You Are Here
 |
| Va. Secretary L. Preston Bryant Jr. '86 |
L. Preston Bryant Jr., Secretary of Natural Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia and a 1986 alumnus of Randolph-Macon College, spoke recently to R-MC students about the “greening” of our campus.
Bryant addressed the importance of campus “greening”—preserving the Earth for future generations by making the environment cleaner—and shared his insights with First-Year Experience students enrolled in “Gauging Randolph-Macon's Ecological Footprint: Steps toward Environmental Sustainability.” The course, taught by Professor Brian Moores, Ph.D. (Chemistry) and Professor Reber Dunkel, Ph.D. (Sociology), offers students the opportunity to explore their individual and collective “footprints”—the environmental impact of human activities on natural ecological systems—as they relate to R-MC’s campus. Throughout the year-long course, students will investigate the sources of the R-MC eco-footprint and develop a plan to reduce it, thereby assisting the college in developing a campus-wide environmental management system.
Secretary Bryant provided examples of academic institutions in Virginia that are implementing conservation measures and lauded Randolph-Macon College for continuing to pursue “green” initiatives on our campus.
For over a decade, R-MC has implemented energy conservation measures such as replacing windows with insulated glass, installing motion sensors in dormitory restrooms, reducing water consumption by using low flow shower heads and recycling toner and inkjet cartridges, aluminum cans and paper. The college has also been converting from fuel oil to natural and propane gas to reduce emissions.
Bryant served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 10 years, where he sponsored landmark legislation to help preserve more than one million acres of non-tidal wetlands and streamline the state’s stormwater management programs. He currently serves as chair of Virginia Governor Tim Kaine’s Commission on Climate Change.
In 2007, Bryant served as the keynote speaker at R-MC’s Commencement.