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Environmental Studies Department
Olin Rice 249
1600 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-696-6274
Comments & questions to:
esson@macalester.edu

The Talloires Declaration at Macalester College:  A Case Study in Passing the Proverbial Buck

 By Jessica Minutaglio and Kelly Paulson
May 2001

Representatives from Macalester College signed the Talloires Declaration on 4 May 2000.  The signers included the President, two faculty members, two staff members, two students, two alumni, and two trustees.  This declaration has been signed by 279 colleges around the world from 1990-December 2000.  The text recognizes the need for environmental awareness on college campuses around the world, and suggests means by which the signatory institutions can help achieve the goals of “stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration.”

At Macalester, the impetus to sign the Talloires came from a subcommittee of the Campus Environmental Issues Committee (CEIC), in October of 1999.  The subcommittee on the College Environmental Policy Statement discussed the pillars of Macalester, the CEIC’s role in policymaking at the College, and options for drafting or signing some sort of environmental mission statement at Macalester.  Other declarations and statements were reviewed, such as Northland College’s sustainability statement and the Institute for Sustainable Development’s policies.  However, it was the Talloires Declaration that was eventually settled on by the whole CEIC, and after a long, arduous process of pushing the Talloires through six committees and selling it to administrators, the Talloires was accepted.  According to Provost Daniel Hornbach, Dr. Romero “made a good case that the principles aligned closely with Macalester’s.”  However, everyone agreed that the Declaration was relatively useless without a Macalester-specific implementation plan; so one was drafted and approved by the CEIC before the declaration was signed.

This implementation plan has four main points: (1) the CEIC is designated as the organization with the primary responsibility for implementation of the Talloires; (2) the CEIC will oversee the production of an annual Environmental State of the College Report, which would include information about Macalester’s paper, energy, chemical, water, trash/recycling, and food service practices, and would be widely distributed  around campus; (3) Macalester will adopt a formal procurement policy within a year after signing the Declaration, which would be developed by the CEIC in cooperation with purchasing staff; and (4) Macalester will “commit the human and financial resources necessary to make the implementation of these principles meaningful,” which mandated the hiring of a Director of College Environmental Affairs, who would work with the CEIC and a few student workers to oversee the implementation of the Talloires at Macalester.

The only problem with this implementation plan is that every step includes the CEIC.  The problem with that is that the CEIC’s last meeting was in November 2000, and only one of the four main points was implemented before then: the Environmental State of the College Report was produced by the Environmental Studies Senior Seminar, published on the web and presented at an EnviroThursday (though it was hardly “widely circulated on campus”).  However, the CEIC’s existence is not a precondition to implementation.  Without the CEIC, or even without a similar organization, the Talloires should theoretically be able to be fully implemented at Macalester.

We would propose that it is the last point in the implementation plan that most urgently needs to be addressed: the hiring of a single paid staff member at Macalester who would have the authority and responsibility to oversee implementation.  Since the new Strategic Directions Plan for Macalester is actually aiming to cut back on new hires of staff, this might seem like an impossible goal for Macalester right now; however, Romero himself has proposed several external sources of funding for positions just like this one so that the College would have to use only minimal resources to support such a position.  At any rate, the College did explicitly commit, in writing, to this implementation plan even before the Strategic Directions plan was unveiled.

So why has nothing happened?  We confronted administration and staff with this question and were faced with similar responses: ‘I thought that was the CEIC’s job;’ ‘Macalester is doing fine:’ responses that were disconcerting because they were misinformed.  No one that we spoke with seemed to know that the CEIC was no longer meeting, and people were even more reluctant to consider the possibility that someone else might have to shoulder some responsibility for implementing the Talloires.  We also asked students, faculty, and staff if they had even heard of the Talloires Declaration, and if so, what they knew about it.  The results of our survey, reported below, reveal that campus awareness about the Talloires is quite low.

