Oxford College Sustainability Action Plan
Top 14 Initiatives for 2007-2009
Dear Members of the Oxford Community –
I am pleased to report that a group of Oxford faculty, staff, and alumni with the assistance
of outside experts have developed a Sustainability Action Plan for our campus. This plan was
developed within the context of the Sustainability Vision for Emory and represents significant
progress in implementing strategic initiative #12 in our strategic plan: “Prioritize environmental
stewardship and healthful living by integrating them into the planning and implementation of
programs and facilities by 2010.”
A sense of place and an appreciation for the animate and inanimate world around us has
long been part of the Oxford ethos. The phrase “temples in the trees” has been used to describe
the campus and reflects the spiritual ambiance created by Oxford’s sylvan setting. But the
Oxford campus is also an apt metaphor for the wider world. Generation of our electricity has the
same impact on global warming as everyone else’s. Much of our food travels 1,500 miles to our
plates. The Atlanta metropolitan sprawl has reached our doorstep, and in a quiet moment the
sylvan solitude must compete with the muted roar of Interstate 20. The “temples in the trees”
that constitute Oxford College are part of the global system, and our local actions have both local
and global consequences.
Oxford’s Sustainability Action Plan (OSAP) helps us focus and organize ourselves to
pursue changes in how we operate that will reduce our environmental impact and provide a more
sustainable, harmonious relationship with the world around us. We are grateful to those who
helped prepare it and to those who will help implement it in the future. It will be a priority for
the College for some time to come.
Very best wishes,
Stephen Bowen, Dean
2/13/2016
Oxford College Sustainability Action Plan
Top 14 Initiatives for 2007-2009
Strategy in Brief:
Identified below are fourteen initiatives grouped respectively under five themes taken
directly from the framework of the University’s Sustainability Vision for Emory (2006). The four
themes are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Healthy Ecosystem Context
Healthy University Function in the Built Environment
Healthy University Structures, Leadership, and Participation
Healthy Living-Learning-Working Community
Education and Research
The twelve initiatives are designed for relatively quick implementation with limited
resources. Some initiatives will produce benefits immediately. Others are not outcomes in
themselves, but will begin the necessary planning for future sustainable action.
For each action item, a team of faculty and staff “champions” has volunteered to conduct
the planning and carry out the work. Groups will often call on others across the Oxford and
Emory communities to support and assist as needed. Significant progress will require the
expertise, talent, creativity, and energy of many individuals.
As this work progresses, the teams will offer a series of workshops for all stakeholders:
students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The products of each workshop will be shared with
the entire Oxford community and key University partners and will be incorporated into an
annually-updated Oxford Sustainability Action Plan (OSAP). Specifically, each workshop is
expected to result in:
1) An overview of sustainable practices in use elsewhere that offer possible approaches
that Oxford may consider;
2) An analysis of the current situation on the Oxford campus;
3) A report on Oxford’s effort to improve sustainability on this issue thus far;
4) Recommendations for improvement, including implementation strategies;
5) Establishment of metrics by which to measure progress;
6) Integration of the solution set into campus structure;
7) Identification of research and learning opportunities for students
The Facilities and Environments for the Enhancement of Our Vision (FEEOV)
subcommittee of the Strategic Action Committee will be responsible for generating an annual
OSAP report and an updated plan by the end of July each year, adding initiatives as others are
completed. The plan will be coordinated with the college calendar to optimize student, faculty,
and staff involvement and participation.
2
Themes and Initiatives for 2007-2009
Theme One: Healthy Ecosystem Context
Initiative One:
Initiative Two:
Initiative Three:
Sense of Place
Forest Restoration
Stormwater Management
Theme Two: Healthy University Function in the Built Environment
Initiative Four:
Initiative Five:
Initiative Six:
Initiative Seven:
Initiative Eight:
Energy Reduction
Water Conservation
Waste Reduction
Built Environment
Green Purchasing
Theme Three: Healthy University Structures, Leadership, and Participation
Initiative Nine:
OSAP Organization and Support Systems
Theme Four: Healthy Living-Learning-Working Community
Initiative Ten:
Initiative Eleven:
Initiative Twelve:
Initiative Thirteen:
Sustainable Food
Transportation
Healthy Lifestyles
Broader Oxford Community
Theme Five: Education and Research
Initiative Fourteen:
Curricular Focus on Sustainability
3
THEME ONE: Healthy Ecosystem Context
“We seek a restored and restorative human and natural environment—a university
community within a forested ecosystem, supportive of native species diversity. The planned
campus will provide opportunities for faculty, students, staff, patients, and visitors to move
through the natural world. Our university culture will value connection to place, will encourage
time in the out of doors, and will teach about stewardship of our ecosystem, beginning with
students’ and employees’ first moments on campus.”
