Transcript Slide 1

University Sustainability Task Force Open House
January 24, 2011
Sustainability Vision
“UDC will serve as a
sustainability leader among
institutions of higher education
and as a national model for
urban sustainability in both
campus operations and
educational offerings.”
- Dr. Allen L. Sessoms.
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What is Sustainability?
Sustainability calls for policies
and strategies that meet society’s
present needs without
compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their
own needs.
US EPA (http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
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Strategic Plan 2011
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Strategic Plan 2011
Goal 1 – Academic Programs: Offer academic programs with relevance to the District of
Columbia, the region and the world.
Objective 1.5: Increase contributions to city and regional economic development.
Promote an understanding of global trends, such as sustainability and urbanization, and
their application to the local and regional context (2012 and ongoing).
Objective 2.2: Significantly improve retention and graduation rate of students.
Involve students in on-campus sustainability projects to promote an increased sense of
belonging and ownership in the University (by 2012).
Objective 2.4: Improve student life at the University.
Promote outreach, volunteerism, sustainability and healthy living in the student community
(2011 and ongoing).
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Strategic Plan 2011
Goal 3 – Campus Infrastructure: Create an enhanced campus environment through the
acquisition, construction, renovation and preventive maintenance of university facilities.
Objective 3.4: Expand University sustainability activities to promote environmental stewardship,
minimize waste and reduce overall operation and maintenance costs.
Use the Sustainability Task Force to establish the University as a national model for urban
sustainability and environmentally responsive campus operations (2014–2020 and ongoing).
Perform an extensive assessment of the University’s energy usage, and develop a Universitywide utility reduction strategy (2011).
Expand campus-wide recycling programs to ensure proper resource management and
conservation (2012).
Award new, performance-based recycling/janitorial contracts for the University system
(2010).
Assess current power plant conditions, and investigate the decentralization of the power
plant system (by 2012).
Investigate future expansion of current environmental facility upgrades, such as the Plaza
Deck, green roofs and recycling program (2012).
Incentivize environmentally responsible commuting (by 2011).
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UDC Sustainability Timeline
August 2010
• UDC Sustainability Initiative created
• Joined Association for the Advancement of
Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
• Registered as a Charter Participant (1 of 2 universities
in DC) in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and
Rating System (STARS)
September 2010
• University Sustainability Task Force (USTF) established
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UDC Sustainability Timeline
October – December 2010
• USTF met bi-monthly, established committees,
reviewed best practices, and co-chairs attended
AASHE Conference
December 2010
• USTF prepared draft recommendations for
upcoming contracting solicitations, including
janitorial, waste management and recycling
services
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UDC Sustainability Timeline
January 2011
• USTF hosts Open House sessions to facilitate feedback
on draft recommendations.
February 2011
• USTF opens University community comment period
and assembles final draft.
March 2011
• Strategic Sustainability Plan submitted to the President
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UDC Sustainability
Energy Use
Impact Reduction
Green Communities
Environmental Justice
Social Justice
Acceptable
Triple-Bottom-Line
Cleaning up the Environment
Recycling
Sustainable Operations
Social Anthropology
Low-Carbon
Restorative
Actions have Consequences
Socially Desirable
Economically Feasible
“Better Than We Found It”
A Way of Life
Food, Energy and Water
Consciousness
Waste Management
Responsibility
Opportunity
Conservation
Reuse
Think, Live Green
Maximize Utility
System Interdependence
Themes:
• Systems approach
• Staying ahead of local and
national policy
• Educating students and the
UDC community
• Behavior change
• Measurement and
verification
Environmentally Conscious
Education
Balance
Connectedness
Thinking Ahead
Energy Sourcing
Long-Term Planning
Way of Thinking
Zero Waste
Zero Emissions
No Divisions
Leadership
Greening our Homes
Preservation
• Economic and
operational efficiency
• Urban land-grant
identity
• Job development for
emerging sectors
• Following best practices
• Interdisciplinary focus
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A Systems Approach
• Material Flows
– Procurement
– Asset Management
– Waste Management and Recycling
• Energy, Water, and Climate
– Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
– Information Technology
– Water Management
– Transportation
– Greenhouse Gas Management
• Food Systems
– Dining Services
– Composting
– On-Campus Food Production
• Scholarship
– Curriculum
– Research
– Service Learning
• Student Development
– Recruitment and Retention
– Co-Curricular Programs
– Internships and Jobs
• Planning and Administration
– Change Management
– Staffing and Resources
– Policy Development
• Stakeholder Engagement
– Internal and External Communication
– Partnership Development
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A Cross-Functional Effort
Buildings and
Capital Projects
(Facilities and
Real Estate)
Aux. Services and
Recycling & Waste
Mgmt.
