An innovative way to making your campus more sustainable: The Student Green Energy Fund

17 December 2012 by 3 Comments

solar-dok_company stock image water bottle for filling stations_bottleCampuses around the world are increasingly working on projects to make their buildings and operations greener. The University of South Florida Saint Petersburg (USFSP) in the United States has taken a unique approach to funding these activities and in particular green campus projects relating to energy: student fees.

I recently had the chance to speak with Eric Douthirt, Todd Shank and Michael Leggett all working on this project at USFSP.

1. How did the Student Green Energy Fund start and how does it work?

The USFSP Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF) began as a student-led initiative where USF system students lobbied the Board of Governors of the Florida State University system to set up this fund to be used for “green energy” projects on campus. In the Spring of 2011, the fund was approved for USFSP and a $1 fee per credit hour was created which essentially became this pot of money (the actual Student Green Energy Fund). Then, the USFSP Student Government was tasked with appointing a student led committee to oversee the fund and determine how it would be used by soliciting for project proposals from the campus community and ultimately voting on which ones should receive funding.

The committee is made up of 6 students and 4 university faculty/staff members. Our chair is Mike Leggett, an undergraduate student in Environmental Science and Policy. We also receive significant help, operationally and otherwise, from several non-voting member students that want to be involved. Much of our time is devoted to soliciting for proposals and generally increasing awareness of the fund to the campus. We meet bi-weekly to discuss business and vote on project proposals twice a year (once in the Spring and once in the Fall).

2. What kind of projects have you already funded?

So far, in our first semester of operation we have approved/funded:

  • A revamp of the campus gym with sustainable cardio equipment (treadmills that operate off the energy transferred to it by the user and elliptical/stationary bikes that actually add power back to the grid as people use them). These are currently in place and we actually plan to have our first ever “Save the Watts” indoor race on the bikes and ellipticals during the Spring 2013 semester… a team competition to see which team can produce the most watt hours in a 30 minute time frame.
  • Solar Doks: completely off the grid outdoor table/umbrella/bench units, powered by solar panels that allow users to plug in and charge cell phones, laptops, etc. Construction is due to start this month
  • A Hybrid Truck for the USFSP Waterfront, a division of the Campus Recreation. The truck will be used to haul equipment to sponsored trips around the state, saving the University an estimated $1300 in fuel costs and mitigating 6395 lbs of CO2 annually.

3. What kind of projects are you thinking about in the future and what would you like to do with SGEF moving forward?

In the past week or so we voted on and approved three new projects:

  • Retrofit of parking garage lighting with energy efficient LED lighting which will reduce energy costs for the building by up to 70% and reduce emissions up to 48 MT – CO2 (roughly equal to the total emissions of 6 single family homes in a year)
  • Bottling Refill Stations at campus water fountains that visibly measure the number of plastic bottles “saved” – we estimate that the disposal of about 1500 plastic bottles will be mitigated annually through this project.
  • An addition of one more Woodway treadmill at the campus gym that is powered completely “off the grid”

Going forward, one of the most important things we are trying to focus on is the educational components of projects. We want the campus community to not only understand how these projects are being funded, but also the importance of these projects and HOW they actually make a difference.

4. How has SGEF been received? By students? Staff? The community?

I attended an event known as the Southeastern Student Renewable Energy Conference this fall and I was greeted by students and instructors who were extremely excited to hear about our SGEF progress. What I found was that SGEF is seen by students across the country as a new mechanism to advocate for sustainable concepts and policy changes. Also, as a committee, we work not only to ensure that SGEF is successful, but also to empower and engage as many minds as possible. This is how we will create a true national movement at our university.

That being said, we have a long way to go with increasing awareness of the fund on campus. Some students might see the fee attached to their tuition bills, but still not really understand what it is, or what it’s being used for. For the next year and a half, increasing this awareness is a top priority for the committee to ensure that the student body is ready to vote to reinstate the fund in 2014.

5. What advice do you have for other schools who might be interested in putting in place a similar scheme?

Obviously whether or not the school is a state-funded institution will have a huge impact on what needs to happen to institute a fee funded program like this. As I already stated, significant efforts were put forth at the state level by students and faculty alike to set up the fund for USFSP. I think my advice is that persistence will pay off. Even our first semester after the fund was approved was full or organizational and committee work that had nothing to do with actual green projects. It can become quite burdensome and a significant time commitment, so it’s important that you have leadership in the group that can keep the committee focused and determined.

