Governance Policies

Beginning in Fall Term 2023, the All College Meeting (ACM) Moderator will be eligible for compensation for time spent moderating ACM. This would include time spent preparing agendas, communicating with the college community about the ACM, follow up work associated with moderating, and any other activities reasonably associated with the role of Moderator. This compensation should be
through work-study, if the student is eligible, or other college work funding. The Chair(s) of the Steering Committee will serve as the Moderator’s direct supervisor and will approve and submit all hours.

College of the Atlantic’s All College Meeting (ACM) voted to endorse the P.L.A.N. #BreakFreeFromPlastic Pledge on April 10, 2019. President Darron Collins signed the pledge in May 2019, making COA the first college in the US to commit to the Break Free From Plastic Pledge.  

1. Establishing a purchasing policy which, by 2025, eliminates campus and campus food vendor procurement of all non-essential, non-compostable, single-use disposable plastics. This includes restrictions on:

• Single-use plastic utensils
• Single-use plastic straws* & stirrers
• Single-use plastic food serviceware (cups, plates, bowls, trays, sauce dishes, lids, etc)
• Single-use plastic clamshells & to-go containers
• All polystyrene (Styrofoam™ and similar) food service products
• Single-use plastic-lined cups and bowls (coffee cups, soup bowls, snack boats, etc)
• Single-use plastic-wrapped condiments, sauces, and seasonings (butter, jelly, peanut butter, creamers, sugars, salt, pepper, etc)
• Individually-packaged items with bulk alternatives (napkins, oyster crackers, individually wrapped fresh baked goods, mints, toothpicks, etc)
• Single-use hot beverage packets unnecessarily packaged in plastic (K-Cups, plastic-wrapped tea bags, etc)
• Plastic shopping bags

Note: The following “solutions” are not acceptable under this pledge:

• Incineration (“waste-to-energy”) as a “recycling” option
• Food-contaminated, “recyclable” single-use plastics (Plastic that has come into contact with food is typically no longer recyclable, regardless of the original plastic material, e.g. plastic clamshells)
• “Biodegradable” plastic options that are not certified compostable**

* Accessibility should be at the forefront of food-service vendors’ efforts when working towards restricting single-use disposable plastic. Implemented policies should restrict disposable products while accommodating all users of the system, including people who have different abilities, dietary restrictions, financial limitations, or other needs. A variety of voices should be included at the decision-making table to consider diverse needs and limitations. In no situation should a “ban” on a plastic item, such as plastic straws, supercede the needs of individuals.

** “All compostable products should be certified as conforming to ASTM or other international standards in order to prevent greenwashing, and to ensure that the products do not create problems for composters or the environment. Meeting the ASTM standards (D6400 or D6868) requires individual ingredients to be tested for biodegradability (consumed by microorganism), and the finished product to disintegrate (physically break down during composting), as well as be tested for plant toxicity and heavy metals. Certification in the U.S. is provided by BPI, The Biodegradable Products Institute.” https://compostingcouncil.org/compostable-products-task-force/2. 

2. Due to the present lack of viable alternatives, and other barriers to removal, the following single-use plastic items are presently excluded from the above restrictions. However, College of the Atlantic commits to keeping an eye towards plastic-free alternatives in future procurement decisions and policies regarding these items:

• Pre-packaged plastic-wrapped retail items (chip bags, granola bar wrappers, candy bar wrappers, water/soda bottles, toiletries, etc)***
• Plastic trash and recycling bags
• Plastic wrap for use during food prep (this does not refer to individually wrapped food items, as noted above)
• Plastic and polystyrene (Styrofoam™) packaging from incoming orders
• Single-use plastics used in academic settings (e.g. lab equipment)
• Single-use plastics necessary for health or safety purposes (e.g. medical plastics)

*** Accessibility should be at the forefront of food-service vendors efforts when working towards restricting pre-packaged plastic-wrapped retail items. In locations where fresh, local, and/or unpackaged food or water is unavailable, food security and accessibility are paramount.  While these items are a major source of plastic waste on campus, we recognize that infrastructure shifts will need to occur to ensure that food options are still available and accessible to all before pre-packaged plastic-wrapped retail items are restricted and/or removed.

3. Investment in education, resources, and infrastructure to assist in the Plastic-Free Campus transition. This includes:

• Education on plastics and College of the Atlantic’s commitment to plastic-free alternatives for all incoming and current students, staff, faculty, and, if possible, on-campus contractors and community members.
• Expanding resources and infrastructure for compost collection, institutional reuse, repair and sharing opportunities, and general waste reduction practices. Possible examples include: water bottle refill stations, bulk laundry detergent, bulk and package free snack options, reusable menstrual product options, and reusable to-go container programs.  
• Adjusting procurement guidelines to encourage investment in durable and useful products across campus departments. This also applies to promotional and giveaway items.

In the fall of 1996, the All College Meeting formally approved the following Campus Environmental Initiative as College policy. The mission of College of the Atlantic Campus Environmental Initiative is to prioritize an environmental responsibility into all policies, programs and practices. The Initiative will directly stimulate the development of projects that enhance the sustainability of both the educational and physical landscape.

The core of the initiative is a strategic plan to be used as a reference for staff, faculty and students. The plan identifies aspects of management where resources are not environmentally and economically efficient. In such areas community members will work to implement more sustainable alternatives. The Campus Environmental Initiative aims to teach all community members about local and low-impact living and operating and to develop College of the Atlantic into a showcase of sustainability. The success of the Initiative will be evaluated periodically through environmental audits that evaluate its progress in achieving
the following goals and commitments:

1. College of the Atlantic is committed to instituting environmentally and socially responsible purchasing policies.
2. College of the Atlantic is committed to reducing campus waste.
3. College of the Atlantic is committed to the maximization of energy efficiency and to using sustainable energy sources.
4. College of the Atlantic is committed to enhancing sustainability in land-use and building planning.
5. College of the Atlantic is committed to encouraging low fossil-fuel transport.
6. College of the Atlantic is committed to providing curricular opportunities of study of campus and local environmental issues.
7. College of the Atlantic is committed to utilizing regional and organic food sources.
8. College of the Atlantic is committed to environmentally and socially responsible development and investment.
9. College of the Atlantic is committed to green public outreach.
10. College of the Atlantic is committed to enabling access of tools for sustainability.
11. College of the Atlantic is committed to a physical infrastructure, institutional practices and personal behaviors that will foster public health.

(Passed 1996)

Approved by the All College Meeting May 25, 2022

Rationale:

As COA continues to grow in terms of students, staff, and faculty, we intensify the use of the campus grounds. We may be approaching the point where campus life centers only on humans and we fail to extend our sphere of care to the other animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria that we depend upon and with whom we share our campus.

Our campus is a “living laboratory” and should be managed to better provide experiential learning. We have the responsibility to improve accessibility to natural resources for those with mobility or other issues that make it difficult to access native flora and fauna off campus. Many of our students are coming to COA from areas that have undergone significant urbanization and/or the privatization of nature. Our campus environment provides essential learning opportunities for all students, but particularly for those who are underserved in this regard. Furthermore, our landscape and the built environment should be welcoming to all who come here.

In addition, land use is an essential aspect of global climate impacts, and can have either a positive or negative influence on the carbon emissions from campus. All landscape use involves tradeoffs and a complex balancing of competing interests. Therefore, a one-size fits all approach of a fixed landscape use policy will not serve our needs. This policy proposes a prioritizing tool and a decision-making process for current and future uses of the campus landscape. It is also meant to be forward-looking and not simply reactive to proposed development on the campus. The goal of this policy is to ensure the thoughtful stewardship of the primary Bar Harbor campus. A similar approach might be developed for COA’s farms, the Cox Protectorate, the islands, and Northwoods Ways in the future.

COA Landscape Policy and Decision-making Framework

I. The Landscape sub-committee of CPBC will oversee the development of a campus landscape database. To this end it will coordinate efforts to:

A. Complete a survey and mapping of important biological landscape resources on campus consisting of:

i. seasonal data collection along permanent transects set up across campus.

ii. Organization and management of arboretum data.

iii. Management of data collected by students, faculty and staff via the mobile app, iNaturalist.

These surveys would be used to assess building sites prior to the decision to build. These surveys should be updated on an ongoing basis and include data from the phenology database.

B. Compile a document that contains all of the specific landscape-related legal restrictions for the campus. These would include the special land-use provisions pertaining to campus property along Route 3, the Shoreland Zone along the ocean and streams, consent agreements, set-backs adjacent to private abutters, and general Land Use provisions applicable to the campus such as lot coverage, etc.

i. Ensure that the surveys and applicable laws are publicly available to all COA community members in an easy to locate format.

II. Decision-making framework for the siting of future buildings, structures, and other landscape development such as roads, paths, and parking.

Whenever any entity proposes to site a building, structure, road, or major path on the campus, the following steps will be followed:

A. The acting entity must notify and consult with the Campus Planning and Building Committee on the siting determination, including at least two possible siting options, with preference given to modifying existing structures or using the footprint of existing structures.

B. The acting entity must complete an ecological assessment prior to siting the buildings, structures, permanent installations, roads, and impermeable paths. This assessment should include habitat analysis and a list of woody and herbaceous plants, fungi, birds, insects, amphibians and other animals for each proposed site as listed in i. – iii. above. The ecological assessment should also include accounting of carbon sequestration in the soil and standing biomass on the site.

C. Upon completion of the ecological assessment, the college must utilize ecological criteria to prioritize siting options. These criteria will include such factors as connectivity, infiltration, biodiversity, and management intensity.

D. Impacts on increased labor needed for future site management must be part of the planning assessment for new construction and, ideally, should be accounted for in the development of the construction budget.

E. Final siting decisions will be made in consultation with the Landscape Subcommittee of CPBC, faculty who utilize the campus in their teaching, head gardener, and the lead grounds person. CPBC will be responsible for determining that the guidelines of this policy have been followed and will then record its final siting decision in committee minutes.

F. Failure to assess potential siting decisions with careful application of the above steps will render the siting decision void and vulnerable to timely challenge by any community member at ACM.

III. Landscape guidelines for construction

A. CPBC will ensure that specific landscape plans for new buildings will be developed prior to breaking ground on the building. These plans should increase our accessibility goals by connecting new construction with the existing surrounding landscape.

B. CPBC will ensure that contractor agreements include plans to reduce and remediate disturbance as outlined herein and elsewhere in campus policies.

C. Prior to breaking ground on the new building, dedicated funds will be set aside for landscape remediation, and new landscape installation and management.

D. Any trees or shrubs removed for the construction of a new building will be replaced pursuant to the tree and shrub replacement policy ensuring that these plants will replaced like-for-like – unless the landscape subcommittee determines that this is unwarranted under the circumstances or if the removed plant is an invasive species such as Norway maples. In these cases, an alternative desirable replacement will be planted. At the request of CPBC, diversity of species on campus may be enhanced by substituting a desired species for a tree or shrub that is being removed.

Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to further College of the Atlantic’s demonstrated commitment to general environmental sustainability, including responsible purchasing practices, reduction of campus waste, and reduction of energy and fossil fuel use, as outlined in Articles I, II, III and V of the Campus Environmental Initiative.

Because the Board of Trustees has discontinued its use of bottled water,

Because water containers contribute to waste and the depletion of natural resources through the containerization and transportation process,

Because there is controversy over the sustainability of the commodification of a resource as essential to existence as water,

And acknowledging that we have access to safe, potable drinking water at College of the Atlantic,

Be it resolved that College of the Atlantic will not buy, sell, accept or distribute containerized water.

Definitions

1. The term “College of the Atlantic” includes all employees or volunteers of the college while they are operating for or in conjunction with the College as an institution on college property or at college events.
2. Containerized water includes bottles, jugs, cartons, and any other form of commercially packaged water intended for single-use.
3. Sparkling water is not included in this policy. However, this policy discourages the purchasing of sparkling water as a substitute for containerized water.

Policy

College of the Atlantic shall not purchase, accept gifts of, sell, or distribute containerized water on college property or at college events. At events where the college serves other beverages (soda, juice, coffee, etc.) it will provide equal opportunities for people to drink tap water.

The College may act contrary to this policy in the case of a tap water quality or water access emergency, as declared by the Director of Public Safety, or in the case of a pandemic.

(Passed 2010)

Approved by the All College Meeting on May 4, 2022

1. Introduction

College of the Atlantic (COA) recognizes human activities have altered Earth’s systems and acknowledges that the effect of our resource consumption on the planet is greater than we can sustain. In 2015, the European Environmental Agency pointed out that humans’ “use of material resources has increased ten-fold since 1900 and is set to double again by 2030” (European Environment Agency. (2015). Waste Prevention In Europe – The Status In 2014. Retrieved from http://bookshop.europa.eu/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/EU-Bookshop-Site/en_GB/- /EUR/ViewPublication-Start?PublicationKey=THAL15006) and that the “escalating demand may jeopardize access to some essential resources and cause environmental harm.” The problem of overconsumption and uneven distribution of resources is fundamentally rooted in the increase of resource wastage and pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 report shows that 42% of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions are a result of our unsustainable production, consumption, and disposal of resources and is therefore a core issue of the 21st century (“Sustainable Materials Management.” (2012): n. pag. Sustainable Material Management: The Road Ahead. US EPA, 2009.Retrieved from http://pdf.wri.org/weight_of_nations.pdf, accessed Jan 2020).

COA’s educational philosophy is human ecology: a field that seeks to “understand and improve upon the complexities that connect human beings to their built, social, and natural environments” (https://www.coa.edu/about/administration/president/, accessed Jan 2020). In this vein, COA has carried out sustainability policies and initiatives to reduce wastage and align the school’s practices with its educational philosophy. These efforts have involved, but are not limited to, a zero waste graduation in 2005, a non-packaged water policy, the Earth Charter, and the Break Free from Plastic pledge. However, as of 2022, COA has a long way to go to become zero waste, as defined in the Principles and Definitions section of this policy.

COA recognizes its roles and responsibilities as a member of the local community, the state of Maine, and the world. Chief among those responsibilities is environmental and social stewardship. The College acknowledges the need to discard resources in order to function, but at the same time, recognizes that those materials should not be wasted, but recovered. The College will also take responsibility to reduce its overall resource consumption. This document sets out COA’s vision and guiding principles in regard to Material Management; the end goal is minimizing discarded materials produced by the operations, maintenance, and daily activities of the College.

