Ball State University has injected sustainability into discussions of the Master Planning and Facilities Senate Committee.  Ball State University has a long history of working to improve sustainability both locally and globally.    Ball State University has already committed to LEED certification for 2 buildings currently under construction on campus.

Upon completion, the residence hall will be the first LEED certified residence hall among public universities in Indiana.   These discussions will insure that future projects on campus will continue to incorporate standards of sustainability.  More information on the Master Planning and Facilities Senate Committee can be found at www.bsu.edu/senate .

Ball State University's Professor Robert J. Koester, AIA, LEED AP, Professor of Architecture, Director of the Center for Energy Research/Education/Service (CERES), has been appointed as a charter member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Board of Directors.  Professor Koester serves as chair of the Ball State University Council on the Environment, as well as co-chair of the Greening of the Campus Conference Series.  More information regarding AASHE can be found on their webpage www.aashe.org.

Ball State University student, Jessica Clement, received the National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Program Fellowship for a Green Campus Bookstore, Building a Generation of Conscious Consumers.  Jessica will work with the Campus Bookstore to provide input and assistance to enable the bookstore buyers to make more "green" choices in their purchasing selections as well as working to raise awareness of the benefits of buying "green" to the student, faculty and staff populations.  More information on the NWF Campus Ecology Program can be found on their webpage www.nwf.org/campusecology .

In the spring of 2006 Ball State University was awarded recognition from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Campus Ecology Program for the 2004-2005 academic year.

An excerpt from the CERES annual report states "Under the stewardship of CERES, Ball State University again received A Green Campus Certificate of Recognition from the National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Program; the 3^rd year in a row in which the university was acknowledged for having made the commitment to transforming itself into a learning and teaching model of environmental sustainability."  More information on the NWF Campus Ecology Program can be found at www.nwf.org/campusecology .

Ball State University's Students for a Sustainable Campus took the lead in the University's first experience in the Recyclemania Project Competition during the 2005-2006 academic year. 93 universities in 23 states participated in this competition.  Ball State University participated in the Per Capita Classic, most recyclables per person by mass; Waste Minimization, lowest waste per person and Grand Champion, highest overall recycling rating.  The competition was limited to students living within on-campus residence halls.  At the end of the competition Ball State University had an impressive 35.24% overall recycling rate; ranking the university 8^th in the Grand Champion category of the competition.  BSU ranked 16^th in the Per Capita Classic and 20^th in the Waste Minimization.  This was an impressive first-year showing.  More information on the Recyclemania project can be found at www.recyclemaniacs.org .

Ball State University's Council on the Environment presented it 2005 Annual Awards during an Earth Day Ceremony.  Green Initiatives Awards are presented to groups or individuals who: bring a greater awareness to the important issues of sustainability; highlight and publicize positive environmental actions; are making noteworthy contributions in moving Ball State University and its surrounding community toward sustainability; encourage others to pursue sustainable actions and ideas by legitimizing such endeavors.

Winners of the 2005 Green Initiative Awards are:

• Janet Fick, for her work to incorporate concepts of sustainability and green design into the curriculum of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
• Angela Garcia, for her work as a National Wildlife Fellow, a member of the Natural Resources Club, and as a representative at both the Women for Sustainable Development summit and the Minority Environmental Leadership Institute
• Rich Huyck, for his work on behalf of Muncie Clean as part of the Clean Cities Project
• Emily Kress, for her work with the Department of Natural Resources Outdoor Recreation Program and the Indiana Environmental License Plate Project
• Rick Lopez, for his work founding and organizing a local chapter of Pheasants Forever
• Gary Prater, for his work on behalf of the Downtown Organic Farmer's Market
• Dave Ring and Sara Ring, for their work on behalf of the Downtown Organic Farmer's Market
• Nadia Roumie, for her work with Students for a Sustainable Campus and the Recyclemania Project
• Kelly Schoonaert, for her efforts campus-wide and community-wide with regard to the exposure of the public to second-hand smoke
• Jeremy Woods, for his work with the local chapter of Pheasants Forever.

