An environmental policy may be coming to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the near future.

Campus groups, including the Student Sierra Coalition (SSC) and the Environmental Council, are going to make an effort to persuade UWM’s administration to adopt an environmental policy. UWM currently does not have any official environmental policy.

Christina Buffington, coordinator for the Conservation & Environmental Sciences program at UWM, said that an environmental policy is necessary at UWM to make sure that the school is doing whatever it can to maintain high standards of environmental consciousness.

“I think that an environmental policy can focus individual efforts to help see that the system is accountable and responsible,” Buffington said.

The goal for Buffington and others is to get UWM to accept the Talloires Declaration. The Talloires Declaration is a document signed by university presidents and chancellors all over the world stating that their universities will “address ... fundamental problems and reverse the trends” of environmental pollution and degradation. Three UW schools have signed the Talloires Declaration, the most recent being UW-Oshkosh this past October. UW-Madison and UW-Stevens Point are the other two UW schools to sign it.

Buffington said the next step in the process of getting UWM to sign off on the Talloires Declaration is to get students involved. Buffington wants students to understand the importance of “promoting responsible environmental stewardship,” she said. After that, she hopes that the SSC, the Environmental Council and other concerned groups can open a dialogue with the school’s administration.

“We’re going to find out what the chancellor’s office likes or dislikes about (the proposal) and see what can go in its place,” Buffington said.

The SSC recently sent the administration a letter outlining its concerns for UWM, addressing why group members feel it is important for the school to sign the Talloires Declaration.

Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administrative Affairs Sue Weslow said the administration looks forward to working with faculty and students in coming to an agreement on a school environmental policy. She said that Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administrative Affairs Sherwood Wilson will likely meet with the concerned groups sometime in February.

“We want to do something to raise awareness of environmental concerns on campus,” Weslow said.

Provost Rita Cheng added that the school’s administration is “always looking for new ideas” for ways to make the school more environmentally friendly.

“We’re making an effort to become more ‘green,’ and working with the faculty here is the first step in making that happen,” Cheng said.

If all goes according to plan, Buffington thinks UWM could adopt an environmental policy within the next 12 months.

> Comments