EICCD Chancellors Initiative on Sustainability

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EICCD Chancellors Initiative on Sustainability
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Definition of Sustainability

• Sustainable development is development that
  meets the needs of the present without
  compromising the ability of future generations to
  meet their own needs.
• 
  United Nations Brundtlanel Report, 1987

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The Triple Bottom Line
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Why Sustainability?

• Fits with education and public service mission
• Involves a primary intellectual sector of society
• Accelerates the development of new technology
• Society takes notice when higher education sees
  an issue as critical

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Why Sustainability at EICCD?

• EICCD facilities and operations have a
• carbon footprint
• EICCD houses several environmental
• programs
• EICCD is a community leader
• EICCD educates and trains the workforce
• and next generation of citizens

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EICCD Involvement in Sustainability
is not really just beginning
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ATEEC - Advanced Technology Environmental
Energy Center
National Science Foundation Center of
Excellence Resource for curriculum development,
professional development and information sharing
in the environmental and energy technology
fields. Partners Include National Renewable
Energy Lab Massachusetts Institute of
Technology Est. 1994
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HSET - Health, Safety Environmental Technician
Program

• Two Year Associate Degree
• Or
• Certificate Program
• Skills, Knowledge and abilities to gain
  entry-level employment in the fields of health,
  safety, and environmental technology
• Est. 1987

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Iowa Waste Exchange

• Provides reuse recycling opportunities for Iowa
  business industry
• EICCD has been a partner in this program since
  its inception in 1990

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Eco-Education at Nahant Marsh

• Nahant Marsh is one of the last remaining urban
  wetlands of its size on the Upper Mississippi
  River.
• 1996 Superfund Site
• EICCD has developed and overseen environmental
  education activities at the marsh since 2006

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Renewable Energy Program

• Associate Degree
• Or
• Certificate Program
• Focus on small wind, large wind, and solar
  technology
• New Program Fall 2008

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District-Wide Projects

• Re-Lamping
• Replaced T-12 with T-8 fluorescent fixtures
• 10,000 bulbs recycled
• Payback 4 years
• (less with rebates received)

• Vending Misers
• Cost 250/unit
• Payback 3 years

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Midwest Center for Safety Rescue

• A water park complete
• with slides, bumper boats, and beaches

• A training center for
• Firefighters and emergency personnel

After
Before
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IDEAS Campus Sustainability Project

• Waste Sort and Recycling - CCC
• Energy Audit - MCC
• Native Prairie
• Expansion/Bioswale SCC

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Taking it to the Next Level
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Chancellors Sustainability Initiative

• Robin Blount and Julie Plummer appointed as
  co-leaders of the initiative
• Retreat held October 2007
• Guest Speaker
• Any interested staff, faculty, administrator or
  student could attend

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Brainstorming At the Retreat

• Encourage colleges, vendors, staff, students to
  buy local
• Create a 1 hour course in sustainability
• Put motion sensors in classrooms restrooms
• Mandate suppliers who use recycled content,
  reduced, or bio-degradable packaging

• Sponsor conferences and book discussions
• Create a policy for recycling
• Locate facilities closer to student population
  bases
• Increase on-line course offerings
• Purchase environmentally friendly vehicles

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Volunteer Teams Formed

• Team Recycling/Solid Waste
• Team New/Existing Facilities
• Team Curriculum Programs
• Team Business Practices/Transportation
• Team Community Leadership
• Team Measurement Celebration

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American College University Presidents Climate
Commitment signed November 2007

• Commit to the Future

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Iowas Signatories

• Community Colleges
• Des Moines Area Community College
• Eastern Iowa Community College District
• Iowa Lakes Community College
• 4 Year Institutions
• Central College
• Coe College
• Drake University
• Loras College
• Luther College
• Maharishi University of Management

578 have signed to date
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The ACUPCC Commitment

• Signatories to the American College
  University Presidents Climate Commitment are
  committing to real, meaningful action to
  eliminate their contribution to global warming
• by requiring

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Climate CommitmentRequirements

