<< Back to Report Card
With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these surveys offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the summer of 2009. To access surveys from other schools, go to the surveys section of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.
Name: Donna Gold
Title: Director of Public Information
Date survey submitted:
ADMINISTRATION
SUSTAINABILITY POLICIES
1) Does your school have its own formal sustainability policy?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available: http://www.coa.edu/html/sustainability.htm
The college’s sustainability policy is enunciated in the strategic plan adopted by the Board of Trustees in June 2005. Below is the specific section of that plan addressing sustainability:
Goal D: Demonstrate principles of human, ecological, and economic sustainability in facilities and operations
Develop and Manage the Campus Using Principles of Sustainability
· create a schedule of measurable goals and actions for reducing the college’s “ecological footprint” in all areas of operations
· ensure that COA’s campus landscape, the arrangement of buildings, and their internal organization represent and serve the values of human ecology: reducing compartmentalization and encouraging integration between people, knowledge, and ideas.
· make progress toward addressing deferred maintenance, safety, cleanup and beautification
· update its assessment of campus landscape, trees and gardens and plan for long-term stewardship of these assets
· build green buildings that minimize environmental damage associated with their construction and operation
· conduct further planning and assessment of its off-campus research stations at Mount Desert Rock, Great Duck Island, and Beech Hill Farm to assure greater integration with the college’s academic programs
2) Has the president of your institution signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. If completed, please provide the date the GHG Report was submitted to the ACUPCC: September 15, 2008
3) Has your institution signed the Talloires Declaration?
[ ] No
[X] Yes
4) Is there a sustainability component in your institution's master plan and/or strategic plan (check all that apply)?
[ ] No
[X] Yes, in the master plan. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
[X] Yes, in the strategic plan. Please describe and provide URL, if available: See response to question #1.
ADVISORY COUNCIL
5) Does your school have a council or committee that advises on and/or implements policies and programs related to sustainability?
[ ] No
[X] Yes: Four working groups of faculty, students, and staff help the school accomplish it’s NetZero carbon emissions pledge
If you answered "No" to question 5, please proceed directly to question 11.
6) Please provide the name of the committee and list the number of meetings held since August 2008.
Name: Campus Committee for Sustainability
Number of meetings: 24
7) Please provide number of stakeholder representatives on the committee.
[# ] Administrators
[# ] Faculty
[# ] Staff
[5 ] Students
[1 ] Other. Please describe: Consulting Advisor for Sustainability (Former staff person who served as Sustainability Director from 2005 to 2007)
8) Please provide the name of the chair(s) of the committee for the 2009-2010 academic year, and indicate which stakeholder group the chair(s) represents.
If 2009-2010 academic year information is not yet available, please provide information for 2008-2009 instead.
Name of chair(s): Leland Moore (2008-2009 chair)
Position(s) (e.g., administrator, faculty, staff, student): Student
9) To whom does the committee report (e.g., president, vice president)? The committee can report to any other standing committee in the college governance system or to the president of the college. The committee also presents minutes of its meeting to the weekly All College Meeting, which is the basic governance body of College of the Atlantic and open to everyone in the college community.
10) Please list key issues/programs that the committee has addressed or implemented since August 2008.
Key issues/programs that the group has addressed/implemented since August 2008: See below.
Progress made on each of these issues since August 2008: See below.
The committee worked to increase bicycle use on campus primarily by recommending to the Campus Planning and Building Committee the most effective locations for the placement of bike racks. The Buildings and Grounds Department will place the racks according to the plan. The committee is now researching methods to improve composting on campus, including initiating a study of all composting on campus and at the college’s organic Beech Hill Farm. The composting study will continue into the fall and winter of 2009-2010. The committee advised the Student Life Committee about the type of food containers that should be used in the new automated food dispensers in the recently-opened Deering Commons Campus Center. Additionally, the committee has planned orientation activities about sustainability for the incoming first year class in the fall of 2009. It also decided to undertake a new commuter survey for the campus community in the fall of 2009. This information is used in the Clean Air—Cool Planet carbon calculator to calculate the college’s carbon footprint. The previous commuter study was conducted in the fall of 2006. The committee has also extended a previous project between the college and the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce which had provided compact fluorescent lightbulbs to chamber members. Last spring it provided 700 compact fluorescent light bulbs to the chamber for distribution to business members in exchange for incandescent bulbs to reduce businesses’ carbon footprint and save them money. The cfl bulbs were paid for by the college.