We asked 128 students, faculty, and staff (at least 5% of each demographic group, divided by gender) the following question: “Have you ever heard of the Talloires Declaration?”  If they answered yes (unfortunately, a rare occurrence) we followed up with “What can you tell me about the basic principles of this declaration?”  The results were less than inspiring.  Among students, no first-year females had even heard of the Talloires, although junior females were relatively well-informed, with five of twelve surveyed responding that yes, they had heard of it (though only two of them could say anything correct about the document).  Staff responses showed a definite need for publicity among their ranks: only one of 22 staff surveyed had even heard of it, and she did not know anything more about it.  It is worth noting that several of the staff were from Physical Plant, whose director, Mark Dickinson, signed the Talloires, and the Declaration is displayed in Physical Plant.  Among faculty, four of the five males polled said “yes,” but all but one of those didn’t know anything else about it, whereas of four female faculty who said yes, three were able to elucidate on it.  It appears that the females were just more honest.  The Macalester community as a whole was fairly consistent with the student results, probably partly because the students were the largest proportion of the entire group.  For students, faculty, and staff together, only 23% said “yes,” and about half of those, 11%, were able to say anything correct about the principles of the Talloires Declaration, even if all they were able to say was that it was “something environmental.”  One result of the coincidence with the sweatshop issue was that several students were certain they knew something about the Talloires Declaration, and went on to say that it was “about fair trade” or the “garment industry.”  Overall, the results clearly show that awareness on campus, among all demographics, is painfully low.

Since one of the major tenets of the implementation plan is regarding procurement policy, we spoke with Jim Jeffers (13 March 2001), the head of purchasing, who was also mentioned by Dr. Romero as being an environmentally minded fellow.  There has not, as of yet, been any formally written procurement policy.  In fact, for purchasing most things the college needs, Macalester pitches in with the other ACTC schools and all the colleges go into a contract together, and environmental issues are discussed and taken into consideration during procurement decisions.  These contracts are the closest thing Macalester has to a purchasing policy.  However, Jeffers seemed optimistic about the nature of our current purchasing practices.  He boasted that we buy mostly recycled paper products, Macalester recycles used toner (copier) cartridges, fluorescent lights, and batteries, and invests in long-life lights.  The cleaning products used by Physical Plant now come in a concentrated form, so it needs to be ordered less often and the containers become empty trash less frequently—in fact, the jugs used for the concentrate are sent back to be refilled and reused.  The majority of these purchasing decisions are not only environmentally more friendly, but are less expensive for the college.  Therefore, it is difficult to separate the two incentives for purchasing decisions; perhaps a procurement policy could mandate environmentally motivated decisions even when they are not the less expensive option. 

For the most part, Macalester’s purchasing practices have been completely unaffected by the signing of the Talloires, but Jeffers felt that the Declaration has helped to raise campus awareness; as we will see later, the campus awareness about the Talloires itself is shamefully low.  When asked why he thought none of the principles of the Talloires had been implemented, Jeffers replied that he was under the impression that implementation was the responsibility of the CEIC.  He was not aware that the CEIC was no longer a functioning committee.

Jeffers was very excited about the reduction in chemical use since the renovation of the Olin/Rice Science buildings, about five years ago.  When these new buildings were built, a central chemical stockroom was written into the plans.  The Macalester stockroom is equipped with a computer system that can track the location, volume, vendor, purity, date received, state, and other information about every bottle and jar of chemicals on campus, thanks to a handy bar-coding system and the organizational skills of Heather McCollor (interviewed 4 April 2001).  Again, this reduces chemical waste and is more cost-effective, since all departments must get and return chemicals to the central stock.  When chemicals get old or overstocked, they are purged from the stockroom and taken by a hazardous waste disposal company for proper disposal.  However, it seems that however environmentally friendly these practices might profess to be, the primary motive for the college is economics.

Meetings with our provost, Dan Hornbach, and president, Mike McPherson, only illuminated the complications that exist over owning responsibility for the Talloires Declaration at Macalester.  While working through the process of evaluating the proposal for Macalester to sign and integrate the principles of the Talloires Declaration into the college, President McPherson had two major concerns.  He wanted to be (1) sure that the Talloires Declaration would not be left as purely symbolic, and (2) clear that the Talloires Declaration could in no way insure shortcuts in the regular government process and authority of the college.  Initially McPherson looked into what other types of institutions were supporting it, and found that the Talloires was created with “Euro-national universities,” housing degrees in environmental management, in mind.  Therefore, McPherson was concerned with how the Talloires would be adapted to the environment of the small liberal arts college like Macalester.  Dan Hornbach, told us that President McPherson had asked the CEIC to come up with a safeguard for commitment to the Talloires Declaration by creating a Macalester-specific implementation plan.  As evidenced in the committee minutes posted as a link on the Environmental Studies home page, and as far as Sarah Ullmer, student signatory and CEIC member at the time, could best recollect, it was by the initiative of the CEIC that an implementation plan was developed to be submitted with the Declaration.  Sarah recalled in particular one of many meetings where a decision to create the implementation plan was made with significant encouragement from faculty member, Brett Smith, because the committee felt strongly that it was important to hold Macalester to something substantial beyond a presidential signature. Elucidating the inaction in regard to the Talloires as of a year gone by, McPherson asserted that the implementation plan itself is not a commitment.