(Campus Services,
Aux. Services)
Purchasing
(Office of
Contracting and
Procurement)
Green IT
(Office of
Information
Technology)
Sustainability
Initiative
University
Sustainability
Task Force
Academics and
Research
(Provost, Colleges,
Departments)
Service
(Cooperative
Extension, Service
Learning)
Student
Leadership
(Environmental
Law Society,
Campus Garden
Group)
External
Partnerships
(Government,
Non-Profit,
Business)
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Best Practices
From Higher Education
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University of Central Florida
• Use solar thermal and solar PV
• Recycling rate goal 2020 – 75%
• Promote the use of bikes and
mass transit
• 1,500 bulbs were removed,
replaced, or reduced to optimize
the performance and increase
energy efficiency.
• The total cost of the project was
$26,700. UCF estimates that
Rosen College saved $36,500
with a nine month ROI
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Daemen College
• 2,900 graduate and undergraduate students
• Since 2003, require 60 hours of service learning
plus reflective paper, journal, blog, etc.
• Consciously connect arts to sustainability projects
through service learning projects
• Restored an eco-trail through an old landfill with
interpretive stations using recycled materials –
old tree stumps, parking bumpers, etc. – over a
five year period (24 students)
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University of Illinois
• Established the Center for the Advancement of Reuse of
Electronic Waste
• Sustainable Campus Environment Fee: A refundable fee to
help establish a sustainable campus environment by
financing initiatives such as green buildings, engagement of
the university community, recycling , energy efficiency, and
environmentally responsible purchasing.
• Cleaner Energy Technologies Fee (CET): A fee used to
purchase cleaner energy technologies for campus including
solar, wind, hydrogen and geothermal projects, energy
efficiency purchases, and the purchase of renewable
energy from non-university producers.
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Lynchburg College
• 2,600 graduate and undergraduate students
• Conducted water audit of its residents halls
• Average student uses 203 gallons of water per
week
• Average sink use is .82 gallons of water
• University had 7,205.88 loads of laundry done
per month
• Executed a $4.65 million energy
performance contract with
Ameresco, Inc.
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Indiana University
• Passed along 1,500 old
computers to surplus store to be
sold
• 3,000 computers sold for parts
• 2009- collected 834,000 pounds
of electronic waste
• 2010 – collected 650,000 pounds
of electronic waste
• Provide pick up service to other
departments – collected 33,000
pounds
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Georgia Southern University
• Founded in 2008 as the Office for Sustainability in the
College of Science and Technology
• Evolved in 2009 into the Center for Sustainability
• Faculty led
• Provide on-line schedule of sustainability events
• Required Coca Cola to install energy savings devices on
their on-campus vending machines
• All students must take two environmental science classes to
graduate (service learning is required)
• Student can design their own service learning project with
faculty approval
• All service learning classes require a reflective paper
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Rutgers University – Camden
• 500 students live on campus – 6,000 commute
• No sustainability office or officer
• Interdepartmental sustainability task force led by the
Associate Dean of the Business School
• Promoted recycling, energy efficiency and renewable energy
• Eliminate the “empty truck syndrome”
• Installed solar powered trash compactor receptacles (reduced
pick up from once a day to once a week)
• Required Dell to take back packaging as well as electronic
waste
• Established a checklist for purchasing department and
product/services pre-qualification form
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U Oregon – Sustainable City Year
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Use existing courses, existing assignments
Focus on a single geographic region
Point all academic efforts toward that region
Perform an intensive, interdisciplinary investigation of the problems
facing that city
Involve 10 professors, 30+ courses, and 500 students
Perform 80,000 hours of direct service while meeting learning
outcomes
Become a low-cost idea mill for city agencies
Students obtain real experience and make connections with potential
future employers
Renew the social contract of the public university
Increase relevance!