2. Aim of Policy

The aim of this policy is to support and improve College of the Atlantic’s discarded resources and material management, which affects all campus operations and COA-sponsored events. It will address the College’s resource consumption and disposal by guiding the community in improving its reduction and diversion rates of discarded resources.

COA is committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship, and will implement sound Material Management and Zero Waste practices through resource conservation, reduced resource consumption, environmentally and socially responsible purchasing, and discarded resource diversion practices and opportunities in accordance with a Zero Waste framework and the College’s observed needs.

3. Principles and Definitions

Zero Waste is defined by the Zero Waste Alliance (2020) as a goal for social, environmental, and economic justice.

“Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharge to land, water, or air that threatens the environment or human health.” (Zero Waste Definition. Zero Waste Alliance. Retrieved from http://zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/, accessed March 2020.)

COA’s twelve Zero Waste principles are: reduce, reuse, repair, redesign, repurpose, replenish, research, reach-out, refuse, reconsider, remember, and recycle (The 12Rs are inspired by the 9Rs developed by Chintan, Environmental Action and Research Group. The prefix “re-” implies involved and continued action, and emphasizes COA’s position as a dynamic institution which has the power to engage with the world. These principles will guide the COA community in recognizing and reconsidering our consumption and disposal of resources as interactions with the world around us, and changing our actions accordingly.

“Waste” is a word that carries associations of loss, excess, disposability, and valuelessness. In this policy, waste is not used to describe the physical resources discarded on campus, but as a verb. This is similar to the Zero Waste Movement’s use of the term “to waste”: to unnecessarily discard a resource so that its value is not realized. All materials that are discarded on campus are defined as Discarded Resources–both divertible materials, such as redeemable bottles and apple cores, and currently non-divertible materials, such as petroleum- based dental floss.

For the purpose of this policy document, “Discarded Resource Management” and “Material Management” will refer to the procedures and practices designed to achieve a reduction in resource consumption and wastage, an increase in resource reuse, and a mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Material Management (MM) is a term that attempts to capture the full lifecycle of materials – from raw resources to products, to end disposal. Discarded Resource Management (DRM) is a term specific for the management of disposed materials, and combines all forms of reduction, reuse, and diversion. Together, MM and DRM, establish a holistic approach to resource production, consumption, and disposal.

DRM, establish a holistic approach to resource production, consumption, and disposal.

4. Scope

This policy applies to all College activities, infrastructure, and operations. This includes College-owned facilities and land, as well as College-sponsored activities throughout the year. The College has limited control of what individuals bring onto campus or what faculty, staff, and students consume off-campus, but will inform and promote resource stewardship and Zero Waste principles. Off-campus College activities will follow Zero Waste principles, but the College also acknowledges its interconnectedness to the global economy and local communities and recognizes the limits of local infrastructure and customs.

5. Goal

This policy originally set a goal of 90% diversion of discarded materials by 2025 based on the weight of the College’s discarded resources in 2015. The interim goal is 70% diversion by 2020, with additional efforts to reach 100% diversion beyond 2025 as further commitment, infrastructure, and knowledge advance.

In the triennial review of this policy, COA recognizes that the diversion metric does not measure reduction in resource consumption and disposal, and rather incentivises recycling and composting. Therefore, we set an additional goal: 20% reduction of the weight of discarded materials by 2025 based on the College’s baseline data in 2015, and adjusted for community expansion.

6. Action

College of the Atlantic commits to taking the following steps in pursuit of 20% reduction of the weight of discarded materials and diverting 90% of campus-associated discarded materials from landfill and incineration by 2025 :

• Follow the Zero Waste business principles developed by the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZW Business Principles. Zero Waste International Alliance. http://zwia.org/standards/zw-business- principles/, accessed March 2020).
• Establish a Zero Waste culture on campus by integrating it into the curriculum and other activities on campus, so members of the campus community will leave as Zero Waste leaders.

6.1. Infrastructure:

While needs vary among buildings and facilities, this policy shall be applied, at the minimum, in the following ways to new and existing buildings:

• Development of infrastructure will be grounded in Material Management and Zero Waste principles.
• COA’s outdoor campus will remain a carry-in-carry-out landscape without any public “trash” receptacles. Access to discarded resource stations will at all times be available to guests.
• All College-owned buildings––including recently purchased off-campus College-owned student accommodation and newly constructed buildings––must have recycling and composting receptacles, signage, and discarded resource information; no recycling and composting receptacles should be farther than the closest bathroom.
• Within College-owned buildings, no single non-diverted “trash” receptacle may exist without accompanying composting and recycling receptacles, and signage of where to find other receptacles. Although the Municipal Review Committee contract with Fiberight would allow in theory for single-stream recycling, it is vital that the landfill, compost, and all recycling receptacles remain separate in order to maintain the Zero Waste principles of this institution. The educational value of multi-stream recycling is immense: separating materials requires intentionality, whilst creating a habit of recycling in the COA community. Most importantly, multi-stream recycling maintains the standard of recycling – ensuring that which is discarded can be recycled. Keeping the discarded resource receptacles separate will help COA as an institution reach its Zero Waste goals.
• All kitchens must have composting and recycling receptacles.
• The campus must dedicate a space for reuse, repair, and storage of discarded resources.
• All individual offices and dormitory bedrooms are private spaces in which the policy infrastructure does not apply.

6.2. Management:

Building a Zero Waste culture necessitates reduced consumption and disposal, sustainable purchasing, analyses of entire material lifecycles, encouragement of extended producer responsibility, material reuse, product repair, and disposal diversion. COA shall, at a minimum, continue at the 2016 level of discarded resource and material management efforts such as facilitating move-in and move-out support for each academic year and having compost available across campus for all community members. Each office and facility will take responsibility in developing its respective commitments to the above.

6.3. Planning:

A framework for discarded resource reduction and material management will be created by the Administrative Dean/Chief Financial Officer and Director of Buildings and Grounds in collaboration with staff, students, and faculty before the end of December 2022. The framework will guide the efforts of each office and facility, as well as the faculty and student body, toward implementing this policy and meeting its goals. COA’s strategic planning efforts, both the campus plan and institutional plan, must comply with the Discarded Resource and Material Management Policy. Any new building space or renovation to existing spaces must follow the Sustainable Building Policy Zero Waste specifications. Specifically, building plans must align with reduction goals and diversion rates.

In direct response to the Zero Waste ATLAS Campus Assessment from 2020 (College of the Atlantic: Zero Waste Atlas Campus Assessment 2020. Post Landfill Action Network. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Qx0mO06KNhU9v6SFBvAjOslOTAsn8t2T/view?usp=sharing), the framework for discarded resource reduction and material management should address the following issues:

• Paper usage;
• Campus procurement from surplus and recycled materials;
• E-waste collection infrastructure;
• Electronics repair;
• Reusable to-go container infrastructure;
• Food recovery program;
• Food audits to restructure purchasing (such as purchasing of gleaned produce to reduce food waste);
• Student move-out.

6.4. Assessment:

COA will track its Material Management as well as progress on goals and actions laid out in this

• Conducting a yearly audit and data collection of discarded materials, following standards of privacy and hygiene;
• Conduct baseline audits of recently purchased off-campus College-owned student accommodation and newly constructed buildings by December 2022;
• Making this policy, the framework, and subsequent progress reports available to the public;
• Revising this policy every three years.