-- Sustainability Vision for Emory, 2006
Goals for Healthy Ecosystem Context:
 Create a long range land use and landscape design that contributes to a healthy
ecosystem;
 Restore forested lands and control harmful non-native, invasive plant species;
 Improve water management practices to achieve healthy watershed function across
the college campus.
 Restore and enhance the vision of Oxford’s original landscape designer, Edward
Lloyd Thomas, of a forested environment in which people move from home and
residence hall to work and study;
Recommended Initiatives
 Mark trails and natural features on Oxford College maps and campus signs.
 Remove non-native invasive plant species from campus forests and other collegeowned property. Encourage the same invasive removal program throughout the
surrounding community.
 Continue to enhance the campus landscape with native plant species.
 Continue commitment to a no-net tree loss policy.
 Develop a stormwater management plan.
 Ensure the Oxford College master plan is in support of this vision.
4
INITIATIVE ONE: Sense of Place
In 1837, the first Board of Trustees for Emory College engaged renowned surveyor and
landscape architect Edward Lloyd Thomas to layout the plan for both the Emory College campus
and the surrounding community of Oxford (Thomas also designed Columbus, Georgia). The
vision was to establish, and to support visually with the natural and built environment, a single
living-learning-working-worshipping community.
The original town plan included five main roads radiating like sun rays from the campus
northward into the community. Both the five north-south roads and their transect east-west roads
were given extraordinarily large rights of way (as wide as 165’) specifically to preserve the
mature tree canopy along these corridors from the adjoining agricultural practices. To this day,
both the college and city take great pride in the uniqueness of landscape design and the
preservation of the tree canopy. The University has a no-net tree loss policy, the Oxford College
campus is characterized by a series of “temples in the trees,” and the city has been an awardwinning member of the national Tree City USA program for over a decade.
The vision of Thomas and the first board of trustees, maintained by stewards from the
college and community alike over 170 years, has helped to create a strong “sense of place” at
Oxford by blending the natural environment with human-made structures and the memories and
rituals of relationships between people. The task of the current stewards is, as oft-quoted Emory
President Atticus Haygood charged, to stand by what is good and make it better if we can.
Action Items, Initiative One (2007-2009):
 Continue to restore the campus landscape with native plant species.
 Practice “guerilla gardening,” planting flower bulbs around campus to add color and
surprise and delight. Encourage the same in the Oxford community.
 Update/restore the Hearn Nature Trail with a new route, new tree markers, new
supportive structures (gateway, benches, gathering spaces), and a new brochure.
 Continue annual program of planting a tree by each sophomore class.
 Work with the Sophomore Class Gift committee to determine and install appropriate
and meaningful gifts that enhance the “sense of place.”
 Liaise with the University’s Sense of Place Initiative.
 Conduct campus-wide updates/presentations.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Susan Ashmore, Eloise Carter, Debbie Cowan, Penny England, Crystal McLaughlin, Eve
Mullen, Erik Oliver, Aaron Stutz, Seth Tepfer; student champions engaged annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Bobbi Patterson
5
INITIATIVE TWO: Forest Restoration
Until the middle of the last century, the area immediately west of campus up to Turkey
Creek was predominantly old-growth forest. During Dean Y.C. Eady’s tenure, the dean
authorized heavy logging of the woods to save the college from financial ruin. At one time, the
campus baseball field was located in the area, now replaced by mature pines. In the last four
decades, the area has begun to regenerate and is once again covered with hardwoods,
predominantly oak, poplar, hickory, black gum, and sycamore.
In 1977, Mr. and Mrs. Mell Wayne of Monroe, Georgia, presented an open memorial gift
in memory of her mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Candler Hearn, to Oxford College. The faculty
approved development of a nature trail with the funds, to be planned and constructed under the
direction of Professor Curry Haynes. The 1.5 mile Hearn Nature Trail was dedicated on May 7,
1978. Professor Haynes continued to personally care for the woods and the trail well into
retirement.
In the last two decades, non-native, invasive plant species have overtaken much of the
woods – an estimated 85% of the understory in the 15 acres immediately adjacent to campus.
Lesser-used parts of the nature trail are overgrown, and many of the tree markers and other
amenities (benches, rock garden, native plantings, bird feeders, etc.). Oxford College biology and
botany classes have cleared sections of the woods annually in recent years, but without sustained
effort, the areas succumb again.
In the winter of 2006, an invasive plant expert came to campus to assess the woods and to
submit a proposal and bid for restoration. The College and University decided that the cost was
prohibitive and that restoration would be better accomplished using staff, students, and faculty.
Since November 2006, approximately 8 acres have been cleared of invasives, and staff follow up
with careful application of herbicide (Garlon) to re-emergent invasives.
Action Items: Initiative Two (2007-2009)
 Continue to remove invasive plants over a minimum 5-acre area annually.
