Van Bekkum Leads Agnes Scott Sustainability Efforts

­After earning her bachelor's degree in psychology at Agnes Scott College, 2008 graduate Lies Van Bekkum returned to campus almost immediately as the college's first sustainability fellow.

Van Bekkum's recent college experience on campus at Agnes Scott is key to her new role in helping to build a "green" culture among the college's community of about 900 students. She is also supporting the effort to design and launch educational programs to foster personal and community sustainability at Agnes Scott.

Van Bekkum's role as Agnes Scott's sustainability fellow is shared with the city of Decatur where she works closely with the city's new Environmental Sustainability Board which held its orientation meeting in late January.

This partnership, according to college administrators, is just another example of how the college and city work well together. And is one of the reasons The Princeton Review consistently cites Agnes Scott and Decatur with having "a great town/gown relationship."

Agnes Scott Director of Sustainability Susan Kidd sees Van Bekkum's role as essential to the college meeting its goals for sustainability.

Van Bekkum was born and reared in the Netherlands, home of multiple man-made answers to environmental challenges. Fifty-five percent of the Netherlands sits below sea level while the same area is home to more than 60 percent of its people. In addition, that low-lying part generates 65 percent of the country's gross national product. Van Bekkum's formative years helped her understand the need to change how the college impacts its environment.

In Sept. 2007, Agnes Scott President Elizabeth Kiss became a signatory to the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, and college leaders have committed themselves to making Agnes Scott more sustainable. In September 2008, Agnes Scott met its first deadline by reporting its greenhouse gas emissions, creating an important benchmark. By September 2009, the college must have developed and initiated a climate action plan.

"At the end of the day the most rewarding part of sustainability work on a college campus is the work with students," Kidd said. "It is incredible to see the Agnes Scott students using their intelligence and energy to help make this change happen."