WATgreen Advisory Committee

Terms of Reference

Philosophies & Principles / Purpose & Scope/ Responsibilies / Membership & Organization/Justification/Goals

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Greening of the Campus effort is to transform the University of Waterloo into a showcase of environmental responsibility, an ecosystem in harmony with its environment. This undertaking presents an opportunity for students, staff, and faculty to improve the quality of their environment, while assisting with the financial and environmental efficiency of the University.

Underlying Philosophies and Guiding Principles:

Environmentally appropriate management practices are cost effective.
Good environmental practices come from a forum where all the stakeholders can participate and contribute.
Students, through working on environmental concerns on campus, gain the knowledge and expertise to promote sustainable practices in the broader society.
Faculty and staff members should be encouraged to contribute their expertise toward University environmental management.

Purpose and Scope:

To animate environmental activities on campus and in particular to co-ordinate the project activities of students, staff and faculty.
To act in an advisory capacity to the Vice-President, Administration and Finance.
To report to Executive Council at appropriate intervals.
To serve a co-ordinating and communication role with the University community.

Responsibilities:

To work within the university's legal requirements and responsibilities.
To stimulate student project work on sustainable practices on campus.
To act as liaison between students, faculty and staff to co-ordinate project activity.
To review and evaluate project recommendations.
To approve material submitted for publication under the auspices of WATgreen.
To provide an annual report.
To act in an advisory capacity to the university administration on various issues brought forward by members of the University community and through student projects.
To work towards broadening academic awareness by exploring applications in all faculties, through workshops and providing information on how to integrate environment into the curriculum.
To maintain an environmental profile of the University of Waterloo, i.e. waste management, physical plant, landscape, energy use.
To provide a forum for assessing environmental practices and dealing with environmental concerns on campus.
To evaluate those issues brought forward by speaking to the larger community as needed and the university community, so as to obtain a broad range of opinions and provide the University administration with a synopsis.
To develop and assist in environmentally responsible design practices on campus.

Membership and Organization:

A faculty representative is appointed for a two year period, from each of the Faculties of:

Applied Health Sciences
Arts
Engineering
Environmental Studies
Math
Science

The Waste Management Coordinator (an on-going appointment)
A representative from the Student WATgreen Network (appointed each semester)
The Vice-President, Administration and Finance (an on-going appointment)
A recording secretary (appointed by the Associate Provost-General Services & Finance)

The Chair and Co-Chair are elected positions chosen by the Committee annually at the September meeting.

The Committee will provide the university administration with its collective and varied expertise, as well as consulting widely across campus on all relative information.

Justification:

There have been many efforts over the past twenty years by students, faculty and staff to improve the University of Waterloo's ecological profile through the reduction of resource use and waste production. Some of these efforts were done as part of courses, some were undertaken on a volunteer basis, and some have been instituted by the Waste Management Coordinator with the cooperation of operating departments.

The university is presented with numerous requests for changes to its operations annually. The requests come from various groups, organizations, student projects, and local governments, with specific desired outcomes.

WATgreen has provided a mechanism on campus for students, staff and faculty to deal with issues, by using the campus as laboratory to study the systems and make recommendations for change. WATgreen is an initiative which is owned by all on campus and which encourages all persons to better their community. This project offers significant new directions and opportunities for education and research. UW students will take with them into society the knowledge and motivation necessary to foster the transformation to a sustainable society.

Terms of Reference accepted by the WATgreen Advisory Committee on June 6, 1996, and the Provost and Executive Council on October 21, 1997.

Appendix A

Immediate Goals:

To broaden the involvement of all faculties in WATgreen.
To assist in the communication of information on sustainability and environmental curriculum.
To assist in development of a landscape plan for the campus, by collecting information on the wants and needs of the university community on landscape management.
To develop guidelines for landscape management.
To assist in developing a Laurel Creek plan for the future, using existing data collected, and by further investigation.
To develop guidelines for environmentally responsible design practices.
To provide a mechanism for students, staff and faculty to study and evaluate the University systems in order to act towards environmental improvement within the community.

[WATgreen Homepage] [Send Mail] [To the top of this page]

Page last updated by Patti Cook on April 30, 2002