Once projects are funded and you see progress being made on campus, it’s INCREDIBLY satisfying!

For more information about campus greening at USFSP, connect with the USFSP Student Green Energy Fund committee via their Facebook page at facebook.com/USFSPSGEF.

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Filed under 2-Values, 3-Method, 5-Partnership, 6-Dialogue, Campus Greening, North America, United States Tagged with , , , , ,

Using a case competition to make campus more sustainable – 6 questions with Jenn Hart from Olin Business School

17 September 2012 by 1 Comment

The Olin Sustainability Case Competition (OSCC) began during the 2009-2010 academic year as a way to increase awareness and expand educational opportunities about sustainable business practices at the Olin Business School. Open to all Washington University students in both undergraduate and graduate level programs, the case competition provides participants with a chance to learn about practical, real-world applications of corporate responsibility and sustainability concepts, so that they can make an impact in the world around them.

Designed as a traditional business case study, the competition is based on a current business problem and prepared with the assistance of leading experts in the field of sustainability and Olin faculty.  Any student enrolled in any academic program at Washington University can participate. Teams can be made up of two to five students from any school. I recently had the chance to speak with Jenn Harp at Olin Business School about the Case Competition.

1. Why did you decide to create a case competition that focuses on greening the campus and how did you go about starting it?

We found that increasingly our students were interested in sustainability and were craving ways to learn about it, even outside of the classroom. At the same time, our students were expressing interest in more case competition opportunities, so a blend of the two was a great outcome.

This was very much a team effort between student organization leadership and Olin staff. A great deal of thought went into exactly what kind of competition we wanted to create, so initially there were numerous meetings to establish goals and objectives. After that, we just “ran with it,” making decisions as we went along and reacting to the pulse of the student body with regard to topic selection, how to best market the competition, etc.  The committee consisted of (and still does to this day) students from a cross-section of our programs and staff not just from Olin, but also from across campus.

2. How has the case competition been received by students? By staff and the wider university community?

Our students have been increasingly interested in this competition. Generally, we have anywhere from 25 – 30 teams interested in the competition. That said, we are pretty proud with the amount and quality of first round submissions during 2012. In 2010, there were 16 submissions. By 2011, this number increased to 14 and, this past year, we went up to 18 submissions.

The Olin staff have been great supporters of the OSCC. It was started by an MBA student and staff member, but has blossomed into an entire committee of Olin community members. This past year, our oversight committee was composed of a diverse group of Olin staff, faculty, and students. Additionally, we have been lucky to gain the full support of the Washington University in St. Louis administration as well. Offices from around campus, including our Office of Sustainability, Facilities Planning & Management, and Chancellor’s Office have provided support to this project over the last three years. Their input and assistance has served as a valuable resource and has been crucial to the success of the competition. Chancellor Wrighton has welcomed our OSCC winners into his office to present their ideas to him and other key University administrators each spring. This is a great honor for our students. As a result of this high level of interaction, many of our students’ ideas have been put into action around campus.

The community has been a great support as we continue to build this competition. Over the last three years, we have received generous donations from Anheuser-Busch, Edward Jones, Novus International, Peabody, and Tarlton. They believe in the importance of sustainability as well as our students’ ability to develop and present unique ideas as they relate to sustainability within our University. We are grateful for their continued support. Not only have they donated toward our competition’s cash prizes, but they have also given their time as OSCC judges.

3. What are some of the projects that students have done, what is the impact that students have had?

2010: During our first competition, we tackled the idea of parking on campus. The case topic was entitled, “Where have all the parking spots gone?” You can read more about the case topic in this article.

2011: Our 2nd annual OSCC topic focused on the carbon footprint of the University’s science labs. Lab Manager Magazine wrote a great article detailing the results. You can also read more about some of the ideas that were implemented from the OSCC suggestions here.

2012: Last year, the OSCC topic was Beauty at what cost?: Landscape Strategies for Washington University. Since this competition just took place, we are still looking at how the ideas might be implemented on campus. One of the suggestions was permeable pavement, and during the team’s presentation to the Chancellor, he seemed very receptive to that idea. Maybe we will see that in upcoming construction? But for now, we will have to wait and see.

