Integrating Sustainability at Ithaca College

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Integrating SustainabilityatIthaca College
Marian M. Brown, Special Assistant to the
Provost June 20, 2007
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Why should a whole campus a whole business
a whole industry a whole community focus
onsustainability?
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In January 2005, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
launched the Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development There can be few more pressing
and critical goals for the future of humankind
than to ensure steady improvement in the quality
of life for this and future generations, in a way
that respects our common heritage the planet we
live on. To do this we must learn constantly
about ourselves, our potential, our limitations,
our relationships, our society, our environment,
our world. Education for sustainable development
is a life-wide and lifelong endeavor which
challenges individuals, institutions and
societies to view tomorrow as a day that belongs
to all of us, or it will not belong to anyone.
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Presidents Climate Commitment
On May 29th, 2007, President Peggy R.
Williams joined over 285 other college and
university presidents pledging to make their
campuses carbon neutral. Timetables and metrics
for achieving this goal will be established over
the coming months.
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Talloires Declaration
On February 28th, 2006, President Peggy Williams
signed the Talloires Declaration, an
international commitment document, developed in
1990 by University Leaders for a Sustainable
Future, which dedicates its 325 signatories to
incorporating sustainability thinking and
practice into their campuses and becoming world
leaders for advancing sustainability in
curriculum and operations.
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Ithaca College Mission Statement reads in
part All members of the College community are
encouraged to share the responsibilities of
citizenship and service in the global
community.
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How do we share what weve learned with others
in our community?
CommunityOutreach
How do we conduct our own business?
How do we model sustainable
decision-making and
reinforce what students learn
in the classroom?
What do we teach our
students? For what
sustainability challenges are we
researching new solutions?
Curriculumand Research
CampusOperations
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Curriculum and Research
We need to equip our students the
leaders of tomorrow to both dream and take
action. Peter W. Bardaglio,
former Provost
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• Students learn best and enjoy the process most
  when theylearn by doing
• Experiential learning reinforces classroom
  learning
• Students develop skills, refine knowledge, adjust
  applications
• They become reflective practitioners
• Students (and faculty) value the opportunity to
  make a positive difference in their community

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Spring 2005 survey of faculty requesting
self-disclosure of courses wholly devoted to or
with significant content (2 weeks) in
sustainability themes Over 100 courses
identified Many more courses have been
brought on-line since Spring 2005
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Finger Lakes Project
Specially trained faculty conduct curriculum
development workshops for their peers on how to
incorporate sustainability themes into different
courses.
Finger Lakes Project encourages place-based
study, experiential learning, and
multi-disciplinary team approaches.
Finger Lakes Project offers faculty
curriculum-development mini-grants to build
sustainability curriculum modules for existing
courses or to develop entire new courses.
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Ithaca Seminar Sustaining Our Worlds

• Course team-taught by faculty from sociology,
  business, biology
• Fall 2006 projects focused on recycled paper and
  green products

Tested 100 post-consumer recycled content
office paper Experimented with document
settings (margins defaults, duplexing)
Explored attitudes about recycled content
office supplies, organic foods,
green products
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Environmental Studies Projects
EarthCafe 2050
PV projects
Giant footprints
Alternative landscaping
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Novel approaches integrating sustainability

• Tom Pfaff, associate professor of mathematics,
  uses energy and environmental data in
  introductory calculus courses
• Students learn about curve-fitting and
  regression analysis by analyzing these data
• Students use the data and calculus concepts to
  examine what if? scenarios
• They then write a paper proposing energy policy
  based on their analysis

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Novel approaches integrating sustainability

• Astrid Jirka, in the Office of International
  Programs, has developed study abroad orientation
  materials for faculty and students that emphasize
  sustainability goals
• Using case studies, these materials underscore
  potential impact of students and faculty on local
  communities
• Encourage cultural sensitivity and protection of
  natural environments

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Internships
David Ross study of campus energy use led to
lighting changes that have saved the College
thousands of dollars in energy annually.
Using the Clean Air Cool Planet assessment
tool, Stephanie Hylen conducted the first
comprehensive greenhouse gas emission inventory
for the campus. Alex Chesney is updated this
inventory for 2006.
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Sustainably Conscious Living Community

• 24 students share one floor of Terrace 3
• Supervised by faculty fellow field trips,
  floor presentations, and educational programs
  
• Communal meals
• Academic requirements
• In Fall 2007, SCLC moves to Terrace 2 and
  takes over the entire building, offering this
  housing option to 60 students.

