UMass sustainability coordinator works to implement green practices on campus

Josh Stoffel, a 23-year-old graduate student, sits at his desk on the fourth floor of Hills North. He is occupied answering phone calls and making notes on his computer. It is a busy day for him. As the only sustainability coordinator on campus, Stoffel’s schedule consists of work in the office, classes, and then more work. The balancing act isn’t easy, but for him, it's all worth it.

“I’m extremely happy [with the position],” he said. But in terms of balancing school work and a job Stoffel says, “It’s very difficult to balance the two. I often have difficulty doing so, but it is definitely worth the effort.”

Within the Five College System, Smith and UMass are the only schools to have sustainability coordinators. Their job is to focus soley on environmental problems and fix them through green practices. Stoffel averages a 40 hour work week on top of taking classes to complete his masters degree in higher education. His salary is evenly split among four departments on campus. The Physical Plant, Facilities and Campus Planning, the College of Natural Sciences and the Administration and Finance Office all contribute to paying Stoffel’s tuition.

A former undergraduate majoring in Environmental Sciences at UMass, Stoffel knows the environmental challeneges the school faces. He's working on the University’s Climate Action Plan, a requirement of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment that President of UMass, Jack M. Wilson signed in 2007. The goal is for institutions to eventually become carbon neutral.

Stoffel says that UMass officials are developing a Climate Action Plan, but have yet to decide if carbon neutrality will be included.

“Administrators are hesitant to put it in the plan because it is such a lofty goal,” he said. “I plan to push to have it in the plan though. Having carbon neutrality is an important goal and something we need to do as an institution.”

The College of the Atlantic is the only school in the U.S. that has reached the goal of carbon neutrality. Stoffel realizes that the effort represents a huge undertaking, especially for a large institution like UMass.

“It will require new technology and innovative ideas,” he said.

On October 7 through the eighth, Johnson Controls held sustainability workshops for faculty, staff and students. The group found several environmental needs to focus on during the year, such as increasing the use of energy from renewable sources and maintaining healthy indoor air environments.

At the end of the workshop, Johnson Controls gathered feedback on possible solutions. Ideas like installing solar panels on buildings and natural ventilation in buildings were desicussed. The Environmental Performance Advisory Committee will use the information to work on the Climate Action Plan.

Stoffel said that he thought the day was a "huge success."

“Not only were we able to collect thoughts and perspectives from many stakeholders across campus, but they interacted as well,” he said. “That’s the key to sustainability. To be able to bring people in groups who have different goals and initiatives to work on the common goal of sustainability.”