4. What have been some of the challenges and how have you overcome these?

While we have been lucky to have such strong support from local companies, it can sometimes be a challenge to secure funding given the timing of our competition. We place corporate sponsorship solely in the hands of our student corporate sponsorship chair. While we provide him/her resources and access to companies in the area, it can be a difficult task. Students are on campus starting in September, and our competition takes place in early February. This is a very short window for a student to find sponsors and secure the funds we need to make the competition run smoothly and provide a significant cash prize.

In order to overcome this hurdle, we try to make it as easy as possible for the student corporate sponsorship chair by providing him/her with guidance from our Corporate Relations Office. They will teach the student the best way to make the “ask” and encourage them to be diligent in their efforts. Because we do have a short window of time, the student must put their full effort into building a sincere relationship from the start. I am hopeful that as the OSCC continues to be successful, our past sponsors will see it’s unique benefit to the Washington University community and continue to provide us with their generous support.

5. What are your plans/hopes for the competition moving forward?

Going forward, our hope is to continue to grow the competition. This past year, we reached a total of 18 completed submissions after opening up the competition to all students across the University. I am hopeful that with a good marketing campaign, we can grow this number to 20-25 submissions. I believe that we can certainly handle that growth, and the more implementable ideas, the better. My hope is that the OSCC continues to be recognized across campus as a competition that really contributes to the overall betterment of the University. That could be by connecting students and administration from different schools, by creating strong partnerships with local companies, or by implementing our winners’ ideas on campus.  Empowering our students through sustainability case competitions is a great way for the University to solidify an idea that it was already thinking of undertaking, or, hopefully, to learn of an idea that it had never even considered before.

6. What would you recommend to other schools thinking of putting in place a similar competition?

It is crucial to have a good support team behind your effort. Without the support we have received from the Olin Business School and Washington University communities, the OSCC would not be successful. Having the right people on your team will make it easier to choose the right case topic, secure knowledgeable competition judges, and find corporate community supporters. If you are attempting to hold a case competition where the winning strategy can actually be implemented on your campus, you also need to make sure your University’s decision makers are fully on board. Be sure they are involved in vetting your topic. And, if it makes sense, let that office have a voice during the initial rounds of judging. For example, our Office of Sustainability has been in full support of our efforts. It is essential to have buy-in from offices like theirs from the beginning, if you ultimately want to see the students’ ideas implemented on campus.

Filed under 1-Purpose, 2-Values, 3-Method, 6-Dialogue, Campus Greening, North America, Student, Teaching, United States Tagged with , , , , , ,

Outcomes of the 3rd Global Forum, 14-15 June, Brazil

19 June 2012 by 1 Comment

The 3rd PRME Global Forum on 14-15 June 2012 was the official platform for management-related Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) at Rio+20 – the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – and the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum, hosted by the UN Global Compact.  A series of measures to inject sustainability principles into management and business school curricula were announced at the Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this past week. They include:

The Rio Declaration on the Contribution of Higher Education Institutions and Management Schools to The Future We Want: A Roadmap for Management Education to 2020: 300 leading business school and university representatives worldwide agreed on a number of concrete commitments to action, including to:

  • Form a leadership group to incentivize the most engaged PRME signatory schools to go further in their implementation of sustainability principles.
  • Delist those signatories that fail to regularly share information on progress made in implementing PRME.
  • Launch PRME Regional Chapters to better engage management education communities on a local level.

A Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education: Offers guidelines for higher education institutions in implenting the ten principles of the Un Global Compact withint the orgniazation and then leading their global adoption (UN Global Compact Workshing Group)

Inspirational Guide for the Implementation of PRME: Provides answers to the most frequently  asked questions concerning the implementation of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and seeks to inspire further integration of PRME by highlighting examples of the Principles in pactice in signatory schools and universities (PRME).

Fighting Poverty through Management Education: Challenges, Opportunities and Solutions: Identifies main challenges and opportunities faced by business faculty and administrators in integrating poverty issues into their courses, programmes, modules and curricula based on the results of a global survey, which collected 435 responses from 70 countries. The report also introduces a collection of best practices of inspirational solutions that will be dveloped into an interactive platform. (PRME)

Anti-Corruption Guidelines (“Toolkit”) for MBA Curriculum Change: Provids a toolkit to incporate anti-corruption into curriculum bof business schools and management-related academic institutions. The toolkit provides a list of topics and conetent, which instructors can use to organize satnd-alone courses or individual course modules. (PRME)