SUSTAINABILITY STAFF
11) Does your school employ sustainability staff (excluding student employees and interns)?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please provide titles and number of sustainability staff.
[ 1 ] Number of full-time staff (in FTE). Titles: [ Consulting Advisor for Sustainability ]
[# ] Number of part-time staff (in FTE). Titles: [ ]
12) Does the head of the sustainability staff report directly to the president or another high-level administrator (e.g., vice president, vice chancellor)?
[ ] N/A
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: The Consulting Advisor for Sustainabiliy reports directly to the president and the Dean of Finance.
OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT
13) Does your school have an office or department specifically dedicated to furthering sustainability on campus?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe (including name of office or department and year created): The office is essentially one person, the Consulting Advisor for Sustainability, who had been Director of Sustainability from 2005 to 2007. The Director of Sustainability position was created in the fall of 2005 with funding from a donation to create an endowment; the interest on the endowment was transitioned to support a new professor of “green” business. The college has taken money from the operating fund to hire a consulting advisor for sustainability so as to continue the sustainability program.
WEBSITE
14) Does your school have a website detailing its sustainability initiatives?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please provide URL: http://www.coa.edu/html/sustainability.htm
GREEN PURCHASING
15)Does your school have a formal green purchasing policy?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe policy and provide URL to full policy, if available: http://www.coa.edu/html/sustainablepurchasing.htm
The college purchases most of its office supplies, furniture, etc. through Corporate Express. This organization identifies on its website those products that have environmental qualities. Faculty and staff who purchase products for their office or programs are encouraged to select these products.
16) Does your school purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products?
[ ] No
[ ] Some. Please describe:
[X] All (This is among the commitments the college made in joining the ACUPCC.)
17) Does your school purchase environmentally preferable paper products (e.g., 100 percent post-consumer recycled content, certified by the Forest Stewardship Council)?
[ ] No
[X] Some
[X] All. Please describe: (Or just about all…) All copier and computer paper used on campus is 100% post- consumer recycled content and chlorine free. Paper purchased for certain very special needs, including some paper used by our art teachers, may not be 100% post consumer recycled content. Similarly, just about every printed item uses FSC-certified recycled paper and soy-based ink. Disposable paper products, including toilet paper and paper towels, is composed of 100% recycled products, made with 50-80% post consumer material when possible.
18) Does your school purchase Green Seal, Environmental Choice certified, or biorenewable cleaning products?
[ ] No
[X] Some. Please describe: Where environmentally preferable products work well they are used by the custodial staff. The staff is also always on the look out for new products to try. The Consulting Advisor for Sustainability provided the custodial staff with a selection of new “green” products to try this past spring. In some cases, standard cleaning products that are not environmentally preferable have been used in cleaning bathrooms because currently available “green” products have not been found to do an adequate job.
[ ] All. Please describe:
19) Are your school's computer/electronics purchase decisions made in accordance with standards such as the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)?
[ ] No
[X] Some. Please describe: We use EPEAT to look at possible computer models and monitors and try to buy Gold or Silver. For a specific piece of hardware though, we may purchase lower or non-rated items if needed for a defined purpose
[ ] All
20) Does your school use only pesticides that meet the standards for organic crop production set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or Canadian Organic Standards (excluding on-campus farms)?
[ ] No
[ ] Some. Please describe:
[X] All. Beech Hill Farm is certified as an organic farm by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assoc. according to the new federal organic standards. All campus landscaping is maintained using organic methods.
CLIMATE CHANGE & ENERGY
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INVENTORY
21) Has your school completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory?
Please check all that apply.
[ ] No.
[ ] In progress. Please describe status and provide estimated completion date:
[X] Yes. Please provide total annual GHG emissions (in metric tons of CO2e). Also, include the start date for each year as well as the URL to each inventory, if available online, or attach the document.
2008: 1368 July 1
2007: 1261 “ “
2006: 1250 “ “
2005: 1335 “ “
Carbon Calculator with data from 1990 to 2009 can be emailed to you but not attached here.
