University Business - June 2006 - (Page G7)

Melody Ko/Tufts University University of Vermont The Tufts Climate Initiative raises awareness of green energy practices; Carnegie Mellon can boast about its LEED-certified dorm, New House. her next steps list: Working out a way to garner the plentiful $5 million in annual savings and has led to a reduction of more California sun to help power Merced's campus, and negotiating than 60 million pounds in annual greenhouse gas emissions. with the national Green Buildings Council to develop LEED Leaders of the initiative see organizational change at the heart of categories that better fit college facilities. their work; in other words, new practices must jibe with limita- tions on time, money, politics, and other complexities. Under University of this perspective, efforts continue to grow: The Green Campus Pennsylvania Initiative now has 14 full-time professional staff and a $6 million revolving loan fund. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENT: Grasping wind energy BEHIND THE SCENES: Named one of 10 Green Power Part- Tufts University ners by the EPA Green Power Partnership, Penn obtains nearly 30 percent of its total energy through wind power, buying more KEY ACCOMPLISHMENT: megawatt hours than any other U.S. institution of higher educa- Collaborating for change tion. The school tripled its wind-energy purchase this year, fund- BEHIND THE SCENES: Tufts was the first institution of ing its program through savings from an aggressive energy-con- higher education in the country to develop an environmental servation program. The school's commitment to wind energy has policy statement, and in 1990 officially convened an interna- made it possible for its partners to construct a new wind farm in tional conference at which the Talloires Declaration the rural Pennsylvania. first official statement on environmental sustainability in higher education was drafted and signed. Since then, more than 300 University of Vermont IHE leaders have signed the declaration and the university has developed its own commitments to reducing emissions by 7 per- KEY ACCOMPLISHMENT: cent by 2010. In April 2005, undergraduates at Tufts voted in Institutionalizing environmental concerns support of a yearly $20 fee to pay for wind power credits. BEHIND THE SCENES: In 2004, the university articulated its aim to become the leading environmental university in the University of United States. The university's Environmental Council inter- British Columbia preted that aim through commitments in academics, operations, culture, and accountability. Projects on campus often evolve KEY ACCOMPLISHMENT: from student and faculty work, bolstered by the university's small Undertaking an outstanding retrofit grants program that gives $10,000 a year to promising environ- BEHIND THE SCENES: One to get out in front of the pack on mental initiatives. Through the EcoReps program, students on sustainability issues, UBC launched a campuswide program in campus are paid to teach their peers about recycling, energy con- 2002 to optimize infrastructure for smarter energy use. Physical servation, and other ways to respect the world around them. upgrades and retrofits led to $3 million in annual savings, a 30 percent reduction in energy use, and an 11 percent reduction in Yale University GHG emissions from buildings. UBC has saved more than 58 million sheets of paper and 76.3 million kilowatt hours of en- KEY ACCOMPLISHMENT: ergy plus $11.3 million. Because of the retrofit, UBC has met Setting admirable targets its Kyoto Protocol targets six years ahead of schedule. BEHIND THE SCENES: Yale has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 10 per- University of cent below 1990 levels, a task that will be accomplished by 2020 California, Merced through a combination of energy conservation, investments in alternative energy, offsets, and behavior change. Yale is in the KEY ACCOMPLISHMENT: Sustainability from scratch process of coming up with comparable targets and implementa- BEHIND THE SCENES: A brand-new campus, UC Merced tion strategies for waste management, design and construction, was designed and built with sustainability in mind. Every build- transportation systems, and procurement strategies. Energy dol- ing is designed and constructed to meet LEED Silver certifica- lars saved lead to further investment in greenhouse gas emission tion. Chancellor Carol Tomlinson-Keasey loves to talk about reduction strategies. the value of her school's sustainability efforts. Among items on universitybusiness.com June 2006 | G7 GreenEnergy.indd G7 5/18/06 11:25:35 AM http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2006

Contents
College Index
Advisory Board
Company Index
Editor's Note
2006 AV Buyers Guide
Admissions
Internet Technology
On the Hill
Financial Aid
Going Green while Saving Green
Viewpoint
Back from the Breach
Value Added
Need Help?
Shared Pain & Payoffs
What's New
Direct Connect
Calendar of Events
End Note

University Business - June 2006