 Continue to educate and train students, faculty, staff and community members on the best
practices for invasive species removal.
 Establish a long-term plan for restoration of all college land in Oxford.
 Work with “Sense of Place” team to restore the Hearn Nature Trail.
 Determine feasibility of using work-study students for regular restoration work.
 Encourage similar program in the surrounding community.
 Conduct campus-wide updates/presentations.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Eloise Carter, Erik Oliver (lead), Jeff Radovich, Jennifer Sirotkin; student champions engaged
annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Jimmy Powell, Bob Simon, John Wegner
6
INITIATIVE THREE: Stormwater Management
In recent years, Newton County has become an official part of the greater Metropolitan
Atlanta Area. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection
Division now mandates the cities of Covington, Porterdale, and Oxford to produce, implement,
and regularly update stormwater management plans. Oxford College owns roughly 9% of the
total land mass in the City of Oxford and is therefore a significant part of the city’s plan.
As the college adds new buildings and parking lots to the campus, it will increase its total
amount of impervious surface. Without careful planning and implementation of best
management practices, stormwater runoff from the college could have an even greater impact on
surface erosion and Turkey Creek, into which all of the campus stormwater drains flow.
With implementation of a solid stormwater management plan, Oxford College can not
only mitigate its future impact but also harvest rainwater to support the campus in times of
drought. The recent level four drought in Georgia has emphasized the need for water
conservation. And the college has already begun to take important steps in stormwater
management, namely the installation of underground cisterns to collect stormwater from the new
residence hall.
Action Items: Initiative Three (2007-2009)
 Develop stormwater management plan.
 Ensure compatibility of college and city stormwater plans.
 Set targets for implementation.
 Conduct campus-wide updates/presentations.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Steve Baker, Myra Frady; student champions engaged annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Rob Manchester, John Wegner
Other Resource Persons
Hoyt Oliver (emeritus faculty, City Council of Oxford, city stormwater lead)
7
THEME TWO: Healthy University Function in the Built Environment
“We seek a global model through attention to this region and its natural cycles,
efficiency in the use of resources and the reduction of waste, and restorative action in the built
environment. Our buildings will embody sustainability practices so as to teach, be catalysts for
change, and provide incubators for innovation. Our buildings will also be attentive to the
abilities of all users, following what is known as universal sustainable design principles for
accessibility. Through a commitment to human and ecosystem health here and elsewhere, Emory
will seek to partner with other local institutions to lead the wider economic marketplace towards
greening the supply chain-developing systems of production, distribution, and consumption that
reduce pollution and conserve resources.”
-- Sustainability Vision for Emory, 2006
Goals for Healthy University Function in the Built Environment:
 Assess the campus by sector to determine how better to create closed loops for
energy, water, food, and other basic systems.
 Retrofit existing buildings with new technologies.
 Reduce average campus energy use (per square foot) annually.
 Reduce Oxford’s total waste stream annually.
 Partner with suppliers to obtain needed materials through methods of manufacturing,
transport, packaging, and labor relations that embody the triple bottom line of
sustainability (Environmental, Societal and Economic).
 Build new and renovated structures to contribute to Emory’s leadership in green
building standards
 Engage in post-construction sustainability learning opportunities for Oxford College
and surrounding communities.
Recommended Initiatives
 Develop a phased plan for energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction, setting
goals across the college both for energy efficiency and for overall energy reduction.
 Create innovation incubators and support initiatives on campus.
 Develop a pilot program to inform future policy and provide feasibility data for solar
panels and green roofs, consistent with campus aesthetics.
 Develop a sustainability leadership program for representatives of each college
building, who in turn will inform and foster creativity in their respective buildings.
 Expand awareness of and participation in recycling and waste reduction to achieve
university goals.
 Support university renewable energy use.
 Review and align architectural and engineering design standards for consistency with
sustainability goals.
 Develop policies to encourage purchases of fairly traded products in as many ways as
possible throughout the college.
 Develop an annual Greening the Supply Chain conference with other local
institutions and suppliers such as Keep Newton Clean & Beautiful, City of Oxford,
City of Covington and Newton Country Chamber of Commerce.
 Reduce use of toxic materials in landscaping, maintenance, and other activities.
8
INITIATIVE FOUR: Energy Reduction
Energy use has been identified as a primary focus for Emory sustainability initiatives.
Emory has set a goal to reduce average campus energy use by 25% per square foot by 2015,
calibrating from a baseline of December 2005. With the addition of the new residence hall and
the future library and academic commons and the math-sciences building, it will be important to
re-evaluate the entire campus for energy efficiency modifications. Energy retrofits represent
perhaps the biggest return on investment for all sustainability initiatives on campus.
