Recruitment and Reputation • Survey of 15,000 high school seniors and 3,000 parents: 66% of correspondents in a study conducted by the Princeton Review in 2009 "would favor having [information comparing colleges commitments to environmental issues" and 24% "said it would "Strongly" or "Very Much" contribute to their assessment of a school." Cost reduction • AASHE estimate 4,100 universites in the U.S. spend $20 billion annually on operations and $14 billion annually in construction Compliance • National, State, and local regulations Employment and Jobs • Fast Company #4 jobs category 2009: Green jobs • The Obama administration has estimated that jobs in energy and environmental-related occupations will grow 52% from 2000 through 2016, vs. 14% for other occupations.
Installation of a 0.5 megawatt hours of photo voltaic cells (solar panels) on the rooftops of the buildings. This installation has cut our energy use by 60% in the last three years Co-Generation- Steam Heat with Natural Gas- for over 20 years we have been energy independent, generating 1.5 megawatts to heat buildings on the main campus Non-public Green House Gas Inventory completed in Fall of 2009 will help establish our portfolio of projects to be submitted in July of 2010 The Green Team is also working on a Green Department Certification in order to develop to our campus Stewardship Program Our latest initiative, campus dining will no longer be selling plastic bottles of water
From interviews withGlenn Loomis, Mark Osborn, and Christin Anderson, the following conclusions were drawn. 1. The Green Team pushes from climate change and sustainability actions on campus. 2. Disconnect between the amount of work and responsibility 3. Only nine meetings allowed a year for one hour a month.
4. The implementation of plans rely upon employees with full-time responsibilities. 5. The Conservation Task Force's ten environmental solutions for USF established have yet to be implemented. 6. The green movement on campus remains bottom up, with little communication or direction from the administration. 7. Policy decisions and implementation depend on whom the policy involves and whether or not the policy affects budgets.
ABLE, Plant Services, and Maintenance 1. ABLE: Environmentally conscious cleaning crew Biodegradable cleaning supplies LEED Certified electronics guidelines GS-37 Certified cleaning products "Water brooms" instead of hoses One single gas-powered van for transportation We suggest training on sustainable cleaning practices for the custodians
Maintenance: 60% of the schools electricity comes from the Co-generator. Another small percentage comes from solar energy. Bikes on Campus Plant Services: Plants are only replaced once a year Native plants are replacing exotic ones on Loan Mountain Talk of “No Cars on Campus” initiative We recommend the installation of a drip irrigation system.
Interviews were conducted with Bon Appetit Management Bon Appetit makes a conscious effort to make organic and local food available Packaging for food is often sustainable, and there are ample recycling and compost bins available Next year there will be no more bottled water available on campus Bon Appetit is doing an excellent job of already providing environmentally friendly food, but many students are unaware of it. More transparency should be available.
Garden Project professor interviewed Garden Project is completely organic but cannot afford to be certified. They can also not sell their produce on campus without a proper license, instead donations are taken for food. The University should ensure that the Garden Project continues to receive proper funding to thrive at the University. Recommendation: Bon Appetite should increase their transparency with food labeling.
An online survey created through SurveyMonkey was sent via e-mail and an USFConnect announcement to all undergraduate USF faculty members of Arts & Sciences, School of Business & Professional Studies & School of Nursing. We received 56 responses, 45 from the College of Arts and Sciences, 7 from School of Business and Professional Studies and 3 from School of Nursing. A follow-up survey was sent in the same manner for those with additional time and interest in the subject, we received 26 responses. (four graphs from survey) The data we collected suggested that professors at USF are not currently focusing on advocating awareness or creating solutions of climate change. However, when presented with ideas or suggestions for changes around campus, professors seemed interested and willing to get involved.
1. Increase in student led clubs and organizations emphasizing environment a. Back to the Roots, founded in 2008 b. USF Outdoors Club, founded in 2009 c. Net Impact Undergraduate chapter, founded in 2009 d. Larger Rubber Bike club, founded in 2009 e. USF Garden Project, founded in 2007 2. Other relevant student movements a. Support of Plastiki project, 2009 b. Support of water bottle refilling stations in business school, 2010 c. Garden Project market stand, 2010 d. Campus-wide Earth Day event, 2009 e. Fair Trade Coffee movement, 2009 In the Spring of 2010 a survey was collected online and in person as part of a project for the Intro to Environmental Policy course taught by Prof. Henry Topper. This survey was conducted online and involved a samples size of 80 students. The survey is a follow up to one conducted in the Fall of 2008 by Prof. Stephanie Oshita’s class which featured approximately 200 students. Taken in total it is possible to observe trends contributing to University wide emphasis on sustainable initiatives. The 2010 survey included a total of ten questions focusing on four categories: • Demographics • Climate change awareness • Environmental action • Environmental action at USF
A majority of students engage with climate change issues in their coursework yet our demographics highlight a majority of participants from the school of Art & Sciences.
Of 14 proposed environmental actions, 13 were supported by more than 50% of the student body