COTE also presented their 2005 Exemplar and Exemplar Lifetime Achievement Awards during the same ceremony.  COTE Exemplar's Award nominees have significant accomplishments promoting the sustainable use of natural resources or the protection of ecological systems.   COTE Exemplar's Lifetime Achievement Award nominees must have a record of continual significant accomplishments throughout their lifetime promoting the sustainable use of natural resources or the protection of ecological systems.

The 2005 COTE Exemplar Award Winners are:

• Ken Brunswick, a former diary farmer, has worked since 1997 as a regional biologist for the Indiana Department of Natural resources. Brunswick is co-founder and director of Limberlost Swamp Remembered, which has been restoring nearly 1,300 acres of the once 13,000-acre Limberlost swamp in Jay and Adams Counties.
• Marcia Johnson, active for many years in the Master Gardeners' Club. Johnson has been an organizer and active member of the Indiana Plant and Wildlife Society (INPAWS), which encourages an appreciation of native wildflowers and action against invasive species. In recent years she has worked to set up and maintain the East Central chapter of INPAWS, which includes Delaware and twenty-one other counties. 
• Michael Lannoo, Professor of Medical Education, Physiology, and Health Science at the Center for Medical Education. Lannoo's research on amphibians has received national attention and has inspired local efforts to monitor frog populations. In addition, he has been actively involved with various Audubon Society projects, including the work to put up osprey platforms at the Prairie Creek Reservoir.
• Alan Patrick, one of the major artists in this state. In recent years he has dedicated himself to painting the Indiana natural areas protected by the Nature Conservancy and the Red Tail Conservancy. His excellent work has created tremendous public awareness of the state's natural treasures. Moreover, he has generously contributed income from the sale of his paintings to the work of conservation organizations.
• Dwight Shelton, a long term activist in the National Wildlife Federation and has been involved with the formation and the activities of the Farmland Conservation Club. Mr. Shelton has been a member of Red-tail Conservancy from its inception in 1999 and frequently volunteers and advises the staff.
• Phil Tevis campaigned for years to improve the White River; he has encouraged tree plantings, proposed dam removal, and worked to naturalize the river banks near Minnetrista. He chaired the first phase of the White River Watershed project. He was involved with the Red Tail Conservancy's Grandview Riverbend project. In addition, he has served on the staff of the Delaware Greenway (Cardinal Greenway).
• Minnestrista Cultural Center (MCC) has been a tremendous cultural and historical asset for the East Central Indiana community and has evolved into a cultural and natural heritage center. It has contributed to the expansion and naturalization of the St. Joe Nature Center. The MCC has battled against invasive species and endeavored to restore its properties to a more natural woodland habitat. Through the years it has organized numerous high quality ecological and natural history exhibitions, e.g., birds of prey and dinosaurs. In addition, the MCC has been an early sponsor of farmers' markets and has provided an example for others in the region, e.g., Hartford City and Winchester.

2005 Exemplar Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to:

• Phyllis Yuhas (posthumously), The late Dr. Phyllis Yuhas remains a giant among those who have supported environmental preservation. In particular, she was an active protagonist of the work of the Nature Conservancy, the Red Tail Conservancy and the Audubon Society. She also was a serious advocate for the humane treatment of animals. Her lifelong love of nature and devotion to conservation concerns is reflected in the naming of the Frank and Phyllis Yuhas Woods in Randolph County which will remain as a legacy forever.
• Tom Lowe, a pioneer in the development of sustainability at Ball State University. His career as Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Management was devoted to strengthening environmental teaching, scholarship and service. His efforts to inculcate greening of the campus, as a central element of the university's academic and management focus has helped to position Ball State as a leader in this movement.
• Marjorie Zeigler The lifetime achievements of Ms. Ziegler have been directed through the work of the Zeigler Foundation, which has supported environmental projects throughout the community. Ms. Zeigler has been working to improve civic visual landscapes for many years, serving as an important source of philanthropic funding for conservation.