Some modifications such as replacing outdated fenestrations on buildings or chiller
equipment may be cost prohibitive initially and may be better served by incorporating plans for
more efficient measures in future construction and renovations. While Oxford uses a relatively
small amount of energy compared to the Atlanta campus, energy rates through the Municipal
Electric Authority of Georgia (of which the City of Oxford is a member) are very high compared
to the bulk rate available to the Atlanta campus through Georgia Power. Because of this, other
energy efficiency measures, such as the retrofit of lighting, the addition of lighting controls such
as occupancy and light sensors, and even the replacement of inefficient fans in the air handling
equipment, may represent great payback and Return on Investment (ROI).
Action Items: Initiative Four (2007-2009)
 Document current energy use by building (may require installation of sub-meters for
each building).
 Compile energy records to measure progress towards achieving energy reduction and
greenhouse gas reduction objectives.
 Install occupancy sensors as a pilot project.
 Initiate renewable energy pilot project (e.g. photovoltaics or solar hot water).
 Develop programs to encourage energy conservation by faculty, staff, and students.
 Conduct campus-wide updates/presentations.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Todd Cain, Pam Lam, Theodosia Wade, Christine Loflin; student champions engaged annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Chris Stripling, Eric Weber
Other Resource Persons
Gary Bender (Sodhexo Food Services, Oxford campus)
9
INITIATIVE FIVE: Water Conservation
The recent level four drought in Georgia has made consideration of water conservation an
imperative for everyone. According to the Newton County Water & Sewerage Authority and the
City of Oxford, the Oxford College campus directly consumes more than one million gallons of
water monthly. That does not count the water consumed by MEAG at nuclear plant Vogel in the
process of generating our energy. With no on-campus wells or reservoirs, Oxford College
currently is wholly dependent on municipal water. To some degree, water conservation will be a
fiscal boon to the campus. But more importantly, our patterns of behavior as an educational
institution particularly influence the awareness and behavior of our students and the community
around us.
Action Items: Initiative Five (2007-2009)
 Continue to monitor and record water use.
 Reduce per capita (tap) water consumption by 10%.
 Install a waterless urinal as a pilot study.
 Retrofit all shower heads on campus with 1.5 gpm flow.
 Retrofit lavatory faucets with low-flow faucets.
 Retrofit all toilets with water efficient models.
 Monitor campus for leaks and repairs.
 Consider feasibility of digging wells or partnering with neighbors Jeff & Janice
Wearing to use their pond adjacent to campus to offset some landscape watering
costs.
 Consider installation of cisterns/rain barrels to collect rainwater for landscaping.
 Conduct campus-wide updates/presentations.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Pam Lam, Al Mitchell; student champions engaged annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Chris Stripling
10
INITIATIVE SIX: Waste Reduction
Currently, Emory University sends a vehicle to pick up recyclables at Oxford. Options
are being explored to work directly with the surrounding community to recycle locally. Oxford
College likely will begin bringing recyclables directly to Newton County or Covington recycling
centers. This will reduce costs and the environmental impact associated with transit, and possibly
it will serve as a small revenue generator. Emory currently spends $5,000-$6,000 annually to
serve Oxford College’s recycling, although these costs are buried in the operations budget.
While the amount of recycling has increased at Oxford College, so has the amount of
trash that is generated. The compactor used to fill every forty days on average; now that average
is 25 days. Enrollment at Oxford College has not changed substantially, indicating an increase in
the amount of consumption and subsequent waste.
The development of the recycling plan should follow the following steps:
1. Establish recycling plan including logistics and policy.
2. Expand the range of recyclables accepted.
3. Evaluate expanding coverage/accessibility of the plan to include the community.
Action Items: Initiative Six (2007-2009)






Continually document current campus waste streams (volume and weight) including
garbage and total recyclables.
Continue/expand electronics recycling on campus.
Begin campus composting program
Develop plan to recycle dorm “moving day” waste.
Reduce use of hazardous chemicals in chem./bio labs and building services.
Establish Metrics: Number of days it takes to fill compactor
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Joe Ducato, Andrea Heisel, Theodosia Wade, Rodger Brunson; student champions engaged
annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
John Scheve, Claire Wall
11
INITIATIVE SEVEN: Built Environment
Emory is committed to achieving LEED Certification on new construction projects.
Recent studies (Davis Langdon, July 2007) demonstrate that there is no cost premium for
building green. The study, like the previous study that this built on (2004), compared buildings
across building types, occupancy, etc. and found that there is no statistically significant cost
difference between LEED and non-LEED buildings, including laboratories. While in most cases
this was shown to be true for certified and silver-rated buildings, the sample size of the study was
too small to prove a statistical significance in cost for gold-rated projects. However, indications
are that as the sample size is increased, gold projects likely will show no significant cost
difference either.
