JMU CLIMATE ACTION REPORT UPDATE 1, DECEMBER 2012

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1 I. Background JMU CLIMATE ACTION REPORT UPDATE 1, DECEMBER 2012 James Madison University (JMU) is a public, master s level university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The campus community consists of over 19,000 students and about 2,700 faculty and staff members. We educate students, conduct research and scholarship, and serve our community. Our mission statement reads, We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives. All divisions of the university are charged with a responsibility for environmental stewardship via JMU s 18th defining characteristic (adopted in 2009): The university will be an environmentally literate community whose members think critically and act, individually and collectively, as model stewards of the natural world. This formal commitment grew out of strong faculty and student interest that was recognized by senior leadership and empowered first as a committee, then as a President s Commission, and finally as a Presidential priority. A campus administrative office for environmental stewardship, the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability (OESS), was created in 2008 to coordinate environmental stewardship efforts across campus and advocate for priorities. Over eighty faculty, staff, student, and local government staff representatives serve on environmental stewardship committees that inform and support the OESS. The committees are led by an Executive Council of senior administrators, and the OESS executive director reports to the council. The committees and council are collectively referred to as the Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World. JMU s 2010 Climate Action Report includes many more details on the background and structure of the campus environmental stewardship initiative. The report also highlights accomplishments. At the time of that report, JMU had trayless dining, efficient washing machines in the residence halls, 19% renewable energy from waste-to-energy and biodiesel use, and free on-campus and local transit for students and employees. A transportation demand manager position was added and an engineering major with a focus on sustainability was launched. December 18,

2 II. Progress Summary For This document discusses progress and revisions since the 2010 report. Noteworthy JMU environmental achievements include diverting more waste to a composting program, transforming campus transportation, implementing environmental policies, adopting student environmental literacy learning outcomes and an assessment, fostering student-led environment programs, integrating environmental stewardship across the curriculum, creating an employee conservation program, and greening operations. Integration into the planning process, cross-divisional collaboration, and stakeholder support at all levels are keys to success. JMU was named to the Princeton Review's Guides to Green Colleges and has received two Governor s Awards for Environmental Excellence. In campus-wide surveys, 77% of JMU students perceive JMU as either a leader or improved in its commitment to environmental issues. 76% of the students report that thoughts on environmental issues have led them to make at least some change in lifestyle. III. Detailed Progress Report For The JMU Environmental Stewardship Action Plan (ESAP) was adopted to guide JMU s environmental stewardship progress from The ESAP is organized into nine categories: energy, commuting, water, food, materials, land use, education & scholarship, citizenship, and administration. Under each category are objectives, which collectively engage every area and individual of the university. Many objectives require the university to create specific sub-plans, such as, Develop a plan for sustainable grounds, where sustainable may be native, naturalized, reforested, or ultra low maintenance. The ESAP is intended to be updated and amended as needed in response to opportunities, including technological innovations, funding, partnerships, assessment results, and emerging best practices. Highlights of JMU s environmental progress as of December 2012 are summarized below in each of the ESAP categories: Energy: The Wayland Hall renovation project was LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)- Platinum certified and received a 2012 Green Innovation Award (Best Green Institutional Project -Adaptive Re-use Category) from the Virginia Sustainable Business Network. The East Campus Dining Hall was certified at the LEED gold level. Combined heat and power is being added to the recently renovated campus steam plant. Commuting: JMU converted its core campus to pedestrian/bicycle/transit-only access, made changes in traffic patterns, and improved transit service. Specifically, gates were added to restrict private vehicles traveling through campus, a multi-modal transportation center was built, and bicycling was supported with covered racks and bike lanes replacing some on-street parking. Bicycle tire air stations and electric bicycle charging were just added. Improved signage, lighting, crosswalks and lane markings enhance safety. Game day shuttles, car sharing, regional transportation, and a student bicycle library offer alternatives to private vehicles. A social network for December 18,