Gender Equality Global Resource Repository: Assists faculty in integrating gender issues into management education by providing an invientory of case studies, syllabi, text books, best practices, related research, search engines and organizations that address gender-related topics contributed by faculty from around the world. The Reporistory is a searchable web-based resource that encompasses a wide range of disci;pliens incluidng busines,s arts & sciences and professional fields. (PRME)

Corporate Responsibility and Responsible Management Education in the Eyes of MBA Students: Presents the results of a survey on perspectives and attitudes towards corporate resonsibility and management education copleted by 1,200 MBA and business students from around the world. The results – which demonstrate a growing commitment to responsible management – and their implications on management education are also analysed. (Macquarie Graduate School of Management/PRME)

The 50+20 Agenda: Management Education for the World: Presents the vision of the 50+20 project, which seeks to demonstrate how management education con contribute to a more sustainable  future. The report outlines steps for business and management schools to: educate and develop globally responsible leaders; enable businesses to serve the common good; and engage in the transformation of business and the economy. (WBCSB/GRLI/PRME)

Filed under 1-Purpose, 2-Values, 3-Method, 4-Research, 5-Partnership, 6-Dialogue, Anti-Corruption, Asia, Australasia, Business, Campus Greening, Eastern Europe and CIS, Global, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, North America, Rio+20, Service-Based Learning, Student, Teaching, Western Europe

Creating a more Sustainable Campus: Water (part 2)

21 May 2012 by 4 Comments

Water saving programmes at Griffith University

Griffith University

Water is one of the 7 critical issues being discussed at the upcoming Rio+20 summit in Brazil. According to the Rio+20 website, by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.

In a previous blog, we looked at how a growing number of campuses are choosing to Ban Water Bottles on Campus. In part 2 of this two part series, we look more broadly at a range of initiatives that business schools are taking part in to reduce the amount of water used on campus and raise awareness about issues relating to water.

Reducing water consumption

Griffith University encourages students to report dripping taps and water leaks to facilities management. The University also monitors, records and reports its water usage for the purpose of benchmarking and as a way to identify water saving opportunities. One of their campuses has 12 rainwater tanks that store over 200,000 litres of water, another building harvests water condensate from air conditioning to use in irrigation. Rainwater is harvested and used for toilet flushing in all new buildings.

The new building that houses the Walter E. Heller College of Business Administration at Roosevelt University is designed around “green” principles and is LEED-certified, which verifies use of sustainability principles in key performance areas, including site selection, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials and indoor air quality. Illinois State University has installed multiple stormwater management features on campus, including a rain garden, two bioswales (designed to remove silt and pollution from runoff water) and three parking lots with permeable concrete. Grenoble Ecole de Management is implementing a range of water saving measures, including the use of reclaimed water in the sewage waste system and timed water faucets. Kyung Hee University School of Management green management practices include water-efficient landscaping in and around business school buildings and a rain-saving system in the school’s newest building.

Through the curriculum and research

The University of Wisconsin Whitewater provides a range of courses in the MBA programme focused on water issues, including one called Blue and Green Marketing, which looks at the effective marketing of water and other sustainability products and services. Babson College provides a course focused on sustainable entrepreneurship in Norway that focuses on drivers of opportunity in the energy domain and examines ways that new ventures are applying technologies in wind, water, solar and alternative fuel.

A wide range of case studies and research with a focus on water have also been developed by business schools around the world. At ISAE/FGV, a case study on cultivating a good water programme looked at the Itaipu Binacional, the largest dam in the world, situated on the border of Brazil and Paraguay.

What is your campus doing to minimize the use of water? Share your projects in the comments area below.

Filed under 1-Purpose, 3-Method, 4-Research, 5-Partnership, 6-Dialogue, Asia, Australasia, Australia, Brazil, Campus Greening, France, Korea, Latin America, North America, United States, Western Europe Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating More Sustainable Campuses: Water (part 1)

14 May 2012 by 1 Comment

2012 Wang Center Symposium “Our Thirsty Planet”, Pacific Lutheran University

Water is one of the 7 critical issues being discussed at the upcoming Rio+20 summit in Brazil. According to the Rio+20 website, by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water.

The business sector, through the production of goods and services, impacts water resources – both directly and through supply chains. Increasing demand, water scarcity and unsustainable supply, and decline in water quality all provide businesses with a range of water related risks. In response to this, the UN Global Compact created the CEO Water Mandate in July 2007, a unique public-private initiative designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. The water mandate covers six elements: direct operations, supply chain and watershed management, collective action, public policy, community engagement and transparency. Companies who commit to the mandate also pledge to disclose, via an annual report, how they are implementing the Mandate’s elements.