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American U. – Drinking Water Audit
• Students did a survey of drinking fountains on campus
– Found 100 fountains, many of which were out of service
• Performed a comparative analysis of water from the tap
vs. drinking water
– Deer Park costs 900 times as much as tap
– Compared monetary costs, embodied energy, transparency,
health and safety, and third-party standards
• Worked with capital projects managers to spec a water
bottle filling spout as a retrofit to all on-campus
fountains and planned in new construction
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Assessing our Potential
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AWAKENING
PIONEERING
TRANSFORMATION
CHANGE
(TRANSFORMATIVE)
PROGRESS
(TRANSITIONAL)
VALUE-ADDED
SYSTEMS-BASED
Campus Sustainability Journey
EFFICIENT
APPLICATION &
INVESTMENT
UNDERSTANDING
AWARENESS
CREDIBLE
AUTHENTIC
CULTURAL
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Gauging Where We Are
– What is our current performance level?
– What is the relative importance of this issue to
our campus?
– What is the level of effort required for success?
– How significant is the potential impact of
achieving success?
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Sustainability
Performance
Matrix
COLOR: LEVEL OF EFFORT REQUIRED
HIGH (7-10)
MID (4-6)
LOW (0-3)
SIZE: POTENTIAL IMPACT
HIGH (7-10)
MID (4-6)
LOW (0-3)
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HIGH
IMPORTANCE
BUILT
ENERGY
& WATER
ENVIRONMENT
STEWARDSHIP
MATERIALS & WASTE OPERATIONS
ACADEMICS
COMMUNICATIONS
PARTNERSHIPS
VISIBLE
LIABILITY
STUDENT LIFE
AESTHETICS
FOOD
INSTITUTIONAL
STRENGTH
INNOVATION
LOW
PERFORMANCE
HIGH
PERFORMANCE
HIDDEN
WEAKNESS
HIDDEN
ASSET
LOW
IMPORTANCE
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Early Progress in
Implementation
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Scholarship
New Courses for Spring 2011
• Politics of the Green Economy (CAS)
• Sustainable Community Development (CAS)
• Introduction Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SBPA)
• Revised: Intro to Environmental Science (CAUSES)
Future Courses
• Green Buildings, Energy Efficiency & Climate
Change (SEAS)
• Sustainable Transportation Planning (SBPA)
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Materials Flows
• Awarded waste management contract to new
vendor, improving data transparency
• In discussions with new janitorial services
provider to implement sustainable practices
• Registered UDC to participate in RecycleMania
for the first time ever
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Energy, Water, and Climate
• Broke ground on the Dennard Plaza renovations
• Initiated the Campus Master Plan facilitating
input from USTF on plan’s Sustainability Element
• Participating in integrated design process for New
Student Center, with goal of LEED Platinum
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Energy, Water, and Climate
• Planned installation of
five green roofs on
Van Ness campus
buildings
• Initiated utility
benchmarking process
in compliance with DC
law
• Campus plug-load
audit via UDC strategic
grant funding
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Stakeholder Engagement
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•
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Campus Plan community meetings
2010 Green Your Home Expo
2011 Green Living Expo Steering Committee
Connecticut Avenue Beautification Study
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Stakeholder Engagement
•
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•
•
UDC Un-Plugged campaign
Sustainability Website and Online Pledge
Twitter and Facebook presence
Bi-monthly newsletters
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Food Systems
• Awarded food service contract to Fresh Start
• Solar Pod project underway to study extended
growing season
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Student Development
• Currently planning events for Green Week
during April 2011
• Developed a new student orientation session
entitled “Sustainability, UDC, Future Careers,
and YOU” for Spring 2011
• Presented to off-campus housing residential
students in Fall 2010
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Low-Hanging Fruit
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LHF Recommendations (1)
• Implement green janitorial practices.
