Sustainability coordinator appointed

Erica Fuller has joined the Skidmore College staff as campus sustainability coordinator.

The position is made possible with support from the Educational Foundation of America, which awarded Skidmore a grant last year to fund a three-year pilot program to strengthen environmental awareness on campus. The grant provides salary and benefits of the sustainability coordinator for two years. The college will provide funding at the same level for a third year of the program. In addition to salary, the grant provides for a "green" component to assist the coordinator in launching new projects once they have been approved.

The new coordinator will be a member of the Campus Environment Committee, which consists of students, faculty, and staff, and will be a resource for the student Environmental Action Club (EAC). The sustainability coordinator will also work with the Environmental Studies Program to integrate "greening" more thoroughly into the curriculum and to expand opportunities for internships.

A 2001 graduate of Hamilton College, where she earned a B.A. degree in biology with a minor in environmental studies, Fuller earned an M.S. degree in environmental studies with a concentration in environmental education last year at Antioch University New England.

Fuller resides in Saratoga Springs and most recently worked at the Land Trust Alliance. Before that, she taught at the Montclair Kimberley Academy in New Jersey. She also has significant outdoor teaching experience, specifically at the Boston University Sargent Center for Outdoor Education.

Since joining the Skidmore community on Feb. 4, Fuller has spent time getting to know those at the college especially concerned with environmental awareness. She expressed pleasure at the number of initiatives currently under way, including the campus recycling program, the use of energy-conserving light bulbs, and the geothermal heat systems in Murray-Aikins Dining Facility and the Northwoods Village apartments. "I am thrilled to be here and am looking forward to helping make the community more aware of what is here and to work on new initiatives," she said.

One of Fuller's first tasks will be the development of a Web site that will include all current environmental activities on campus. "I'd like to help people learn about all the sustainability efforts now in place and present those initiatives in a coordinated, coherent way," she explained. "People believe that environmental issues are important and are on board with the idea. I think they are looking for leadership and ideas about how to make changes that matter."

One of her responsibilities will be to "help shift the perceptions of consumerism, especially in the areas of retail and energy consumption," said Fuller. "Often, we're on autopilot. I'm hoping to help people become more aware?more intentional?about their decisions."

Fuller says has been pleased by the welcome she has received. "I've been getting e-mails from students who are interested in environmental issues and my position at Skidmore," she said. She attended an EAC meeting and came away inspired. "I was blown away by the number of students attending. They were organized, excited, and articulate. I think people are concerned about environmental issues and are looking for ways to get more information and make more informed choices."

She sees her top priority as "creating relationships with people to develop interests and make things happen." Within a year, she hopes to help weave "environmental awareness and sustainability into the culture of Skidmore."

Her office is in the Facilities Services Department in North Hall. "When we make environmental changes, Facilities provides the support to make the changes happen," said Fuller. She reports to both Susan Kress, vice president for academic affairs, and Michael West, vice president for finance and administration.