There are quite a few tools available for companies who want to measure their water performance throughout the value chain and better understand and identify water related business risks and impacts, including the WBCSD Global Water Tool, GEMI Water Sustainability and the WFN Water Footprint. We are also currently in the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” (2005-2015) and every year, World Water Day is celebrated on March 22.

In a previous blog, we looked at how a growing number of campuses are choosing to Ban Water Bottles on Campus. In this two part series, we look more broadly at a range of initiatives that business schools are taking part in to reduce the amount of water used on campus and raise awareness about issues relating to water.

Raising awareness

In association with the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (DEWA), the University of Dubai conducted a workshop on conservation of water for students, faculty and staff in 2011. Officials from DEWA emphasised the need for water conservation and showed different methods for implementing them.

The Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana organised a green round table around the topic of ‘Water and our Adjustments to Climate Change’. The round table involved noted professionals from fields of expertise on protecting water resources and social responsibility.

The Green Initiative at the Institute of Productivity & Management is focused on making the campus greener and more environmental friendly and includes a green agenda that looks at using water resources more sensibly.

Student Initiatives

Students at Pacific Lutheran University voted to impose a $20 annual fee upon themselves to improve water quality, and the University has banned bottled water sales. During a recent international case study competition at John Molson School of Business, students pushed the “Lug-a-Mug” campaign. All attendees were provided with reusable mugs to reduce the use of disposable drinking cups. The University of Victoria has a university wide Revolving Sustainability Fund for students and staff interested in organising energy and water saving projects on campus.

What is your campus doing to minimize the use of water? Share your projects in the comments area below.

Filed under 1-Purpose, 5-Partnership, 6-Dialogue, Asia, Campus Greening, Canada, Eastern Europe and CIS, North America, Rio+20, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, United States Tagged with , , , , , ,

Sustainable Food on Campus (part 2)

8 May 2012 by 1 Comment

Farmer’s Market, University of San Diego

Food is one of the 7 critical issues bring discussed at the upcoming Rio+20 summit taking place this June in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. As the Rio+20 site states, “It is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food,” and, in this two part blog, we will be looking at a range of ways that university campuses are doing just that throughout their operations.

Community Gardens

With the increased push to provide more locally produced food, some campuses are taking matters into their own hands by creating gardens where students and staff grow some of the vegetables and produce consumed in the cafeterias. Royal Holloway School of Management has launched its Campus Community Garden to encourage students to grow and eat their own fresh vegetables. With help from the College’s gardeners, an area of wasteland on campus, measuring 152 square meters, has been turned into vegetable patches ready for students to cultivate. SLUG (Student Led Unity Garden) at the University of Portland is an organic, sustainable garden started in 2006 by a small group of students. The University of Victoria Campus Community Garden provides a range of introductory gardening workshops. The school provides 90 plots at the gardens, including individual allotment gardens, communal gardens for volunteers and food bank donations and garden plots used by advocacy groups and classes.

Farmers Markets

A growing number of schools are also providing space for farmers markets, where local farmers and producers can sell their products. The University of San Diego started a market in 2009 that provides fresh fruit and vegetables and food cooked on site on Wednesdays from 11-2pm. The University of London  also has a certified organic farmers market on campus, where students can grab their lunch every Thursday.

Celebrating Progress made

Copenhagen Business School celebrates Sustainable Food Day on campus. The day gives students the opportunity to sample delicious sustainable foods while becoming better informed about the links between social entrepreneurship and sustainable food production. It also gives students and staff the opportunity to interact with innovators who have turned their passion for sustainable food into profitable businesses. EM Strasbourg has been organising annual eco-banquets for volunteers who had taken part in actions dedicated to sustainable development in the School through the year. Each participant is able to discover the regional specialties and chat over a glass of organic cider and fair trade apple juice. The banquet is also an opportunity to speak about progress made on sustainable development projects over the previous year.

