Attached are the discussion notes from "Engaging Appropriate Actors:  Administration, Faculty, and Operations Staff and the Ideas that Unite Them."  What comments do you find most helpful?  Do you see any cross-cutting themes that might be the beginnings of a "how-to" manual on creating living laboratories for sustainability?

Session 1 Discussion Notes (in response to the following questions)
1.    What obstacles have you encountered when trying to engage Administration, Faculty, and Operations Staff in sustainability initiatives? Who is the most responsive? Who is the least responsive? How have you overcome the obstacles?
§    Operations staff approaching problems through “business as usual”.  This was overcome by sending operations staff to the Ball State Conference.
§    Reluctance to idea of sustainability
§    Staff/faculty must do this “off the side of their desk”—not funded for LL work
§    Funding (for staff time and projects)
§    Cross-institutional communication that is required for LL is lacking
§    Troubles identifying goal of LL
§    Difficulty finding appropriate leadership (from existing administrators or “from the ranks”)
§    Tying in smaller efforts into a coordinated LL
§    Scaling up to make the whole campus a LL
§    Identifying barriers
§    The time necessary to create a movement
§    Disagreement over the definition of sustainability
§    State policy (ie purchasing policy) contradicting sustainability
§    Faculty ignorance about sustainability
§    Lack of reward system for interdisciplinary work
§    Media focusing on higher costs of sustainability, rather than savings potential
§    Continuity of funding and human resources
Additional notes from table discussion:
§    Overcoming silos/traditional campus boundaries
§    How to unify commitments from divergent groups
§    Conservative / resistant senior leadership.  Overcome by developing community & student support, a diverse/expansive stakeholder group, continual engagement, permanent commitment & participation of deans and other leaders


2.    If you wanted to create a living laboratory for sustainability at your institution who would be most important?  Administration, faculty, students or operations staff and why?
§    Students are a very important stakeholder—maybe the most important stakeholder—and shouldn’t be forgotten.  They are the university’s opportunity to spread sustainability concepts beyond campus (as alumni)
§    Students may be an avenue for change—they have the ears of leadership
§    Vice President/Provost of operations and finance—provide link to broader planning objectives and lead facilities
§    All groups are equally important—everyone needs to “get it” for a LL to be successful
§    External community/city
§    The initiation to start a LL can come from anywhere, but all stakeholders must be engaged in finding the work.
§    Don’t forget to include trustees, board of advisors, alumni, voters (for public inst.)
Additional notes from table discussion:
§    Leadership at bottom and at top
§    Custodial staff often overlooked


3.    To bring about change and initiate new efforts (e.g., create living laboratories for sustainability) we need leaders. What skills/attributes are essential to be an effective change agent -- for sustainability?
§    Admin/higher-ups need to have patience and willingness to empower.  Need to think big-picture/systematically, and be able to speak to all stakeholders
§    A true/deep commitment to sustainability to withstand obstacles that are bound to come up.
§    Facilitation skills, as stakeholder engagement often takes charettes, teach-ins
§    Leadership that nurtures
§    Must serve as bridge (between academics and operations, university and external stakeholders, etc)
§    Must be visionary, great at networking, strong communication skills, and perseverant
Additional notes from table discussion:
§    A doer
§    Politically astute