Business and Environment Series: Short - University of Minnesota Sustainability

University of MinnesotaSustainability

May 2012Amy ShortSustainability DirectorUniversity of Minnesota

The Twin Cities campus is…

Older than the state of Minnesota….more than 150 years old

Urban

In a climate of extremes

Bisected by one of the world’s great rivers and a national park

250+ buildings

Research Intensive

Host to 80,000 people daily

Spending $45 Million per year on Energy

Sustainability Matters Because…

• Sustainability Unifies

• Sustainability Inspires and Transforms

• Sustainability Pays

Sustainability Matters to Students

“College-bound students are increasingly interested in sustainability issues. Among 8,200 college applicants who participated in our spring 2011 ‘College Hopes & Worries Survey,’ nearly 7 out of 10 (69%) told us that having information about a school’s commitment to the environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend the school.” - Robert Franek, Princeton Review

69% of Students Say a School's Commitment to the

Environment Influences College Decisions

2011 Twin Cities data reveals…

247 Faculty engaged in sustainability research

37 Academic departments involved in sustainability

73Departments offer sustainability-related undergraduate courses

Sustainability Matters to Faculty

Sustainability Matters ….

Internal Measures• Climate Action Plans • Annual Reports• Goals & Measures

External Measures• President’s Climate

Commitment (ACUPCC)

• Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE STARS)

• Surveys

• Administration and Planning• Curriculum & Research• Operations

• Energy – Use of, Source, Buildings• Waste (recycle, water, food)• Dining• Residential Living • Purchasing

• Transportation• Student Involvement• Social Concerns• Carbon Footprint

Campus Sustainability Measurement

Assn for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education – AASHE http://www.aashe.org/index.php

Systemwide Sustainability Goals Reporting

• Framed by 2004 Regents Policy

• 35 Goals and 95 Measures

• Annual Reporting

Policy Guiding PrinciplesLeadership * Modeling * Operational Improvements * Energy * Research * Education and Outreach

Connect the dots:• goals• measures• communications

Work Teams, Grass Roots, and Subcommittees

Campus Sustainability Committees

Systemwide Strategic Sustainability Committee

Sustainability Structure

Policy Guiding PrinciplesLeadership * Modeling * Operational Improvements * Energy * Research * Education and Outreach

Policy Guiding PrinciplesLeadership * Modeling * Operational Improvements * Energy * Research * Education and Outreach

Sustainability Unifies: Workteams

Energy

Sustainability Unifies:Student Leaders

“This inspired me to think about the U as a whole system and I want to make sure that if students on one campus are working on a campaign or project, others could learn from them and utilize their resources.”

– Emma Wright, student employee & leader

2011 Student Engagement Leadership Workshop

Sustainability TransformsCurriculum and Research

Sustainability TransformsCampus

Click photos for a virtual sustainability tours!

Nearly 2 Million Sq. Ft.

shown to meet new Green Building Standards

Sustainability Transforms

Transforming Campus

....a Living Laboratory

Nature Nook Raingardens

Edible LandscapeOrganic Gardens

Renewable Energy ProjectsUMM Three Sisters Garden

UMC Nature Nook

Sustainability Pays

2008 2016 2021 2026 2031 2036 2041 2046 20500

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000

-29%

-49%

CO2 Reduction Goals

Reduc-tion Goal from CAP 1.1

Pro-jected Reduc-tion from Strategies TBD

Year

Met

ric

To

ns

of

CO

2e

Estimated Reduc-tion by 2016

Climate Action Planning ProcessYears 2011 - 2016

StrategyDescription

Est. Tons Reduced

Computer Efficiency

4,000

Lighting Efficiency

5,400

Building Recomissioning

48,000

Sustainable Building

35,900

Lab Efficiency 55,900

Reduce Campus Size

11,000

Reduce Coal Use

27,300

ACUPCC - Climate Action Plans

Sustainability Pays

6,600 Campus Residents

• Purchases: green cleaners, sustainable carpet, furniture, compostable dining ware

• 162 energy efficient washers• 200,000 loads! = 3.5 million gallons

water saved annually

http://www.housing.umn.edu/sustainability/

Conservation• Annually recycled 6 million pounds

and reduced costs by $180,000

Build Local Economies• Food from local providers (2010)

– 183,000 pounds local produce – 920,000 gallons local dairy – 22,000 pounds local bakery

• $200,000 Corn Cob Contract for Biofuel

Sustainability Pays

Sustainability Inspires and Transforms

Follow “It All Adds Up” on Facebook

http://www1.umn.edu/italladdsup/

Coffman Union Garbage Dump and Sort: Recycling and Reuse Awareness EventsMN Team Recycle

Getting Around

80,000 visitors to campus per day.

• Fleet 73 hybrid vehicles & 2 hybrid buses

• UPass discounted unlimited bus access

• Bike Share with city and Nice Ride MN

Step It Up! ZAP Twin Cities! Bicycle Commuters: 40 round trips = 50 points

Click images for more!

It All Adds Up “Refresh” 2012:

President Kaler driving Centaurus II Solar Car Built by Students!

In closing….

Follow UMN Sustainability on Facebook and Twitter