Giving back to the community
Campuses are not just looking at food on campus, but how to help ensure food donations for local charities. Students from Marketing Institute of Singapore Training Center had a Food donation drive in support of a local charity called Food from the Heart. They also partnered with the Singapore Environment Council to deliver a talk on “Being a Responsible Consumer by Going Green” to enhance understanding of the impact of food choices. “Food Fight” is an annual tradition in which a number of MBA programs across the US, including the University of Michigan, compete to see who can raise the most food to donate to local communities in need. The school that collects the most food (total or per student) wins money to donate to the charity of their choice and a coveted trophy. Staff, faculty and students at Grenoble Ecole de Management worked with Danone, an international food company, on a humanitarian project to collect food for the Restaurants du Cœur, a nationwide association that distributes meals and food to those in need.


For more on the Rio+20 theme of Food, read the Issue Brief prepared by UN-DESA visit the Rio+20 site.

Filed under 3-Method, 6-Dialogue, Asia, Campus Greening, Canada, Denmark, France, North America, Singapore, UK, United States, Western Europe Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sustainable Food on Campus (part 1)

30 April 2012 by 2 Comments

Addie's Cafe, Boston College

Food is one of the 7 critical issues bring discussed at the upcoming Rio+20 summit taking place this June in Rio de Janeiro Brazil. As the Rio+20 site states, “It is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food,” and, in this two part blog, we will be looking at a range of ways that university campuses are doing just that throughout their operations.

Campuses are taking a closer look at the kinds of food that they offer in their dining facilities. This includes, but isn’t limited to, sourcing food locally, from within 100km, buying certified organic or fair trade, sustainable fish certification through the Marine Stewardship Council, adapting menus based on the availability of seasonal product and using free-range eggs.

A focus on local

Many are putting in place comprehensive policies around food sourcing. At Audencia Nantes School of Business, all coffee, teas and juices have been fair trade since 2005. The University of Calgary’s dining services purchase local and organic products as well as sustainably harvested seafood items and fair trade coffee and tea. Grenoble Ecole de Management has a number of initiatives that have been undertaken by staff and students to promote the integration of fair trade and organic products in the School’s vending machines and cafeterias.

Following external certifications

Several campuses have chosen not to do this alone but to also work with external organisations and groups that are working to make dining facilities more sustainable. The University of Gloucestershire is working towards the Soil Association Food for Life Partnership catering mark, an independent guarantee that what’s on the menu is freshly prepared, free from undesirable additives and better for animal welfare. The University of Winchester currently has this mark for its conference and hospitality menus. At the University of California, by 2020, 20 percent of the purchases made in the dining facilities and fast food franchises on all campuses will meet one or more of 16 sustainable food criteria set by the Real Food Challenge, a national activist network focused on steering American colleges and universities toward sustainability.

Minimising food waste

Campuses are also looking at how to minimise food waste. Many already provide composting facilities on campus as well as recycling in cafeterias and dining facilities. The University of California significantly reduced food waste by ditching dining trays, which they found led most diners to opt for less food per meal. At Richard Ivey School of Business, Styrofoam was eliminated from residence dining halls and replaced with bio-degradable and compostable take out containers. Discounts are also provided to customers who purchase hot beverages with a travel mug.

Student Led Initiatives

Many of these initiatives around food on campus are being driven by the students themselves in collaboration with staff and dining facilities. Students at Boston College started Real Food BC, an organisation that works to promote the purchasing of food from local, green, humane sources in order to support localised food production and reduce carbon emissions associated with long-distance food shipment. Members, in collaboration with dining services, created Addie’s Loft, an organic eatery on campus that offers food from local and sustainable sources.

For more on the Rio+20 theme of Food, read the Issue Brief prepared by UN-DESA and visit the Rio+20 site.

Filed under 1-Purpose, 5-Partnership, 6-Dialogue, Campus Greening, Canada, France, North America, Rio+20, UK, United States, Western Europe Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating more sustainable campuses: Bikes on campus

6 February 2012 by 1 Comment

Bikes are a common sight on business school campuses around the world and are very popular with both students and staff alike. In this edition of “creating more sustainable campuses,” we look at a variety of innovative ways that campuses and the cities that they are located in are becoming more bike friendly.

