An Introduction to Campus Environmental Sustainability Indicators Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium

An Introduction to Campus
Environmental Sustainability
Indicators
Northeast Campus Sustainability Consortium
Indicators Working Group
Gioia Thompson, University of Vermont (Chair)
Connie Leach Bisson, Middlebury College
Mary Jensen, Keene State College
Ramsay Huntley, Tufts University
Melissa Garcia Lamarca, Concordia University
Keisha Payson, Bowdoin College
Julie Newman, Yale University
Intern: Heather Leibowitz, UVM ’05
Created for Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence, September 2005
Environmental Indicators in the
Context of Sustainability
Sustainability is:
"..development that meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs"
World Commission on the
Environment and Development, 1987
Question: How will our communities
and economic systems survive
into the future?
Sustainability in Higher
Education/Campus Greening
• Ensure that critical activities are ecologically
sound, socially just, and economically viable
• Emphasize these concepts in curriculum,
research, outreach
• Prepare students to contribute as working
citizens
• Support surrounding community
• Create institution that functions as
sustainable community
Greening Campus Operations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Land use
Transportation, parking, fleet
Landscaping
Water use
Food
Purchasing
Hazardous waste management
Solid waste management
Energy use and sources
Sample Assessment Resources
• Campus Consortium for Environmental
Excellence C/U Self Tracking Tool
• Sierra Youth Coalition’s Campus Sustainability
Assessment Framework
• Good Company’s Sustainable Pathways Toolkit
• Campus Sustainability Assessment Project
• Clean Air-Cool Planet greenhouse gas inventory
Types of Reports
• Comprehensive sustainability assessments
• Environmental reports
• Other reports
– Individual building performance report
– Ecological footprint analysis
– Greenhouse gas inventories
Sample Comprehensive Reports
• University of Florida: qualitative, covers
research, education, operations, outreach,
personnel, policies and practices
• Michigan State University: 16 social,
economic, environmental indicators; 76
graphs and tables
• Concordia University (Montreal) multistakeholder process, 171 indicators on
social, economic, environmental impact,
100+ students involved
Social/community
Environmental
Economic
Sample Environmental Reports
• Bowdoin College
– Environmental Impact Audit, December 2000
• Middlebury College
– Climate Neutral Working Group report
• Tufts University
– Tufts Climate Initiative website, activities
• University of Vermont
– Tracking UVM: Environmental Report Card
1990-2000
• Yale University
– Yale University Environment Report: 1997-1998
through 2003-2004
Example: Tracking UVM:
Environmental Report Card 1990-2000
• Land, water, energy, air,
waste indicators 1990-2000
• Best management practices,
community comments, next
steps
• Audience: students, staff,
faculty, trustees, legislature,
community
• Excerpted, adapted for
educational projects
• Key findings: energy use,
solid waste up despite best
practices
University of Vermont
Environmental Council
December 2002
Using Your Indicators
•
•
•
•
•
•
Track management practices in operations
Strategic planning
Master planning
Compliance assessment
Comparison with other institutions
Campus, community stakeholder
education and engagement
Sample Educational Uses
Ex: To promote awareness in residence
halls:
• Electricity use reduction competition—Oberlin
College
• % of trash that could have been recycled
(EcoRep waste sort results) —Vermont
• Total recycled / resident student, and
Total trash / resident student—Recyclemania
Considerations: Purpose
• Academics: engage intellectual resources
of faculty and students in sustainability
• Campus education: awareness,
understanding, motivation, behavior change
• Decision-making: support clear decisions,
set priorities, engage stakeholders
• Visibility: create pressure on institution
from internal and external sources
Considerations: Constraints
• Money: financial, in-kind,
investments in data systems
• Time: data and labor availability,
reporting schedules
• Relevance: quality of data, culture,
pressing issues, collaborations
Considerations: Potential Pitfalls
• Coordinator
– Burnout
– Time sink
– Data don’t exist in form they ―should‖
– Danger of poor interactions with stakeholders
• Institution
– Reluctance to look bad
– Perceived confidentiality issues
– Difficulty in comparing school to school
– Danger of drawing the wrong conclusions
Recommendation:
Start with key environmental
indicators
• Solid waste & recycling, composting
– Tangible, measurable, understandable
• Energy—heating, electricity,
transportation, and associated
emissions
– Collectively largest financial and
environmental impact
Available from
C2E2.org
• Water—water use and wastewater
treatment
– Significance depends on region
Measuring Now, and Maybe Later
Sample energy and waste measures:
• Probably measuring now
–
–
–
–
kWh, Btus, square feet
Tons waste to landfill, recycling (?)
Number of students, faculty, staff
Financial data
• Might want to measure
–
–
–
–
Greenhouse gas emissions
Energy sources
How much of trash could have been recycled
Construction and demolition waste
What’s Next
•
•
•
•
Creative educational uses of indicators
Focus on key indicators (depth) and/or …
Expansion to larger numbers of indicators
Perhaps formal reporting systems as part of
Environmental Management Systems, ISO
14001
• Suites of Indicators
• Integrate into campus reporting systems
Suites of Energy Indicators
Example:
• Energy use from heating, electricity,
transportation combined into one unit (terajoules
or BTUs) shows relative environmental
impacts—often heating and electricity about the
same, transportation much lower
• Cost of energy use from heating, electricity,
transportation shows relative costs, return on
investment—electricity usually highest
• Greenhouse gas emissions from energy uses
show climate change impacts
Sample: Energy Indicators Suite
FY05 Energy Dollars
FY05 Energy Usage
(Does not include w ater)
(Water Not Included)
1%3%
18%
8%
12%
#2
18%
1% 4%
#6
Natural Gas
Natural Gas
Electricity
Electricity
Steam
Propane
58%
#2
21%
#6
Steam
19%
37%
Propane
FY05 Emissions
7%
2%0%
electricity
11%
46%
steam
#6 fuel
Natural gas
#2 fuel
34%
propane
FY01
FY02
FY03
FY04
FY05
FY06
est.
Heating
Degree Days
5,804
4,829
6,252
5,627
5,889
5,680
Cooling
Degree Days
699
705
892
786
683
753
3,583
,911
3,627
,511
3,764
,705
3,791
,451
3,810
,664
3,874
,801
Campus Sq.
Footage
Integrating Indicators into Planning,
Reporting, Surveying Systems
Examples:
• Campus Master Plan: impervious surfaces
• Transportation Plan: single occupancy vehicle rate,
commuter choice options
• Utilities Plan: emissions, greenhouse gases
• Contracts: recycled content in copier paper, local
food served by dining services
• Reports: Env Health & Safety: IAQ complaints
• Surveys: awareness, attitudes (Student
Government, Statistics classes)
RESOURCES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Organizations
Reports
Tools
Articles
Miscellaneous slides
1. ORGANIZATIONS

Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence
www.c2e2.org

Education for Sustainability-West
www.esfwest.org

University Leaders for a Sustainable Future
www.ulsf.org

National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.org

Clean Air-Cool Planet
www.cleanair-coolplanet.org
Campus Consortium for
Environmental Excellence (C2E2)
•
•
College & University Sector Program
www.c2e2.org
See also:
•
•
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) 32
institutions involved
EPA Best Management Practices (BMP)
2. REPORTS

Comprehensive




University of Florida
Michigan State
Concordia University (Montreal)
Environmental



Bowdoin College
Tufts University
Yale University
University of Florida
University of Florida Sustainability Task Force –
Final Report (2002)

Qualitatively focused report looking at a wide range
of indicators for a sustainable institution:
 Research
 Education
 Campus Operations (including: Land Management &
Biodiversity, Buildings, Energy and Resource Use,
Transportation, Waste Management, etc.)



Community Outreach and Integration
Campus Community: Personnel
Organizational Policies and Practices
Michigan State University

Campus Sustainability Report (2003)



Extensive report including 76 representational
graphs and tables
Social, Economic, and Environmental Indicators
(16 total)
Findings provide data on a wide range of campus
issues – from intramural sports to research
funding to air emissions
Concordia University
Concordia University
171 Indicators organized in 10 areas
Eco-subsystem
Materials
Buildings
Paper
Food
Equipment
Hazardous materials
Solid Waste
Energy
Air
Sources
Indoo r
Managemen t
Outdoor
Intensity of Use
Land
Managed Green Space
Natural Areas
Intensity of Use
Water
Consumption
Managemen t
Storm and Wastewater
People Subsystem
Governance
Knowledge Economy and
Wealth
Policy
Training
Individual
Implementation Research
Institutional
Monitoring
Curriculum
Health and Well-Being
Community
Recreation
Food
Safety
Health Services
Environment
Involvement
Diversity
Services
Concordia University
Sample Health & Wellbeing Indicators
NO.
INDICATOR
MEASUREMENT UNITS
HW-12
Mental
Health
Care
Practitioner
HW-13
Retention
Rate
HW-14
Spiritual
Services
HW-15
Mental
Illness
HW-16
Student
Suicide
Rate
Total number of CCMs divided
by the total number of certified
FTE mental health care
professionals on-campus in
assessment year
(psychiatrists, psychologists,
counselors, etc.).
Measure annual retention
rates of staff, students and
faculty and average them
based on the total FTE
populations of each group.
Total number of CCMs
practicing a spiritual discipline
who are serviced by spirituality
outlets available on-campus
(with care taken not to double
count individuals using more
than one service) divided by
the total number of CCMs;
multiply by 100.
Total annual number of people
reporting depression,
alcohol/drug abuse, etc.,
divided by the total campus
headcount; multiply by 100.
Total annual number of
student suicides, divided by
the total headcount of
students; multiply by 1000.
RESULT
SHORT-TERM
BENCHMARK
X CCMs/
FTE
professional
LONG-TERM
GOAL
X CCMs/
FTE
professional
At least 85%
100%
100%
Zero
Zero per
1000
students.
Tufts Climate Initiative (TCI)




