally representative of both APUS campuses in Virginia and West Virginia. As a 100 percent online institution APUS is very adept at using current technologies to bring individuals from different areas together into one meeting space without requiring travel. Through the use of such technologies, APUS’ Sustainability Committee is able to hold meetings in which all members can participate without having to travel to do so.
The Sustainability Committee meets every two weeks to discuss the institution’s progress towards achieving the goals of the Commitment. The Committee has been instrumental in helping complete the University’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and Climate Action Plan. The initiatives and ideas researched by the committee are taken to the President for review and approval.
APUS’ efforts toward achieving the goals outlined in the ACUPCC Commitment are quite varied and individual Committee members have effectively researched and proposed several that were previously overlooked. At this time, the Sustainability Committee is representative only of APUS staff but the Committee is working toward including faculty and students in the near future. Without question, the APUS Sustainability Committee has served as the driving force behind the institution’s sustainability efforts and will continue to be an integral part of the university’s efforts.
Tags: American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, apus, Climate Action Plan, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory, sustainability, Wally Boston
