Tuesday, December 10, 2002

4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Frist Center, Multi Purpose Room C

Committee Attendees: Michael McKay, Chair; Jenn Brudno, Janet Gruschow, Kelsey Jack, Bill Jordan, Tom Nyquist, Leila Shahbender, Don Weston

Committee Members Absent: Andy Dobson, Robin Izzo, Emmanual Kreike

Other Attendees: Mary Banfield, Kai Chan, Stu Orefice

The following is a summary of the items discussed at the meeting:

Jenn Brudno will study abroad this year. Kelsey Jack will be working on her thesis this semester. As a result, Kelsey Jack recommended two new students be appointed to PEOC to replace her and Jenn Brudno. PEI will choose the candidates.

Don Weston and Leila Shahbender are finalizing the paper presentation for Academic Managers. On January 7th Don will meet with paper representatives to see what types of recycling paper they have to offer. Negotiating prices for recycled paper, mandating use of recyclable paper, and ways to reduce paper use were discussed. More details about the paper presentation will be discussed at the next Environmental Committee Meeting.

Don Weston continues to research less expensive recycling bins for the campus. Any new product to be used on campus would have to be approved by Jon Hlafter in the Planning Office. Don will give an update on recycling bins at the January meeting.

Janet Gruschow attended the NJHEPS meeting on November 22nd at Middlesex College.
Mike McKay will recommend that Charles Kalmbach sign off on the document designating Princeton University as a Lead Institution in the Campaign of the NJHEPS Sustainable Campus Initiative 2002-03 .

Tom Nyquist attended the Wind Power Seminar on November 19th at the Carnegie Center. Wind power is growing in the United Sates. Tom will give an update on the use and economics of using wind power at the next session.

The Recycling Coordinator was not funded by the Priorities Committee. Bill Jordan questioned whether or not the recycling coordinator could be a part-time position. He will meet with Jon Baer on this subject.

Kai Chan and Stu Orefice summarized the recycling efforts in Dining Services:

1. Organic food table tents, listing the benefits of organic foods, have been placed in all dining halls. The tents will be kept on the dining tables through end of January. Dining Services will do a web-based survey to find out how much information students know about organic foods, and whether they would like organic food and eco-friendly seafood to be served in dining halls and eating clubs.
   
2. Food waste flyers have been posted. Funds could be recouped by wasting less food; these funds could then be used to purchase more organic foods.
   
3. Recycle plastic mugs will be issued to first year students. Mugs will be stuffed with information about the benefits of their mugs and of organic and eco-friendly foods.
4. There is a campaign for eco friendly seafood. Problems with commercial depletion of fisheries and environmental damage threaten many marine species and have had devastating effects on several fisheries and fishery-based economies. Color-coded "fish scale" cards, from the Audubon/Wildlife Conservation Society, were distributed. The cards rank fish products - red/avoid, yellow/caution, green/recommended.
   Representatives from the Greening Princeton Group plan to meet with the Dining Services seafood vendor and representatives from General Mills hopefully in December. There is an opportunity here to make changes at Princeton.

Please see the Greening Princeton site, http://www.eeb.princeton.edu/~kaichan/greening_princeton.html for some of these materials and more information

Other Items:

Mike McKay recommended inviting Skip Plank from Printing and Mailing and Lauren Robinson Brown from Communications to the next PEOC meeting.

The next Committee meeting will be held mid January. Changing the time for future meetings from 4:00 p.m. to 12 noon lunch meetings will be discussed at the next meeting.