Going Green
January 23rd, 2009
Last week I met with Professional Photography program student Benjamin L. Ariff, who serves as president of the 10-member Brooks Institute Student Council. Benjamin proposed that we form a group of faculty, staff, and students to identify and implement ways to make Brooks Institute “greener”. Curiously, I had just finished reading Thomas L. Friedman’s fascinating #1 bestseller, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution – And How It Can Renew America. Benjamin and I agreed to form a Brooks Institute Green Team that he would chair and Controller Tim Halsey would co-chair. I will meet with this new group at its first meeting in early February to provide it with a charge and focus. Brooks Institute is already involved with many green initiatives but there is plenty of room for improvement. Specifically, the Green Team will want to review “best practices” used by other colleges and companies throughout the United States. The Green Team can then determine what is applicable and appropriate for our school and how these may be implemented at one or more of our six campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura. Stay tuned for updates!
Related to our green theme, three-time Emmy award winning Film & Video Production Program faculty member Tracy Trotter will premier his film, Green from the Ground Up, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival next week. Tracy’s film documents the building of a modern-day “green” home. He worked on this project with Brookies Blair Madigan and Nick Passick.
