University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont Spring 2005, Climate Change

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1 Inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children s future National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Center Drive Reston, VA Burlington, Vermont Spring 2005, Climate Change BACKGROUND Campus Profile The (UVM, for Universitas Viridis Montis, the Latin for university of the green mountain ) has eight colleges and schools, a graduate college, a medical college, and a continuing education division. Its population includes 7,500 undergraduate students, 1,050 graduate students, 380 medical students, 1,000 faculty members, and 1,800 staff members. UVM overlooks Lake Champlain and is in Burlington, which has a population of about 40,000. UVM has nearly 300 buildings on its 425-acre main campus. A land grant institution with a College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a strong extension program, UVM owns 3,000 acres encompassing four research farms and nine natural areas. Those areas include the summit of Mount Mansfield (Vermont s highest peak) the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Center on Burlington s waterfront, and several regional education centers. The environment is a major focus for UVM, along with liberal arts and health. About 9 percent of undergraduates major in environmentally related areas, including natural resources, sustainable agriculture, environmental engineering, environmental science, and environmental studies. More than 250 environmentally related courses are offered across the campus, and students participate in dozens of environmental projects on and off campus as volunteers, interns, and researchers. UVM s environmental council, created in 1996, has a full-time coordinator who is responsible for tracking environmental performance; recommending environmentally responsible practices; working with students, faculty members, and staff members on environmental projects; and connecting with the Burlington and Vermont community. The council s small grants program gives $500-$1,500 to collaborative projects involving the faculty, staff, and students. Contacts Ethan Joseph Gioia Thompson 2006 Graduate Environmental Coordinator Ethan.Joseph@uvm.edu 284 East Avenue Room 201 Burlington, VT Phone: environmental.council@uvm.edu GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Goals The goal of this year s climate education project was to increase awareness about climate change and energy use among students. National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Yearbook 2005

2 Accomplishments The ongoing projects at UVM are educating students about climate change and energy use on a daily basis. The various campaigns targeted students on all parts of the campus at different times of the year. Changing the habits of just one student constitutes success, so the more information that is available, the more likely people are to undertake the small changes needed to make a difference. The accomplishments of UVM s climate action campaigns this year are outlined below: 1. Sleep Is Good Sleep Is Good is part of the 10 percent challenge campaign for UVM. Posters were displayed throughout campus advertising Sleep Mode TM, an energy saving computer software, and Sleep Is Good mouse pads replaced old mouse pads in all of UVM s computer labs. A total of 1.6 million kwh per year could be saved if all 8,000 personal computers on campus had the program installed. Many students have begun to use this free and effective way to conserve energy. For more information, visit 2. Northeast Climate Conference This February, UVM hosted the third Annual Northeast Climate Conference. The conference brought together college students from the northeastern United States to collaborate on effective ways of fighting climate change on their campuses and in their states. Common themes included grassroots movements, student organizing and networking, outreaching, future planning, and staying positive. Nearly 400 students were trained in organizing skills and strategies for getting their college campuses to address the issue of climate change. For more information, visit 3. Bike Display As part of the Northeast Climate Conference, UVM s environmental council set up a display regarding dorm room energy use. The display included information about dorm room energy consumption, energy efficient products, and companies, and it recommended practices for students to take to reduce their electricity use. Most important was the bike generator that was set up to power light bulbs. People could physically experience how much energy is required to turn on a small electrical appliance like a light bulb. It also demonstrated how much more efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are than standard incandescent bulbs. A few CFLs were distributed for free. Conference participants were thrilled. 4. Eco-Reps Light Bulb Exchange The UVM Eco-Rep Program promotes environmental stewardship among UVM s residential students by raising awareness about ecological issues and by encouraging environmentally conscious behavior. This semester, as part of their effort to spread information on energy and climate change, the students sponsored two light bulb exchanges. The idea behind each exchange was to educate students about the environmental effects of using electricity and to offer them easy strategies to reduce the National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Yearbook 2005 Page 2