6.5. Reporting:

The reporting on this policy will be a collaborative effort among students, staff, and faculty, but will be under the ultimate responsibility of the College President. COA will collect and report on the weight of non-diverted and diverted discarded materials. There should be appropriate categorization of these discarded materials, such as: (1) hazardous materials, (2) building renovation debris, (3) recyclables, (4) donated materials, (5) organic materials, (6) discarded electronics, and (7) universal goods.

The Director of Buildings and Grounds will report data relating to COA’s discarded resource and material management practices, policy, and data to the Association for the Advancement in Higher Education (AASHE) every year using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Reporting System (STARS) or an equivalent standardized tracking tool. The Administrative Dean, Director of Buildings and Grounds, CPBC, Director of Energy Education and Management, and other staff working on sustainability issues, as appropriate, will report policy concerns and progress to CCS every year. In addition to the AASHE reporting, CCS will report every three years to ACM/Steering as part of the review of the policy, stating the progress toward Zero Waste and explaining any updates to this policy.

7. Responsible Parties

The president of the College is the ultimate responsible party of implementing and updating this policy with specific areas of responsibility toward staff and governance committees on campus:

• The Administrative Dean/Chief Financial Officer is responsible for supervising the policy and reporting compliance to the COA community, as well as creating the Discarded Resource and Material Management Framework before the end of 2022 December.
• The Director of Discarded Resources is responsible for daily operations, discarded resource management at school events, and data collection. The President will work under the supervision of the Director of Discarded Resources to conduct the annual Fall DRMM audit.
• The Director of Discarded Resources and the Student Life Operations Manager are jointly responsible for providing information on Zero Waste procedures to community members, including annual Zero Waste Orientation for students, staff, and faculty which cover how the Material Management and Zero Waste systems work at COA.
• Campus Committee for Sustainability (CCS) is responsible for reviewing policy and campus-wide education. In accordance with the Earth Day Policy, CCS is responsible for sponsoring an annual Earth Day information session to give an update on the status of community material management. This includes working with administrators on the development of policies related to sustainable material management, and advising, meeting with, and being a resource for individual community members and groups engaging in material management and discarded resource disposal.
• Campus Planning and Building Committee (CPBC) is responsible for the planning and implementation of discarded resource infrastructure.
• The Summer Conference and Events Co-ordinator and The Dean of Institutional Advancement are responsible for educating summer guests and staff about the policy’s implications on their activities on campus, as well as ensuring Zero Waste infrastructure at all summer events.
• Student Life is responsible for informing and following this policy within student activities.
• The Buildings and Grounds Discarded Resources Work-Study staff will play a supporting role in the fulfilment of all the aforementioned responsibilities.

The College of the Atlantic will divest from any common stocks that appear on the attached list of fossil fuel related companies* and will divest from any fixed income from that same list upon maturity; we will also instruct our investment managers to refrain from any further investments in companies on that list.

(Passed April 2013 by the College of the Atlantic Board of Trustees)

*Carbon Underground 200 – gofossilfuelfree.org

Passed by the All College Meeting, May 2024

1) The College of the Atlantic commits to divest the college’s endowment from the weapons-munitions-armaments sector.

2) The current President of the College create a campus divestment task force.

a) The Task Force will work with the Investment Committee in the process of divestment by:

i) Serving as a liaison between the COA community and the Investment Committee.

ii) Ensuring community engagement and input in the divestment process.

iii) Monitoring the timely implementation of the divestment.

b) The Task Force should include at least two students, one staff, and one faculty member selected based on demonstrated interest.

c) The Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees is requested to appoint the Task Force to serve as advisory members on the Investment Committee.

d) The Task Force, in cooperation with the Investment Committee, will report back to the COA community on divestment progress once a term at an ACM or through a written report to the ACM.

3) The timeline for the divestment from the weapons-munitions-armaments sector is:

a) The Task Force will be put together before the end of Spring term 2024.

b) The Task Force will convene within the first two weeks of Fall term 2024.

c) Divestment recommendations for consideration by the Board of Trustees are due by the end of Winter term 2025.

d) The implementation of divestment is to begin during Spring term 2025 and be completed by the end of Spring term 2026.

4) COA make public its policy to divest from the weapons-munitions-armaments sector.

Earth Day is a day to renew the COA community.  It is a day to gather the spirits of the visions that brought us to COA.  As individuals we cling to our visions of social and environmental justice, hoping to the spread their fullness.  However, 250 visions remain scattered.  Occasionally we catch glimpses of the communities [sic] strong commitments.  In order to fire our own flames we need to clarify our understanding of the visions of those around us.  The tool for this enlightenment is a pause.  In our stillness we may open our eyes to all 250 visions becoming a single power.  In this, there is inspiration.  The power of our stillness will reach beyond our own community.

This is a call for EARTH DAY, A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY at COA.  It is the celebration of the artistic and scientific possibility within our community.  Beginning April 22^nd, 1996, COA will replace its class meetings and administrative duties with one day of community renewal.  For one day COA students, faculty, and administration will join together to experience and participate in lectures, musical and literary presentations, student forum, informational sessions, community service and a COA community and family picnic.  The day’s classes will be postponed to the following day, shifting the week’s schedule ahead and eliminating Wednesday meetings.  The annual organization and promotion of this day is the responsibility of the community.  All individuals are encouraged to organize presentations of their own.  In order to insure [sic] involvement, committees will be allocated certain responsibilities.  The following presents the responsibilities of each committee:

Campus Planning & Building – CPBC will be responsible for ensuring adequate space for large community gatherings.  CPBC will be responsible for a campus grounds enhancement project, such as the planting of trees.

Within the CPBC the recycling subcommitee will be responsible for sponsoring an informational session to update the status of community recycling.  Dually the subcommittee will provide future ideas for enhancement of the program.

Internship Commitee – The Internship Committee shall use Earth Day to promote internship opportunities.  Secondly, the committee shall present past successes of COA alumni and graudates.  The committee shall invite area alumni to participate in the celebration.

Admissions Committee – The Admissions Committee should consider inviting prospective students.  Prospective students will experience the fullness of community spirit.  In general admissions can use the day as a promotional device, enabling prospective students to gain a better understanding of COA’s mission.

Student Activities – Student Activities will be responsible for sponsoring a celebratory event for the enjoyment of the entire community.  In particular the committee is encouraged to organize community literary and musical presentations.

Publications and Communications – Publications and Communications will undertake the task of advertisement.  The committee will be responsible for signs on campus and within the Bar Harbor community.  The event will also be advertised on the COA homepage of the World Wide Web.  Prior to Earth Day, Publications and Communications will request the submission of articles to Off the Wall and local newspapers.  Lastly, local radio and television stations will be contacted.

The Library Committee – The Library Committee will be responsible for the display case in the Thorndike Library.

Academic Affairs – Academic Affairs shall open Earth Day at COA with an official welcoming.  A piece to inspire the day’s activities.

Steering Committee – Steering Committee shall be responsible for organizing time slots for certain events throughout the day.  This information shall be passed along to the Publications and Communications committee for advertisement.

Additional responsibilities:

COA community and family will be responsible for a potluck.

