Choose

The university will be an environmentally literate community whose members think critically and act, individually and collectively, as model stewards of the natural world. – A JMU Defining Characteristic

Office of the President Clarification on EO82 (7/7/09)




JMU is well on its way to complying with Executive Order 82, issued by Governor Kaine on June 10. Because the university's deep commitment to Environmental Stewardship in general and the establishment of the Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World(http://www.jmu.edu/stewardship/about.html) specifically, many of the initiatives outlined in the Executive Order are already under way on campus. These include the development of policies addressing reduced energy and water consumption as well as reducing waste generated. In fact, JMU is well ahead on efforts such as recycling, the use of alternative fuels, the LEED certification of buildings as well as "green procurement".

There are three specific elements of the Executive Order about which we are receiving questions.

Green Commonwealth Challenge

As part of the Executive Order, the Governor issued the "Green Commonwealth Challenge" as a volunteer program to engage the state workforce in the greening effort. As mentioned, JMU is already well under way in establishing many of the greening initiatives described in the challenge and we heartily endorse the idea of the challenge and the potential benefit of good-natured competition among state agencies. The reporting requirements to participate in the Challenge appear geared more toward centralized agencies rather than residential living and working communities such as JMU and would create an excessive administrative burden at a time when we must reduce administrative expenses.  We, therefore, will not be officially participating in the Green Commonwealth Challenge.

Statewide Telework Day

Telework, or telecommuting, is the practice of authorizing employees to conduct all or part of their work day from home. The Commonwealth implements telecommuting to promote workplace efficiency and reduce strain on transportation infrastructure.  Although there is not the burden on transportation and traffic congestion in Harrisonburg as there may be in other parts of the state, JMU is already in the process of identifying certain positions at the university that may qualify for telecommuting or otherwise authorized for alternative work schedules. We will report those designations to Richmond in January as required. However, in order to be authorized to telework, an employee must have an existing telework agreement on file with the university. Since JMU has no telework agreements at this time, we will not be participating in the Statewide Telework Day on August 3.

Purchase of Water in Individual Containers

According to the Executive Order, No agency or institution shall procure water in individual serving-sized containers made of plastic except for use in emergencies or for safety and health reasons. This will represent a change for JMU.   As of today, we will comply with this executive order and expenditures will not be authorized for water sold in individual serving-size containers of plastic.  Questions about the implementation of this executive order should be referred to the respective Associate Vice Pres