Tufts University has committed to reducing GHG
emissions by 7% below 1990 levels by 2012 – this
translates to a real reduction of about 30%.
Carbon is the key metric for measuring the impact of
construction, transportation, energy efficiency,
personal action, and clean electricity.
TCI’s work is funded by grants. University dollars
fund efficiency and other investments.
TCI’s focus is on efficiency, new construction,
electricity procurement, and personal action.
Tufts University Carbon Inventory
30,000
Carbon emissions
updated annually
(www.tufts.edu/tci )
Emissions Target
20,000
Agriculture
Transportation
15,000
Heat
Electricity
10,000
5,000
0
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
Year
Electricity Use on the Medford Campus
A focus on improving
electrical efficiency
has leveled electricity
and decreased
emissions on the
main campus.
40,000,000
35,000,000
30,000,000
kWh
Emission Releases (MTCE)
25,000
25,000,000
20,000,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
5,000,000
0
1990
1998
1999
2000
Year
2001
2002
2003
University of Vermont
Report Card Results 1990-2000
More
sustainable:
+ Energy sources
+ Radioactive
waste
+ Water use
+ Storm water
management
Little change or
inadequate
data:
~ Land use
~ Air pollution
from heating
~ Recycling
~ Hazardous
waste
Less
sustainable:
-Commuting miles
-CO2 emissions
-Energy use
-Trash generation
3. TOOLS

College Consortium of Environmental Excellence (and
EPA)


Environmental Protection Agency


Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework
http://www.syc-cjs.org/index.php
Good Company


Sector Programs: College & University Sector
http://www.epa.gov/sectors/colleges/
Sierra Youth Coalition


Colleges & Universities Self Tracking Tool http://www.c2e2.org/cgiadmin/navigate.cgi
Sustainable Pathways Toolkit
http://www.goodcompany.com/lib/documents/
Campus Sustainability Assessment Project CSAP

Online Database http://csap.envs.wmich.edu/pages/res_csa.html
C2E2/EPA Colleges & Universities
Self Tracking Tool

Colleges and Universities Self Tracking Tool,
developed by EPA College and University
Sector’s Performance Measurement Workgroup
http://www.c2e2.org/tracking_tool/index.html
online tool to collect and analyze data on
campus environmental impacts.

Tracks and benchmarks environmental
indicators against aggregated data from other
schools of similar size and type.
Good Company’s Sustainable
Pathways Toolkit



Assessment tool for university and college
customers: 20 core indicators and 10
supplementary, each with performance
benchmark. (ex. UNC-Greensboro)
Compact and focused still with some depth of
sustainability issues and coverage of human and
ecosystem dimensions.
Involves limited consultation of and involvement
of campus community.
The Campus Sustainability
Assessment Project (CSAP)
The Campus Sustainability Assessment Database is
an extensive, searchable record of CSA projects
throughout the United States, Canada, and several
other countries. It contains information on over 1,100
projects and assessments of all types.
http://csap.envs.wmich.edu/pages/res_csa.html
Campus Sustainability
Assessment Framework (CSAF)
ECOSYSTEM
LAND
WATER
MATERIALS
PEOPLE
AIR
KNOWLEDGE
HEALTH &
WELL -BEING
ENERGY
COMMUNITY
GOVERNANCE
ECONOM Y
& WEALTH
A sustainable campus
community acts upon its
local and global
responsibilities to protect
and enhance the health and
well being of humans and
ecosystems. It actively
engages the knowledge of
the university community to
address the ecological and
social challenges that we
face now and in the future.
Sierra Youth Coalition
Greenhouse Gas Calculators





Tufts Climate Initiative used own spreadsheet in 1999,
prior to World Resources Institute (WRI) method
http://www.tufts.edu/tci
WRI tool is used by Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative (RGGI), often used for businesses:
http://www.rggr.us/registriesbackground.html
Ralph Torrie software through ICLEI often used for
cities: http://www.cacpsoftware.org/
Clean Air–Cool Planet calculator for higher education:
http://www.cleanaircoolplanet.org/toolkit/content/view/43/124/
DOE software:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/frntvrgg.html
4. Articles
•Cole, Lindsay (2003). ‘Assessing Sustainability of
Canadian University Campuses: Development of a
Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework.’
Victoria, Canada: Royal Roads University.
•Graedel, T.E. (2002) ‘Quantitative sustainability in a
college or university setting’ in International Journal
of Sustainability in Higher Education Vol.3 No.4,
pp.346-358
•Shriberg, Michael (2002). ‘Institutional assessment tools
for sustainability in higher education: strengths,
weaknesses and implications for practice and
theory’ in Higher Education Policy 15, p 153-167.
5. Miscellaneous






Ecological Footprint
Sustainable Development
Sustainable Community Indicators
Benchmarks
NEG/ECP climate pledge
Global Reporting