COA community will responsible for restoring order to the campus after the conclusion of the day’s events.

SEA will sponsor a student forum.  The forum will address a current debateable [sic] issue.  SEA will also sponsor smaller informational workshops organized by group members.

COA encourages students to claim their education so that they may claim their lives in a way that will make a positive impact in the world.  Earth Day is one day for COA to take responsibility, to take our individual visions and unite them with the community.  In this visionary unification is the realization that making a positive impact on the world is possible.

Background

What is the Earth Charter?

“The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principals for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It seeks to inspire in all people’s a new sense of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well being of the human family and the larger living world. It is an expression of hope and a call to help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history.”

Where did it come from and who wrote it?

“In 1987 the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development issued a call for creation of a new charter that would set forth fundamental principals for sustainable development. …The Earth Charter is the product of a decade long, worldwide, cross-cultural conversation about common goals and shared values. …Thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations from all regions of the world, different cultures, and diverse sectors of society have participated.”

What are the sources of the Earth Charter values?

“…contemporary science, international law, the wisdom of the world’s great religions and philosophical traditions, the declarations and reports of the seven UN summit conferences held in the 1990’s, the global ethics movement, numerous nongovernmental declarations and people’s treaties issued over the past thirty years, and best practices for building sustainable communities.”

What does endorsement mean?

“Endorsement of the Earth Charter by individuals or organizations signifies a commitment to the spirit and aims of the document. It also means a commitment to work for the implementation of the values and principles of the Earth Charter and a readiness to cooperate with others in this endeavor.

The Earth Charter Initiative is seeking to develop a world wide base of support for the Earth Charter. The Initiative is promoting the endorsement, dissemination, implementation and formal and non-formal educational use of the Earth Charter by individuals and organizations in all sectors of society. Nevertheless, organizations are asked to send an official letter of support as stated in the Statement of Endorsement.”

Since it was launched in June of 2000, 10,543 organizations, governments, communities and individuals have endorsed the Earth Charter.

Rationale

The four core principles of the Earth Charter—respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, social and economic justice, and democracy, nonviolence, and peace—are consistent with and will help to deepen and further the values stated in the mission and vision of College of the Atlantic.

By endorsing the Earth Charter, COA will be supporting the Earth Charter Initiative, which aims to:

• Disseminate the Earth Charter and its principles to individuals and communities throughout the world,
• Gain endorsement and implementation by individuals, governments, businesses, and organizations, including the United Nations, and
• Promote the educational use of the Earth Charter in schools, universities, and communities.

By endorsing the Earth Charter COA can help to:

• Encourage the use of the Earth Charter as “an ethical foundation for the ongoing development of environmental and sustainable development law,”
• Promote its use as an ethical framework for businesses, organizations, and all segments of civil society,
• Encourage its use as a foundation for programs for sustainable development,
• Call and guide communities and individuals toward a sustainable way of life,
• Spark dialogue across cultures, sectors, and ideologies concerning global ethics.

Endorsement of the Earth Charter will benefit COA directly by:

• Publicly reaffirming our mission,
• Deepening our commitment to global ethics,
• Providing impetus to reevaluate our curriculum and policies based on this new commitment as well as the values set out in our mission and vision,
• Connecting us to other groups and institutions worldwide who have similar goals,
• And signifying our participation in the world community.

Proposal

Therefore, we the COA community, resolve to:

• Endorse the Earth Charter,
• Explore ways to strengthen our curriculum through appropriate incorporation of the Earth Charter’ s core principles,
• Broaden our commitment to sustainability both on campus and off,
• Use the Earth Charter as a tool for outreach to and collaboration with other groups, and
• Agree to revisit and evaluate our implementation of these resolutions at least once a year.

(Passed 2003)

Preamble

Given that the use of fossil fuels is changing the climate and that the current rate of energy consumption by individuals, the campus, and global community is unsustainable, College of the Atlantic will meet its energy needs by using local and renewable energy sources. This will enable the college to become a fossil fuel free campus by 2030. This goal will be achieved both by reducing our overall energy consumption and by using fossil fuel free sources of energy.

The college strives to make COA a laboratory for students, faculty, and staff to explore the diverse prospects of a more sustainable energy future. A central part of the energy plan will include classes and project-based learning where students can practice the interdisciplinary skills needed to promote responsible energy use. Students will be involved in designing, constructing, maintaining, and monitoring all necessary changes on the campus, including its islands and farms. The college will be a place where energy production is an attractive and healthy part of the landscape, enhancing the quality of our lives, education, community, and environment.

These experiences, along with the college’s interdisciplinary curriculum in human ecology, will prepare students to become advocates for the ecological integrity of the climate and planet and give them tools to influence change in their chosen professions and communities.

As the college moves toward a fossil fuel free campus by 2030, it is faced with the challenge of improving the energy efficiency of older buildings before trying to retrofit them with renew- able heating systems. Improving the energy efficiency of buildings typically includes adding insulation, plugging leaks, and, where cost effective, as in the renovation of Turrets, installing energy-efficient windows and doors.

The technologies already exist to replace fossil fuel heating systems with renewable sources of heat. The challenge will be selecting, designing, and financing renewable heating systems to meet the needs of the wide variety of buildings on campus, a challenge that will provide opportunities for student involvement throughout the entire process.

More easily accomplished will be increasing the amount of solar electricity generated on campus. Actions taken to transition buildings to renewable heating sources and the continued sourcing of electricity from large wind farms while increasing on-campus solar PV will reduce the college’s carbon footprint, but not eliminate it. The college can transition its fossil fuel vehicle fleet over time to alternatives such as more capable electric vehicles. However, COA will continue to rely on air travel to provide academic opportunities around the world for its students.

Teaching and learning about energy occurs in several classes at COA. Other courses, while not focused on energy, provide additional skills and background for students wishing to be effective advocates for renewable energy.

Targets and Actions

1. Reduce Fossil Fuel Use.

(a)  By 2020, COA’s research stations on Great Duck Island and Mount Desert Rock will be fossil fuel free to the greatest extent possible.

(b)  By 2020, Beech Hill and Peggy Rockefeller Farms will be fossil fuel free to the greatest extent possible.

(c)  By 2025, 50% of all campus buildings’ primary heating sources will be fossil fuel free.

(d)  By 2030, all remaining campus buildings’ primary heating sources will be fossil fuel free.

(e) By 2030, achieve a 20% reduction from fuel emissions by 2030 for COA’s collective road vehicle fleet based on 2017 baseline data. Maintain the 20% reduction even if the fleet expands.

(f) By 2030, achieve at least 20% biodiesel usage for all COA diesel vehicles, including trucks and boats.

(g) In 2030, the College will conduct a full evaluation of its progress towards the goals set out in this Framework and develop a plan based on most current technologies, policies, and financial considerations to address any remaining fossil usage from on-campus energy consumption.

2. Reduce Total Energy Consumption. Through a combination of energy efficiency and efforts to decrease individual energy consumption, total energy consumed on campus will be reduced.

(a) By 2020, reduce total on-campus energy consumption by 10 percent.

(b) By 2030, reduce total on-campus energy consumption by 20 percent.

3. Generate Electricity.

(a) By 2020, COA will generate on campus at least 15 percent of all the electricity used on campus.