• Initiate development of a plan to achieve climate
  neutrality as soon as possible

• Within 2 months
• Create institutional structure
• Within 1 year
• Complete greenhouse gas emissions inventory
• Within 2 years
• Create institutional action plan

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Requirement
1

• Within 2 months create an institutional structure

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EICCD Structure

• District policy on sustainability approved by
  EICCD Board of Trustees January, 2008
• As an educational institution and a community
  leader, EICCD seeks to engage in sustainable
  practices as an organization and to promote an
  understanding of the importance and practices of
  sustainability within our students and community.
  To the greatest extent feasible, EICCD commits
  to conserving natural resources, reducing
  greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing generation
  of waste, purchasing environmentally friendly
  energy-efficient products, using recycled
  recyclable materials, accessing renewable energy
  sources, reducing student staff commuting, and
  striving to employ a minimum of the LEED silver
  standard in new construction

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EICCD Structure and Planning

• Sustainability incorporated into EICCD ethics
  statement
• Chancellor provided funding of 10,000 per
  year towards initiative

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EICCD Structure and Planning

• Team Business Practices and Transportation
• Reducing district travel teleconference/ICN
  incentives for carpooling
• Environmentally preferable purchasing
• Renewable energy purchasing
• Policy development no paper cups vendor
  contracts no space heaters
• Team Leaders Suteesh Tandon and Honey Bedell

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EICCD Structure and Planning

• Team Recycling/Solid Waste
• Assessing recycling practices at all facilities
• Standardizing and enhancing recycling programs
• Must implement paper, can/bottle, and cardboard
  
• recycling program for STARS credits
• Must participate in Recyclemania January 2009 for
  Climate Commitment
• Team Leaders Pat Cawiezell and Deb Richter

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EICCD Structure and Planning

• Team New/Existing Facilities
• Existing
• Energy audits at all facilities FY09
• Stormwater discharge issues
• Recycle CD waste
• Motion sensors/low-flow plumbing
• Landscaping with native plants/eliminate turf
  watering
• Green cleaning products
• Team Leaders Kirk Barkdoll and Janet Coogan

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EICCD Structure and Planning
New Construction

• US Green Building Council
• LEED Silver Standard
• Sustainable Energy Building to Platinum
• Certification costs
• 2-5 of building cost

• Bond Referendum
• Science/Technology buildings or additions
• Sustainable Energy Building
• 4 Outreach Centers

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LEED Certification for New Construction

• Credits for
• Sustainable Sites
• Water Efficiency
• Energy
• Materials
• Indoor Environment
• Innovation

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EICCD Structure and Planning

• Team Community Leadership
• Outreach and involvement are important,
• especially since our student population includes
• members of todays workforce.
• Speakers Bureau
• Webpage
• Survey for awareness of sustainability
• Participate in community events
• Team Leaders Lora Kaisler and Jane Campagna

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EICCD Structure and Planning

• Team Curriculum and Programs
• Increase sustainability-related course offerings
• Incorporate sustainability across curriculum
• pilot Social Problems and
  Environmental Science
• Provide all with a basic understanding of
  sustainability issues
• Team Leaders Mark Aronson and Scott Wheat

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EICCD Structure and Planning
Curriculum

• Potential Requirement for Staff/Faculty
• Options
• Staff development day
• College meetings
• CQI component
• On-line course

• Potential Graduation Requirement for Students
• Options
• Prior experience
• New credit course
• Current credit course
• New honors course

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EICCD Structure and Planning
Team Measurement and Celebration

• Assisting all Teams with data collection and
  recording
• Developed meeting guidelines, minutes forms, and
  problem solving strategies

Team Leaders Laurie Hanson and Nancy Dugan
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Additional Project - STARS Pilot Project

• Provides For
• Common standard of measurement for sustainability
  in higher education
• Comparisons across time and between institutions
• Incentives for continuous improvement
• Comprehensive understanding of social, economic,
  environmental aspects of sustainability

• Sustainability
• Tracking
• Assessment
• Rating
• System
• Developed by AASHE
• Over 90 participating institutions
• February December 2008

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Back to Requirement
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• Within 1 year Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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Greenhouse Gasses

• Carbon Dioxide CO2
• Methane CH4
• Nitrous Oxide N2O (NOX)
• Hydrofluorocarbons HFC
• Perfluorocarbons PFC
• Sulphur Hexafluoride SF6
• As covered under the
  Kyoto Protocol

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GHG Can Contribute to Global Warming

• Directly
• Gas absorbs radiation
• Indirectly
• Cause chemical breakdown
• Cause cloud formation
• Affect other GHGs

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What is Climate Neutrality?