3 ride sharing (Zimride), an interactive web-based bus schedule, and a real-time bus arrival tracking system were added. A web hub for transportation information, NavigateJMU, Ride the Bus Day, and informational programs raised awareness. There has been a greater than 22% increase in transit ridership due in large part to these changes. Zimride, JMU s online ride share matching program, has over 7,000 users enrolled. Out of 105 Zimride clients, whom are mostly universities, JMU is ranked #1 in one-time trips and number of users. Since the program started in 2010, it is conservatively estimated that 43,863 gallons of fuel were saved. Water: JMU replaced many annual planting beds with lower-maintenance, droughtresistant, perennial plantings. Drip line irrigation was installed in over 15 beds on campus to decrease hand watering and water consumption. The new athletics field complex has an advanced underground water management system. Food: As part of JMU s waste reduction program, about 8% of JMU s waste is composted. A food donation program has been developed with the Salvation Army. A student organic garden is currently being built as a test case for sustainable selfproduction of herbs. Materials: A campus-wide waste reduction training program was launched. JMU expanded plastics recycling to include #3-#7 plastics. The secure, industrial-scale shredding program was expanded. Nearly all on-campus food packaging was replaced with compostable packaging. A system was implemented to incentivize purchasing recycled paper. Land Use: Grant funding was obtained to perform two stream restoration projects and address significant erosion problems along 2900 linear feet of stream channel. A two acre area of East Campus was naturalized based on the collaborative design of students, faculty members, and a visiting scholar. A campus landscape tracking and management tool, a Nutrient Management Plan, and an Integrated Pest Management Plan for sustainable grounds are being finalized. Education: Three annual JMU Challenges, competitions for entrepreneurial environmental stewardship ideas, have taken place. Three cohorts of faculty have completed professional development in sustainability and increased opportunities for environmental stewardship education throughout the curriculum. An analysis of the JMU undergraduate interdisciplinary environmental academic programs was completed, and a faculty group is creating recommendations. An environmental stewardship lecture series has begun primarily to provide additional environmental content for general education health and wellness courses. The School of Engineering, which has a sustainability focus, graduated its first class. Scholarship: From January 2010 to early 2012, JMU researchers and staff conducted work on over $11 million in environment and sustainability-related sponsored programs. In an internal 2009 JMU survey regarding environmental activities, faculty members reported 32 were engaged in environmentally-focused community service learning, 54 December 18,

4 actively participated in a professional environmental organization, and there were 268 recent environmental stewardship scholarly projects. The assessment tool for student learning outcomes for environmental literacy was completed and launched in August The Office of Research and Public Service facilitated strategic alliances with external partners to advance the university's research and service projects. Multiple externally funded initiatives, such as Valley 25x'25, the Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative, and the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium, primarily address community engagement and research. Citizenship: The campus sustainability office contributes to the greater community by facilitating internships, organizing service projects (such as K-12 tours and lectures), and opening much of our programming to the community. Students organized the second annual Food Week as part of the national Food Day effort with over 1,000 people attending one or more activities. Other university-wide student environmental stewardship activities included the growth of the bicycle library, Cycle Share, and Reel Change sustainability film festival. Food Week and Reel Change engage the greater community with JMU. A large-scale employee waste reduction program was launched which includes representatives from every division of the university. Administration: The campus added a sustainability coordinator position in facilities management, and a certified energy manager position will begin in January Most of the facilities-based programs adopted, such as water conservation, are highly transferable to other universities and municipalities and are potentially applicable to K- 12 schools and some non-profit organizations. Via state energy and environment conferences, JMU routinely shares our program accomplishments and lessons learned. IV. Discussion of Climate Impact While JMU has clearly made progress in environmental stewardship practices, education, research, service, and culture, JMU s climate impact is growing. Based on the emissions inventories (created using the ACUPCC required reporting in version 6.8 of the Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator), JMU's emissions inventory modeling indicates carbon dioxide equivalent emissions have increased by ~10% between the 2005 baseline year and JMU's large growth in gross square footage (GSF) and significant growth in number of full-time equivalent students (FTE) have contributed to this increase. From 2005 to 2010, as GSF increased, the emissions intensity has remained nearly flat going from 18.0 MTCO2e/1000 GSF in 2005 to 18.1 MTCO2e/1000 GSF in By comparison, normalized standard MTCO2e /FTE dropped from 4.47 MTCO2e/FTE to 4.36 MTCO2e/FTE over the same time period. Revised emissions reductions forecasts were developed (see Figure 1), and targets set at a 10% reduction from baseline FY2005 emissions by 2041, 50% reduction from baseline by 2056, and carbon neutrality by December 18,

5 Figure 1: Climate Impact Reduction Forecast, Update 1, December 2012 The largest factor in JMU's ability to reduce emissions is the funding. The 2010 JMU Climate Action Report anticipated carbon dioxide equivalent emissions reductions by ~2% annually provided the funding of ~$3-4 million annually could be located for the projects outlined. Funding possibilities continue to be examined. Some funding methods used by other institutions, such as loans from endowments, have not been deemed feasible for JMU. JMU has successfully secured stormwater management grants; however, internal grant writers and external consultants have not been able to identify grant opportunities for the priority energy projects. Accordingly, JMU will reexamine some mechanisms previously rejected including power purchase agreements, revolving loan funds, and student green fees. JMU will also consider if energy projects can be included in the 2014 capital campaign. In the meantime, JMU will continue to strive for environmental leadership in operations areas that are fiscally feasible and responsible, such as education. December 18,