Joseph A. Gardella Jr., UB professor of chemistry, was named chair of the ETF Nov. 21 by President William R. Greiner. And he's on a mission to get the word out about the success and future of UB's Environmental Task Force. "I plan to take the next six weeks and be out front to reinvigorate students, staff and faculty, and to determine how we'll work together," he said.

While the ETF has been very successful in pioneering environmental and ecological efforts at UB, Gardella said he hopes to expand the group's reach to include academic and outreach efforts. His goal is threefold: to recapture the focus on academic missions in environmental research and education; develop a strong public service and community leadership function; and to combine efforts in operations, service, research and teaching to attract campuswide funding for environmental issues.

"I got involved with the ETF because I believe this is a major strength of UB that doesn't take major (financial) investments," said Gardella, who has been a member of the Environmental Task Force since 1992. "I want to reconfigure the ETF, not because it did anything wrong, but because this is a tremendous opportunity. Bill Greiner has challenged the committee to broadly discuss, with his help, UB's setting goals in environmental, ecological and green thinking and to integrate green thinking into all aspects of the university."

The ETF is looking at how it will work with UB's new Environmental Institute, Gardella said. "What's really important is to integrate" the work of both units, he said.

Community outreach also is important to what Gardella hopes to achieve as chair of the ETF. In addition to inviting community and industrial representatives to be members, he would like to see the group's expertise extended to the local area. "I intend to work with community groups, governmental groups" to educate them about the Environmental Task Force, he said, and, hopefully, to provide solutions to environmental problems in Western New York.

The task force has subcommittees looking at areas that include: transportation and land-use issues; hazardous materials issues ranging from recycling chemicals to waste management; administrative practices and policies; public service; and curriculum.

"This is something we're really good at already," he said. "This ties into regional needs. It ties into the community. We have the expertise. You look at Engineering and the Toxicology Research Center-that's a model for working with industry. You look at Architecture and Planning, and you see people involved in regional planning. The Law School has an environmental lawyer for a dean. John Sheffer is trying to coordinate a program in planning," Gardella said.

University expertise not withstanding, probably the greatest strength of the Environmental Task Force is the dedicated group of students who work with the group. A number of UB's environmental programs were begun by students, he says, including the recycling and rideshare programs.

Gardella expects the ETF not only to continue, but to flourish. "All we're doing is taking success stories from throughout the university and knitting them together....It isn't much of a challenge. The hard work has already been done."