• Having no net Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• minimize emissions
• offset emissions

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Greenhouse GasEmissions Inventory

• Makes it possible to
• Develop a baseline
• Track trends
• Measure and communicate progress
• Determine impact on climate change
• Inform priorities for action
• Provide strategic direction

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Greenhouse GasEmissions Inventory

• Three Steps Involved
• Data Collection
• Calculating GHG Emissions
• Analyzing Summarizing Results

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Scope One EmissionsEICCD must report these

• Direct GHG Emissions from sources the
  institution owns or controls
• Production of electricity, heat, steam
• natural gas for
  heating/hot water
• Institution owned or controlled vehicles
• gas/diesel
• Fugitive Emissions

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Scope Two EmissionsEICCD must report these

• Indirect GHG Emissions from the generation of
  purchased electricity consumed by equipment or
  operations owned or controlled by the
  institution
• Electricity generated with fossil fuels (coal
  fired power plants)
• 
  EICCD electric bills

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Scope Three Emissions

• Indirect GHG Emissions from all other sources
  that occur as a consequence of the institutions
  activities but are not owned or operated by the
  institution
• Examples
• Business travel, commuting
• Cost to manufacture transport goods
• Emissions from waste sent to landfill

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Greenhouse GasEmissions Inventory

• Energy sources will contribute the vast majority
  of our GHG emissions
• Electricity
• Natural Gas for heating
• Gas/diesel for vehicle fleet
• Commuting of students and staff
• Air travel

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Greenhouse GasEmissions Inventory

• Our most challenging data collection task -
• Commuting
• Our entire population commutes to campus !

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What will EICCD do with the GHG Inventory
Information ?

• Take Climate Action !
• Develop and implement strategies to become
  climate neutral

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Back to Requirement
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• Within 2 years develop a plan to become carbon
  neutral
• Plan currently being drafted for policy review
  and for eventual incorporation into the district
  strategic plan

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Climate CommitmentRequirements

• Initiate tangible actions to reduce greenhouse
  gas emissions while long-term plan is being
  developed

• New construction to LEED silver standard
• Energy Star rated appliance purchasing
• Participate in Recyclemania / adopt three waste
  reduction measures

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Climate CommitmentRequirements

• Make climate neutrality plan, GHG emissions
  inventory, and periodic progress reports
  available to the public

• AASHE
• Association for the Advancement of
  Sustainability in Higher Education
• www.aashe.org

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Challenges to Becoming Sustainable

• Our student population
• Location and history of our facilities
• Funding and taxpayer dollars
• All volunteer initiative

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Opportunities

• Reduced operating costs
• Buffer against uncertain future energy supplies
• Identify new research and learning opportunities
• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration
• Prepare students for sustainability leadership
• Appeal to current and prospective students
• foster a campus-wide ethic of environmental
  stewardship
• Higher Education in a Warming World, 2008

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What Other Schools are Doing
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Next steps

• District-wide policy development
• Implement actions from each team
• Finalize sustainability strategic plan and
  develop climate neutrality plan based on GHG
  inventory and initiative findings

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You are invited to attend

• 2nd Annual
• Sustainability Retreat
• Friday October 24
• Noon 5 pm
• Dr. Keirs home

Discussion of planning document, telecommuting
and the four-day work week
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Contact Information

• Julie Plummer
• 563-336-3319
• jplummer_at_eicc.edu
• Robin Blount
• 563-336-3309
• rblount_at_eicc.edu
• Sustainability website

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Discussion