From the Dean

Those familiar with agriculture understand the strong connection between doing what's best to protect and preserve our natural resources and doing what's best for the viability of agriculture and the strength of our food supply. With the School of Environment and Natural Resources embedded in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, there are plenty of green efforts to share. But I want to point out some of our efforts that might not be so easy to see:

• In April, the third annual Scarlet, Gray and Green Fair, held on our Wooster campus, attracted more than 2,000 visitors and 67 exhibitors.

• We are embarking on a program with UniPrint, the university's printing facility, that will enable participating departments to use soy-based toner in office printers and copiers. This program will be both a boon to the environment and also an important outlet for agricultural products.

• Our Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center continues to impress. Built in 2004 as the first LEED-certified "green" building on campus, it led the way toward a new university policy for each new building or $4-million-plus renovation on campus to be built to achieve U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver-level certification or higher.

• Our college's Faculty Council has formed a Sustainability Council with representation of faculty, staff, and students looking at more ways to support green policies and practices within the college, both administratively and on an individual level.

We like to think that our college puts the "green" in Scarlet and Gray, but we're always striving to make that green deeper and longer lasting.

-- Bobby D. Moser

Vice President for Agricultural Administration and Dean

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences