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University Sustainability Task Force Open HouseJanuary 24, 2011
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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?
US EPA (http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm
Sustainability calls for policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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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 University- wide 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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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
UDC Sustainability Timeline
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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
UDC Sustainability Timeline
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Energy UseImpact ReductionGreen CommunitiesEnvironmental JusticeSocial JusticeAcceptableTriple-Bottom-LineCleaning up the EnvironmentRecyclingSustainable OperationsSocial AnthropologyLow-CarbonRestorativeActions have Consequences
Socially DesirableEconomically Feasible“Better Than We Found It”A Way of LifeFood, Energy and WaterConsciousnessWaste ManagementResponsibilityOpportunityConservationReuseThink, Live GreenMaximize UtilitySystem Interdependence
Environmentally ConsciousEducationBalanceConnectednessThinking AheadEnergy SourcingLong-Term PlanningWay of ThinkingZero WasteZero EmissionsNo DivisionsLeadershipGreening our HomesPreservation
• Systems approach• Staying ahead of local and
national policy• Educating students and the
UDC community• Behavior change• Measurement and verification
• Economic and operational efficiency
• Urban land-grant identity• Job development for
emerging sectors• Following best practices• Interdisciplinary focus
Themes:
UDC Sustainability
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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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Sustainability Initiative
Academics and Research
(Provost, Colleges, Departments)
Green IT (Office of
Information Technology)
Buildings and Capital Projects(Facilities and
Real Estate)
Student Leadership
(Environmental Law Society,
Campus Garden Group)
Purchasing (Office of
Contracting and Procurement)
External Partnerships
(Government, Non-Profit, Business)
Aux. Services and Recycling & Waste
Mgmt. (Campus Services,
Aux. Services)
Service(Cooperative
Extension, Service Learning)
University Sustainability
Task Force
A Cross-Functional Effort
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Best PracticesFrom Higher Education
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• 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
University of Central Florida
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• 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)
Daemen College
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• 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.
University of Illinois
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• 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.
Lynchburg College
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• 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
Indiana University
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• 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
Georgia Southern University
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• 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
Rutgers University – Camden
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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!
U Oregon – Sustainable City Year
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• 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
American U. – Drinking Water Audit
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Assessing our Potential
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Campus Sustainability JourneyEF
FICI
ENT
CREDIBLE AUTHENTIC CULTURAL
VALU
E-AD
DED
SYST
EMS-
BASE
D
AWAKENING PIONEERING TRANSFORMATION
AWARENESS
APPLICATION & INVESTMENT
PROGRESS
UNDERSTANDING
CHANGE
(TRANSITIONAL)
(TRANSFORMATIVE)
RECRUITMENT
COALITION BUILDING
SYMBIOSIS
PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION
LOW-RISK PILOT
INTEGRATION
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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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COLOR: LEVEL OF EFFORT REQUIRED
HIGH (7-10)
MID (4-6)
LOW (0-3)
Sustainability Performance Matrix
SIZE: POTENTIAL IMPACT
HIGH (7-10)
MID (4-6)
LOW (0-3)
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LOW PERFORMANCE
HIGH PERFORMANCE
HIGH IMPORTANCE
LOW IMPORTANCE
INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTH
VISIBLE LIABILITY
HIDDEN ASSET
HIDDEN WEAKNESS
BUILTENVIRONMENT
STEWARD-SHIP
AESTHETICS
FOOD
PARTNERSHIPS
STUDENT LIFE
ENERGY & WATER MATERIALS & WASTEACADEMICS
OPERATIONS
INNOVATION
COMMUNICATI ONS
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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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• 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
Materials Flows
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• 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
Energy, Water, and Climate
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• 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
Energy, Water, and Climate
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• Campus Plan community meetings• 2010 Green Your Home Expo• 2011 Green Living Expo Steering Committee• Connecticut Avenue Beautification Study
Stakeholder Engagement
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• UDC Un-Plugged campaign• Sustainability Website and Online Pledge• Twitter and Facebook presence• Bi-monthly newsletters
Stakeholder Engagement
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• Awarded food service contract to Fresh Start • Solar Pod project underway to study extended
growing season
Food Systems
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• 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
Student Development
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Low-Hanging Fruit
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• 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.
LHF Recommendations (1)
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• 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.
LHF Recommendations (2)
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• 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.
LHF Recommendations (3)
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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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• 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.
Materials Flows
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• 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.
Energy, Water, and Climate
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• 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
Stakeholder Engagement & Student Development
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• 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.
Food Systems
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• 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
Planning & Administration
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• 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
Next Steps
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Thank You Task Force MembersAdenike Ogunbode Alvin Venson Barbara JumperBarbara J. Riddick Benjamin G. MarcusBryant E. EvansCoy McKinneyClearance PearsonDeborah LyonsDiane HymanDouglas William Spetalnick Erik L. Thompson Gloria Wyche-MooreHoward WaysIveracottis Short Joe Libertelli Josh LaskyJovita WellsKaren WongKimberly Pennamon
Laurie Morin A.Lillie Monroe-Lord Linda Carmichael-Freeman Mary HarrisMaxwell Fairweather Mike EwallNoel RicheyPatricia ThomasPatrick F. Bateman Pradeep K. Behera Rachel G. Perry Selvon WaldronStacie MillsStacy GriffithThomas Kakovitch Tolessa Deksissa Okolo Thomas-Toure William HareWilliam ClemmonsTracy Williams
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Questions and Comments
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.edu
Howard Ways, AICP Josh Lasky, LEED APDirector of Planning and Sustainability Sustainability Manager(202) 274-5390 | [email protected] (202) 274-5374 | [email protected]
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Join the UDC Sustainability Society group on Facebook
Visit us on the web at www.udc.edu/sustainability
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