2012 Environmental Audit Executive Summary

Transcription

1 2012 Environmental Audit Executive Summary Since 2009, Lycoming College has conducted a student-led environmental audit. In the past, business and environmental science students alike have worked together to complete this in-depth task. The duty then became one of the responsibilities of the Sustainability Office, which was established in the fall of The creation of the office was one of the many positive results of President James Douthat signing the President s Climate Commitment in April After this occurred, the college began to further emphasize the importance of sustainability efforts due to the fact that instituting greening efforts help reduce costs of running the college, associated emissions, and the overall impact the school has on the environment. The formation of the Sustainability Office can be viewed as a significant step in Lycoming College s pursuit of becoming more green. Upon its creation, the office consisted of one sustainability coordinator and two co-coordinators. After one of the co-coordinators graduated in May of 2012, two additional office assistants have been hired. Some of the responsibilities include Running bi-weekly committee meetings, Representing Lycoming College at various conferences and workshops about sustainability, Designing and implementing initiatives for resource conservation, Interfacing with Residential Life Staff to train Resident Advisors to monitor trash rooms for proper labeling of recycling bins and accurate sorting of recyclables, and Conducting the annual environmental audit The audit examines several areas of the college operations, including energy consumption, recycling initiatives, greenhouse gases, and student involvement in sustainability efforts. One of the most important aspects covered is consumption; the audit focuses on water, gas, and electrical usage. These areas are of particular significance because of the possible decisions that could be made regarding cost saving measures, leading to overall emission reduction, after viewing the report. Another aspect that is included in the comprehensive audit is examining Lycoming College s carbon footprint, which can be computed using the Clean Air-Cool Planet Carbon Calculator. This Microsoft Excel spreadsheet provides an in-depth look at various areas of carbon usage by Lycoming College students, staff, faculty, and administrators. A wide inputs ranging from gas consumed during college travel to electricity consumption are included in this calculator. While this was typically completely annually, it was decided by the sustainability committee in the fall of 2012 that this calculation would be performed every other year with a

2 new web-based program called Mosaic Carbon Accounting Software. This program seemingly will make the carbon footprint calculation, as well as the revision of the audit, much more simplistic due to the fact that graphs, charts, and other visuals will be presented on-screen as the computation becomes complete. Graphs in the appendices show the usage in assorted area of energy production and consumption over a period of at least three years. However, sometimes information was presented for as many as the past five years. Looking at consumption trends of the various buildings throughout the past several years can indicate where the focus needs to be placed with new energy saving initiatives. Projects such as raising awareness among students in terms of reducing the use of resources or installing new equipment with energy saving ability can help. One such initiative has been the installation of LED lighting in Lamade Gymnasium. These lights are being used to replace the old bulbs as they burn out. A major student-centered initiative for resource conservation to save energy and water is the Flip it Off! Campaign. This program launched during the school year and was inspired a program of the same name at the University of Minnesota: Crookston. Signs were printed on 100% recycled paper and used clever puns on saving energy through turning out the lights or encouraging the water to be turned off. These signs are in place near all light switches and bathroom sinks. Another way in which the school can create costs savings while helping protect the environment is through recycling. In the spring of 2012, the ALCOA grant was awarded received, which provided the school with 1600, 6-gallon recycling bins. These bins were given to all residents for use in their rooms to encourage more recycling and to make the process of recycling easier on campus. Extra bins were also placed in classrooms and made available to faculty for use in their office spaces. Unfortunately, actual waste reduction costs were unable to be calculated at this time due to the current waste removal services being utilized by the college. This issue is being looked into for future reference to better realize the actual savings produced through the new recycling initiatives. Overall, the audit provides important information for the college to realize the cost savings which can be accomplished, as well as the goals that have already been reached. The sustainability office and its endeavors are often not seen by the majority of the student body. Awareness is an important aspect of making sustainability work here on campus. Interest in sustainability is vital because without the support of the students, sustainability programs will fail. In the past year, the office has made incredible triumphs in increasing visibility of sustainability on campus.

3 Major Accomplishments from this Semester While at times the lack of instant progress can be frustrating, in retrospect there were several major accomplishments this semester. These range from finishing the updated version of the environmental audit to acquiring more recycling bins to increasing the general interest in sustainability efforts on campus. All of these changes contribute to Lycoming College making strides towards becoming a truly sustainable institution. One of the most visible accomplishments on campus has been placement of recycling receptacles at Jack s Place and in Heim. Many students had approached the sustainability office staff with concerns over the lack of recycling at Jack s. After discussing the idea with the committee and receiving input from Larry Mannolini, it was decided that the new bins would be placed near the mail room. This way, the bins are not only centrally located for student use during the hours that Jack s is open, but it is also an effective way to tout sustainability efforts during campus tours to prospective students. The bins in Heim make recycling more accessible, particularly for students who have components of their lunches that need to be recycled after Scholars Seminar and Colloquium. Another major accomplishment involves augmenting membership of the sustainability office and office. Two sustainability assistants were hired with the hopes of being able to divide up work more evenly and have them aid in data collection for the audit and other tasks. Additionally, the committee itself was expanded to include more departments on campus. Information technology services, the Office of Admissions, the bookstore, and the Department of College Advancement have sent representatives to the committee meetings. This provides a more holistic approach to the discussion of sustainability issues. A wider demographic that sits on the committee allows for more opinions from a variety of people, which is crucial to the success of the group. One of the greatest accomplishments, however, has been increasing general interest in sustainability issues. This has been exhibited in both current students and Lycoming College alumni. Through educational programs about sustainability with Resident Advisors, as well as conduction Private Dining Room events with present student, awareness for the office s green enterprises has been increased and more students are willing to participate. By informing students of not only the environmental impacts of sustainability, but the economic effects as well, people are more likely to respond to this multi-faceted approach. Alumni interest and awareness about sustainability has increased as well. During the 2012 Homecoming football game, Lycoming College participated in its first annual Game Day Challenge, a waste reduction competition sponsored in part by the Environmental Protection Agency. A table was set up at the game, at which members of the sustainability office had posters with information about