Oxford College has an opportunity to raise the University bar and seek a LEED Gold
rating for its proposed Science/Math building and the propose Library and Academic Commons.
Action Items: Initiative Seven (2007-2009)
 Establish Oxford statement of intent for all new campus projects to strive for LEED
Gold and EarthCraft House Certification.
 New Residence Hall -- Confirm LEED Silver Rating
 New Math Science building – Seek LEED Gold Rating
 Library and Academic Commons – Seek LEED Gold Rating
 Childcare Center (If Approved) – Seek Earthcraft Certification
Primary Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Steve Bowen, Eloise Carter (Math/Science), Alison Cummings (Residence Hall), Kitty McNeil
(Library/Academic Commons); student champions engaged annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Laura Case, Todd Dolson, Steve Thweat
Other Resource Persons
Members of FEOV
12
INITIATIVE EIGHT: Green Purchasing
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, or Green Purchasing, is the practice of
purchasing sustainable products for campus operations including paper, office supplies, furniture
and finishes, kitchen and janitorial supplies, etc. In campus settings, items such as fleet vehicles,
renewable energy credits and curriculum supplies such as laboratory chemicals should also be
considered.
For an effective green purchasing program, it is necessary to centralize purchasing
activities. Many benefits support the centralization of purchasing including; economies of scale
and purchasing power, single-point accountability and reporting on purchasing, evaluation and
tracking of improvement, and also a reduction in research for suitable products.
Source Reduction: Buying less of what will become waste
Waste stream diversion: Assuring that recycled content products are utilizing former
waste streams, products are used longer through reclamation and refinishing, and are also
recyclable.
Local materials: to support local economies and reduce the embodied energy associated
with transport of the product
Decreased toxicity: buying products whose manufacturing, use and disposal avoid the use
of hazardous chemicals and materials.
The implementation of a green purchasing protocol is largely a policy decision, although
stakeholder adherence should be monitored and support offered as needed. Once green
purchasing policies are put into place, it is relatively easy to continue with little effort. The green
product market has expanded considerably in recent years and offers many products that are cost
competitive to their conventional counterparts.
The value of purchasing green is several-fold. In addition to preserving natural resources
through recycled content, the local economy may be supported through the purchase of regional
products. In some cases, such as furniture and finishes, green cleaning products, and office copy
machines, an improvement in indoor air quality may be realized. In other cases, such as fuel
efficient vehicles and energy star appliances, operational savings may be achieved.
Oxford has the potential for leveraging purchasing to green entire supply chains by
encouraging the development of systems of production, distribution and consumption that reduce
pollution and conserve natural resources. As an organization pursuing sustainability objectives,
Oxford College should align with companies and suppliers that embody similar aspirations.
Action Items: Initiative Eight (2007-2009)
 Create a “purchasing map” of purchasing centers around campus.
 Document current purchases by department and tally into a single report.
 Create a “green” purchasing plan by June, 2008.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Margaret Dugan, Pam Lam, Rex Hardaway (Atlanta Campus)
13
THEME THREE: Healthy University Structures, Leadership, & Participation
“Emory seeks to support equitable social structures within an ethos of sustainability
while developing strong leadership and participation among all students, faculty, and staff.
Leaders at all levels who are inspired, informed, responsive, and engaged will include
sustainability criteria in ethical and managerial decisions. Leaders among students, faculty, and
staff will collaborate across units of the university to develop sustainable systems of daily life
and help Emory thrive, economically, socially, and environmentally. We envision a future Emory
with a strong, diverse student body, well supported with financial aid, and academically thriving.
We envision also a diverse, vigorous, and productive faculty and staff. To this end, we seek to be
a responsible employer, providing fair and just remuneration, including wages, benefits, and
working conditions for all employees and contractors, with opportunities for advancement and
reward. The Emory experience will engender a sense of place and a pervasive awareness of
sustainability commitments which will invigorate cooperation among sectors of the university
and will encourage aesthetic and celebratory expressions.”
-- Sustainability Vision for Emory, 2006
Goals for Healthy University Structures, Leadership, and Participation:
 Coordinate Oxford College sustainability efforts with those at Emory University.
 Establish efficient oversight of all Oxford sustainability initiatives.
 Engage other Newton County leaders to support sustainability beyond the college.
 Engage Oxford College alumni to support sustainability beyond the college.
 Create incentive programs to support leadership innovation toward sustainability.
Recommended Initiatives
 Assign Oxford College liaison to the Office of the Director for Sustainability
Intiatives on the Atlanta campus.
 Charge FEOV with oversight of sustainability initiatives, collecting annual reports
from champion teams plus brief quarterly updates and periodic presentations.
 Dedicate staff support from the Dean’s Office to assist champion teams with research
and fund-raising.
 Designate college liaison(s) to sustainability programs in the local community.
