– SGA President Peter Friedrichs ’10 outlined the newest plans by the Automobile Congestion and Pollution Reduction Task Force. He first compared Conn’s parking plans to those at other, similar institutions, particularly other NESCAC schools. Connecticut College is one of the few colleges that have parking alongside major buildings, as opposed on the outskirts of campus.
There is a detailed Master Plan full of future plans for Connecticut College parking, including raising the price of parking permits, closing off Cro Boulevard to cars and a parking lottery system. Targeting the unnecessary driving that happens within our campus (for example, Harris to Cummings, or from the Ridge to Cro), the Task Force admitted to having aesthetic reasons for these changes, but more importantly, they are worried about students’ health, amidst the rise of childhood obesity in the United States.
The information presented to the Assembly is currently a work in progress.
-The Assembly voted on SGA action regarding Think Outside the Bottle Day, a day-long activity to raise awareness about alcohol abuse, targeting the health and wellness of Conn students. Think Outside the Bottle Day is now an SGA-approved and partially funded event.
– The Assembly voted to offset 15 percent of electricity consumption with the purchase of 2,250 MWh of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in order to implement on-campus renewable initiatives. They also approved a two-year agreement (2009-2011) to purchase Green-e Certified, 100 percent wind Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to offset 15 percent of our electricity purchase.
There is $35,000 in the Environmental Modeling Committee budget that will roll over for next year.