  • In 2011 the League of American Bicyclists awarded a range of campuses across the US Bike Friendly University Awards. University of California Davis, who was awarded gold, offers Summer Bicycle Storage and regular auctions on campus and on eBay to sell abandoned and unclaimed bicycles. Students also have access to courses on bike repair and maintenance on campus. Other winners included University of Wisconsin-Madison  University of Maryland, University of Colorado.
  • Stanford has over 12,000 bike racks on campus and maps showing bike paths on and off campus. Students also have access to a range of bike safety repair stands where they can make minor repairs and pump their tires for free as well as free rentals of folding bikes. All this is organized by Stanford’s campus bicycle coordinator.
  • The University of Oregon’s Outdoor Program’s Bike Program, which provides bike loans, a free shop, and education on campus, is entirely student funded and operated.
  • In a project designed to increase awareness about alternative modes of transportation, faculty and Staff at Grenoble Ecole de Management in France have access to electric bicycles 4 weeks each year (trial phase), which are reservable for a 24 hour period free of charge. The school also has over 100 covered car parking spaces that have been turned into bike parking for the growing number of bikes on campus.
  • A growing number of schools, including Winchester Business School, offer subsidies and/or interest free loans for staff interested in buying bicycles for their daily commute to campus.
  • Newcastle University in the UK has a self-service bike sharing system called WhipBikes. Faculty and students pay a one-time registration fee that enables them to use any of the 150 bikes scattered across campus. If they want to use a bike, they simply pick the one they want and text its number to WhipBikes, which replies with the lock code for that bike.
  • Cities around the world are putting in free public bike systems, which are being used extensively by students.  At John Molson School of Business, Concordia University students have access to Montreal’s extensive public bike system, which features over 5,000 bikes and 400 stations, many on/near campus. Similar systems can be found on campuses around the world, including in Barcelona, Paris, Amsterdam and across Asia.
  • For students from Copenhagen Business School, Norwegian gas company Statoil has equipped five of its stations across the city with Cykelpleje centers dedicated to bicycle maintenance and repair. Students of Pamplin School of Business Administration, University of Portland travelling through Portland International Airport have a special bike repair section in the lower terminal, where they can take apart and reassemble their bikes, as well as several bike paths connecting the airport with the city.

Does your campus promote bike use in an innovative way? Please share your experiences and stories in the comments area below.

Filed under 1-Purpose, Campus Greening, Canada, France, Global, UK, United States Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating more sustainable campuses: Banning Water Bottles

22 November 2011 by 2 Comments

Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend of universities banning the sale and purchase water bottles on campuses, in particular in North America, but also internationally.

In 2009, Concordia University* and McGill University launched TAPthirst chapters with the goal to eliminate bottled water from their campuses, and the University of Winnipeg became the first in Canada to end the purchase and sale of bottled water on campus after students initiated a referendum. With the highest voter turnout in years, three quarters of students voted to eliminate the sale of bottle water on campus.

In total, there are 14 Canadian Universities who have banned bottles on campus, all through student led, campus supported campaigns. Others have set out plans to go bottle free over the next couple of years, including Queen’s University,* which has outlined a detailed plan to go bottle free in 2012.

The University of Toronto announced on November 14, 2011 its efforts to stop the sale of bottled water on campus. At the beginning of this academic year, bottled water was no longer available at the majority of locations on campus with plans to phase out the rest over the next three years. Instead, students and faculty have access to new fountains and water refill stations. In order to raise awareness on campus, the school year started with OnTap, a university wide event that included a scavenger hunt where students had to follow clues to identify and locate all of the water fountains on campus.

This past March, on World Water Day, the University of Canberra was the first in Australia to ban the sale of water bottles on campus. As an alternative, they put in place water vending machines that refill a 600ML container with chilled water for $1 or sparkling water for $1.50, much cheaper than bottled water. They have also put in place a range of new refill stations on campus. The whole campaign, again initiated by students, started off as just one day aimed to raise awareness about bottled water.

In the US, 9 schools have banned the sale and purchase of plain bottled water on campus, but many more have started campaigns around the issue. To raise awareness, students at the University of Maryland* took plastic bottles out of trash cans around campus over a two hour period and used them to construct a five foot tall statue. Students also organized a Tap Water Challenge where students, faculty and staff were invited to take a blind taste test to see if they could tell the difference between bottled and tap water.

As part of the I ♡ Tap Water campaign at UC Berkeley, students tested more than 450 water fountains on campus to ensure water quality. Through various public awareness activities, they were able to reduce plastic water bottles on campus by 25%. American University* is upgrading 100 water fountains to include a bottle-friendly faucet. Brown University took their campaign online with their Beyond the Bottle campaign led by student group emPOWER.

In the UK, Leeds University* was the first to ban in 2009 following a student referendum that won 2/3 of the votes. There was an anti-campaign at the time to keep plastic bottles on campus but it lost the vote. This past October, a discussion started online about whether the ban should be removed, but students rejected the idea.