 Charge Development and Alumni Relations with identifying and engaging alumni
who have a particularly related skill set or interest in sustainability.
 Establish a Sustainability Fund to which champion teams may apply annually in
support of their initiatives.
 Develop and implement a campus-wide sustainability campaign, including use of the
college website for documentation and communication.
 Choose a sustainability symbol and target five key behaviors:
a) Conserve energy by adjusting building temperature and appropriate seasonal
dress code;
b) Conserve water among students by reducing shower times and frequency;
c) Promote health and energy conservation by decreasing elevator use and
increasing use of stairs;
d) Emphasize Oxford as a walking/cycling campus;
e) Integrate connection to place and the environment in college rituals.
14
INITIATIVE NINE: OSAP Organization and Support Systems
Sustainability is not new at Oxford College. Faculty, staff, and students have a tradition
of undertaking and achieving significant success in a wide variety of sustainable, particularly
environmental, projects. The purpose of the Oxford Sustainability Action Plan is to build upon
those successes and organize the work in such a way that progress is properly recognized,
supported, and celebrated. With a well-organized approach and the careful application of
resources, Oxford College will become a regional model for sustainable practices and continue to
bring attention and accolades to and within Emory University.
Action Items: Initiative Nine (2007-2009):
Note: All recommended initiatives for Theme Three are scheduled for completion during
2007-2009.








Assign Oxford College liaison to the Office of the Director for Sustainability
Intiatives on the Atlanta campus.
Charge FEEOV with oversight of sustainability initiatives, collecting annual reports
from champion teams plus brief quarterly updates and periodic presentations.
Dedicate staff support from the Dean’s Office to assist champion teams with research
and fund-raising.
Designate college liaison(s)/participant(s) to sustainability programs in the local
community.
Charge Development and Alumni Relations with identifying and engaging alumni
who have a particularly related skill set or interest in sustainability.
Establish a Sustainability Fund to which champion teams may apply annually in
support of their initiatives.
Develop and implement a campus-wide sustainability campaign, including use of the
college website for documentation and communication.
Choose a sustainability symbol and target five key behaviors:
f) Conserve energy by adjusting building temperature and appropriate seasonal
dress code;
g) Conserve water among students by reducing shower times and frequency;
h) Promote health and energy conservation by decreasing elevator use and
increasing use of stairs;
i) Emphasize Oxford as a walking/cycling campus;
j) Integrate connection to place and the environment in college rituals.
Primary Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Dean’s Council: Steve Bowen, Myra Frady, Kent Linville, Kitty McNeil, Joe Moon, Judy
Shema, Kevin Smyrl, Jennie Taylor
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Bill Castle, Ciannat Howett, John Wegner
15
THEME FOUR: Healthy Living-Learning-Working Community
“Emory seeks to create an ethos that encourages a healthy lifestyle with choices in
transportation, food, and housing for all community members and visitors. Through
collaboration with business and government, we will encourage nodes of housing density around
the campus, to reduce commuting stress and support transportation options that reduce use of
fossil fuels. We will build university buildings and roads to encourage walking, with appropriate
attention to the diverse physical abilities of community members as we provide connections
among educational buildings, natural areas, businesses, and living spaces. Emory’s commitment
to sustainability seeks visible means and cultural, ethical, and economic motivations to promote
healthy lifestyle choices in exercise and food, to reverse the decline in health indicators of the
present era.”
-- Sustainability Vision for Emory, 2006
Goals for Healthy Living-Learning-Working Community:
Food Arrangements:
 Include community gardens in the college landscape plan for aesthetic and
educational purposes.
 Establish a culinary club for students, faculty and staff to enjoy cooking and sharing
meals of local and organic foods in addition to making connections with local
farmers.
 Establish an Oxford farmers market, featuring locally grown and sustainably
produced foods, to highlight a commitment to sustainable agricultural production.
 Adapt campus dining facilities to provide and encourage healthy eating food choices
at all times of day. Procure 75% of ingredients from local or sustainably grown
sources by 2015.
Transportation Arrangements:
 Mark our campuses with inviting spaces and programs that encourage walking,
biking, and other transportation alternatives to automobiles.
 Make the Oxford campus fully accessible to wheelchairs.
 Connect the college with nearby institutions, Atlanta, and other cities with trolleys,
trains, multi-use trails, and other public transportation; including local business
districts in Covington and Newton County.
Lifestyle Programs:
 Develop programs that actively promote healthy lifestyles.
Living Arrangements:
 Develop a program of nearby faculty and staff housing to encourage deeper
community engagement and reduced auto use.
 Build new commercial zones on or near campus to offer ready access to food and
other necessities.
 Establish vibrant student housing communities to embody sustainability principles.
Recommended Initiatives:
 Establish sustainable living/learning communities in residence halls by 2010.