• Unplug vending machines overnight or have energy saving
devices installed.
• Install occupancy sensors to control lighting in offices,
classrooms, hallways, and restrooms.
• Require that printers and copiers will have two-sided printing
and copying set as their default.
• Encourage all university marketing materials and
communications to be printed on recycled-content paper.
• Invest in a membership with a ridesharing platform.
• Place signs at each recycling location that clearly denotes
what can be recycled.
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LHF Recommendations (2)
• Repair broken water fountains and install filtration units with water
bottle faucets.
• Install a Brita® Hydration Station™ to demonstrate the benefits of
filtered tap water and the cost savings of using reusable bottles (about
one cent per 16 ounces).
• Ensure that janitorial staff does not mix recyclables with trash.
• Ensure that the UDC bookstore carries environmentally preferred
products.
• Implement a sustainability review for all capital expenditures over
$25,000 and all non-research operating expenditures over $10,000.
• Replace all incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Prohibit the purchase of incandescent bulbs in the future.
• Require all equipment purchases or leases to be ENERGY STAR models
or of comparable energy efficiency.
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LHF Recommendations (3)
• Publish online information and statistics regarding UDC’s sustainability
performance in terms of energy consumed, water used, waste
generated, solid waste diverted from landfills and greenhouse gases
emitted.
• Provide permanent informational signage on the green attributes of
the plaza deck renovations and the green roof demonstration project.
• Require that all University suppliers, vendors and contractors complete
a green product and services prequalification form.
• Establish an annual university-sponsored Earth Day event.
• Require carbon offsets for university-sponsored air travel, when
available.
• Include education on UDC sustainability efforts as a part of new
employee orientation, new student orientation and campus tours for
prospective students.
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Priority
Recommendations
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Scholarship
• Priority 1 – Long-term objective
– Establish an Institute or Research Center for Sustainability
• Priority 2 – Spring 2011
– Conduct sustainability workshop for faculty development day each fall and spring
semesters
– Create a sustainability module for EVERY course during Green Week in April
– Add sustainability link to the LRD web portal
– Add bonus points on the SEED Grant for proposals that provide sustainability
projects
• Priority 3 – Summer 2011
– Provide faculty incentives for sustainability course development
– Provide incentive grants for joint faculty/student research projects
• Priority 4 – Fall 2011
– Develop common introductory course on sustainability with established conceptual
framework
– Conduct a sustainability research conference for Washington, DC metro area.
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Materials Flows
• Priority 1 – Adopt Rutgers University-like procurement system.
• Priority 2 – Develop a recycling plan to be kept on file with the
Department of Public Works.
• Priority 3 – Conduct an annual waste audit.
• Additional recommendations include:
– Determine that electronic waste is not going into landfills, incinerators or to
developing countries for disposal.
– Reassess the practice of sending used computers to out of state Federal
penitentiaries to be refurbished by prison labor. An alternative approach is to
send the computers to a locally based nonprofit for refurbishing.
– Extend producer responsibility in contracts.
– Explore adopting a zero waste goal.
– Revitalize the UDC recycling program.
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Energy, Water, and Climate
• Priority 1 – Complete the Dennard Plaza Deck renovations already
under construction.