3 effect. The Eco-Reps accomplished this swap by handing out CFLs in exchange for standard incandescent ones. A total of 391 bulbs were exchanged, saving UVM approximately 16,300 kwh and $1,630 per school year. For more information, visit 5. Dorm Room Electrical Consumption Inventory This project was designed to estimate the amount of electricity consumed by an average dorm room on the UVM campus from plug loads and phantom loads. A list of undergraduate dorm rooms acquired from residential life was randomly selected for this inventory project. Then an Excel template was designed for the Eco-Reps to use with a list of common appliances from previous Eco-Rep studies, such as how many watts, how many hours per day on, how many days per week, and whether it was phantom load. The inventory used the kill-a-watt meters to calculate the kilowatt hours for the various types of appliances and then extrapolated for other dorm rooms. Further research is needed for the completion of this inventory. Collecting representative data was the most challenging aspect of this project. Of 40 samples, only 12 returned were usable. In some instances, the data sheets were incomplete or information was missing, which voided those data. It is necessary to inventory a larger sample population in order to obtain more representative data. Also, the data collection sheets that were used for the inventory were set up different from the master Excel document on the computer, which made it difficult to compile the data on the computer and required the averaging of data for each inventoried room. Furthermore, measuring the electricity use of refrigerators was complicated because refrigerators do not consume energy all the time. They run for a short period and then shut off. Quantifying this energy consumption is nearly impossible unless it is recorded over a period of one or two days. As a result of those problems, the data collected and analyzed was skewed, and further research is necessary. 6. Earth Week Each year, a number of UVM clubs and organizations come together to plan a week-long series of events called Earth Week, with the culmination of the events being on Earth Day. The bike generator was set up at a table during the festivities on Earth Day to encourage students to reduce their energy consumption after experiencing how difficult it is to generate enough electricity to power a light bulb. Challenges and Responses The most challenging aspect of climate action education is getting people to really listen and then to take what they have learned and incorporate it into their own lives. Seeing results is not as immediate as we would hope. Nevertheless, we realize that communication and education are extremely important to accomplish our goals, and we will continue to reach out to students in hopes that our efforts will make a difference. ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT Leaders and Supporters National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Yearbook 2005 Page 3

4 The above campaigns were all part of an internship that I (Ethan Joseph) had with Gioia Thompson, environmental coordinator for UVM. She has worked closely with me and assisted me with the organization and synthesis of ideas. Without her, those projects would not have been initiated. My internship with Gioia has provided me with many learning opportunities in environmental communication, including writing, speaking, organizing, and conversing with students about energy and climate-related topics. I have also developed my understanding of energy issues and technologies. The energy education projects I worked on were implemented by a network of groups: UVM environmental council: The council provided access to its resources and developed campaigns. To learn more, go to The council s Climate Action Committee has also been involved. UVM physical plant: Rich Wolbach, UVM s energy management engineer, worked with Burlington s electrical department to get bulbs for the exchanges and to provide information for students. To learn more, go to Vermont campus energy group: Liz Cunningham was local contact for planning the climate conference. To learn more, go to Efficiency Vermont (statewide energy efficiency utility): The project provided the bike generator and educational materials. To learn more, go to UVM Eco-Reps: The project planned, organized, and successfully executed two light bulb exchanges. To learn more, go to 10 Percent Challenge: The project provided support and resources on climate action. To learn more, go to Funding and Resources Funding for the energy education projects came from the leaders and supporters described above; many provided in-kind contributions of time and materials. The climate action internship, a paid position for academic credit, was funded by the environmental council. UVM s physical plant department and Burlington s electric department paid for light bulbs. Community Outreach and Education The energy education projects on campus were intended not only to educate students about behaviors in residence halls, but also to help them make environmentally responsible choices when they move off campus. The Vermont campus energy group, Efficiency Vermont, and the Alliance for Climate Action were all interested in the model used in this project. Their active involvement not only brought resources to UVM, but also allowed their organizations to take ideas back to their own community and professional networks. Climate Change This project directly addressed energy use and global climate change. As noted above, all but a few related reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are difficult to measure, but our hope is that the energy awareness and practical tips that the students gained will be carried with them for the rest of their lives. National Wildlife Federation s Campus Ecology Program National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Yearbook 2005 Page 4

5 NWF s Campus Ecology program has been an inspiration and a great source of learning from other campuses. The online case studies provided insight to projects and goals of campuses across the country. We look forward to continuing to benefit from all that the Campus Ecology Yearbook has to offer. CLOSING COMMENT Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny. -Charles Reed College campuses are a great place to initiate, demonstrate, and accomplish long-lasting environmental progress. The openness to learning is widespread, and our collective minds are still fertile ground for ideas. The resignation that living often brings is easily postponed. Sow a thought, and you reap an act. National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology Yearbook 2005 Page 5