After years of service, saving UB millions of dollars in energy costs, Walter Simpson, UB Green's director and energy officer, is retiring. Currently President John Simpson and his administration have no replacement lined up as the next UB Green director.
A leader in the field of environmental conservation, Simpson has been working towards a more environmentally friendly campus for 26 years. According to Simpson, his decision to leave UB is centered on his constant strife and the resistance he faces in making positive change on campus.
"My decision to retire is the result of a number of factors," Simpson said. "I have some health issues that need my attention. Also, while other schools are accelerating their green campus programs, I have found it increasingly difficult to make environmental progress at UB because of what might be described as ambivalence towards our program by UB's administration."
Students anxious about the future of UB Green programs began circulating a petition to gain support for UB Green. The petition is intended to encourage the administration to rethink their decision and find a replacement for Simpson's position, according to Chris Llop, a senior electrical engineering major and president of Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESWUB).
"The whole point of this is to empower the students," Llop said.
ESWUB and the Environmental Network are the organizations responsible for the mass circulation of the petition, which now has over 1,000 signatures according to Jordan Gerow, a junior English major and president-elect of the Environmental Network, as well as the head of the sustainable economics committee with the Climate Action Student Advisory Council.
Student representatives met with administrators on Thursday to discuss the upcoming vacant position and the future of UB Green. As of now, no decision has been made in regards to this position, but administrators said that someone will be employed within the next six months, according to Gerow.
"We want students to be a part of finding this candidate," Gerow said. "If this effort is going to continue past a petition, we are going to need the help [of students]."
Simpson was happy to see all of the student support for UB Green, but said that larger-scale environmental projects on campus have been anti-climactic during his tenure at UB, contributing to his decision to retire. He fears that the continued lack of progress towards a greener campus will continue in his absence.
"UB's response to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment has been a disappointment," Simpson said. "The planning process appears to be designed to explicitly exclude me, UB Green and the University's Environmental Task Force from meaningful participation."
In regards to Simpson's pending retirement, ESWUB and the Environmental Network believe that someone with as much of an environmental background as Simpson should be hired as UB Green's next director.
"UB Green will now be operating without an expert in sustainability," Llop said
Simpson has been notably missing from environmental efforts on campus, including the Committee of Environmental Stewardship (CES). CES is the administrative organization responsible for ensuring progress and fulfillment of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by the earliest possible date.
"On other campuses those with the right expertise, experience and interest are welcomed to the table, but here at UB the reverse has occurred without an explanation that makes sense," Simpson said.
According to Danielle Peters, a sophomore environmental studies major and head of the outreach committee of the Climate Action Student Advisory Council, a person with environmental expertise is just what groups like CES need.
"Right now they don't have anyone with an environmental background on the Committee, it's just administrators. They don't see UB Green as being an important part of CES," Peters said.
Other local students are also concerned about UB Green's future. Many see UB Green as the link that can bring environmental groups striving for change in the community together.
"Daemen College students saw [our petitions] and started a petition at their own school for UB Green," Llop said. "It is that big a part of the community."
Students and community members would like to see UB Green have a larger role on campus.
"They're not really giving UB Green the support or involvement that they would really like," Peters said. "I don't think what they're doing is wrong, I think the administration thinks it can do better than what the staff is doing."
Students are still focused on ensuring that Simpson's position is not forgotten when he is gone.
"We're pushing for setting out a distinct timeline for deciding what this new person is going to do," Llop said.
Simpson encourages students to continue their activism, and hopes that UB will continue to make strides towards a greener campus.
"As I leave, I strongly encourage UB to fill my position as soon as possible, take steps to maintain and strengthen UB Green and the Environmental Task Force, and continue to permit both to be advocates that push the envelope and occasionally rock the boat," Simpson said. "To remain a vibrant place where good green things happen, UB needs that."
No member of President John Simpson's administration could be reached for comment.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
