Endicott Crossing New Territory in Sustainability

Director of Sustainability, Anthony Michetti, has big plans to institutionalize sustainability action and create organizational change in the area.

Since joining Endicott College in September of 2018, Michetti has already made strides to do just that while embracing the mission and strengths of the College.

Michetti holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Trinity College. He grew up on Nantucket, Mass., and interned with the Conservation Foundation there as an undergrad. His experience making connections between stakeholders and getting people to work together was what drew him to sustainability from the start.

“Growing up on Nantucket, I really saw what you can do as an individual. I understood what it was like to have limited resources. My parents exposed me to nature from a young age and I love the beach. I see the effects of climate change and what that may mean for future generations, as well as for tourism and Nantucket’s local economy. It all ties back into sustainability,” says Michetti.

Armed with a focus on climate and health, some of his immediate goals are to establish baselines, create a strategic sustainability plan, set a climate goal, and waste and water reduction goals for the College.

Michetti explains, “The day-to-day involves working on energy projects to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, engaging with faculty and staff, and encouraging students to use this campus as a living lab which dovetails nicely with our focus on experiential learning here at Endicott.”

Endicott earned a Silver Rating in 2016 from the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) and is consistently recognized as one of Princeton Review’s Green Colleges.

"We value the health and well-being of our community and with all the new construction that is here at Endicott, there are heavy considerations for incorporating healthier materials."

Michetti reminds us that there are always opportunities to improve in sustainability and says one we have is to collaborate with other institutions and the City of Beverly. The city recently created its own coastal resiliency plan, and Michetti thinks we’re headed in that direction and hopes to partner with the city on Endicott’s own resiliency plan. “Being a coastal college, we have the opportunity to explore resiliency efforts to better understand how climate change may affect our infrastructure and operations over time,” says Michetti.

“We’ve always focused on climate and energy projects, but our focus on health is a newer concept. We value the health and well-being of our community and with all the new construction that is here at Endicott, there are heavy considerations for incorporating healthier materials.”

Some examples of where we are addressing both climate and health are with the heating and cooling system for the new Samuel C. Wax Academic Center, which we received a grant for from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Another sustainable choice in line with Michetti’s goals is the selection of furniture which will live inside our new spaces. The furniture is free of chemical flame retardants and will make for healthier interiors on campus.

“It has a big impact on the health of everyone on campus as we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors. It also has a major upstream environmental impact to address the growing national public crisis of contaminated drinking water linked to numerous health problems. By purchasing these types of products, and working closely with vendors, we’re able to help shift the market in a positive direction,” says Michetti.

He notes the growing exposure to the topic of sustainability among the community at Endicott and beyond. He says, “Each incoming class is asking more and more questions about sustainability and is increasingly more aware,” which allows us to really be a part of larger conversations. “It provides us the opportunity to differentiate ourselves as a higher education institution.”

Creating a Culture

This focus on sustainability is becoming a part of the fabric of our curriculum as well. Take for instance, Dean of the School of Hospitality Management, Todd Comen’s, Sustainable Tourism (HTM 214-01) course, which went to Cape Cod this semester to lead a sustainability audit at leading hotels and resorts. Comen has invited remarkable guest speakers and experts in sustainability to speak to his students on the topic.

“There is so much going on within all of our different programs, and even Misselwood and La Chanterelle are incorporating many sustainable practices. We have students looking to do their thesis with a sustainability focus and exploring initiatives on campus such as a solar feasibility study. Nursing is doing a lot with health and teaching the nurses about chemicals of concern and climate change. There is so much overlap and opportunities for collaboration,” says Michetti.

Sustainability by the Numbers

Onsite Renewables

• The solar canopy parking lot generates around 1,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
• The Raymond J. Bourque Arena rooftop solar array generates over 185,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
• On campus solar power provides 11 percent of the College’s total electricity consumption annually.

LED Lighting

• Projects on campus save over 2,000,000 kilowatt hours annually, which is the equivalent of providing over 250 homes’ electricity use for one year.
• LED lighting saves the College over $350,000 each year.
• Endicott has received almost $550,000 in incentives from our local utility for LED projects.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station

• Six EV charging stations on campus available to the public average 43 hours of total monthly usage.
• Charging stations have helped avoid the consumption of over 200 gallons of gasoline.
• Over their lifetime, our charging stations have helped avoid the greenhouse gas emissions from driving almost 4,500 miles.

Water Bottle Filling Stations

• There are currently 19 water bottle filling stations on campus that to date have helped save 848,523 plastic bottles of water.

Water Conservation

• Low-flow fixtures installed throughout campus save almost 15,000 gallons of water annually.
• Water conservation efforts on campus save the College an average of $42,126 each year.

Recycling and Compost

• Endicott diverts on average 37 percent of its generated waste from the landfill through its recycling and compost programs weekly.
• The College composts 9,425 pounds of food waste weekly.
• Endicott donates an average of 350 pounds of food weekly to a local homeless shelter.

Hiking Trails

• Endicott has three miles of hiking trails to the north of the main campus.

Experiential Learning

• The Office of Sustainability hosts four student fellows and five work-study students each year.
• There are over 120 courses throughout the undergraduate programs that directly teach or incorporate sustainability-related themes.
• Environmental science majors have completed 157 internships with nationwide organizations that focus on sustainability-related work experience.

Sustainability Internship Organizations

Appalachian Mountain Club
Beyond Benign
Change is Simple
Environment Maine
Gorton’s Seafood
Ipswich River Watershed Association
Massachusetts Audubon Society
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Museum of Science
National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
New England Aquarium
New England Biolabs
Patagonia
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)
Nexamp, Inc.
Salem Sound Coastwatch
Seaside Sustainability, Inc.
State of New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Sustainable Roundtable, Inc.
Zoo New England

For more information about Sustainable Endicott, visit endicott.edu.