Sustainability relates to the environmental impact of human activity, the enhancement of social systems and the improvement of economic prosperity a triumvirate of factors commonly known as the "triple bottom line." The recognition of the required balance among these three issues has been characterized as sustainable growth. As an institution of higher education and leadership, as well as a public university supported by tax dollars, Grand Valley has a responsibility to practice sustainable growth. The university does this by maintaining the quality of education offered to students, keeping costs low, protecting the environment, and working to improve society, and helping students shape their lives.
The report will be released as part of Campus Sustainability Day. The day-long event on the Allendale Campus features speakers and roundtable discussions on sustainability. Highlights include a presentation by Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell at 10 a.m. and an overview of Grand Valley's sustainability efforts by Grand Valley Vice President Tim Schad at 11 a.m. Both of those sessions will be in Room 164 of the new, eco-friendly Lake Ontario Hall. Visit www.gvsu.edu/sustainability for a complete schedule or to download an electronic copy of the report after October 26.
The report provides an overview of Grand Valley's social, economic and environmental performance for the past five years. It is the culmination of a year's worth of work by a steering committee that included more than 50 people from all sectors of the university, from faculty to facilities services. "I found a high degree of support, cooperation and collaboration," said Norman Christopher, director of the Sustainability Initiative at Grand Valley.
While the current report mainly looks at what has already been done, Christopher said he hopes it will spark a conversation and comments that will result in new initiatives. "Feedback will come from within the university and from the community at large, and that's going to drive where we are going in the future," Christopher said.