Alternatively, COA report to the ACUPCC and Calculator Spreadsheet system can be viewed at: http://acupcc.aashe.org/ghg-report.php?id=201
COMMITMENT TO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTION
The purchase of carbon offsets does not count toward greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions for this indicator. They are counted in a subsequent indicator.
22) Has your school made a commitment to reducing GHG emissions by a specific amount?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please list details. COA sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15% and so entered into a contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. to make facility energy efficiency improvements in the summer 2008.
Reduction level: Yet to be determined but currently being assessed. In addition, it should be noted that the Board of Trustees at their October 6, 2006 meeting committed the college to avoid or reduce all carbon emissions that we possibly can and to offset those that we can not avoid or reduce. At the same meeting, they passed a resolution that the college will be renewably power in all of its operations by 2015.
Baseline year: 2007
Target date: 2009
If you answered only "No" or "In progress" to question 21, please now skip to question 27.
REALIZED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS
23) Has your school achieved a reduction in GHG emissions?
[X] No, because we constructed 51 beds of new student housing that were heated for the fall of 2008 and January 2009 with propane fuel until the new wood pellet furnace was available for installation in January 2009. This temporary use of propane increased FY09 heating fuel use and resultant carbon emissions.
[ ] Yes. Please list details.
Percentage reduced:
Baseline year:
Date achieved:
24) Please provide the total heating and cooling degree days averaged over the past three years.
Data on total degree heating and cooling days is available at: http://www.degreedays.net/. This information will be used to help reduce bias between schools in different climates.
Cooling degree days average over the past three years: None
Heating degree days average over the past three years: 7845
25) Please provide GHG emissions figures on a per-thousand-square-foot basis for the past three years.
Per-Thousand-Square-Foot Emissions = Total CO2e in metric tons / Total maintained building space in thousands of square feet.
2008: 10.3 kg (0.0103 metric tonnes)
2007: 10.4 kg (0.0104 metric tonnes)
2006: 10.3 kg (0.0104 metric tonnes)
26) Please provide GHG emissions figures on a per-full-time-student basis for the past three years.
Per-Student Emissions = Total CO2e in metric tons / Total number of full-time enrolled students.
2008: 4.8
2007: 3.9
2006: 4.6
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
27) What programs or technologies has your school implemented to improve energy efficiency (e.g., cogeneration plant, retrocommissioning of HVAC systems, performing system tune-ups, temperature setbacks)?
As a part of the Johnson Controls, Inc. facility improvement measures made in 2008, new boiler controls and temperature sensors were installed and programmed for boilers in two of the college’s largest buildings. The controller adjusts the burner run pattern to match the system's heat load thereby saving fuel. The projected annual energy savings for these improvements is approximately 191 mmbtus. The college has instituted a heat recovery system above the stove hoods in the kitchens. All incandescent bulbs, as possible, have been replaced with cfls.
ENERGY CONSERVATION
28) Do you facilitate programs that encourage members of the campus community to reduce energy use (e.g., cash incentives, signs reminding individuals to turn off lights and appliances)?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: Signs are used in some locations reminding community members to turn off lights, but on the whole this is so ingrained in our college community that it is not necessary. There are also some signs asking people to enter through doors that have less impact on building energy use. Supervisors of staff are encouraged to allow staff, when appropriate, to telecommute by working at home to save on fuel use and to reduce carbon emissions.
RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION
29) Does your school generate renewable electricity?
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please specify percentage of overall electricity generated from each of the following sources and describe details below.
[ %] B100 biodiesel
[ %] Clean biomass
[ %] Concentrating solar power (CSP)
[ %] Geothermal
[ %] Low-impact hydropower
[ %] Solar photovoltaics
[ %] Wind
[ %] Other
Description:
30) Does your school have solar hot water systems?
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please specify number of systems and total BTUs generated annually, if available:
RENEWABLE ENERGY PURCHASE
31) Has your school purchased electric energy from renewable sources or renewable energy credits (RECs)?
RECs and electricity from renewable sources must be Green-e certified or meet the requirements of the Green-e standard.
