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Seattle University 2006 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award Application

Category

Four-year and graduate institutions 1,001 – 10,000 student FTE

Contact

Karen Price
Campus Sustainability Manager
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
206-296-6997
kprice@seattleu.edu

Governance & Administration

There is a campus-wide Anti-Sweatshop Policy and an Anti-Sweatshop Committee covering vendors and manufacturers that supply the University with apparel bearing the University’s name and/or logos. Seattle University has joined the Workers Rights Consortium and the Fair Labor Association to independently monitor its contractors. These organizations will conduct monitoring for Seattle University in accordance with the organizations’ respective standards.

Seattle University is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, Washington Organic Recycling Council, Washington State Recycling Association and AASHE.

Notable accomplishments within the past two years:
A student initiative led to the creation of the Environmental Advisory Council in 2004. The purpose of the EAC is to “offer advice and leadership regarding the identification, creation, assessment, and implementation of environmental planning and policies for the University.” The council acts as a seed bank and catalyst for campus sustainability and environmental initiatives coming from students, administrators, staff and faculty.   The 17 members comprise current and former students, staff, faculty, Jesuits and a government agency. The Committee’s current project is gathering information on all the sustainable activities happening on campus in all departments, including: classes, community projects, service learning, internships and initiatives. The purpose is to share this information with the campus community to demonstrate what is being done, generate new ideas and create linkages among departments.

The Campus Master Plan was updated and includes strong language about the campus’s commitment to sustainability in its built environment and guidelines for incorporating green building practices. All new buildings are already designed to meet LEED standards.

In 2005, the Environmental Coordinator position was renamed to Campus Sustainability Manager. The job description was rewritten to include the following changes: reports directly to the Associate Vice President of Facilities instead of the Grounds Manager, servicing the recycling containers was removed as a duty and work with Facilities staff to ensure that sustainable principles are incorporated into all aspects of routine and planned maintenance operations, new construction projects, renovation projects, and purchasing practices and policies was added as a duty. At the monthly new employee orientation, the Campus Sustainability Manager gives a talk about all the sustainable campus practices and how they can participate.

Operations

Facilities commitment to sustainability is demonstrated in the following on-going practices.

• Since 1994, reusable commuter mugs have been given to freshmen.
• Reusable furniture, office and recreational equipment are sold to the public at SU’s Surplus Store.
• Student Move Out at the end of the school year collects unwanted stuff for donation and recycling.
• On-site facility annually composts 15 tons of pre-consumer food waste, which is applied on our landscape.
• Recycling program began in 1988 and averages a 62% recycling rate.
• Landscape has been maintained organically and pesticide-free since 1986.

Notable accomplishments within the past two years:
Waterless urinals comprise 97% of the urinals and there are three dual-flush toilets.

The irrigation system was upgraded to use water efficiently. The system is monitored daily by computer, irrigation clock schedules are adjusted bi-monthly and are programmed to come on in the evening, rain sensors stop irrigation and the system monitors the rate of flow.

The replacement of inefficient electrical equipment with new energy saving technology is estimated to reduce the campus’ annual electricity usage by 2,628,763 kilowatt-hours.

SU hired a retro-building commissioning agent to train four Facilities maintenance staff and invited facilities staff from local universities to participate. Our trained staff then retro-commissioned two of our largest buildings, which is estimated to reduce electricity usage by 20%.

SU committed to buy new renewable energy to offset 16% of the campus’s annual electricity consumption. This makes SU the first and largest institutional customer to join Seattle City Light's Green Up program at the highest level of business participation -Platinum.

A joint solar power demonstration project between Mechanical Engineering seniors, Facilities and Seattle City Light includes solar panels on the Student Center’s roof and south wall and a tracking pole-mounted solar array that produce enough electricity to power one energy-conserving home for a year.

The fleet went from zero to eleven electric vehicles.

Public Safety purchased four mountain bikes for patrolling campus instead of two vehicles.

SU partnered with Flex Car, a car sharing company, to park one of their cars on campus and SU pays for the first year’s membership and application fees and a 2.5 hour trial.

Green building experience was added as new criteria for selecting architects, engineers, consultants and general contractors.

The Taqwsheblu Vi Hilbert Ethnobotanical Garden is an interdisciplinary teaching tool for students and faculty and a means of outreach to local elementary schools, community groups and the public. The garden contains plants that were central to this region's Native cultures and signage explaining the Native plant uses and the plant names in the Native language. To support the garden's educational mission, SU's library acquired books on the relationship between Puget Sound's native plants and Native people. The garden captures stormwater runoff from a sidewalk and filters it in the pond.

Reused sod was purchased for the campus athletic field from the city’s sports stadium that had bought sod for an exhibition soccer game and was looking for an organization to take it.

Curriculum & Research

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a BA in Environmental Studies and a BA in Environmental Studies with Public Policy and Urban Affairs specialization.

The College of Science and Engineering offers a BS in Environmental Science and a BS in Civil Engineering with Environmental Engineering Specialization.

Notable accomplishments within the past two years:
The Albers School of Business hosted and helped plan the "Business for the Long Run" faculty conference on teaching sustainable business. The conference brought together leaders from business, government, non-governmental organizations and higher educational institutions to present and discuss ways they integrate sustainable business practices into their work and teaching.

Community Service and Outreach

During Fall Welcome Week, incoming freshmen spend a Saturday together volunteering in the community.

Earth Day is celebrated by students, staff and faculty annually with a variety of educational events that changes each year and has included: movies, lectures, an environmental products fair, music performances, recycled clothing fashion show, and a Zero Waste lunch where all post-consumer food and soiled paper products are collected for composting and disposable cutlery is replaced with biodegradable cutlery.

The Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University and the non-profit Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability/NW (NBIS/NW) formed a cooperative relationship to advance sustainable business practices.  The business school provides a home base from which NBIS/NW works to give faculty and students opportunities to work with business leaders in applied learning and research projects.

Notable accomplishments within the past two years:
Created through a presidential initiative in 2004, the Center for Service and Community Engagement, reporting to the Office of the Provost, has two main goals: to create strong reciprocal partnerships between the University and community/government organizations in order to foster social change and to develop reflective, creative, compassionate and just student leaders. The Center works collaboratively with campus and community partners to implement programs in the following four areas:
1. Academic Service-Learning. The Center promotes the connection between academic learning and community involvement in order to further develop students’ skills and values related to civic engagement and social justice. The Center provides support to faculty who are interested in designing service-learning courses and community-based research projects that mobilize students to serve local schools, non-profit organizations and government agencies.
2. Community Partnerships. With the needs of the community as its priority, the Center develops significant and sustainable community initiatives with a particular focus on neighborhoods adjacent to the University.
3. Coordination of Service Activities. The Center serves as the initial entry point on campus for students to gain knowledge and access to opportunities for community-based service. In addition, the Center is the initial point of contact for community organizations seeking volunteers.
4. Student Leadership. The Center offers opportunities for students to explore their skills and interests in leadership through service and justice activities.

The Campus Sustainability Manager was an active participant in creating AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Indicators.

All material copyright 2005-2008
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