SMU joins Sustain Winona environmental effort

Saint Mary’s University has joined with five other major Winona public and private institutions to look for ways to lessen our impact on the global environment. At a press conference today, the “Sustain Winona” initiative was announced to the public. Partners include Saint Mary's, Winona State University, Minnesota State College SE Technical, Winona Area Public Schools, Winona County, and the City of Winona.

The public and private, government and education collaboration is believed to be unique in the nation. The six local organizations will work together in coming months and years to achieve certification as an ISO 14001 community. That means all of the organizations will eventually meet international standards for energy-efficient and environment-friendly operations.

The first of four community workshops was held today to introduce the ISO 14001 standards, and the Environmental Management System process that will lead to certification. The workshops will be facilitated by Purdue University’s Clean Manufacturing Technology Institute. There will be other related community events, such as a December workshop on building efficiency held at SMU, and a February conference on “green” buildings hosted by WSU.

Look for more information about Saint Mary’s involvement with Sustain Winona in coming months. If you have questions, contact Bob Conover, vice president for communication and marketing, Ext. 1496 or bconover@smumn.edu. To learn more about Sustain Winona, go online to www.sustainwinona.org.