 Develop affordable EarthCraft housing for faculty and staff within a one-mile radius
of campus to promote a more vibrant and sustainable community.
16






Provide shuttles for transportation to and from campus within five mile radius.
Partner with the City of Oxford to encourage and contribute to the installation of a
multi-use trail system and sidewalks connecting the campus to the community.
Partner with the City of Oxford to plan and develop a town center area that will
encourage the availability of local goods and services and include a public/farmers
market.
Explore and move toward sustainable and local food purchases (to be offered in the
dining hall) and create partnerships with regional farmers.
Establish a comprehensive transportation and parking plan for Oxford College
consistent with the Master Plan and any future growth projections.
Partner with the City to transform the landscape on the periphery of the college to
signal a whole-community commitment to a healthy ecosystem, support of diverse
forms of transportation, and encouragement of exercise in aesthetically pleasing
surroundings.
17
INITIATIVE TEN: Sustainable Food
Emory has established the commitment for local and organic food systems on the Atlanta
campus as a major sustainability initiative. Achievements to date include the establishment of
multiple demonstration gardens on campus, the pilot of local and organic food at campus kiosks,
a partnership with the University’s food provider to implement sustainable food systems in
cafeterias, a partnership with Georgia Organics to help implement such as system, and also
educational initiatives to raise awareness on campus.
Oxford College has a distinct advantage in implementing sustainable food systems on
campus because of its relatively small size, location in an agricultural county, and commitment
from students and faculty. Land on which to establish demonstration gardens and future working
farms for larger-scale food production is readily available.
As an integrated part of a demonstration garden on campus, Oxford should implement a
program for composting campus kitchen waste. Such a program would not only provide soil
amendments and serve as a teaching tool, but would reduce the amount of landfill waste
generated by campus as well.
Action Items, Initiative Ten (2007-2009):
 Establish demonstration gardens on campus in Winter 2008 to prepare for Spring
2008 planting.
 Partner with Sodexho to begin a composting program with the dining hall.
 Review food purchasing policy for local/regional and organic food inclusion.
 Continue to organize food celebrations through the Culinary Club.
 Liaise with the University’s Sustainable Food Initiative.
 Conduct campus-wide updates/presentations.
Primary Oxford Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Stacy Bell, Gail Dougherty, Mike McQuaide, Cynthia Millsaps, Valarie Singer; student
champions engaged annually.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Peggy Barlett, Chad Brommer
18
INITIATIVE ELEVEN: Transportation
Oxford College, as a University satellite, is relatively isolated from the well-established
transit system of Atlanta. And the lack of goods, services, and recreational opportunities in the
City of Oxford creates a dependence on vehicles by our students. Furthermore, while the
majority of our faculty and staff live within Newton or an adjoining county, a significant portion
live farther out – many in Atlanta.
Currently there is ample parking for our daily needs on campus. And because Oxford is a
very small campus, some parking spots may be less convenient, but none are inconvenient. If
the University approves an increase in our student population to 900 or 1,200 in the future, we
will need additional parking or a different policy on personal vehicles. The choice of parking
options will have a direct impact on campus aesthetics and stormwater management.
Oxford College would do well to create a plan that addresses all modes of transportation
and also parking. Increasing options and focusing on sustainable modes will not only improve
the quality of life for students, faculty, and staff but also reduce the college’s impact on air
pollution, global warming and consumption of fossil fuels.
Action Items: Initiative Eleven (2007-2009)
 Establish a comprehensive transportation and parking plan for Oxford College consistent
with the Campus Master Plan and any future growth projections.
 Institute a basic shuttle system for students into Covington weekly.
 Secure Flex-Cars for faculty and staff use between the Oxford and Atlanta campuses.
 Encourage carpools and other forms of alternative transportation.
Primary Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
FEOV Transportation Subcommittee: Susan Ashmore, Todd Cain, Eloise Carter, Jack Eichler,
Brandon Feldman, Myra Frady, Azizi Hickson, Pam Lam, Kent Linville, Crystal McLaughlin,
Rachael Powell, Jennie Taylor, Bob Walker.
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Adele Clements, Jamie Smith
19
INITIATIVE TWELVE: Healthy Lifestyles
Emory University offers a wide range of programs to encourage healthier lifestyles
among its employees and students (e.g. Wellness Center, Faculty & Staff Assistance Program,
the Balanced Way, Step Up Emory, Loaner Bike Program, fully-equipped and accessible
gymnasiums, etc.). At Oxford, faculty and staff are helping to institute the University’s
programs and enhance them for the Oxford community.
Action Items: Initiative Twelve (2007-2009)









Establish an Oxford cycling group.
Establish an Oxford walking group.
Establish a loaner bike program.
Conduct a wellness fair.
Continue to offer annual flu vaccinations through Student Health Services.