Sarah affirmed that a lot of time and energy went into talking about the method of how the Talloires would be presented and signed.  First, they gathered a signatory committee that consisted of a wide-spectrum of members from the Macalester community so that it would not appear to be merely a group of grassroots-oriented students that wanted something environmental to get passed.  Second, the CEIC aimed to insure that the Talloires would not be just another thing Macalester signs to keep the peace, but that would eventually get swept under the carpet.  The Talloires Declaration underwent a process of scrutiny while it was being considered for signing, and was presented to several different committees.  In particular, Dr. Romero recalled that the toughest opposition it faced came from within, surprisingly enough, the Social Responsibility Committee (SRC).  This committee had recently been formed as an extension of the Long-Range Planning Committee by President McPherson, as he himself explained, in the context of the sweatshop controversy.  The proposal for the signing of the Talloires Declaration was passed onto the SRC while it was in the midst of negotiating a Macalester code of conduct for apparel.  Sarah and other members of the CEIC feared, perhaps justifiably, that in light of the sweatshop issues current at the time, the Talloires Declaration was finally approved so as to avoid any more “trouble.”

In February of 2001, Dr. Romero received a questionnaire from Tarah Sharon Alexandra Wright of the University of Alberta, Canada, in regards to a study she was conducting for a paper entitled, A Review of Definitions and Frameworks for Sustainability in Higher Education.  Wright requested updated information concerning Macalester College and its commitment to the Talloires Declaration and its implementation plan after over nine months had passed since its signing.  Based on the information she had about Macalester College and its signing of the Talloires Declaration, she concluded the request with “We think your college is an excellent example of a college that is trying to become more sustainable.”  In her paper, Wright classified Macalester in category (c) with three signatories to the Talloires “that have incorporated the umbrella principles of the declaration into their own institutional sustainability policy and are attempting to implement that institutional policy rather than the declaration itself within their institution [in press].”  Romero responded with, “I would rather say that our College is a good example of an Academic Program (Environmental Studies Program) trying to practice what it preaches.  That cannot be extended to the College as a whole, though.”

This year, Dr. Romero (official Co-chair of the CEIC, as signed on the Talloires Declaration) has sent electronic memos out to relevant parties including the President and Development Office in regard to funding for support of a person to head the CEIC.  He actually received no responses.  The Provost, Dan Hornbach, and President McPherson both said that they were not aware of any such initiative having been brought forward.  President McPherson stated that he expected Dr. Romero and Mark Dickinson, head of Physical Plant and the other Co-chair of the CEIC, as appearing on the Talloires Declaration, to advance agendas pertinent to the implementation of the Talloires.  By this, he means that he encourages formal proposals to ensue from the CEIC.  However, he did not fail to make clear that any proposals would go through the regular decision-making process of the college.  He is “quite concerned about changing the authority of the college.”  Therefore, the implementation plan that was drafted with criteria specific to Macalester to ensure that when the college adopted the Talloires Declaration it would take on significant meaning for the community and its environment, is not binding. 

In response to the question “Why would we, Macalester, sign something we couldn’t hold ourselves to?” Mark Dickinson said, “There is no good answer.”  One year ago, members of the committee were wrought with good intentions and enthusiasm to which Dr. Romero was greatly instrumental.  Then, it was “the right thing to do,” and now, we need to walk the talk.  The Talloires Declaration is important, but does not prove urgent in the day-to-day job of each individual within the community it is supposed to inform.  In the daily routine, the Talloires Declaration will get put on the back burner, or get crowded out by, rather than being integrated in, the regular tasks that one’s occupation demands.  This, as Mark Dickinson concluded, “is human nature.”

In her paper, Wright presents a dialogue:

Does an institution need to sign an international declaration to move along the continuum of sustainability?

…being a signatory to a national or international agreement is not a valid indicator of an institution’s dedication to sustainability. However national or international declarations are just as important as institutional policies.  Declarations are significant because they symbolize the prominence of the sustainability movement, aid in the communication of major ideas to universities around the world, and implore those who have not committed to any sustainability initiatives to “get on board.”  Implementation plans and university sustainability policies are also important because they seem to determine the degree to which a university will attempt institutional environmental change and engage in sustainability initiatives [in press].