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe. The college purchases 100% of its electricity from a renewable source, the Worumbo Hydroelectric Project on the Androscoggin River in Maine. Purchase was arranged by Maine Renewable Energy of Portland, Maine.
Date of most recent contract: 3-year contract beginning November 1, 2007.
Quantity (kWh): Approximately 850,000 kilowatt hours per year
Percentage of your total electric energy use that it represents: 100%
32) Has your school purchased non-electric energy from renewable sources?
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe.
Date of most recent contract:
Quantity (BTUs):
Percentage of your total non-electric energy use that it represents:
ON-SITE COMBUSTION
33) Please provide total BTUs of energy for heating and cooling from on-site combustion:
We have no cooling load, so all of the Btus are from heating. Btus from a gallon of oil are 140,000 and from a gallon of propane are 91,330.
Heating season 2009 from April 2008 to April 2009.
Btus from oil = 6,210,960,000
Btus from propane = 2,733,415,570
Grand Total = 8,944,375,570
34) Please list each fuel source (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil) and the percent of overall BTUs derived from that source:
Oil = 69%
Propane = 31%
35) Is any on-site combustion for heating and cooling derived from renewable sources?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe. Approximately 20% of the campus is heated by a new (January 2009), central wood pellet boiler.
Percentage on-site combustion derived from renewable sources: [Approx. 20% based on percent of building square footage]
Total BTUs of energy generated from renewable sources: [# ] We will not know the answer to this question until after one year of heating experience with the new system.
Description of renewable energy sources used for on-site combustion for heating and cooling: Currently, the college is using a new KOB wood pellet boiler rated at 535,000 Btus per hour to heat three new duplex units of student housing (19,600 square feet with a capacity of 51 beds), which also includes common areas. In addition, this same boiler system is heating the 8,900 square-foot campus center, which was created by renovating and expanding an old oceanfront cottage. Domestic hot water is also provided by this boiler system to both buildings. The wood pellet boiler also has an underground hot water heating line running to an old student residence, Seafox (7,400 square feet); however, the heating system in the building is not yet connected to the boiler. The KOB boiler is fueled by a 15-ton capacity pellet silo adjacent to the boiler building. The wood pellets have all come from Maine pellet manufacturing mills.
FOOD & RECYCLING
The food portion of this category is covered in a separate dining survey.
RECYCLING OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS
36) Please indicate which traditional materials your institution recycles (check all that apply).
[ ] None
[ ] Aluminum
[X] Cardboard
[X] Glass
[X] Paper
[ ] Plastics (all)
[X] Plastics (some)
[X] Other. Please list: Returnable soda and juice cans and bottles. Various kinds of metals are collected near the campus Buildings and Grounds Department shop and periodically recycled.
37) Diversion rate: [ %] Unknown as we have never weighed the recycled material in order to calculate an annual projection.
RECYCLING OF ELECTRONIC WASTE
38) Does your institution have an electronics recycling program?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. If available, please indicate the total annual weight or volume of each material collected for recycling or reuse.
[ ] Batteries
[ ] Cell phones
[X] Computers - Weight of recycled computers is not known, but we recycle almost all computer hardware. We throw away bad cables, but anything with circuitry is recycled.
[X] Lightbulbs (cfls and other types of fluorescent tubes) -- Weight not known
[X] Printer cartridges – Weight not known
[ ] Other E-waste. Please list:
COMPOSTING (ASIDE FROM DINING FACILITIES)
39) What percentage of your campus's landscaping waste is composted or mulched?
[100 %] Although some trees that need to be felled due to disease or damage are cut into firewood.
40) Do you provide composting receptacles around campus in locations other than dining halls (e.g., in residence halls, offices, academic buildings)?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: Compost buckets are provided in residence halls. They are used to transport compost to the Green Cones on campus for anaerobic digestion. Use of Green Cones may change as we are evaluating new methods for on campus composting such as a commercial-scale vermiculture system.
SOURCE REDUCTION
41) Do you have any source-reduction initiatives (e.g., end-of-semester furniture or clothing swaps and collections)?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: Clothing and other re-usable items are collected in bins and at the end of the school year taken to local non-profits, like Sea Coast Mission, for distribution to those in need.
