TREES ~ Theological Roundtable on Ecological Ethics and Spirituality

Featured Issue: PSR Greening Initiative

Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley adopts a
"Green Initiative" in its Strategic Plan

Last Spring (2005), the Board of Trustees at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) adopted a "green initiative" as part of their strategic plan. This led to some forums at PSR in which students, faculty, and staff could talk about priorities in regards to "greening" the campus. Since these initial forums, the Pacific School of Religion has also decided to create a student-worker position to coordinate the "green initiative" at PSR.

TREES will work with the PSR "green initiative" committee and share office space with the new student coordinator. Since part of the TREES mission includes, "institutional greening," we hope that PSR will become an example for the rest of the Graduate Theological Union member schools. Toward this end TREES hopes to provide a forum for all of the schools to discuss what is happening in terms of the greening of their individual campuses. We also hope to provide an annual report of greening projects at the GTU schools.
What, exactly, does PSR's greening initiative mean for the 2005-2006 academic year?

John Davis, CFO and Treasurer at PSR, reports that the priorities, which emerged out of the forums last spring, include:

The Solar Project. We received a proposal over the summer to install solar panels at PSR, however need to evaluate that offer in comparision with others and determine financial feasibility and trustee approval for a future capital project. This is a good time to invest in solar, especially since a new California state law providing rebates for installing solar panels is likely to be signed.

Food Services Project. We are expanding vegetarian options and moving to some organic suppliers as a result of the spring survey, but we would like to expand our list of local/sustainable providers, which are becoming both more common and more financially attractive given the current cost of fuel. Additionally, the survey exposed a need for more community education with regard to the issues surrounding organic/sustainable/whole food/fairtrade, etc. options.

Green Landscaping Project. We would like to look further at how PSR uses its green space, including the use of community garden space on campus, water usage, fertilizers, composting, and incorporation of native species in campus landscaping.

These are just a few of the ideas that have been discussed by the Green Campus Initiative at PSR. The group will be meeting early in the semester to determine the projects and goals for the coming year. If you are a PSR student, faculty, or staff, or a GTU student interested in these projects, please contact TREES at trees@gtu.edu, and we will put you in touch with the Green Campus Initiative at PSR.

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Email: trees@gtu.edu

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