(b)  For all electricity not generated on campus, COA will purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) ensuring that its electricity comes from sources that do not actively emit carbon dioxide.

4. Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

(a) By 2020, over 50 percent of COA’s total on-campus energy consumption will be generated from fossil fuel free sources.

(b) By 2030, all on-campus energy consumption from fossil fuels will be carbon neutral through offsetting remaining carbon emissions by supporting, funding, and/or purchasing carbon credits from local renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

(d) For all College-sponsored air travel (i.e., COA has paid for the plane ticket), COA will offset the carbon released by purchasing carbon credits from renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

5. Educate. Opportunities to learn about energy and participate in projects will be made available to students of all genders, nationalities, and academic interests. Classes and student projects will build on themselves. Data from previous projects will be analyzed, current projects will be implemented, and future projects will be planned. These educational activities will help COA attain the goals laid out in this document.

(a) Each year, between 15 to 20 percent of COA’s graduating class will have taken a course in energy and/or participated in a term-long project in renewable energy or energy efficiency.

(b)  Each academic year offer one introductory energy class and one intermediate, project-based energy class. Provide support for and encourage independent studies, group projects, and senior projects in energy and efficiency.

6. Experiment. Take advantage of COA’s small size and flexible curriculum to conduct experiments and explore different approaches to energy and efficiency as part of teaching,  research, and community engagement efforts.

7. Monitor. Expand the quantity and quality of energy data available, make this data easily accessible, and use this information to inform continuing energy work at COA.

(a)  By 2020, set up real-time monitoring of electrical and heating systems for all academic and residential buildings on campus.

(b) Establish and maintain an archive of COA energy data and energy projects, open and easily accessible to all COA community members.

(c) Create an Annex to this Energy Framework to monitor and assess progress towards the goals laid out in this Energy Framework in relation to baseline data.

8. Report. The Director of Energy Education and Management (or equivalent staff member) will report once a year to ACM on the progress made toward the targets laid out in this document.

9. Revise. The Campus Committee for Sustainability will review these targets at least every five years and will bring any changes to the ACM. CCS and the Director of Energy Education and Management, in collaboration with other administrators and campus bodies, including the Administrative Dean and the Campus Planning and Building Committee, will expand upon this framework to produce an action plan by Spring 2017, further detailing how various reductions will be achieved.

10. Fund and Finance. Funding for these initiatives will require approval of the President and Administrative Dean, who will balance the goals laid out here with other needs of the College in consultation with the Director of Energy Education and Management, as well as other students, faculty, and staff as appropriate. Where possible, seek grants and third-party funding to help finance renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Technical Notes

• “On-campus energy consumption” is defined as energy consumed by all activities taking place on the COA main campus, farms, research stations, and all other COA-owned properties. This includes energy consumed by the COA-owned vehicle fleet, but excludes transportation to and from these locations by personal vehicle, boat and/or airplane. This does not include “embodied energy” related to the production and transportation of food or other materials used/consumed by on-campus activities, as these energy costs are addressed by other College policies and initiatives.
• Baseline data used to calculate progress towards the Energy Framework will be consumption levels averaged over a period of three years: 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13.

(Initially passed April 4, 2013; Amended January 18, 2017)

Approved by the All College Meeting November 16, 2022

Introduction

College of the Atlantic commits to eliminating our fossil fuel use by 2030. This policy outlines the clean energy goals to be achieved, which will be accomplished through a series of intermediate steps outlined in the Energy Framework.

The overall process for transitioning away from fossil fuels has three primary steps:

1. Air seal and insulate buildings to reduce consumption of heating fuels
2. Electrify heating, hot water, cooking and transportation with the most efficient equipment available
3. Generate electricity from local sources of renewable energy

College of the Atlantic is committed to sustainability, and becoming fossil fuel free is one of the most important, sustainable actions that we can take. Fossil fuel consumption is the primary driver of global climate change, which already impacts the College, Mount Desert Island, and the global community. College of the Atlantic will address issues of environmental justice involved in this transition and will collaborate with the surrounding community to help others transition away from fossil fuels.

Clean Energy Goals

1) Reduce. By 2030, reduce energy consumption in each COA-owned building by 20% from baseline data.

2) Heat. By 2030, 100% of the primary heating sources of all COA-owned buildings will be fossil fuel free.

3) Transport. After 2025, no new fossil-fuel-powered vehicles should be purchased.

4) Educate. Opportunities to learn about energy and participate in projects will be made available to students of all genders, nationalities, and academic interests. Classes and student projects will build on each other. Data from previous projects will be analyzed, current projects will be implemented, and future projects will be planned. These educational activities will help COA attain the goals laid out in the Energy Framework. 

5) Experiment. Take advantage of COA’s small size and flexible curriculum to conduct experiments and explore different approaches to efficiency and clean energy as part of teaching, research, and community engagement efforts.

6) Revise. The Campus Committee for Sustainability (CCS) will review the targets laid out in the Energy Framework at least every three years. Amendments to the Framework do not need to be voted on at ACM but must be reported as part of the committee’s minutes and the updated document will be sent out to the community for informational purposes.

7) Plan. Develop detailed action plans to address remaining fossil fuel usage.

a) By 2024, CCS and the Director of Energy, in collaboration with other administrators and campus bodies, including the Administrative Dean and the Campus Planning and Building Committee, will produce an action plan for the main campus (105 Eden Street) to further detail how various reductions will be achieved by 2030.

b) By 2025, CCS and the Director of Energy, in collaboration with other administrators and campus bodies, including the Administrative Dean and the Campus Planning and Building Committee, will develop a plan for the farms and COA’s research stations on Great Duck Island and Mount Desert Rock to be fossil fuel free by 2030.

8) Fund and Finance. Funding for these initiatives will require approval of the Administrative Dean and the Board of Trustees, who will balance the goals laid out here with other needs of the College in consultation with the Director of Energy, as well as other students, faculty, and staff as appropriate. Where possible, the Director of Energy, Administrative Dean, and Dean of Institutional Advancement shall seek grants and third-party funding to help finance renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

9) Report. Provide annual progress updates to ACM, make this data easily accessible, and use this information to inform continuing energy work at COA.

a) The Director of Energy (or equivalent staff member) will report once a year to ACM on the progress made toward the targets laid out in this document.

b) Establish and maintain an archive of COA energy data and energy projects, open and easily accessible to all COA community members.

c) Create a reporting system for this Energy Framework to monitor and assess progress towards the goals laid out in this Energy Framework in relation to baseline data.

Baseline data used to calculate progress towards the Energy Framework will be consumption levels averaged over a period of three years: 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2012-13.

In March 2001, following the tenets established in the Campus Environmental Initiative, the All-College Meeting ratified the following policy regarding the purchase of Fair Trade Coffee:

College of the Atlantic will restrict the purchasing of coffee by Take A Break (our dining services) and all other offices to brands that are organic and Fair Trade Certified by TransFair USA, its successor organization or another independently monitored labeling Non Governmental Organization.

As part of this policy, the All-College Meeting also approved the following resolution:

TAB shall strive to purchase fair trade certified products whenever possible given budgetary restraints. This includes rice and most fruits and vegetables of non-US origin. No new policy will be necessary to implement such changes unless the additional cost of purchasing such products is substantial.

The full text of the proposal can be obtained from the Chair of the Steering Committee or the Archivist.

