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Staff Flock to Sustainability Summit

   
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Dining Services' Karen Dougherty was on hand at Yale's Sustainability Fair to answer questions from staff about the department's role in the University's sustainability initiatives.

Over 1,000 staff, faculty, and students attended the Sustainability Summit held March 31-April 3. Events were held at the School of Medicine, the Peabody Museum, the School of Public Health, the Divinity School, and other locations around campus. The purpose of the summit, according to Sara Smiley Smith, a doctoral student at the School of Forestry and Environmental Science and coordinator of the event, was "to stimulate people's thinking about sustainability and help them realize that it isn't just universities and corporations who can make a difference."

Among the summit events was a tour to the recently renovated LEED Gold labs at the Sterling Hall of Medicine by Virginia Chapman, director of Facilities at YSM. There was also a talk on "Sustainable Architecture, Today and Tomorrow: Reframing the Discourse" at the School of Architecture. The Yale Sustainable Food Project led a discussion on planning a sustainable event, and Procurement sponsored a screening of the film "An Inconvenient Truth" at the Peabody Museum followed by a discussion with Brenda Naegel, associate director of Communications.

The Sustainability Fair, which was held April 3 in the President's Room at Woolsey Hall, attracted a potpourri of external vendors and internal departments at Yale. Some departments which had exhibits were Yale Dining Services, Yale Recycling, RIS, and Procurement. Claire's Cornucopia had a display on creating a sustainable menu, and Fisher Scientific, California Paints, and Rideshare, also had exhibits.

"It was exciting to see conversations between vendors and attendees beginning about how we might better incorporate these products and services into what we all do," said Smiley.

The response to this year's Summit was far greater than anyone had expected, suggesting that future Summits may attract even more members of the Yale community. If you were a participant or an organizer, the Office of Sustainability would like to get your input regarding the Summit. Please take a moment to complete the survey at www.yale.edu/sustainability/summit/surveys.html.