Sustainability Office settles in during first semester

The office aims to spread information about sustainability on campus.

By Zachary Murdock

Published Nov. 10, 2009

MU's Sustainability Office might only occupy a small corner of Virginia Avenue Garage's first floor, but its goals and ambitions for promoting sustainability reach across campus.

"The University of Missouri is dedicated to environmentally sustainable policies and practices that promote responsible stewardship of existing resources and the environment," Sustainability Coordinator Steven Burdic said.

The office, founded by Campus Facilities this summer, is working to make the campus a more eco-friendly environment. It has taken on tasks laid out by the MU Environmental Affairs and Sustainability Committee in its Sustainability Task Force Report, which tried to identify what sustainability means for MU.

The office works directly with students and faculty on projects and policy, in addition to making sustainability a visible force on campus.

"We're developing a survey along with two undergraduate researchers to assess MU student experiences and perceptions of sustainability in general and on the MU campus," Student Sustainability Coordinator Cherith Moore said.

Although it is not the first time MU has made environmentalism a priority, it is the first office the university has specifically devoted to improving sustainability and bringing to light environmental issues on campus.

Burdic said the office is focusing on several issues, including providing programs, resources and incentives for students and faculty around campus to continue or begin sustainable practices, researching and testing new sustainability initiatives and taking steps to preserve and protect natural resources.

Burdic and the Sustainability Office are working to review old university policies and develop new, lasting policies.

"Each unit or department within the university is encouraged to evaluate current policies and practices on a regular basis with the goal of adopting or improving sustainability," Burdic said.

One major issue the office needs to focus on is the creation of a campus-wide communication plan for sustainability, Burdic said. Although so many are already taking small steps in the right direction, the office needs to take advantage of technology and its ability to spread sustainability's message, he said.

Burdic said the office is looking into utilizing the MU Info mass e-mails for advertisements as well as seeking a story or advertisements in Mizzou Weekly, a publication for the faculty and staff of the university. Burdic and the office also look to distribute publications, such as a guide to recycling at MU, and make these guides available to students and visitors around the campus.

"An important force sustainability lacks is an office that can help coordinate and serve as a one-stop shop for individuals both on and off campus who want to learn about or engage in the university's sustainability practices," Burdic said.

Although the Sustainability Office is still finding a way to put itself on the map, many students are already involved in the movement and believe in the progress sustainability can bring to the campus.

"I've been working on environmental sustainability efforts since I was a freshman at MU," Sustain Mizzou Student Adviser Pat Margherio said. "I'm a senior now and the Sustainability Office is the next step of learning and growing for me. I am learning about making institutional change from within, something I haven't seen too much of before."