Like a student trying to improve their grades from last semester, Loyola’s Sustainability Committee is working to improve the ‘D’ the university received for their sustainability grade.

Robert Thomas, Sustainability Committee chair and interim director of the School of Mass Communication, said the committee has met twice thus far, and assigned different areas of sustainability concern around the University to several committee members.

Thomas said the committee has responded to two national green surveys, and is getting ready for the most important one of all, the College Sustainability Report Card Survey.

“We’re preparing for the big one, the one that hit us last year, the one that gives actual letter grades,” Thomas said.

Thomas said it was a disappointment for the university to receive the grade it did last year, but it was a matter of responding to the surveys, not the condition of sustainability on campus.

“The reason why we got the grade we did last time is because the forms didn’t get filled out,” Thomas said.

 While it was extremely important to the university that forms were to be filled out, according to Thomas, Loyola did not receive The College Sustainability Report Card Survey until they it was almost due.

“This one (survey) arrives in June, and it’s due in August or July,” Thomas said.

This year, Thomas said the Sustainability Committee is prepared for upcoming surveys and will be ready to fill them out before deadline.
 
Thomas also said they are going to address the immediate problems listed on last year’s report card first, then address other sustainability issues on campus.

“We’re going to address the issues the surveys view as national norms, and fix those first,” Thomas said. “Then concentrate on what we believe is important.”

Brian Parks, political science senior and recently appointed Student Government Association’s Student Commissioner for Environmental and Sustainable Affairs, said the committee is monitoring greenhouse gas inventory, the University’s energy efficiency, purchasing policies and the building renovations to Thomas Hall.

“I am very excited about the upcoming meetings on related to a year-long bike rental program,” Parks said.

Parks also said University President, the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., will sign “The Climate Change Commitment,” later on this school year.

Overall Thomas said he believes change is on the way to the University concerning sustainability.

“I’m glad it happened because it’s got us rolling now,” Thomas said. “We’ve got full support from the provost and the University president. We have a great committee, we have good students involved. We’re reaching out to other students groups that are doing anything green, and I know we will improve this year.”

Jaune Jackson can be reached at [email protected].