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SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating Systems (STARS): Guiding Campuses Toward Sustainability
STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System), is a comprehensive, voluntary, self-administered campus sustainability performance  measurement tool.  STARS translates disparate sustainability indicators into a single metric that will enable benchmarking within institutions over time, as well as comparisons across campuses.  STARS covers all sectors of the university, including curriculum, research, operations, and administration.  In this session, participants will get the inside scoop about the STARS program from those who are leading its development and implementation.  In addition, attendees will hear first-hand how institutions are implementing STARS on their campuses.   Participants will also learn in-depth details of how to use the STARS online Reporting Tool and have the opportunity to ask questions about the program.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will see how STARS has already changed university practices and opportunities for STARS to help transform higher education.
2. Participants will be exposed to the specifics including the development and implementation of the STARS program.
3. Participants will leave with a familiarity with the STARS program including categories, credits, and associated documentation.

SPEAKER(S):
Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE; Jillian Buckholz, AASHE

Template for Campus Sustainability: Creating a Path from Task Force and Program Implementation to Benchmarking & Reporting
This session will guide participants through the establishment of a Sustainability Office and growing a successful program. A flowchart template will demonstrate each phase of the process from planning, development, and implementation.  It will include structuring a Task Force, compiling recommendations, developing planning priorities, conducting a greenhouse gas inventory, and data compilation for benchmark reporting.  Presenter will cover aligning collective input with the goals of the Triple Bottom Line and college mission. The session will offer a flowchart model and checklist for moving through the process on the participant’s campus. Participants will take away visual aids, templates, and sample marketing pieces. The session will encourage participants to identify existing initiatives that can serve as a foundation for launching a more encompassing sustainability program and to promote a culture of environmental awareness on their own campus.  Participants will have opportunity to share their experiences with incorporating sustainable practices and decision-making processes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will identify and develop existing initiatives to serve as a foundation for launching a comprehensive sustainability program.
2. Participants will discuss how to develop a clear and structured approach for establishing a program with measureable outcomes.
3. Participants will take away the understanding on how to develop a program and material tracking mechanisms to create a streamlined reporting structure.

SPEAKER:
Linda Petee, Delta College

The Journey to a Green Campus: From Commitment to Realization
The road to a green campus requires an integrative approach to sustainability involving all campus stakeholders. The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building rating system provides a tool to help institutionalize sustainability on campus, and establish a framework for greening both new and existing buildings. Jaime Van Mourik, higher education sector manager, will offer strategies for taking college sustainability from a commitment to broad-based implementation and practice. The session will present a holistic approach to campus sustainability; from assessing the campus to creating a project plan for greening buildings and infrastructure to identifying financial mechanisms and opportunities to build ongoing support within the institution. She will share success stories from across the nation and discuss new tools and resources USGBC has developed to support the collegiate journey to a green campus.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will be able to take away the tools to develop a plan for campus sustainability.
2. Participants will discuss how to identify opportunities to engage key stakeholders.
3. Participants will discuss implementations strategies for greening new and existing building.

SPEAKER:
Jaime Van Mourik, US Green Building Council

Promoting Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability at the Small Institution 2.0         
This interactive session is a continuation of a case study first presented last summer at APPA by Erskine College, a small, private liberal arts college in South Carolina.  This presentation will review the progress made over the last two years as the institution began the implementation of a comprehensive sustainability program (which includes recycling, fuel consumption reduction, green cleaning, and the use of locally grown produce, among many other initiatives) with limited financial resources.  The case study will explore new initiatives on the horizon, including  energy management and conservation, LEED certification on new construction, and Erskine’s on-going approach to integrate sustainability into the college curriculum.  Participants will be engaged to share their thoughts and experiences throughout the session.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will explore how to better understand how sustainability efforts can meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
2. Participants will explore how small institutions can begin and grow sustainability/green initiatives on their campuses without breaking the bank.
3. Participants will discuss opportunities to engage the entire campus community in environmental stewardship (i.e. cross-discipline engagement).

SPEAKER(S):
Greg Haselden, Erskine College; Randy Moore, Erskine College 

Energy Master Plans - From Here to a Zero Carbon Footprint
The presentation will show how to develop Energy Master Plans to move a facility toward genuine Climate Neutrality. Goals and objectives will be laid out and strategies detailed for achieving climate neutral facilities. Strategies will include minimizing maintenance and maximizing occupant comfort and performance so life cycle success is assured. Every advantage is used for minimizing operating costs and maximizing income and revenues. Participants will look at reducing energy use and turning buildings into energy producers rather than energy users.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will learn how to integrate Building Energy Master Plans with Facility Master Plans and Transportation Master Plans to form a comprehensive Climate Neutral Plan for facilities and communities.
2. Participants will work on developing an Energy Master Plans for net zero building energy systems.
3. Participants will take away best practices on how to develop Energy Master Plans for life cycle performance and preventive maintenance.