Proposal to Provide Complimentary Menstrual Products in All Non-Residential Restrooms at College of the Atlantic

I. Rationale:

Lack of access to menstrual products is an issue concerning public health, gender equity, and educational equality, largely originating from period stigma. The majority of students at College of the Atlantic menstruate, but the college does not provide menstrual products in any of the restrooms.

Periods can come unexpectedly, are oftentimes irregular, and being caught without menstrual products can quickly become a crisis: do you try and bunch up toilet paper and hope you don’t bleed through, ask around and hope someone has one to spare, or leave class or work-study to go home or to the store to get some? Research has found that 86% of women* in the U.S. reported that at least once in their lifetime their period started unexpectedly in public and they did not have immediate access to menstrual supplies.^[1] As a result, many were forced to respond using the burdensome, insufficient alternatives described above. Lack of menstrual products in on-campus restrooms also means that some students are unable to change their tampon or pad regularly (to make do with their current product for as long as they can) which can cause issues like toxic shock syndrome, which has been linked to prolonged use of a single tampon.^[2]

The health office on campus has some pads and tampons; however, this option barely mitigates the issue of access due to the office’s limited supplies, hours, and single location. The health office is only open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until 3 PM, and this time frame is complicated by snow days and illness – there is only one nurse available, and if they are unable to come in, the health office remains closed. Relying on the health office for menstrual products in the event of an unexpected period is not practical or sufficient, and even if the office’s hours coincide with an unexpected period, requiring students to travel to another building on campus and justify to a staff member why they require menstrual supplies maintains a cycle of inconvenience and shame.

COA provides toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap in all restrooms, wood shavings in the Kathryn W. Davis Village (KWD) restrooms, and condoms in the KWD and Kaelber Hall restrooms. Several items for unexpected but common events are already supplied: a first-aid kit equipped with Band-aids, antibiotic ointment, and more can be found in every building at COA. These items are all necessities for promoting health and wellness on campus; no one would ever be expected to bring their own toilet paper into a restroom or feel embarrassed and ashamed for not having a Band-aid. Menstruating is a natural bodily function and failing to support students who menstruate maintains period shame and stigma while serving to conceal the educational, health, and equity issues of being faced with an unexpected period.

COA is an environmentally-conscious campus with a general preference for natural products. With support from COA’s Campus Committee for Sustainability, we propose purchasing organic, non-chlorine, fragrance-free pads and tampons without applicators. Aunt Flow, a company which sells and donates menstrual products, states that their programs that supply college non-residential bathrooms cost $5-$7 per menstruator per year.^[3] After factoring in the approximate number of students who menstruate on campus, we estimate that purchasing menstrual products for all non-residential bathrooms will cost COA approximately $1,225-1,715 a year.^[4],[5] Understanding that 1) not all the students who identify as women menstruate, 2) transgender men and non-binary folks may also menstruate, and 3) this estimate does not include faculty, staff, and visitors who may use the supplies, underscores that this budget is just an estimate. Each year, Planned Parenthood Generation Action at COA will review product usage and cost with Building and Grounds (B&G) and will report to the Director of B&G (if Planned Parenthood Generation Action at COA is no longer available, the Director will appoint a group).

Aunt Flow asserts that the first three months of the policy’s implementation will cause the highest demand (a “freebie” effect), but after that timeframe, the product’s usage will slow and become more steady.^[6] B&G is responsible for ordering and stocking restroom amenities (ie. toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap) and thus will become responsible for the ordering and distribution of menstrual products. Menstrual supplies will be provided using the same system as the wood shavings for composting toilets: custodial staff will notify the Head Custodian when the product is becoming low, and an order will be placed to restock the product (as opposed to a set purchasing schedule, as is the case with the other amenities). A small basket containing pads and tampons will be placed in each non-residential bathroom on campus.

Many other colleges and universities across the country have established policies to provide complimentary menstrual products in non-residential restrooms, and this proposed policy is aligned with those measures. We have framed this proposal in terms of educational equity with a focus on students in public spaces at the college. However, COA students have expressed interest in a policy that provides menstrual products in both non-residential and residential restrooms on campus. In the future, if that is an avenue the students and the college wish to pursue, this policy may be amended to accommodate that change. This policy to provide menstrual products in non-residential bathrooms may be viewed as a trial in this context to determine product demand. We recognize that unexpected periods do occur in residential spaces, and this policy just touches the surface of period insecurity. We feel that this proposed policy is a proactive, feasible measure for COA to address a public health and equity issue which has largely occurred in the shadows, and we welcome future improvements to further this pursuit.

This policy aims to make menstrual products free and easily accessible for all menstruators at College of the Atlantic by providing them in all public, non-residential restrooms. Doing so will promote menstrual, gender, and educational equity by posing a direct challenge to the stigma surrounding periods, all while increasing student wellbeing.

II. Definitions :

1. Menstruators refers to all those who menstruate, including women, transgender men, and non-binary folks.
2. Menstrual products/supplies refers to tampons and pads.
3. College of the Atlantic restrooms refers to all of the non-residential restrooms (including women’s, men’s, and single-user) on COA’s campus where Buildings and Grounds’ custodial staff manage and stock the restroom.

III. Policy:
College of the Atlantic will provide menstrual products in all non-residential restrooms on campus without charge. Buildings and Grounds will purchase and distribute the products, headed by the Director of Buildings and Grounds and managed by the Head Custodian.

*This study by the Harris Initiative referred to their survey participants as “women,” though we recognize that women are not the only people who menstruate. We maintained this language as to not falsely extrapolate their data, as we are unaware if the researchers only surveyed people who identified as women.

(Approved April 2019)

^[1] https://www.freethetampons.org/uploads/4/6/0/3/46036337/ftt_infographic.pdf 

^[2] https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/understanding-toxic-shock-syndrome-basics#1

^[3] https://www.goauntflow.com/how-to-get-your-university-to-offer-free-menstrual-products-on-campus/

^[4] Estimate of the number of students at COA who menstruate: 70% of 350 students, equalling 245.

^[5] Our research has yielded two suitable, cost-effective products for COA to purchase: Aunt Flow and Seventh Generation products are both organic, non-chlorine, fragrance-free, and are around the same price. Aunt Flow’s no-applicator tampons and pads are each $100 for 500 units. Seventh Generation pads are $57.12 for 288 and no-applicator tampons are $69.42 for 240 from BettyMills.com. Seventh Generation pads are slightly less expensive than Aunt Flow (and come with less extraneous packaging). Aunt Flow tampons without applicators are slightly less expensive than Seventh Generation, but take up to six weeks to arrive to campus compared to 3-5 days from Betty Mills. With these two options in mind, we leave the purchasing choice up to the discretion of B&G based on what works best for them.

^[6] https://www.goauntflow.com/how-to-get-your-university-to-offer-free-menstrual-products-on-campus/

In the Spring of 1998, the All College Meeting approved the policy that College of the Atlantic shall only purchase safe, Maine-raised meat, including beef. In this instance, “safe” means that the farms the College purchases from will have humane, free-range animal facilities and will refrain from the use of hormones, antibiotics and animal protein feed. The College will more strongly pursue the purchase of organically certified meat as it becomes available, as the number of certified farms is currently limited. This proposal does not apply to fish or seafood.