GREEN BUILDING
GREEN BUILDING POLICY
42) Does your school have a formal green building policy?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe policy and provide URL to the full policy, if available: It is the college’s policy to build highly energy efficient buildings by working with the most experienced energy consultants and architects in our region (refer to question #1 regarding sustainability in our strategic plan). Our new buildings would meet LEEDS standards, but we do not seek certification, preferring instead to put the money that would be used in the certification process into the buildings themselves. In designing the new student housing complex we strove to create buildings that can be heated by a renewable fuel source and that require only 25 Kbtu/sf/yr.
GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS
43) Please indicate LEED-certified buildings.
[# 0 ] Total number of LEED-certified buildings.
[ sq ft] Certified-level (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
[ sq ft] Silver-level (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
[ sq ft] Gold-level (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
[ sq ft] Platinum-level (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
44) Please indicate buildings that meet LEED certification criteria but are not certified.
[# 3] Total number of buildings that meet LEED criteria
[19,600 sq. ft] Certified-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names: Kathryn Davis Student Residence Village (3 duplex units)
[ sq ft] Silver-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
[19,600 sq. ft] Gold-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names: Kathryn Davis Student Residence Village (3 duplex units)
[ sq ft] Platinum-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
45) Please indicate buildings that are ENERGY STAR labeled.
[# 3 ] Total number of ENERGY STAR buildings. Please list building names: Kathryn W. Davis Student Residential Village (These building are not certified as Energy Star, but the architects, Coldham and Hartman, state that they meet the criteria.)
[19,600 sq ft] Combined gross square footage.
RENOVATIONS AND RETROFITS
46) Please indicate LEED-EB certified buildings.
[# ] Total number of LEED-EB certified buildings. Please list building names:
[ sq ft] Combined gross square footage.
47) Please indicate buildings that meet LEED-EB certification criteria but are not certified.
[# ] Total number of buildings that meet LEED-EB criteria but are not certified. Please list building names:
[ sq ft] Combined gross square footage.
48) Please indicate renovated buildings that are ENERGY STAR labeled.
[# ] Total number of renovated buildings that are ENERGY STAR labeled. Please list building names:
[ sq ft] Combined gross square footage.
49) What energy-efficiency technologies have you installed in existing buildings (e.g., HVAC systems, motion sensors, ambient light sensors, T5 lighting, LED lighting, timers, laundry technology)?
For each technology, please indicate the number and type of fixtures installed, and the number of buildings in which those fixtures are installed. If possible, include either the percentage of the overall campus fixtures each type represents or the percentage of overall maintained building space that has been renovated with the technology (e.g., 20 buildings representing 10 percent of maintained building space have been retrofitted with motion sensors; thus 10 percent of the total maintained building space in square feet would be the desired data).
Lighting Fixtures
Retrofitted/Replaced existing lighting fixtures with new low wattage ballasts and lamps
5 buildings, representing 48% of campus-maintained building square footage
Measured kWh savings: 8,644 kWh per year
Building Envelope Improvements
Weather stripping on doors, insulation in ceilings and walls
Roof/wall bypass joints sealed
16 buildings, representing 72% of campus-maintained building square footage
Boiler Controls
Installed and programmed new boiler controllers
2 buildings, representing 24% of campus maintained building square footage
Pipe Insulation
Installed 1-inch fiberglass pipe insulation
4 buildings, representing 18% of campus maintained building square footage
Ceiling-Mounted Destratification Fans
Circulation of air to increase comfort and properly mix conditioned air
2 buildings—Library Reading Room (2 fans) and Gates Community Center (3 fans)
50) What water-conservation technologies have you installed in existing buildings (e.g., low-flow faucets, low-flow showerheads, waterless urinals, dual-flush toilets, gray water systems, laundry technology)?
For each technology, please indicate the number and type of fixtures installed, and the number of buildings in which those fixtures are installed. If possible, include either the percentage of the overall campus fixtures each type represents or the percentage of overall maintained building space that has been renovated with the technology (e.g., 20 buildings representing 10 percent of the maintained building space have been retrofitted with low-flow faucets; thus, 10 percent of the total maintained building space in square feet would be the desired data).
No entries in this category because existing buildings have not been renovated. However, new construction on campus has composting toilets, waterless urinals, low-flow faucets, low-flow showerheads, and shower heat recovery from gray water to condition incoming cold water to reduce energy use.