A lot of schools, rather than banning water bottles outright, are mounting educational campaigns to inspire a voluntarily increase in the use of tap water on campus and also increase the amount of recycling of plastic water bottles. UNSW* in Australia put in place Envirobank reverse vending machines in 2010, which allow students and staff to insert empty PET plastic bottles in exchange for ‘Crunch Credits’ or instant win coupons and prizes.

* PRME Signatory

Have you or are you thinking of banning water bottles on campus? Do you think banning bottled water is a good thing or not? Please share your experiences in the comments area below.

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Filed under 1-Purpose, Australia, Campus Greening, Canada, UK, United States Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sustainability Reporting – 5 questions for Carol Adams from La Trobe University, Australia

25 October 2011 by Leave a comment

Last week, I had the chance to sit down with Carol Adams, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Sustainability) at La Trobe University, Australia to speak about the release of their 2010 Sustainability Report Responsible Futures. The Responsible Futures report follows the Global Reporting Initiative‘s sustainability reporting guidelines and is the first university to have a GRI report that is externally assured.

1.    Tell us a little bit about your background and sustainability at La Trobe.

I started as a qualified accountant with KPMG and then moved into teaching. My research focused on social and environmental reporting, and I worked extensively in this area with multinationals. In 2009, I was asked to chair a sustainability task force on top of my role as deputy dean, and then dean of the faculty, because I felt that, not only it was an important issue, but also that La Trobe was the kind of university where it could probably work, because it has a history of a focus on social responsibility and a concern for social issues. So, I agreed to chair the task force (which has since turned into a sustainability management committee), and by the end of the year, we had the agreement from senior managers about the way to move forward. We also have a sustainability advisory board comprised of outside experts who give us good advice and keep us on track.

2. So why sustainability reporting?

Because of my background in this area, I know the value of reporting. Not everyone will read a report, but the process of preparing it, setting targets, defining the key performance indicators with the senior managers, and then reviewing performance against targets is valuable.

The report process was really important in focusing our attention on areas of poor performance. For example, there were two key areas of poor performance highlighted in our report; one was energy consumption and the other was the proportion of women in senior levels of management and, on both of those issues, we have achieved quite a lot in the last few months in terms of a commitment to action and also action itself. The report highlighted the issues and drove change. Collecting the data on energy consumption for the report and having that externally assured was really important in creating the buy in we needed to move forward.

3. What is happening in the area of sustainability reporting with universities?

When we published our report, only 26 other universities had also published reporting using the GRI framework, but ours was the first one to be externally assured. GRI is a network-based organization that produces a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is used by a range of organizations around the world, including most large multinational companies. There are many benchmarking exercises for universities around sustainability, but I don’t think they can surpass the GRI process. What does need to be added to the GRI is a way of measuring the core business of universities, – education and research and their impact on sustainability.

I’m on a working group of the United Nations Global Compact developing guidelines for academic institutions in implementing the Ten Principles. It recommends that universities could use the GRI reporting as a way of reporting against GC principles.

4. Any tips for other universities thinking of doing this?

I think this is a really useful tool for other universities. I think that it really does need to be centrally managed. We are linking operational projects with faculty and student research projects, but the overall direction and performance needs to be seen as something that the university is managing.

We looked at a lot of reports, both by universities and from other sectors, to figure out what to report on. Using a report that has already been published as a framework could save other universities a lot of time. Another piece of advice is that it is really important to involve the managers who are concerned with that particular area, so with carbon emissions, speak those responsible for your transport fleet and people responsible for operations and electricity measurement systems and buildings. All players really need to be involved in the process because, if it is done without their involvement, it is not going to get embedded.

5. Will you do it again?

We will continue to do it as long as we have resources allocated to do it, because it really does focus attention on what is important and what is not. It will help us reduce costs associated with, for example, energy, travel, paper use, etc. I think it will become easier and less resource intensive as we move forward. We are also very proud of our report and just recently won two awards for it, the Association of Chartered Account’s (ACCA) ‘Best first time report’ in Sydney this year and the ‘Continuous Improvement – Institutional Change’ award at the 2011 Green Gown Australia awards in Adelaide for our centralized approach to sustainability governance and management.

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Filed under 5 Questions, 6-Dialogue, Australasia, Australia, Campus Greening Tagged with , , , ,

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