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Collaboration with Downtown Ithaca
Students in a public relations course researched
local pedestrian issues, developed an educational
campaign, and made recommendations to Ithaca
Common Council.
Students in an environmental studies course
worked with a local coffee roasting companyto
assess its carbon impact and waste management
strategies.
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Collaboration with Downtown Ithaca

• History of U.S. Environmental Thought course
  offered for four semesters

Students collaborate with archivists and use
primary source material housed at The History
Center.
At the end of each semester, students deliver an
evening presentation of their findings free and
open to the general public - at The History
Center.
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Collaboration with EcoVillage at Ithaca
IC faculty and EVI educators have developed a
number of interdisciplinary courses on
sustainability, all involving student projects
carried out at Ithaca College, EcoVillage, or in
the local Ithaca area.
Projects include constructing a bus shelter at
EVI featuring passive solar heating and a green
roof, and designing a root cellar to extend the
season of EVI-grown produce.
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International Projects
Students in environmental studies and cinema and
photography document the environmental impact of
tourism and development in Antigua.
Field work in Ecuador helps develop sustainable
micro-enterprises for a cloud forest reserve.
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Campus Operations
Higher education must practice what it
preaches and make sustainability an integral
part of operations, purchasing, and investments,
and tie these efforts to the formal curriculum.
Anthony Cortese, Second
Nature, 1999
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Campus Operations
Comprehensive Environmental Plan

• Adopted in
  April 2001, this commitment to
  greening campus operations includes
  goals in
• environmental education
• environmentally responsible purchasing
• efficient use and conservation of energy, water,
  and other resources
• minimizing solid waste production
• minimizing hazardous waste and toxic materials
• environmentally responsible campus design and
  planning principles

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Campus Operations
Scale model of School of Business building
IC has partnered with Robert A.M. Stern
Architects and design team partner Atelier 10 to
design and construct a LEED Platinum facility, to
open for classes in early 2008. Business School
curriculum is currently being evaluated and
revised to incorporate more sustainable
development theory. The building will be used as
a teaching tool.
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Campus Operations
Gateway building
IC has partnered with HOLT Architects to design
and construct a LEED Gold facility, to open in
late 2008 or early 2009. Geothermal wells will
be incorporated into the high-performance HVAC
system. Along with the School of Business,
these two high-performance sustainably-designed
buildings will create a new front door for the
campus.
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Campus Operations
Thermostat Set Points
During the heating season (generally November
through April) the temperature range for office
thermostats will be fixed at between 69-71.
During the cooling season the set point will be
fixed between 74-76 degrees. This change is
estimated to save between 125,000 - 200,000.
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Campus Operations
100 recycled content letterhead introduced in
Fall 2006, at no additional cost to departments.
Following an extensive test of comparable
products, IC Purchasing has approved 100
recycled-content office paper for purchase
through Staples.
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Campus Operations
Institutional Advancement integrated an automated
phone calling center for its fund-raising
phone-a-thon. This new computerized system
improved operator productivity, enhanced accuracy
and security of donor records, and eliminated
printing and disposal of 50,000 paper call
sheets each year.
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Campus Operations
With our concern for the Earth and our impact
upon it, we want to use paper wisely. With a
sharp current increase in postage, we are
cognizant of our financial sustainability. So we
are . . . Enhancing our on-line version with . .
. all sorts of additional features, including
video and audio streaming and additional
stories.
Maura Stephens, editor
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Campus Operations

