College of the Atlantic
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

In 2009, the college created a standing committee to ensure a democratic and transparent method of managing social, economic, and environmental sustainability while also highlighting the importance of sustainability at COA. As the Campus Committee for Sustainability (CCS) charter reads, the committee’s purpose is to: encourage and maintain a sense of social and environmental accountability in all aspects of the college’s operation; promote leadership, responsibility, and involvement among COA community members regarding issues of sustainability; maintain and encourage transparency, oversight, and clarity in regard to college sustainability; and advise the COA community on the most environmentally and socially responsible courses of action.

Membership varies from term to term. CCS is student-led and typically has about a dozen student members, between 0-3 faculty, and the Sustainability Coordinator (staff). The committee is a part of the college's governance system.

The college's sustainability efforts are primarily organized out of the Community Energy Center. Within the center, there are two full-time staff members: the sustainability coordinator/Community Energy Center manager and the energy analyst. The sustainability coordinator works closely with many other areas of the college, including the sustainability functions that take place out of the buildings & grounds area, in addition to overseeing the college's Community Energy Center. In the buildings & grounds area, there is one staff member who devotes half of his time to recycling and waste minimization, as the Discarded Resources Manager. He is technically not employed in the sustainability office, so is not counted below, but is considered part of the college's sustainability staff.

The Campus Committee for Sustainability (CCS) is a student-led committee comprised of students, faculty, and staff which is charged with addressing small- and medium–scale sustainability initiatives on the College of the Atlantic campus. CCS works closely with the college's sustainability staff on all aspects of sustainability initiatives. Over the past three years they have been involved in revising the college's energy framework, developing the college's sustainable building policy, and coordinating annual energy challenges in the college's dorms, Recent accomplishments also include, but are not limited to: tripling the number of clotheslines on campus; procuring biodiesel for farm tractors, vehicles, and heating; arranging the donation of new electric vehicles to the college; establishing solar-powered electric vehicle charging stations on campus; developing and implementing campus signage on energy topics; and increasing covered bike storage.