At a meeting hosted by Second Nature at Oberlin College regarding environmental issues on college campuses, Dan Hornbach presented our unique CEIC proposal for a joint international declaration and Macalester-specific implementation plan.  He shared that many at the meeting saw this action as bold for an institution to have taken such steps.  Perhaps we ought to live up to tenets we signed our college on to by addressing the difficulty we have thus far faced with regards to accountability.  It is time to prove that the signing of the Talloires Declaration is not just an exercise in public relations, but that we believe the document can and ought to affect change, and we as a college community are committed to making that a realization.   

In her paper, Tarah Wright rightly quotes the University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (1990) :  “Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage society’s institutions.” [In press]  Therefore we at Macalester have a moral obligation to follow through with the implementation plan that we as a college signed to effectively realize the principles of the Talloires Declaration.  Tarah Wright addresses in her paper the difficulties that a number of institutions of higher education have faced in the implementation of international doctrines and also their own implementation policies.  Despite the fact that Macalester may share similar implementation problems, it still does not make them okay that our college has signed on to a declaration that it can not or will not hold itself to.

As previously mentioned, the only point of the implementation plan that is realized to some degree today is that of the output of an annual Environmental State of the College report that is carried out by Environmental Studies senior seminar students, which has not been disseminated beyond being placed on the Environmental Studies Program web page.  Further, after each year, those senior students graduate, leaving behind only the same task of uncovering Macalester’s environmental conditions for the next class.  The knowledge does not rest long enough in the student body of the Macalester community for it to permeate or be distributed campus-wide.  Campus-awareness needs to be sustained.  Appendix B is an article that we, Jessica Minutaglio and Kelly Paulson, wrote specifically in recognition and for the education of the Talloires Declaration and the anniversary of its signing to be published in the Mac Weekly, and  that finally was not accepted for the week’s issue.  Community members have to play their parts, including students disillusioned veritable inaction.  The CEIC ought to be rejuvenated by ardent and invested supporters and supposed members.  Yes, theoretically the Talloires should be able to be implemented at Macalester without the CEIC.  But yes, the first point of the implementation plan indicates that the CEIC is identified as the group with primary responsibility for effectively implementing the Talloires Principles at Macalester.

When asked what would be then the next step necessary to set the ball in motion with regards to implementation of the Talloires at Macalester, with particular attention to point  4) Staff and Financial Commitment:  The College will commit the human and financial resources necessary to make the implementation of these principles meaningful. Specifically, the College will create and fill the position of "Director of College Environmental Affairs." This person would be given the responsibility and authority to oversee the implementation of the Declaration in cooperation with the CEIC., President McPherson stated that he would need to see a formal proposal whose impetus he would expect would come from the CEIC, and that would then undergo the normal college decision-making procedures.  Mike asserted that a great deal goes into considering the hiring of a professional.  However what is there exactly to consider?  Is not the commitment of college human and financial resources to create and fill the position of “Director of College Environmental Affairs” written in the implementation plan?  It is opportunity costs and budgetary issues in staff and faculty priorities that stand in the way.  Professor Al Romero questions where the loss lies.  The college would benefit from a good image, and saving money, while the job is getting done.  Dan Hornbach voiced concern that environmental issues on campus would then become one sole person’s responsibility.

Are we not aiming in some way to take responsibility for implementing the Talloires Declaration that is now a signed document on Macalester College grounds?  President McPherson has stated that he would “like to see the Talloires Declaration function as a road map to reach the right areas of campus for long-lasting basic responsibility.”  Now the person hired to fill the position of  “Director of College Environmental Affairs” could be instrumental in carrying out assessment and directing campus energies in adopting the most responsible policies possible with regards to the premises of the Talloires Declaration as an entire Macalester college community.

Finally, our provost has argued that in his mind’s eye it is more important not whether or not Macalester college is using pesticides or herbicides on the lawns, but rather that we have educational program that encourage students to ask these kinds of  questions concerning a sustainable future within the local environment and the global environment at large.  Then what exactly is the purpose of signing on to an international declaration for commitment to global environmental sustainability?  How can students of the Macalester community expect that they have the potential to affect change in their greater global community if they are not exposed to the means and possibilities in their own campus environment?  Macalester college is certainly above all recognized as an institution of education, a place of learning.   The key to addressing the existing  implementation plan that would hold Macalester College accountable to the Talloires Declaration  that it signed a year ago must be equitable communication and cooperation between all members and at all levels within the Macalester community.