Orientation 2007 Information Packets
This year, instead of large packets of
paper-based information, Orientation staffers
burned information incoming students need to know
onto special CDs.
The Provost s Office is considering doing the
same for new faculty orientation.
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Campus Operations
Recycling statistics for fiscal year
2006-07 212 tons of office paper 92 tons
of separated bottles and cans 90 tons of
corrugated cardboard 371 tons of food waste
were processed in the campus compost
facility 765 tons were diverted from the
waste stream, achieving a 45 recycling rate
891 tons of trash were taken to the
landfill. 57 tons of construction debris were
landfilled.Income from sales of recycled
paperand corrugated cardboard totaled almost
11,000. Over 54,000 in avoided landfill fees
offset all but 2,046 of the costs to run the
recycling program.
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Campus Operations
Among the other commodities recycled is used
but still completely serviceable furniture.
This lab was created using all used furniture
that is stored on campus for this purpose.
Upholstered or wood finished pieces are
refurbished as necessary, and components are
reconfigured for new projects. This furniture
reuse operation is conservatively estimated to
save campus departments between 30-50,000
annually.
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Campus Operations
Over winter break 2006-07, Facilities
electricians re-lamped four gyms in our Hill
Center with highly-efficient 200-watt T-5 light
fixtures. The new lights turn on immediately, and
have doubled the light lumens in the gyms while
halving the electricity use. A 2-1/2 year payback
is expected on the upgrade.
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Campus Operations
Over spring semester 07, Facilities electricians
re-lamped the Gannett Center Library with
highly-efficient 200-watt T-5 light fixtures.
Because the quality of the lighting achieved was
better for reading and office work - yet used
half the energy over 400 fixtures were
completely eliminated. New controls will allow
entire banks of lights to be turned off when
areas of the Library are not in active use.
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Campus Operations
In another interesting collaboration between the
Library staff and Facilities professionals,
damaged residence hall student room seating has
been converted into footstools for Library
reading areas.
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Campus Operations
Laundry View System
The on-line laundry monitoringsystem saves time,
but more important than the time savedand kicky
graphical interfacethat shows you the status of
laundry cycles from your computer, the
high-efficiency laundry equipment saves water and
energy. Since the system started in Fall 2007,
Maytag estimates the College has saved 1,560,000
gallons of water, with attendant energy and cost
savings.
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Campus Operations
Campus Energy View System
Day Automation - the company that helps the
College collect, monitor and track its electrical
and natural gas use in metered campus buildings -
is developing a web-based interface to
graphically display building energy.
comingsoon!
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Campus Operations
Ithaca College is proceeding with a
feasibilitystudy to determine if we have
sufficient wind resources to justify erecting a
1.5MW turbine on South Hill. Such a renewable
energy generator might supply about 5 of our
electricity needs. We have already contracted to
purchase green power sufficient to offset the
purchased energy requirements of the two new
projects Business and Gateway.
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Campus Operations
Dining Services
Both Starbucks and Green Mountain coffees offer
fair trade, organic coffees. Fair trade teas are
also available.
The recycle mug program offers discounts for
refills.
Catering and the retail operations are
integrating more compostable and biodegradable
materials into service items and food packaging.
In Fall 2007, a new line in the Towers Dining
Hall opened, serving local and organic foods.
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Campus Operations
Bookstore
The Bookstore has been recycling packaging
materials for years. The Textbook Buyback program
purchases used books for resale to students on
our campus or other campuses. More
recycled-content products are being added in the
Bookstore. Most College-imprinted soft goods are
obtained from certified sweat-shop free
manufacturers.
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Campus Operations
Before 2005-06, 300-watt incandescent spotlights
were used for the annual Tower holiday lighting.
These lights are on 24/7 for 10 days each
year. Facilities electricians determined that
150-watt incandescent bulbs would provide
sufficient visibility this halved our
electrical use. Future plans replace
incandescents with compact fluorescent lamps or
LEDs to further reduce the energy usage.
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Community Outreach
Sustainability Initiative website Sustainability
friends listserve Presidents Climate Commitment
reporting Talloires Declaration
reports Presentations Consulting
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Community Outreach
Sustainability Café Series
External and internal experts speaking on a wide
array of topics of interest to the campus
community

• Spring 2007 topics
• Sustainability Begins at Home
• Sustainable MicroEnterprise
• Bottom of the Pyramid program
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
  Change (delegates report)
• Aldo Leopolds Conservation Vision
• Phytoremediation
• Wind Power at Ithaca College

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Community Outreach
Campus Sustainability Day
Since 2005, IC has observed this annual national
SCUP event with a roster of activities.
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Community Outreach
Unique fundraising program to financially sponsor
catalysts who commit to using alternate
transportation for 25 days in a semester. Funds
raised go toward supporting microenterprise
development in a cloudforest reserve in
Ecuador Catalyst mileage is logged and avoided
greenhouse gas emissions tabulated
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. . . so I only take one serving at a
time. I dont waste food by taking more than I
can eat. I know I can always come back for more
if Im still hungry.
Community Outreach
Student-developed campaign to increase
personal responsibility improve campus
sustainability develop campus pride
so I flip the switch!
. . . so I click OFF!
. . . so I vote!
. . . so I think about what I choose to
eat. How much embodied energy was required to
grow my food, to transport it from the farm, to
prepare and serve it? Am I eating low on the
food chain (more fruits and veggies)?
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Community Outreach
Positive Growth initiative updates Collective
Impacts newsletter
The Sustainability Initiative is EVERYONE at IC.
Their success stories. Their sustainable
decisions. The trick is getting them to share
their stories with us.
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Were all learning to be more sustainable . . .
students, faculty, staff, and administrators,
side by side,
a community of learners, sharing a common vision.
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All together, were moving IC farther down the
path toward sustainability.
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For more information, visit Sustainability at
Ithaca www.ithaca.edu/sustainability