Upon conducting a preliminary scan of a wide range of environmental issues facing the college, the Greening Saint Anselm College Task Force designated seven areas of environmental impact that the college needs to address:

Campus Education
The Task Force believes that educating the campus community about what they can do to support the environment is vital. The Task Force began a campus-wide education initiative in January 2007 to increase environmental awareness on campus with targeted electronic communications to the students, faculty, and staff. The Task Force will also work to support, enhance, and increase environmental teaching within the college curriculum.

Recycling and Waste Reduction
The Task Force seeks to have the college implement a broad scale recycling effort. A plan will be developed and then submitted, with a specific budget, as an action item in November 2007 for phased implementation starting in July 2008. Efforts will be made between now and then to increase recycling of all materials by educating the campus population and possibly making additional recycling containers available in or around resident halls.

Utility Conservation
The Task Force seeks to promote energy, heating, lighting, electricity, and water conservation. The goal is to optimize resident hall heating and ventilation, continue to install motion sensors for lights in all classrooms, investigate the possible utilization of solar and wind energy, raise awareness of water use, and continue to install censors on water faucets. Specific action items may be submitted by November 2007.

Transportation
The Task Force will encourage the reduction in fuel consumption by campus vehicles and machines as well as all members of the campus community. The Task Force will work to promote a more walking and biking friendly campus and possibly establish a fuel-efficient shuttle. Student Ride Boards should be created as well as creative incentives to limit car use. Faculty carpooling will also be encouraged. A long-term goal is to shift the college automobile fleet towards hybrids and less fuel consuming vehicles.

Institutional Habits, Planning, and Procurement
The Task Force will work to ensure that its environmental concerns and ideas are addressed within the Campus Master Plan and other short and long-term college planning initiatives. Specific concerns include, but are not limited to, Master Plan development and implementation, planning for and maintenance of roads (salt, plowing), woods management, tree inventory, and the introduction of “green thinking” in the procurement of all products from outside vendors in all departments.

Chemical Hygiene
The Take Force will work within the present infrastructure to sustain and enhance current vigilance on chemical disposal, and encourage through number 5 (procurement) to move towards more environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

Food Acquisition, Preparation, and Conservation
The Task Force will work with Dining Services to investigate and implement ways to reduce food waste, as well as procure and prepare more recyclable materials, specifically in the college Coffee Shop.