Policy Statement
All new construction and major renovation projects at College of the Atlantic (COA) with a total cost of $1,000,000 or more shall achieve, at minimum, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) or Living Building Challenge (LBC) Full Living Certification.

This policy applies to all new construction and major renovation projects undertaken on- or off-campus by College of the Atlantic, with project costs of $1,000,000 or above. For projects under $1,000,000, LEED or LBC certification is not required, but all efforts should be made to comply with LEED or LBC requirements.

Implementation of this policy will be as follows:

1. The Campus Planning and Building Committee will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy.
2. LEED-accredited or Living Building Challenge professionals will be integrated into the design and construction teams for all covered projects.
3. Building design and construction project teams will track and document progress towards LEED or LBC certification throughout the project lifecycle.
4. Project teams are expected to be familiar with and follow all COA Sustainability Policies:
   https://www.coa.edu/about/environmental-commitment/publications-policies/
5. LEED or LBC reports on the progress and impact of this policy will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for each construction project.
6. Major renovation (definition adapted from LEED): extensive alteration work in addition to work on the exterior shell of the building, site work, primary structural components, or the core and peripheral mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Typically, the extent and nature of the work is such that the primary function of the space cannot be used for its intended purpose. CPBC has the ability to determine whether a project is considered a major renovation.
7. The $1,000,000 project cost to determine applicability of this policy is based on the design of the project, and this policy is not intended to retroactively apply if a project has cost overruns that exceed this threshold during the construction process. 

Rationale
College of the Atlantic recognizes the vital role its built environment plays in fulfilling its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. This policy establishes a clear and measurable standard for sustainable construction, ensuring that all new construction and major renovation projects contribute to the College’s long-term environmental goals. By requiring US Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification or Living Building Challenge Full Living Certification, COA is taking a
proactive step to minimize its environmental footprint, promote resource efficiency, and create healthier spaces for learning and living. This policy reflects COA’s dedication to leadership in sustainability and provides a framework for integrating best practices in green building across campus.

This policy mandates LEED Gold certification or LBC Full Living Certification for new construction and major renovations at College of the Atlantic to:

• Ensure Environmental Responsibility: Align building practices with COA’s core values.
• Drive Sustainable Development: Set a high standard for green building on campus.
• Promote Health and Well-being: Create healthier, more comfortable indoor environments.
• Reduce Environmental Impact: Minimize energy consumption, water usage, and waste generation.
• Enhance Educational Opportunities: Use buildings as learning tools for students and the wider community.
• Alignment with COA’s Mission: This policy reinforces COA’s commitment to environmental sustainability in all aspects of its operations.

These certifications provide:

• Comprehensive Framework: creates a holistic approach to sustainable building design, construction, and operation.
• Third-Party Validation: certification ensures independent verification of sustainable building practices.
• Performance-Based Standards: criteria are based on measurable performance, driving real and verifiable improvements.
• Future-Proofing: certification helps ensure that COA’s buildings remain resource-efficient and environmentally sound for the long term.

CCS unanimously endorsed this version on 4/16/25

Part I

Whereas, the United States has already lost 96% of its old growth forests. Only 22% of the world’s old growth forests are still intact. 76 countries have already lost all of their old growth forests. Eleven more countries are on the verge of losing their old growth forests.

Whereas, old growth forests and tropical forest have important ecological values, as well as an existence value.

Whereas, native forests everywhere are being converted into mono-cultural plantations; for example, the Southern US is losing its native hardwood forests to pine plantations, and old growth forests in Chile are being converted into eucalyptus plantations. Engineered wood products, like chipboard or OSB,  accelerate clear cutting, plantation conversion, and native forest loss. Timber companies are also experimenting with genetically engineered trees, which endanger all native forests.

Whereas, a coalition of environmental and community groups have agreed to the following for companies to meet:

• No wood products from old growth forests
• No wood products from U.S. public lands
• No new conversion of natural forests to plantations
• No purchase of-oriented strand board (OSB) from virgin tree material
• No genetically engineered trees

Whereas, most the larger retail chains of wood and the top three home builders in this country have agreed to stop buying/using wood from endangered forests by 2002. As a result, a plentiful supply of wood that can be verified as not coming from endangered forest will soon become available.

Whereas, on-going mapping and monitoring work by will provide these companies and other interested parties with detailed maps showing the location of endangered forests throughout the world. Global Forest Watch, an initiative of World Resource Institute (WRI), is creating the first worldwide monitoring network that tracks threats to forests using satellite imagery and computers to gather the data and to map it out.


Whereas, the Certified Forest Products Council is a business association supported by environmentalists that certifies forest certification programs in an effort to unify independent certification efforts.

Whereas, College of the Atlantic recognizes that in the next few years new technology will bring down the price of tree-free and recycled paper, as well as provide for a wide variety of new options such as old-growth free and chain of custody tracking of all wood and paper products.

To assure that the policy is in line with current scientific knowledge on forest management. Community input will be sought from Social Environmental Action and other avenues.

Part II: Paper Procurement

Resolved, College of the Atlantic shall purchase paper that meets as many of the following criteria as possible, with the spirit of this policy insisting on meeting all of the following qualifications:

1. The paper contains 50% or greater post consumer recycled content. Over the next three years, COA shall meet the following goals so that at the end of 2004, GOA shall use 100% Post Consumer Recycled or Tree Free Paper.
   • For fiscal year 2001–2092: 50% dollar value of total paper purchases contain 100% post consumer recycled or tree free content.
   • For fiscal year 2002–2003: 75% dollar value of total paper purchases contain 100% post consumer recycled or tree free content.
   • For fiscal year 2003–2004: 100% dollar value of total paper purchases contain 100% post consumer recycled or tree free content.
2. The supplier certifies in writing that any virgin fiber in the paper is not originating from old growth forests.
3. Is certified as Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) or, if not available, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF)
4. The supplier certifies in writing that the paper only contains virgin fiber from a forestry operation that is certified as sustainable. The certifying organization must be an independent, non-profit, non-government certification organization accredited by the Certified Forest Products Council, such as the Forest Stewardship Council. The products provided must meet or beat these standards. (Note: If this qualification is met, then so is #2 as long as the organization is accredited by the Certified Forest Products Council.)

NOTE: 100% post consumer recycled paper or a tree-free alternative would be the best way to meet all the aforementioned criteria.

Resolved, College of the Atlantic shall inform all staff and faculty that copies and printouts are  double-sided; in order to save 50% paper use. Students shall be asked to do so as well and if no noticeable improvement (no drop in paper consumption on campus) is made by Winter 2002, the College shall examine the use of a per sheet of fee system for printers in order to discourage excess copying and/or to purchasing even more environmental friendly paper products.

Resolved, Staff of the College shall immediately begin to identify any photocopiers and printers that are not capable of double-siding or having difficulty using the high content recycled paper and report such machines to the schools purchasing agent. By 2004, COA will have replaced all equipment which does not double side.

Resolved, College of the Atlantic shall meet as many of the above criteria as possible. If a source that meets all of the required criteria is not currently available at a quality suitable for copy machines and printers (even after updating the equipment); at no time shall the College purchase paper that contains less than 30% post-consumer recycled content.

Resolved, College of the Atlantic shall explore the use of alternative tree-free paper product.

(Passed 2001)