Offer massage therapy through Student Health Services.
Continue to offer counseling and spiritual support through Student Counseling Services
and the Chaplain’s Office.
Continue to offer the Balanced Way program through Sodexho food services.
Offer trainings in healthier lifestyle choices and life-saving techniques.
Primary Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Molly Jones-Bachtel, Sue Dale, Dan Heisel, Jasmin Hutchinson, Sandi Schein, Judy Shema,
Todd Sherman
20
INITIATIVE THIRTEEN: Broader Oxford Community
Consumption of energy and water, disposal of waste, operation of vehicles, purchase of
food and other supplies, the proliferation of non-native invasive plant species – these and all
other issues described in this report are seamless and fluid systems of impact that do not stop at
the campus edge. We are part of the whole Earth ecosystem, but most directly we impact and are
impacted by the local geographic community. For the founders of Emory, sustainability was
represented by the creation of one living-learning-working and worshipping community – a
village with a college at its heart. As the pressures of an expanding Atlanta metropolitan area
increase, Oxford College’s ability to sustain itself will necessitate a higher degree of engagement
with the City of Oxford, Newton County, and the region. Reaching beyond typical town-gown
relations to shape and enhance quality of life in Oxford will ensure that the functional and
aesthetic quality of life on campus continues to thrive.
Action Items: Initiative Thirteen (2007-2009):
 Work with the town of Oxford to align the College and City of Oxford master plans
in pursuit of sustainability goals.
 Encourage development of affordable EarthCraft housing for faculty and staff within
a one-mile radius of campus to promote a more vibrant and sustainable community.
 Partner with the City of Oxford to encourage and contribute to the continued
installation of a multi-use trail system.
 Partner with the City of Oxford to plan and develop a town center area that will
encourage the availability of local goods and services and include a public/farmers
market.
 Continue to convene the City/College Implementation Committee.
 Send regular college representation to city planning commission and city council
meetings and any other meetings that involve future development of the city.
Primary Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
City/College Implementation Committee Members: Steve Bowen, Todd Cain, Myra Frady, Joe
Moon, Erik Oliver, Judy Shema
21
THEME FIVE: Education and Research
“The university seeks to support continued learning about sustainability through formal
coursework, research, and the whole of life on campus. The university will be a laboratory for
innovation, sharing its research discoveries and sustainability stories in formal venues and
through our students and graduates. Participants in the Emory community will be ambassadors
for the principles of sustainable living and a healthful future, both here and elsewhere.”
-- Sustainability Vision for Emory, 2006
Goals for Education and Research:
 Include inquiry, practical application, and institutional learning about sustainability
issues in the curriculum of Oxford College.
 Support faculty research that investigates and encourages attention to sustainability
(economic, social, and environmental) and offer appropriate research and practicum
experiences for students.
 Offer opportunities for continued learning for faculty and staff about sustainability
issues.
 Support action products that encourage reflective participation in sustainability efforts
for students, staff, and faculty leaders.
Recommended Initiatives:
 Support faculty development to infuse curriculum with sustainability-related content.
 Expand teaching and research programs focused on sustainability, including basic and
advanced courses, research projects, and interdisciplinary collaborations in
curriculum and research development.
 Develop hands-on sustainability-related research opportunities for students.
 Research and take advantage of incentives to help fund and support sustainability
initiatives by both faculty and students in education and research.
22
INITIATIVE FOURTEEN: Curricular Focus on Sustainability
Need introductory text.
Action Items: Initiative Fourteen (2007-2009)



Establish a simple process for the introduction of independent study for local and
campus issues and initiatives.
Encourage participation of Oxford College faculty in the Piedmont Project at Emory
College.
Develop resources regarding campus sustainability initiatives and opportunities for
incoming students.
Primary Faculty/Staff Champions (2007-2009)
Jack Eichler, Penny England, Jasmin Hutchinson, Kent Linville, Christine Loflin, Valerie Singer,
Theodosia Wade
Atlanta Campus Resource Persons
Peggy Barlett
23
References and Resources:
Sustainability Vision for Emory, Report of the Sustainability Committee, 8-10-06
http://www.finadmin.emory.edu/policies/SustyReportFinal.pdf
Blueprint For a Green Campus: The Campus Earth Summit Initiatives for Higher Education, A
Project of the Heinz Family Foundation, January 1995
Cost of Green Revisited: Reexamining the Feasibility and Cost Impact of Sustainable Design in
the Light of Increased Market Adoption, Davis Langdon, July 2007
Sustainable Design Initiative Green Operations Plan, Perkins+Will, April 2005
Sustainability Institute, www.sustainer.org
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
www.epa.gov/epp
Pollution Prevention Assistance Division, Georgia Department of Natural Resources,
www.gadnr.org/p2ad
24