• Priority 2 – Install green roofs throughout the campus.
• Priority 3 –Complete the window replacement project. – rolling out
on a façade-by-façade basis
• Priority 4 – Design and construct the new Student Center
• Priority 5 – Expand the resources for redeveloping the campus
• Other current activities:
– Retrofitting water fountains with the water bottle filler faucets.
– Replacing old recycling containers with new, more distinctive and
more durable containers.
– Preparing a package for the District government on the necessity for
allowing Energy Service Company financing for to expedite energy
retrofit.
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Stakeholder Engagement &
Student Development
• Priority 1 - Build awareness across campus
• Priority 2 - Create opportunities for engagement for various
stakeholders
• Priority 3 - Build support for sustainability commitments
• Additional recommendations for developing community around
sustainability issues:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Daily and weekly walks around campus
UDC Eco-Thon
Weekly brown bag/pot luck lunches
Conferences
Monthly cafes (semi-formal gatherings)
On-line green calendar
Alumni Sustainability Council
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Food Systems
• Priority 1 – Develop a composting program with the cafeteria.
• Priority 2 – Promote and expand the UDC Farmer’s Market which
operates March to November.
• Priority 3 – Provide for healthy food options in all on-campus
vending machines.
• Additional recommendations include:
– Explore service learning opportunities such as having students
participate in the production of the food and all the processes of
growing, cooking, and disposing (composting) of the food.
– Develop partnerships with external organizations to promote healthy
food production.
– Increase community involvement.
– Identify additional funding sources.
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Planning & Administration
• Priority 1 – Establish an Office of Sustainability within the President’s cabinet
• Priority 2 – Provide dedicated funding to create the new Office of
Sustainability
• Priority 3 – Sign the American College and University Presidents Climate
Commitment (ACUPCC)
• Priority 4 – Establish Sustainability Captains for each department
• Priority 5 – Create a publicly accessible dashboard which allows people to
track the progress by department
• Priority 6 – Adopt a centralized printing policy like the one utilized by CCDC
• Priority 7 – Institute a green procurement and purchasing monitoring system
• Priority 8 – Establish Student Sustainability Captains (SSCs) to promote
sustainability
• Priority 9 – Develop a green product list and a Green Preferred Vendors list
• Priority 10 – Include sustainability clauses in all contracts
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Next Steps
• Draft strategic sustainability plan will be made
available on udc.edu/sustainability
• University community comment period will
remain open through end of February
• Final plan submitted to President Sessoms in
March 2011
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Thank You Task Force Members
Adenike Ogunbode
Alvin Venson
Barbara Jumper
Barbara J. Riddick
Benjamin G. Marcus
Bryant E. Evans
Coy McKinney
Clearance Pearson
Deborah Lyons
Diane Hyman
Douglas William Spetalnick
Erik L. Thompson
Gloria Wyche-Moore
Howard Ways
Iveracottis Short
Joe Libertelli
Josh Lasky
Jovita Wells
Karen Wong
Kimberly Pennamon
Laurie Morin A.
Lillie Monroe-Lord
Linda Carmichael-Freeman
Mary Harris
Maxwell Fairweather
Mike Ewall
Noel Richey
Patricia Thomas
Patrick F. Bateman
Pradeep K. Behera
Rachel G. Perry
Selvon Waldron
Stacie Mills
Stacy Griffith
Thomas Kakovitch
Tolessa Deksissa
Okolo Thomas-Toure
William Hare
William Clemmons
Tracy Williams
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Questions and Comments
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Contact Us
.edu
Visit us on the web at www.udc.edu/sustainability
Follow @GreenUDC at www.twitter.com/GreenUDC
Join the UDC Sustainability Society group on Facebook
Howard Ways, AICP
Director of Planning and Sustainability
(202) 274-5390 | [email protected]
Josh Lasky, LEED AP
Sustainability Manager
(202) 274-5374 | [email protected]
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