SPEAKER:
Grahame Maisey, Building Services Consultants, Inc.

Implementing Sustainable Operations Management: Real Life Opportunities & Pitfalls        
During the past two decades, there has been growing pressure on schools, businesses, and other organizations to pay more attention to the environmental and resource consequences of the diverse range of operations they manage. This session will explore the real life opportunities and pitfalls of designing and implementing sustainable operations in today’s college and university campuses.  Topics addressed will include source reduction, reuse, recycling, waste management, toxics reduction, green-products, lean/green operations, the triple bottom line (profit, people and the planet), energy efficiency, water conservation, product stewardship, climate change strategies, life cycle analysis, and the foot printing of carbon, fuels, and water consumption.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will learn about other sustainability programs at peer institutions.
2. Participants will discover which programs work and which programs do not  to help you navigate the waters of sustainable operations management.
3. Participants will take away an understanding on how to partner with other entities to design and implement real-world, successful and sustainable operations and programs.

SPEAKER:
Marc Fournier, Lasell College

When Occupants Arrive: Maximizing Performance of a Sustainable Design Space
Even the most sustainable designs will prove ineffective without adequate occupant education and training. When spaces are designed to reduce energy consumption, increase indoor air quality and conserve resources, it is expected that they will do so. However, successful performance can only be fully realized if the occupants understand the sustainability goals and elements incorporated in the design,and how to utilize them to the fullest extent possible. The main question is, how can sustainability efforts and efficient space performance continue after the design team leaves and the occupants move in?  This session will explore Harvard University’s unique collaboration within its Office For Sustainability, where  the Green Building Services Team and the Occupant Engagement Team work together to transition between the design and construction of a sustainable space to occupant use and interaction with that space.  Thereby, ensuring that the design intent is utilized to its maximum potential. In addition to highlighting successful transitions, this session will let you walk away with concrete ideas of how to make your sustainable designs a reality.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will learn strategies for engaging building occupants and building managers during the design and construction process, and during building hand‐over, to ensure that green features are understood and used properly. 2. Participants will get tips on green design strategies that can help engage future occupants and lead to more efficient building operation.
3. Participants will hear about the successes and setbacks of Harvard’s efforts to engage building occupants in the efficient operation of their spaces.

SPEAKER(S):
Jessica Parks, Harvard's Office of Sustainability; Jesse Foote, Harvard's Office of Sustainability

Facilities Asset Management as a Framework for Integrated Climate Action Planning
Achieving significant and lasting reductions of campus greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions requires new strategic planning priorities and an integrated approach to managing facilities. This presentation will review the Harvard School of Public Health's (HSPH) Climate Action Plan, which is built upon a comprehensive facilities asset management framework and utilizes an innovative tool for GHG reduction scenario planning and investment. HSPH’s facilities asset management program, which is based on the International Infrastructure Management Manual, integrates strategic planning with tactical and operational practices to excel at meeting institutional needs, and optimizing building performance, occupant comfort, and operations and maintenanceworkflow. The framework is supported by a continuous commissioning and real-time energy monitoring program which allows for constant surveillance and timely corrective action of building performance issues. HSPH also adopted Environmental Health and Engineering’s (EH&E) Carbon Planner, a Microsoft Excel-based tool for GHG mitigation scenario planning. Carbon Planner enables dynamic GHG mitigation project investment planning based on life cycle costing. Users can sort projects using metrics such as cost-per-metric tone of GHG mitigated and savings-to-investment-ratio to optimize their return-on-investment and demonstrate the business case for reducing GHG emissions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will be exposed to facilities asset management principles, with a particular focus on integrating climate action planning into facilities planning and operations.
2. Participants will learn of the importance of metrics and life cycle costing for greenhouse gas reduction/climate action planning.
3. Participants will discuss approaches for identifying and prioritizing energy conservation & GHG mitigation measures and how to present a strong business case for climate action.

