James Dontje leads the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation at Gustavus Adolphus College.
By Sara Baer ’08
Environmental sustainability is taken seriously at Gustavus Adolphus College. The Linnaeus Arboretum and the Environmental Studies program have long demonstrated the college’s commitment to environmental education. Since the formation of the President’s Task Force on Energy and Environmental Issues in 2004, many new ideas have been generated and changes have been implemented.
This August, the Johnson Center for Environmental Innovation opened at Gustavus thanks to funding provided by Glen ’50 and LaVonne Johnson. The mission of the center is to lead greater campus and community sustainability. The Johnson Center has three goals:
- to develop student leaders in environmental innovation;
- to provide leadership to environmental stewardship initiatives on campus; and
- to partner with the campus and community members to develop successful innovations that lead to greater sustainability on campus and in the community.
“Colleges should be leading the movement to transform society, not just teaching about it,” said James Dontje, the environmental center’s director. Dontje stresses the importance of involving students and the St. Peter community in environmental initiatives. The center will seek funds and ideas to enable students to participate in campus sustainability to improve society. “Gustavus does not exist in a vacuum and will need to work together with the community for sustainability,” said Dontje.
Although the Johnson Center is new on campus, it is already focused on several proposals. An important issue for the center is energy use on campus, including how to use it more efficiently, how to reduce its use, and ways the campus can shift to renewable energy sources. Dontje said rising energy costs make up a large portion of the college’s budget. These costs may limit the college’s efforts to meet its goals if steps aren’t taken to reduce these costs. Dontje also noted that there will be growing external pressure on all institutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Johnson Center also plans to work with a new campus committee, the Kitchen Cabinet, on issues such as waste from to-go containers, selling more locally grown foods, food sustainability, and nutrition. Dontje also expects other initiatives to take shape, noting that the developing plans for a new academic building will be an important opportunity to explore a “green” building.
Other Green Initiatives
Also new to campus are two electric utility vehicles for on-campus use by the physical plant. The cars are able to reach a speed of about 25-30 mph, run entirely on electricity and are locally-produced by e-ride Industries in Princeton, Minn. In addition to these energy-saving vehicles Gustavus has several hybrid vehicles, including those used by safety and security officers.
The theme of the Nobel Conference is Heating Up: The Energy Debate. It will focus on the problems resulting from fossil fuel dependence and emerging technologies and energy sources that may be able to alleviate some of these environmental concerns.
President Peterson recently signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, an agreement to reduce the impact that colleges have on global warming and increase research and educational efforts to combat this problem. Presidents signing the Commitment agree to complete an emissions inventory; within two years, set a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral; take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; integrate sustainability into the curriculum; and make the action plan, inventory, and progress reports publicly available.
Past efforts are not being neglected either. The Linnaeus Arboretum is currently raising funds for a 70-acre prairie restoration that will enhance the current prairie areas.
With a core value of justice, Gustavus community members share this desire to be good environmental stewards and agents of the college. Gustavus students and alumni often lead the way. The Gustavus Greens campus organization promotes environmental action and awareness. Last February, the student group helped organize campus efforts for the Campus Energy Wars challenge, a competition between 14 Minnesota colleges and universities to determine which school could conserve the most energy during the month. The Greens distributed packages to all on-campus students that contained a compact fluorescent light bulb, a room thermometer, and a list of 10 easy ways to conserve energy. Gustavus reduced its electricity consumption by 8.9 percent, making it the first place winner in the “reducing electricity use alone” category.
In the near future, Gustavus also plans to purchase two 2.5 megawatt turbines, which would allow the college to harness renewable wind energy. Wind turbines would decrease the college’s reliance on nonrenewable energy sources and are estimated to save $600,000 in energy costs per year. Gustavus is currently on a waiting list for turbines. “The turbines will be a great step towards reducing the ecological footprint of the campus,” Dontje said.