After four years of striving to make Xavier a more sustainable campus, the University hired a sustainability coordinator, Anne Dougherty, on Oct. 24. In 2008, President, Fr. Michael Graham, S.J. signed the American
College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and formed a sustainability subcommittee. This committee, along with the sustainability interns, has been heading
various programs throughout campus in an effort
to improve the sustainability on campus. Both committee
members and interns rotate out of their positions as they either graduate or step down and so the committee began
looking to add to the staff a permanent member
whose main focus was sustainability on campus.
“We were looking to hire someone as an advocate for sustainability on campus including food, physical plant and academics,” senior Taylor Mauro, a sustainability intern, said. “We also really want to work with [Doughtery’s] interests.” Before applying for the position of sustainability coordinator, Dougherty founded and owned a tour company called Learn Great Foods Co. that marketed organic
farming for 10 years, working in Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and Missouri. “After working for the company for eight years, I decided it was time to start looking for the next thing,” Dougherty said. For the last two years of her job, she worked with her co-workers to prepare for her transition of the company. Dougherty is a professional engineer with a Masters in Manufacturing Engineering and was the director of environmental
and process technology with Portland Cement Association.
As the sustainability coordinator, Dougherty will work with
the committee, interns, physical plant and the community
on various projects. After working as a tour guide for her
company, Dougherty said she has developed a
particular passion for farming, along with reducing paper
use, sustainable food, reducing energy use, reducing
the carbon footprint, working on existing buildings,
composting, transportation and gardening.
One of the key focuses of Dougherty’s position is helping
Xavier to achieve its zero carbon energy output goal of 2030 that was set when Fr. Graham. S.J., signed the commitment. “I will be working on current projects and also seeding issues for future projects,” Dougherty
said. Mauro and Dougherty both encouraged any students with sustainability ideas to contact either the interns or the sustainability committee with suggestions for projects or possible changes.