SPEAKER(S):
Daniel Beaudoin, Harvard School of Public Health; Michael Crowley, Environmental Health & Engineering          

Reducing Campus E-Waste Through Recycling Program
College campuses are perhaps the most telling evidence of our culture’s love affair with sophisticated technology. From laptops and cell phones to digital cameras and portable gaming devices, electronic devices are omnipresent both inside and outside classrooms. Campus facility managers and sustainability officials are increasingly challenged with the issue of proper electronic waste disposal. Many campus administrators are now carefully examining ways to efficiently and cost-effectively dispose of e-waste on a campus-wide scale. Many universities have found that on-campus recycling programs can be a component of an overall e-waste management strategy that allows facility managers to provide an environmentally sound method for disposing of products that are potentially hazardous to the environment.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will discuss best practices of achieving zero-waste through on-campus recycling programs and leveraging existing infrastructure.
2. Participants will learn to incentivize participation among the campus community and merchandise results to garner ongoing support and program growth.
3. Participants will discuss how to integrate recycling initiatives program into other campus sustainability efforts .

SPEAKER:
Todd Ellis, Crenshaw Communications

 Integrated Facilities Management in Building Construction
Research is increasingly performed to identify best practices that foster sustainability, and some of that research is specific to institutions of higher education. This session advances understanding of how the work of facilities managers in higher education relates to organizational sustainability in their respective institutions; how their efforts can be maximized to spur sustainability in the organization; and presents a model synthesized from recent research to demonstrate these dynamics. Facilities managers seek to understand not only how their facilities perform in terms of established methods like the Kaplan and Norton Balanced Scorecard (Kaplan & Norton, 1996) captured in facilities performance indicators, but also how their units effect organizational sustainability. This paper explores relationships between traditional facilities performance indicators (FPIs) captured in the 2007‐2008 APPA Facilities Performance Indicator Survey for the University System of Georgia (USG) cohort and USG organizational sustainability best practices as identified in the literature. Building on the previous work of Beringer (2007), a method for rating the organizational sustainability best practices of institutions of higher education is presented and correlated to existing accepted facilities metrics found in the APPA Key Performance Indicator Survey for USG institutions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will identify sustainable best practices for institutions of higher education at the organizational level as identified in current research.
2. Participants will explore the drivers for and barriers to sustainability in higher education and how the role of Facility Management influences organizational sustainability.
3. Participants will gain an understanding of how traditional performance metrics relate to sustainability in their organization.

SPEAKER:
Greg Adams, University System of Georgia

The Development and Application of Policy Based Tools for Institutional Green Buildings
Sustainable or green building practices have been adopted recently by many higher education institutions for their new campus buildings and major renovations.  A formal study has been conducted to determine if policy is essential for sustainable building practices and the implementation of LEED® for these institutional green buildings in North America.  A mixed-methods approach consisting of a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews was undertaken with senior APPA facility professionals at higher education institutions across North America.  The survey evaluated the institution's use of a policy, guideline, standard, law or goal related to sustainable building practices, and the interview identified specific practices as well as issues such as leadership, policy compliance and barriers to adopting sustainable building policies.  The outcomes of the survey and the interviews are highlighted in this presentation. 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will develop a better understanding and appreciate the importance of a Sustainable Building Policy for their respective institutions.
2. Participants will discuss the framework for an institutional sustainable building policy that is suitable to use as a template for all facility and education professionals.
3. Participants will also explore highlights future research opportunities related to sustainable/green building policy development and its application to the education sector.

SPEAKER:
Anthony Cupido, McMaster University

Institutionalizing Green Building and Alignment with Greenhouse Gas Commitments
In September 2009, Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council, said, “With the LEED certification of its 20th building, the most of any higher education institution in the world, Harvard demonstrates phenomenal green building leadership."  Building upon the successes of 23 certified and 43 registered LEED buildings, Harvard has been able to bridge a complex and decentralized stakeholder system to create new Green Building Standards that support the University’s aggressive goal to reduce greenhouse gases 30% below 2006 levels by 2016, inclusive of growth. This session will share strategies to institutionalize green building, create organization‐wide policies, and ensure sustainable asset management through systems thinking, institutionalizing new practices, building knowledge and internal capacity, and promoting continuous improvement. The process of developing the GreenBuilding Standards will be used to share specific lessons learned across buildings to promote change management and bring about organizational change. Speakers from the Harvard University Office for Sustainability will use a range of Harvard projects to illustrate a wide breadth of strategies. Particular attention will be paid to discussing the process and importance of leveraging past successes to create broader policies. These lessons are not only applicable to colleges and universities, but also to governmental and corporate entities creating climate action plans.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will learn strategies to institutionalize green building, create organization-wide policies, and ensure sustainable asset management through systems thinking,institutionalizing new practices, building knowledge and internal capacity, andpromoting continuous improvement.
2. Participants will gain insight into how success on an individual building level can be leveraged to create broader policies and tie in to larger greenhouse gas reductioncommitments.
3. Participants will learn from Harvard’s specific lessons regarding the on‐going operation of LEED buildings, and discuss how to create successful frameworks during design and construction to ensure a building’s optimal performance.

