March 10, 2010
On Tuesday, March 9, 2010 business executives,
environmental specialists, community leaders and students gathered
at the D’Angelo Center on the Queens campus of St. John’s
University for a networking breakfast program designed to share
information about environmental responsibility and energy
sustainability. The gathering was co-sponsored by the St.
John’s University Corporate Social Responsibility Council and the
Queens Chamber of Commerce.
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The event provided a unique opportunity to discuss the latest
innovations and techniques available to assist businesses within
the local community in their quest to make environmental
responsibility an important aspect of their daily operations.
It also allowed the University to share the many ways in which it
has become a recognized leader in sustainability activities across
all campuses.
“At St. John’s we’re always about seeking out the latest
research and embracing the latest teaching techniques so that we
can best serve our students and our community,” remarked James P.
Pellow, Ed.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer. “In each of those areas, we want to make sure that
we do things with impact – things that matter, are measurable and
truly make a difference. At St. John’s it’s all about making
a difference, and so bringing together the business community, the
leaders in this [energy sustainability] industry and our students
is a perfect opportunity to see where the intersection of these
interests come together and how we can incorporate the latest
thinking with a proactive implementation.”
St. John’s has long embraced the concept of social
responsibility as part of its mission of sharing its resources and
expertise with the external community. The com
mitment to
energy sustainability is one of the many ongoing initiatives
designed to put the University’s mission into action.
“Events like this are not simply about asking partners to join
with us in all of our work,” noted Joseph Sciame ’71Ed, Vice
President, Community Relations, “it’s actually about seeing
progress. When anyone walks around on our campuses, they’ll
see that the University is very concerned about the environment and
a sound sustainability program portends well for all of us in the
future. Events like this allow us to serve as a role model
for the local business community so that they can focus on becoming
more environmentally aware. The more that we do on the local
community level the greater the impact it will have on the larger
society.”
Business leaders in attendance were reminded that today’s
technology has gone a long way towards making sustainable energy a
cost-effective addition to their overall business strategy.
According to Rohit Aggarwala, Director of Long-Term Planning and
Sustainability, Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, “Going
green doesn’t necessarily cost more. Sustainability is about
smart thinking and efficiency. St. John’s is doing great
things in sustainability, and a real leader in being thoughtful,
action-oriented and committed to making a difference.”
The University has been a participant in Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg’s Million Trees Program from its inception. “The
trees that we’ve planted as part of this initiative will grow as
St. John’s grows,” said Sciame. “We’re responding to the
environment and also educating our young people to be responsible
in their actions once they leave the Univ
ersity and
become citizens of the larger society.”
Peter Fusaro, Chief Executive Officer, Global Change Associates
of New York agreed that sound fiscal practices and energy
conservation were a valuable combination for businesses large and
small. “In this time of economic stress, businesses can save
money doing the right thing, and that certainly resonates well with
everyone. The problem is that many small businesses don’t
know where to go to access government money or what technology is
available to them that they can use. There’s still an
educational component to be addressed and discussions like the one
we’re having today offer a practical, hands-on approach to the
issue.”
Although the event attracted a diverse population of
professionals from a variety of corporate entities, each shared a
commitment to intelligent energy management and a desire to share
that commitment in their own individual ways. Warren
Woodberry, President, Public Relations Division, Woodbury and
Associates Consulting was grateful for the opportunity to network
with and share ideas with colleagues from other
organizations. “We’re here today because our firm is hosting
an event in a few months on clean energy and ‘going green’
initiatives with the National Wildlife Federation,” he said.
“We wanted to share what we’re working on with St. John’s and with
the other business organizations in attendance. This event gave us
a great opportunity to make that happen.”
One of the many unique aspects of the St. John’s commitment to
environmental responsibility is reflected in the work of student
Sustainability Coordinators who go out throughout the University to
observe and make recommendations about how to conserve energy on
campus. They take action if they see energy being wasted,
such as lights burning in unoccupied rooms or heat escaping through
open windows or doors. Their presence is a reminder to
students about how everyone can make a difference in successful
energy management, and a number were present at today’s event.
“I’m a Sustainability Coordinator because I want to do something
to help eliminate any waste of energy at St. John’s,” said Kevin
Poon, a sophomore in St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences. “Today’s program was great, because it was nice to learn
about the many things that St. John’s is doing to reduce our carbon
footprint. If everyone does their part to save energy by
using it more effectively, we’ll be doing a real service for
ourselves and for those who will be taking our place in this world
years from now.”