ACEM was comprised of faculty, staff, and students from a variety of schools and departments. The committee had two primary tasks: 1) Administration of the Yale Green Fund, and 2) Proposal of long-term sustainability targets.

The Green Fund provided financial support for Yale community members willing to undertake projects to improve Yale’s environmental performance. Proposals were solicited each fall, and applicants received up to $50,000 to work on their project for up to one year. For further information on the Green Fund, including examples of past projects, proposal guidelines, and funding procedures, please click here.

The Advisory Committee on Environmental Management emerged from two campus reports written in the late 1990’s The first report, entitled “The Yale Green Plan”, was produced by the Yale Student Environmental Coalition (YSEC). The second was an attempt by two faculty members and two students at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies which presented preliminary quantitative information on Yale’s environmental performance. In 1999, in response to the reports, an Environmental Focus Group of eight faculty and staff was created to assess aspects of Yale’s environmental performance and to consider appropriate actions for the University.

In the summer of 2001, Provost Alison Richard established ACEM as a standing committee that reported to her office. The committee included a combination of faculty, staff, and students. The students represent the Yale College Council, the Professional Student Council, and the Graduate Student Council.

During FY02 ACEM recommended a set of environmental principles, and a series of explicit actions to improve Yale’s environmental performance. The Environmental Principles were subsequently approved by the Yale Corporation. In response to the suggested actions, several of which required initial funding, President Richard Levin and Provost Allison Richards designated an unrestricted alumni gift of $1,000,000 as the Yale Green Fund, to be administered over a three year period to advance environmental sustainability activities and actions at Yale.

The focus of ACEM during FY03 was the development of procedures for the Green Fund: Call for Proposals, Review of Proposals, Monitoring of Grantees, etc. The accepted proposals included several modest efforts to enhance recycling, plus the funding of a three-year full time position of Yale Sustainability Director. During FY03 ACEM also made progress on the intricate task of assembling and validating the disparate sets of data that quantify Yale’s environmental performance: recycling rate, energy use, etc.

Three activities occupied ACEM during FY04: the second round of Green Fund proposals, the development of prospective environmental targets and timescales for Yale, and the process of hiring a Sustainability Director. Ten Green Fund proposals were recommended for approval by Provost Susan Hockfield for funding. Later in the year, eight targets and timescales were recommended; seven of these were adopted.

Fiscal year 2005 turned out to be a transitional year for ACEM with the appointment of the first Sustainability Director.

ACEM membership is representative of faculty, staff, and students from across the UniversityÕs many schools and departments:

	Prof. Thomas Graedel, Clifton R. Musser Professor of Industrial Ecology, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Geology and Geophysics, and Director of the Center for Industrial Ecology - School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. (Chair)
	Bruce Carmichael, Assistant Provost for Science and Technology
	Virginia Chapman, Director of Project Management - Yale School of Medicine Facilities Department
	Martin Costello, Associate Director - Environmental Health and Safety
	Martha Crawford, Buyer - Purchasing Department
	Robert Dincecco, Associate Director of University Planning, Construction, and Renovation - Facilities Department
	Elan Gandsman, Director - Environmental Health and Safety, Lecturer - School of Public Health
	C.J. May, Recycling Coordinator
	Julie Newman, Sustainability Director
	James Axley, Professor of Architecture and Engineering - School of Architecture
	Amia Srinivasan, Class of 2007 - Yale College
	Evan Rosenberg, Class of 2007 - Yale College
	Bailey McCallum email, Coordinator, M.B.A./M.E.M. Candidate - Schools of Management and Environmental Studies

For additional information on the Green Fund, including proposal guidelines, funding procedures, keys to proposal and project management success, and examples of past projects, please click here.

The Green Fund proposal process was simple. In mid-September, an email and posters invited proposals and gave a specific deadline in mid-October. During that month, applicants:

Before the deadline, email your proposal to ACEM. We might require some follow-up questions to clarify aspects of your proposal, but otherwise your work is done.

To download the official proposal requirements please click here.

To download an example of a past proposal, please click here.

To submit a question regarding the Green Fund, please click here.

In addition to the proposal requirements, below are some suggestions for completing proposals:

To view funding procedures please click here.

One of ACEM's core responsibilities is to propose targets for environmental sustainability performance for the University. The committee also attempts to outline actions that would assist the University reaching reaching those targets. Currently, Yale University is committed to achieving the following targets:

	Increase the purchase of recycled office supplies from 12% to 35% by value by the end of FY07.
	The community is being notified of green products through vendor fairs, advertisements by the main office supply distributors, and notices on the Procurement Department website.
	Perform analyses of selected construction and renovation projects by the end of FY06 to evaluate the costs and benefits of applying LEED standards at Yale.
	A renovation project of a laboratory and Yale School of Medicine is currently under evaluation in partnership with the US Green Building Council and Lab21. A case study is being written that will help apply the lessons learned to similar projects at Yale and beyond.
	Increase purchase of hybrid vehicles to 20% of the purchases of all new vehicles in FY05.
	There is limited green fund money available to departments to subsidize the purchase price of a hybrid vehicle in place of a standard vehicle.
	Reduce radioactive waste generation and disposal by 15%, as measured by weight, by the end of FY07
	The Green Fund supported program to develop an improved chemical logging system is in place,
	An enhanced effort at user education is underway, and
	The Office of Environmental Health and Safety has initiated improved tracking and reduction efforts.
	Reduce municipal solid waste disposal by 6% by the end of FY07.
	STEP is increasing student awareness of recycling within the Residential Colleges.
	Improved efforts are being undertaken at the end of the academic year to recycle and reuse materials that would otherwise be discarded.
	A university-wide committee is examining institutional waste management issues.
	Increase the UniversityÕs recycling rate from the current 13% to 20% of total MSW by the end of FY07.
	New recycling bins are being distributed around campus, inside and outside of buildings
	STEP is improving education in the colleges regarding recycling.

Office of Sustainability Ð Headed by YaleÕs Sustainability Director, the Office of Sustainability serves as the keystone of the many groups in the administration, students, faculty, and staff undertaking efforts to advance YaleÕs sustainability effort.

STEP Ð The Student Taskforce for Environmental Partnership educates Yale students and community members about sustainability and fosters a community ethic of environmental stewardship and sustainable behavior.

YSEC - The Yale Student Environmental Coalition (YSEC) is a student-run non profit 501 (c)(3) campus environmental umbrella organization dedicated to greening both the Yale community and the surrounding area.

ELM - The Environmental Leadership Magazine (ELM) will help to create a more sustainable Yale by serving as a forum for those undertaking environmental efforts on campus.

Yale Facilities Department Ð Facilities oversees many of the UniversityÕs operations including utilities, recycling, and construction and renovation.

Yale Recycling Ð Yale Recycling employs student workers to collect recyclables from around campus. Their website also lists the items that Yale can and cannot recycle.

The ProvostÕs Office Ð ACEM reports its recommendations directly to the provost. The provost is the chief educational and administrative officer of the University after the president.

School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (FES) Ð Yale is fortunate to have one of the worldÕs leading schools of environmental studies within its walls. FES has both a rich history and cutting edge research centers like the Center for Industrial Ecology.

If you have questions regarding the Green Fund or ACEMÕs activities in general, please contact Bailey McCallum, ACEM Coordinator, by email.