SPEAKER(S):
Nathan Gauthier, Harvard Office of Sustainability; Andrea Ruedy Trimble, Harvard University Office of Sustainability

Driving Energy Efficiency from Assessment to Implementations
Campus-wide screening level energy assessments were performed at five 4 year colleges in the City University of New York (CUNY). The energy assessments included building envelope, mechanical systems (HVAC, motors/fans/pumps); building automation systems; lighting systems; O&M activities; and plug loads. Based on observations, energy conservation measures (ECMs) were developed in each category. These ECMS were categorized as either “Immediate Actions – Behavior, Operations and Maintenance,” “Near-Term Actions (1 to 5 years),” or “Long-terms Actions (5-15 years),” the latter being for use in a Campus Strategic Energy Plan (this categorization will help prioritize projects for implementation.) Also, as input to this process, budget costs (with payback periods) were developed for the implementation of these ECMs. This process is informing process of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and the preparation of Climate Action Plans for these colleges, as well as positioning them for both improved environmental and economic sustainability.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will learn how to apply a process for the identification of ECMs on a campus.
2. Participants will discuss how to establish reference benchmarks to implement energy conservation measures.
3. Participants will take away tools to help integrate ECMs into Climate Action Planning for a more detailed approach to GHG reduction.

SPEAKER(S):
Arthur Fasolino, The City University of New York; Michael Madigan, O'Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc.; Robert Neimeier, O'Brein & Gere Engineers, Inc.

Taming the Green Monster
In this presentation, participants will learn about best practices for incorporating high levels of sustainability in a variety of project types while preserving budgets and schedules. Experts who oversaw a major construction project at Bates (in which the school simultaneously built the 60,000 sq. ft. Dining Commons, the 1,200 ft. Alumni Walk), made long overdue upgrades to the campus steam line, and identified ways to combine sustainability initiatives with these important improvements that were years in the making. For example, the campus steam loop upgrades include a heat recovery system that captures steam condensate to preheat domestic water, while the Alumni Walk and amphitheater feature shade trees and water efficient landscaping. The school made the decision to forgo LEED® certification for the Dining Commons in order to have greater financial freedom in how they approached the greenness of the building while still receiving positive media exposure for their accomplishments. This presentation will address methods for incorporating creative phasing, early buyout of subcontractors, student and faculty input in final design choices and making pragmatic decisions for obtaining realistic sustainability goals with high ROI.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will gain insight gleaned from allowing end‐users to directly influence design.
2. Participants will discuss lessons learned for shaping a schedule containing simultaneous projects.
3. Participants will take away how one should be pragmatic about sustainability: what you need versus what you don’t.

SPEAKER(S):
Paul Farnsworth, Bates College; Dave Thomas, Consigli Construction

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
Collaborating with residents to go green can be the cheapest and most economical approach to cutting electrical cost in our residence halls. With new construction, initial cost often supersedes efficiency when purchasing appliances, fixtures, and building system equipment. It can be cost effective to add or change equipment immediately. Changing light bulbs to fluorescent or LEDs is still a quick and economical way to reduce electrical usage.  When fixtures are outdated or discontinued, the parts may be more expensive than upgrading to more energy efficient new fixtures. Building system controls allow us to program equipment to help reduce peak and cut our electrical rates.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will discover how to involve residents in reducing our carbon footprint.
2. Participants will explore how to reduce cost by programming building systems.
3. Participants will discuss the benefits of adding a water side economizer.

SPEAKER(S):
Laurence Uphoffm, Georgia State University; Marilyn DeLaroche, Georgia State University

Clearing the Air
In this session, program content will be divided into two distinct segments with the objective of delivering a realistic road map to implementing sustainable practices in institutional cleaning operations. Segment one shall be comprehensive instruction in the definition and interpretation of sustainable practices in institutional cleaning operations. Participants will be guided through the practical interpretation of the key terms, phrases and concepts associated with sustainable cleaning practice based on the “Triple Bottom Line” concept.  Segment two will be the identification of, and instruction in drafting required documentation, including a sustainable purchasing and procurement policy, developing standard operating procedures, and identification of necessary training and record keeping.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Participants will gain a clear and practical understanding of sustainable practices in cleaning operations within educational settings.
2. Participants explore how to develop, draft and adopt a sustainable custodial operating plan.
3. Participants will discuss how to implement /integrate sustainable principals into individual cleaning operations.

SPEAKER:
Casey Wick, Hamilton College