Creating A Sustainable

Campus:

Challenges and Opportunities to Integrate

Sustainability at the University of Maryland
Presented by:

Scott Lupin Office of Sustainability

Dr. Matthias Ruth Center for Integrative Environmental Research

American College and University

Presidents Climate Commitment
(ACUPCC)

Launched in October 2006

Modeled after the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection
Agreement
Sponsored by:

AASHE (Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in

Higher Education)
Second Nature
ecoAmerica

Purpose of ACUPCC

Puts Educational Institutions in the

Forefront of Efforts to Address Climate
Change

Commits Schools to Serve as Models of

Sustainability

Operations
Curriculum
Research

Commits Schools to become Carbon

Neutral to Reduce Global Warming

ACUPCC What Do They

Sign?

Signatories officially Agree to:

Create a Strategic Plan to Eliminate
and/or Offset Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Integrate Sustainability into Curriculum

May 2007, President Mote signed

Initiative - Committing UM to
Climate Change
Regional Signatories Include:

9 MD Schools, 12 VA Schools

ACUPCC: Initial
Requirements
Within Two Months:
Create Institutional Structures to
Develop and Implement a Plan
Within One Year:
Complete Comprehensive Inventory
of all Greenhouse Gas Emissions;
Update Inventory Every Other Year
Thereafter

ACUPCC: The Climate Plan

Within 2 years an Institutional Action Plan
Identify Actions to make Campus Carbon
Neutral
Include Target Date for Climate Neutrality
Set Interim Goals and Phase in of Actions
Actions to make Climate Neutrality and
Sustainability a Part of the Curriculum and
other Educational Experiences.
Actions to Expand Research or other
Efforts to Achieve Climate Neutrality.
Mechanisms to Track Progress on Goals
and Actions.

ACUPCC: Tangible Actions

During Development of the Plan,

Initiate Two or more of the following
Tangible Actions:
LEED-Silver Policy for New Campus
Construction
Policy Requiring Purchase of ENERGY
STAR Certified Products
Policy of Offsetting all Greenhouse Gas
Emissions generated by Air Travel
Encourage Use of and Provide Access to
Public Transportation for all Faculty, Staff,
Students and Visitors

ACUPCC: Tangible Actions

(contd)
Within One Year, Purchase/Produce at
Least 15% of Institutions Electricity
Consumption from Renewable Sources
Policy or Committee that Supports
Climate and Sustainability Shareholder
Proposals at Companies where the
Institutions Endowment is Invested
Participate in Recyclemanias Waste
Minimization Component and Adopt
Three or more Waste Reduction Measures

Make all Reports and Information

Publicly Available

UM - ACUPCC Initiatives

UM Research Center (CIER)

Conducting GHG Inventory

Establishing a Climate
Action Plan Workgroup

Adopted USGBC LEEDSilver as Baseline

Construction Standard

Working with Area

Universities and the State
to Purchase Renewable
Energy

Preparing RFP for Energy

Performance Contractor
Audit

Evolution of Sustainability
at UM

2002 FMP Transportation and

Environment Underpin
the Plan
Environmental
Stewardship Committee
Environmental
Stewardship Guidelines
Sponsored Three
National Sustainability
Conferences
March 31-April 2, 2008
4th Conference

Evolution of Sustainability at
UM (contd)

New Office of
Sustainability

Campus-wide
Sustainability Website
(www.sustainability.umd.e
du)

Released Sustainability
Report on UM Initiatives

New Energy Manager,

Environmental Planner
and Recycling/Solid Waste
Manager

Sustainability Initiatives
at UM

Comprehensive Stormwater
Study to Identify
Improvement Projects

Comprehensive Tree
Inventory and Assessment

New Efficient Irrigation

Systems with Moisture
Sensors Installed

Several Low Impact

Development (Stormwater)
Projects Completed

Sustainability Initiatives at
UM (contd)

Buses Using Biodiesel

Fuel

Flexcar Program
Introduced

Major Lighting
Improvement Program
Underway

CO2 Monitors being

Installed to Operate
Ventilation Systems

Sustainability Initiatives at
UM (contd)

Competed
inRecyclemania

Composting Program
in Dining Halls (10
tons per month)

Use of Native Plants

for Landscaping

Green Seal Certified

Cleaning Products in
Residence Halls

Sustainability-Related
Research

Many Research Centers at UM

are focused on Environmental
Issues including:
Center for Integrative
Environmental Research
(CIER)
Center for Environmental
Energy Engineering (CEEE)
Earth System Science
Interdisciplinary Center
(ESSIC)
Joint Global Change
Research Institute (JGCRI)
Center for Smart Growth
Solar Decathlon Team
Many others

