Campus Conversations: Day 2

Tuesday’s activities (May 20) centered around workshops with non-teaching staff. Approximately 25 technical staff (mechanics, carpenters, and ground crew) met with Joel, Elikia, and Ben for sessions on workplace safety, water protection, and managing waste. Faculty and administrative staff often partake of workshops and professional development events, but technical staff have fewer opportunities. One of the strengths of Campus Conversations  was a range of activities to include the entire UCBC community.

Musabao, UCBC driver/mechanic

As educators, we pay attention to “unexpected outcomes”—those nuggets of new knowledge or ideas that pop up and surprise. Several unexpected outcomes popped up from this workshop.

For one thing the grounds crew expressed a desire for a snake guide to help identify venomous snakes. Generally, crew members kill any snakes they encounter. But Elikia and Ben explained the role snakes play in the eco-system, keeping rodents and other “critters” in check.

The team wanted to understand other workplace risks—basic safety matters that generally go unexplained. They were concerned about the dangers of chain-saws, hoes, and machetes, and identified the need to take appropriate steps for protection. Was this creation care? At first I didn't think so. It seemed to me that safe use of tools stands in a category separate from environmental stewardship. But, if creation care is about caring for all creation, then providing physical protection for people who work out in nature is no less important than addressing the human consequences of climate change (e.g., extreme weather changes, flooding, typhoons).

Joel discusses water pollution

The crew expressed interest in serving as ambassadors and managing  the campus as a teaching tool. They discussed the possibility of leading a native tree planting project and making labels to name and describe tree species and their use for medicinal, nutritional, or other purposes.

In the afternoon, Ben, Rachel, and Joel met with administrative and support/office staff to discuss responsible use of resources in the office workplace. Among the topics was how to better manage printing and copying needs to reduce waste and save money. The group also discussed the reality that sometimes doing the right thing is cost efficient. Sometimes it costs more. Environmental stewardship enjoys no respite from the tension between expediency and ethics.

Management of electronic waste also generated discussion. The group did not identify action steps; however, what did bubble up is that there are some students and faculty on campus interested in figuring out solutions. The group did not develop concrete action plans on this matter, but at least that had conversations.