With Earth Day coming on April 22, and Creighton planning a series of events and activities for the month, Creighton Today reached out to Sustainability Coordinator Belyna Bentlage with five questions in advance of the celebration.
1. What is planned on campus to celebrate Earth Month?
A variety of events are planned by students, faculty and staff to celebrate Earth Month. The second installment of the Planetary Emergency Lecture Series by theology professor Richard Miller, PhD, (funded by Creighton Global Initiative) kicks off the month on Monday, April 1.
On Friday, April 5, the Office of Sustainability Programs is hosting a Sustainability Forum to celebrate the global theme of Earth Day 2019, “Protect Our Species.” Ted Burk, DPhil, and Carol Fassbinder-Orth, PhD, both faculty members in the Biology Department, will present on the state of global insect biodiversity, human impacts, specific issues facing honey bees, and what we can do to make a difference.
The Creighton Global Fair (hosted by the Global Engagement Office, Creighton Intercultural Center, and the Student Leadership and Involvement Center) falls during Earth Month, and the Schlegel Center for Service and Justice (SCSJ) is hosting a screening of the film This is Home. Both events celebrate diversity and human dignity, which are integral aspects of sustainability.
There also will be a Meatless Monday in the dining halls, a tree give-away and planting, and a fair-trade sale on campus.
Looking toward fall, the office will host an open call for anyone who is interested in helping plan or assist with the Feast of St. Francis festivities for next October. The SCSJ and the Office of Sustainability Programs are providing an Environmental Justice Community Orientation, similar to the SCSJ’s North Omaha, South Omaha and Refugee orientations. Although registration for Climate Change: Faith, Hope, and Action is full, we will be offering another opportunity in the fall.
Those are the events that we know of right now and that are listed in the Earth Month 2019 brochure. Stay tuned for more events as they come up. Visit the Events Page of the Sustainable Creighton website to see a full listing of campus and community events.
2. What is your role as sustainability coordinator?
As sustainability coordinator, my role is to help motivate and shift our campus culture toward more sustainable mindsets and behaviors. Many students and employees have been and currently are championing sustainability on their own. My job is to help connect people, coordinate efforts and develop a comprehensive strategy for the University to advance our sustainability performance. To do this, I do a lot of outreach and engagement, data collection and assessment, and strategic planning.
3. What are the latest initiatives on campus related to sustainability?
The largest and most exciting initiative was one from last semester: CSU’s Ref 2SI. Students voted overwhelming in favor of phasing out single-use plastic bags and straws on campus. While implementation of the Creighton Students Union (CSU) legislation is still in process, I think this initiative shows the tremendous support students have for sustainability and change-making on campus and the referendum is an inspiring demonstration of student government. Another initiative from last fall was a collaborative effort between CSU, the Creative Suite and the Office of Sustainability Programs to bring the campus a Green Guide for Sustainable Living. Moving forward, I know Donna Shahbazi and Jessie Lee, CSU president and executive vice president respectively, have some sustainability goals for their term in office. Also, the Office of Sustainability Programs is planning to launch a student-engagement program for next fall, so keep an eye out for that.
4. What are the major advances we’ve made as a campus, as it relates to sustainability?
The establishment of an office with dedicated, full-time personnel working on sustainability on campus is a massive accomplishment. Many colleges and universities do not have an office, a hub, for collaboration and advancement of sustainability initiatives. Beyond campus, Creighton is a founding member institution of the Omaha Higher Education Sustainability Alliance, which includes the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Metropolitan Community College, College of St. Mary and Bellevue University. We meet quarterly to plan and work together on a variety of sustainability topics.
Creighton has a Climate Action Plan, which states a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from our baseline by 2028. Facilities Management – specifically Wes Walling, associate director of building operations, and his team – have been leading energy-optimization efforts across campus to help reduce Creighton’s carbon footprint. Purchased electricity is one of our top contributors to our carbon footprint. Since we began collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data in 2010, we have reduced emissions from purchased electricity by nearly 24 percent. Everyone who turns off lights, unplugs appliances when not in use and takes the stairs when they are able to do so, helps us reduce our energy consumption.
Another major advance occurred during last year’s Feast of St. Francis lunch and awards. Because of the persistence and collaboration among faculty, students, staff and community members, Creighton Dining was able to provide a farm-to-table meal sourced from local, small-scale agricultural producers. At the lunch, we also honored three excellent Spirit of St. Francis awardees, who recently shared their journeys with sustainability during a Sustainability Forum, which can be viewed/listened to online.
While we have much to improve upon in terms of our sustainability performance, we are doing well and last spring we earned our first-ever rating from AASHE STARS (the national, and increasingly international, standard for benchmarking sustainability for colleges and universities). We currently hold a bronze-level recognition and my goal is to help Creighton achieve a silver rating by 2021, which I believe will help improve campus life for current students, faculty and staff, and will help recruit top talent.
5. How can faculty and staff get more involved in sustainability on campus?
There are many ways for faculty and staff to become more involved with sustainability on campus and at different levels.
Curious: Sign up for the Sustainability Listserv to receive emails and updates about events and opportunities, follow @GreenCreighton on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or watch a recorded Sustainability Forum.
Supporter: Do the actions above and attend a Sustainability Forum, Feast of St. Francis, or Earth Month activities. Share events and information with your friends or bring them to an event.
Champion: Host an event or join the Feast of St. Francis or Earth Month planning committees. Check out our helpful guides and make changes in your office. Nominate your colleague for a Spirit of St. Francis Award. Volunteer individually, or with your friends, family or department, at a local organization dedicated to sustainability. Host a sustainability presentation from the Office of Sustainability Programs for your department and commit to action.