Sustainability Educational
Opportunities
More than 100 Courses
about Environmental
Issues are Offered Each
Year

Four New Academic

Programs Opened within
the Past Year

Environmental
Science and
Technology

Master of
Engineering and Public
Policy

Maryland Institute of

UM Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Research Team
Center for Integrative Environmental
Research (CIER)
David Tilley, Associate Professor, Environmental
Science & Technology, CIER Affiliate
Matthias Ruth, Director, CIER
Kim Ross, Executive Director, CIER
Ramy Serour, Graduate Research Assistant,
Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences
Graduate Program
Lucia Ness, Student Research Assistant,
Environmental Science & Policy Program
Working in Close Collaboration with Facilities
Management and the GHG Inventory Taskforce

Greenhouse Gas Inventory

Taskforce

David Allen, Director, Transportation Services

Karen Breen, Director, Business Services
Maureen Kotlas, Director, Environmental Safety
Joan Kowal, Energy Manager, Financial Services
Scott Lupin, Assoc Director, Office of
Sustainability
Harry Teabout, Director, Bldg & Landscape
Services
John Vucci, Assoc Director, H V A C Systems

Inventory Approach

Clean Air Cool Planet Calculator for

Standardization and Comparability
Learn from other University Experiences
Direct Involvement of Key Stakeholders
through GHG Inventory Taskforce
Gather Data (Student Research Assistants)
Analysis, Development of
Recommendations and Report
Report to be Posted Online
Briefings to Key Leaders and Stakeholders

Scope
Temporal Scope: 2002-2007 requested
Scope 1 Direct GHG Emissions from
Facilities Owned/Controlled by UMCP
(e.g., power plant, vehicles, fugitive
emissions)
Scope 2 - Purchased Electricity
Scope 3 - Indirect Emissions (e.g.,
commuters, air travel, waste disposal,
purchased products)

Inventory Data Categories

Institutional Data: Budget, Population, Physical Size

Electricity, Purchased Steam, and Chilled Water
On-Campus Cogeneration Plant
On-Campus Stationary Sources
Transportation: University Fleet, Air Travel
Commuter: Students, Summer School Students,
Faculty, Staff
Agriculture: Fertilizer Application, Animal
Agriculture
Solid Waste
Refrigeration and Other Chemicals
Offsets: Green Electric Certificates, Composting,
Forest Preservation, Other

Challenges Met

Boundaries What to Count

Trends toward Privatized Buildings
Control vs. Own (e.g South Commons)
Definition of Boundary (UMCP: include buildings/space
that we own and pay electricity for).

Transportation, Commuters
Design of Algorithm to Calculate Missing Data for
Student Commuting

Data Consistency
Reported by Fiscal Year (July 1 - June 30) vs. Calendar
Year
Reported for Years 2002 to 2007

Future Updates
Required every Two Years
Recommendations for Data Collection and Reporting
Process Improvements

Integrating Sustainability on
Campus:
Lessons LearnedMake Sustainability a

Campus Priority Establish

Broad Goals

Get Connected AASHE,

APPA, SCUP, NACUBO,
USGBC and Others

Involve the Campus

Establish a Steering
Committee and Program
Lead

Educate and Inform

Empower and Encourage

Staff

Integrating Sustainability on
Campus:
Lessons Learned
(contd)
Implement
Projects and Seek

Continuous

Improvement

Small Projects Add-Up

(LID, Composting, HazMat
Reduction, etc.)

Large Initiatives Provide

Major Results (Strategic
Plans, Renewable Energy,
Green Purchasing, LEED,
etc.)

Ex. UN Chapel Hill

(Stormwater), U. of Florida
(Solid Waste), U. of Georgia
(Environmental Literacy
Req.), Harvard (Revolving

Integrating Sustainability on
Campus:
Lessons Learned
(contd)
Use Campus/System
Resources
Build Collaboration Many Are Motivated by
Sustainability

Provide

Educational
Opportunities
(Internships, Graduate
Assistantships, etc.)
Measure

Progress
(Milestones and Metrics)

Share Your Success

QUESTIONS?
RESOURCES:
Office of Sustainability at UM www.sustainability.umd.edu
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in
Higher Education (AASHE) - www.aashe.org
American College and University Presidents Climate
Commitment (ACUPCC)
-www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org
US Green Building Council (USGBC) - www.usgbc.org
MD Energy Administration - www.energy.state.md.us