APPENDIX A:  The text of the Talloires Declaration, names of Macalester representatives, and Macalester’s own Implementation Plan.  (from www.macalester.edu/~envirost/tallories.htm)

Macalester College's Commitment to the Environment

Preamble

As signatories of the Talloires Declaration, we fully endorse its spirit and aims, while recognizing the need to adapt its specifics to Macalester's situation as a small liberal arts college. The Implementation Plan below identifies key steps for Macalester to pursue in signing the Talloires Declaration. We hereby commit to bringing these proposed actions before the established governing bodies of the college for consideration and advancement, as may be appropriate.

Talloires Declaration
(Pronounced TAL-WHAR)

We, the presidents, rectors, and vice chancellors of universities from all regions of the world are deeply concerned about the unprecedented scale and speed of environmental pollution and degradation, and the depletion of natural resources.

Local, regional, and global air and water pollution; accumulation and distribution of toxic wastes; destruction and depletion of forests, soil, and water; depletion of the ozone layer and emission of "green house" gases threaten the survival of humans and thousands of other living species, the integrity of the earth and its biodiversity, the security of nations, and the heritage of future generations. These environmental changes are caused by inequitable and unsustainable production and consumption patterns that aggravate poverty in many regions of the world.

We believe that urgent actions are needed to address these fundamental problems and reverse the trends. Stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration are crucial elements in creating an equitable and sustainable future for all humankind in harmony with nature.

Universities have a major role in the education, research, policy formation, and information exchange necessary to make these goals possible. Thus, university leaders must initiate and support mobilization of internal and external resources so that their institutions respond to this urgent challenge.

We, therefore, agree to take the following actions:

1. Use every opportunity to raise public, government, industry, foundation, and university awareness by openly addressing the urgent need to move toward an environmentally sustainable future.
2. Encourage all universities to engage in education, research, policy formation, and information exchange on population, environment, and development to move toward global sustainability.
3. Establish programs to produce expertise in environmental management, sustainable economic development, population, and related fields to ensure that all university graduates are environmentally literate, and have the awareness and understanding to be ecologically responsible citizens.
4. Create programs to develop the capability of university faculty to teach environmental literacy to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.
5. Set an example of environmental responsibility by establishing institutional ecology policies and practices of resource conservation, recycling, waste reduction, and environmentally sound operations.
6. Encourage involvement of government, foundations, and industry in supporting interdisciplinary research, education, policy formation, and information exchange in environmentally sustainable development. Expand work with community and nongovernmental organizations to assist in finding solutions to environmental problems
7. Convene university faculty and administrators with environmental practitioners to develop curricula, research initiatives, operations systems, and outreach activities to support an environmentally sustainable future.
8. Establish partnerships with primary and secondary schools to help develop the capacity for interdisciplinary teaching about population, environment, and sustainable development.
9. Work with national and international organizations to promote a worldwide university effort toward a sustainable future.
10. Establish a Secretariat and a steering committee to continue this momentum, and to inform and support each other's efforts in carrying out this declaration.

Implementation Plan

1. Implementing Organization: The Campus Environmental Issues Committee (CEIC) is designated as the group with primary responsibility for effectively implementing the Talloires Principles at Macalester.
   
2. Reporting Requirement: The CEIC will oversee the preparation and dissemination of an annual Environmental State of the College Report. The first report will be due one year after the signing of the Declaration and will include baseline data and information about Macalester's performance regarding the Talloires Principles and prioritized strategies for improving this performance. The report will include specific data regarding the impact of college practices on the environment such as paper, energy, chemical, and water use, waste disposal and recycling, and food services practices. The CEIC will work to assure that the information contained in this report is widely circulated on campus and within the broader community.
   
3. Procurement Policy: Within one year after the signing of the declaration, the college will adopt a formal procurement policy recognizing the importance of taking environmental factors into account as college purchases are made. This policy will include formal codification of "green purchasing" practices currently being implemented on campus as well as guidance on additional practices where environmental factors are important. The details of this procurement policy will be developed by the CEIC in cooperation with those responsible for college purchasing decisions.
   