4 what Lycoming College has accomplished in terms of its greening efforts. Numerous alumni visited the table with questions, comments, and encouragement for the Sustainability staff. Goals for Next Semester Currently, there are three main goals for the Spring 2013 semester. These include further research into co-generation using biodiesel, expanding the biodiesel usage on campus, and creating another public service announcement. Each of these initiatives aim to further promote Lycoming s sustainability efforts to be more environmentally friendly, as well as be fiscally conscious. The priority for the spring semester will be examining how the utilization of biodiesel can be expanded on campus. Currently, the only vehicle that can operate using biodiesel is the Hustler, which aids in snow and leaf removal. However, the temperatures of a typical Pennsylvania winter are too cold to operate the Hustler using biodiesel. Ideally, as machines that are currently in use become defunct, they will be replaced by equipment that is capable of running on biodiesel. Another issue that was encountered was that there has been no recent use or production of this fuel source, so the shed in which it is made was rather disheveled and the oil was going rancid. Because of the lack of vehicles with the capability of using biodiesel, this valuable and sustainable alternative fuel method is being wasted. The sustainability committee aims to look into giving the biodiesel away to community members who could utilize it. The byproduct of the biodiesel production can be converted into a soap product. The goal is to make this soap and sell it in the campus bookstore or to include it as a gift to prospective students. This would further enhance awareness about sustainability issues that have been addressed on campus. The next public service announcement will once again be completed with the digital communications group, Crossing the Frame Productions. This video will focus on several issues that have been a concern to the sustainability officers. These include proper use of the ALCOA recycling bins, the recycling room over in East Hall, and resource conservation. It has been noticed that students in the residence halls are misusing their blue bins by utilizing them as trash receptacles. One of the goals of the PSA is to encourage proper use. It has also been brought to the attention of the sustainability office that students who live in East Hall are not aware of the trash/recycling room that is located in the wing of the building that houses Lambda Chi Alpha and Beta Phi Gamma. Upon inspection of this location, it was discovered that there are ample trash cans and well-labeled recycling bins. Because Greek organizations make up a large percentage of the population on campus, it is essential that they

5 are involved with sustainability efforts. For this reason, a portion of the PSA will focus on bringing awareness to this resource. The last topic of the PSA will address resource conservation in terms of water and electricity. While the Flip it Off! Campaign has been implemented, it is believed that the more visibility this issue receives, the more people will be likely to think about conservation. Many college students are prone to leaving lights on when they leave a room, keep the water running while they brush their teeth, or leave all kinds of electronic resources on or plugged in when not in use. Captain Planet will strive to make the Lycoming College community more aware of their habits and work towards being more eco-friendly in all aspects of life. Finally, the third major goal of the spring semester is to research the possibility of converting at least some sectors of the college to cogeneration. This system of combined heat and power would provide the school with a money saving and environmentally friendly manner of generating fuel. While there would be an initial and somewhat significant start-up cost to employing this technology, a payback period of five to ten years can be expected. Savings of several hundred thousand dollars have been reported by institutions using cogeneration. Not only would this be a clean and efficient energy source, but it would be a fiscally sound endeavor, well. Obviously, this would be a large scale and multi-departmental undertaking. However, the benefits that would be accrued make this worth exploring. There are several programs and initiatives that will be considered continuous, with the sustainability committee and office staff working to ensure they are permanent initiatives. Included in this idea are RecycleMania, the Game Day Challenge, and the constant revision of the environmental audit. RecycleMania is a nationwide recycling competition during which colleges and universities compete to recycle the most materials over an eight week period. Lycoming College has participated in RecycleMania since 2001, often performing strongly compared to other schools. Another event that will be made an annual tradition is Lycoming College s participation in the Game Day Challenge. Volunteers from other athletic teams, Greek life organizations, and the Lycoming Environmental Awareness Foundation (LEAF) will contribute to making this event a success. A large continuous project is the annual revision of the environmental audit. It will be published and made available on the college s website after each round of revision is complete. The signs for the Flip it Off! Campaign will also be constantly updated and replaced as needed. As with any major initiatives, extensive research needs to be completed before these proposed ideas can become a reality. The overall goal and expectation is that further progress in the realm of sustainability will be made and Lycoming College will continue to foster the spirit of becoming increasingly environmentally friendly. Through the continued hard work of the Sustainability Office, Committee, and college community, there is no doubt that visible and

6 beneficial change will occur and the institution will remain dedicated to the goal of becoming a leader in sustainability.