4. Staff and Financial Commitment: The College will commit the human and financial resources necessary to make the implementation of these principles meaningful. Specifically, the College will create and fill the position of "Director of College Environmental Affairs." This person would be given the responsibility and authority to oversee the implementation of the Declaration in cooperation with the CEIC. In addition, the College will assign 2-3 work study students to the project to do research, outreach, education, etc. Responsibilities of the Director would include the following:
       

• Chair the Campus Environmental Issues Committee along with an Executive Committee made up of the Director of Environmental Studies and Physical Plant Director and a student representative;
  
• Oversee preparation of the annual report on The Environmental State of the College. This would be done in cooperation with the CEIC and others, including students in the Senior Environmental Studies Seminar or other classes with related research interests;
  
• Develop linkages and connections with other educational and community institutions in the pursuit of sustainability;
  
• Review major College decisions and decision making procedures to assess environmental impacts. Seek opportunities for cost effective environmental measure which both improve environmental performance and reduce costs;
  
• Undertake fund-raising activities (e.g., grants for innovative environmental practices, gifts for specific projects related to the Talloires Declaration) to further support Macalester's sustainability initiatives; and
  
• Identify training opportunities and educational strategies regarding sustainability practices for College faculty, staff, and students.

This implementation plan, along with the Talloires Declaration itself, is signed by representatives of the Administration, Trustees, Faculty, Staff, Student Body, and Alumnae.

Signed on May 4, 2000, by the following:

-- Michael McPherson, President

-- Aldemaro Romero, Environmental Studies Program Director
    Co-chair Campus Environmental Issues Committee

-- Mark Dickinson, Director of Physical Plant
    Co-chair Campus Environmental Issues Committee

-- James Stewart, James Wallace Professor

-- Patty Pfalz, Biology Department Coordinator

-- Sarah Ullmer, Student, ’00

-- Joel Creswell, Student, ’02

-- Phoebe Vanselow, Alumni, ’99

-- Laura Phillips, Alumni, ’99

-- Susan Haigh, Trustee

-- David Ranheim, Trustee

APPENDIX B:  Mac Weekly article written by Kelly Paulson and Jessica Minutaglio (actually not published, but that’s another story…)

One-Year Anniversary of Talloires Declaration Signing

By Jessica Minutaglio and Kelly Paulson

A year ago today, representatives of Macalester College, including President McPherson, students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni, signed onto the Talloires Declaration.  According to a survey we recently carried out, near 88% of our Macalester student community could not identify any of the basic principles of this Declaration, and 80% had never even heard of the Talloires Declaration.  As one of Macalester’s pillars is education, we feel an obligation to reduce these numbers to zero.

The Talloires Declaration was created in 1990 at an international conference of university leaders in Talloires, France.  It has since been signed by ­279 colleges around the world.  The text recognizes the need for environmental awareness and a commitment to global sustainability on college campuses around the world, and suggests means by which the signatory institutions can help achieve the goals of “stabilization of human population, adoption of environmentally sound industrial and agricultural technologies, reforestation, and ecological restoration.”  The original impetus for Macalester’s adoption of the Talloires came from the Campus Environmental Issues Committee (CEIC) in 1999.

The Talloires Declaration signed here was accompanied by a Macalester-specific Implementation Plan that includes the following mandates:  the designation of the CEIC as the organization with the primary responsibility for implementation of the Talloires; the production of an annual Environmental State of the College Report, which would include information about Macalester’s paper, energy, chemical, water, trash/recycling, and food service practices, and would be distributed  around campus; the adoption of  a formal procurement policy within a year after signing the Declaration, which would be developed by the CEIC in cooperation with purchasing staff; and the commitment of “human and financial resources necessary to make the implementation of these principles meaningful,” which mandates the hiring of a Director of College Environmental Affairs, who would work with the CEIC and a few student workers to oversee the implementation of the Talloires at Macalester.

With the exception of a campus Environmental Audit performed last spring (you can read this on the web at www.macalester.edu/environmentalstudies/audits/envaudits.htm), none of these steps have been implemented, and the CEIC has since dissolved.  For further reading concerning the Talloires Declaration at Macalester, links are easily accessible from the Environmental Studies Program home page.  The Talloires Declaration itself can be found at www.macalester.edu/environmentalstudies/talloires.htm.  In light of the absence of the CEIC and limited campus-wide awareness of the Talloires Declaration, we see it is the business of the entire Macalester community to claim ownership and take on the responsibility of implementing the principles of a document that representatives of Macalester agreed was important to sign a year ago today.

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Comments and questions to esson@macalester.edu