51) What percentage of your institution's non-hazardous construction and demolition waste is diverted from landfills?
[50 %] For the recently renovated (2008) Sea Urchins summer cottage that was transformed into the 8,900 square-foot Deering Common Campus Center, and the construction of the new 19,600 square foot student housing complex, which occurred at the same time, the contractor EL Shea reported the following:
|
Total Tons Diverted:
|
141.95
|
Tons
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Tons Landfilled:
|
140.07
|
Tons
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
% Of Waste Diverted:
|
50.33%
|
|
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES
52) Are there any sustainability-themed residential communities or housing options at your school?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please provide details below.
Name of program: Kathryn Davis Student Residence Village
Type of community (e.g., hall, building, house): Student Residences
Number of students involved: Approx. 51
Additional details: Students who live in the residences learn about their highly energy-efficient design that includes foot-thick walls insulated with recycled newsprint, in-floor radiant heat from a central wood pellet boiler, triple-pane Canadian windows, heat recovery ventilation systems and composting toilets on the second and third floors of each of the six units (3 duplexes). One student has been collecting energy use data from Btu meters installed in each residence. Living in these highly energy efficient buildings is an important learning experience for students, who are given an orientation in the fall as to how to most efficiently operate the buildings so that they achieve their maximum potential.
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION
53) Does a portion of your new student orientation specifically cover sustainability?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe how sustainability is incorporated (e.g., information sessions, green tour): Prospective students are given tours of the campus which includes discussion of the college’s sustainability efforts. The Director of Sustainability trained student tour guides on what to discuss during these tours. The Dean of Student Life also includes sustainability education activities during new student orientation in August. The Campus Committee for Sustainability, a student-run committee, has planned sustainability orientation activities for incoming students in the fall of 2009.
INTERNSHIPS/OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
54) Does your school offer on-campus office-based sustainability internships or jobs for students?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please provide number of students and average number of hours worked weekly per student: 21
[#21] Paid positions. Average hours worked weekly per student: 10 hours
[# ] Unpaid positions. Average hours worked weekly per student:
55) Does your school have residence hall Eco-Reps or other similar programs to promote behavioral change on campus?
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please provide details below, and indicate URL if available:
[# ] Paid positions. Average hours worked weekly per student:
[# ] Positions that award academic credit. Average hours worked weekly per student:
[# ] Uncompensated positions. Average hours worked weekly per student:
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
56) Does your school have active student-run organizations devoted to sustainability efforts on campus?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please provide total number of active organizations, names of organizations, a brief description of each, and URLs, if available: There are three organizations on campus that deal directly with sustainability issues: the Campus Committee for Sustainability is a student-run group that meets weekly to advise other committees on campus about sustainable options or solutions to issues as well as undertaking their own projects. This group has dealt with diverse issues including improving on-campus bike use, composting, and food container recycling to name a few. The Campus Planning and Building Committee meets weekly to consider campus landscape and buildings issues including new building design and construction. This committee, which also has several student members, was responsible for working with energy consultants and architects in the design of the renewable-fuel-heated student housing and campus center. A third group, CAHE (Center for Applied Human Ecology) serves as the policy advisory body for the college’s Climate Action Plan—required by our participation in the ACUPCC (American College and University President’s Climate Commitment). This committee has also has student members. This spring they decided to explore the issue of sustainability as it relates to the college’s curriculum. This is an on-going activity.
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES AND COMPETITIONS
57) Does your school organize any sustainability challenges/competitions for your campus and/or with other colleges?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please list details for all competitions.
Name of competition:
Year initiated:
Frequency of competition:
Participants:
Incentives:
Goal of competition:
Percent of energy/water/waste reduced:
Lasting effects of competition:
Website:
TRANSPORTATION
CAMPUS MOTOR FLEET
58) How many vehicles are in your institution's fleet?
[# 5 ]
59) Please list the number of alternative-fuel vehicles in each class.
[# ] Hybrid. Please list makes and models:
[# ] Electric. Please describe type of vehicles:
[# ] Biodiesel. Please describe type of vehicles and list biodiesel blend(s) used:
[#1] Other. Please describe: 2007 GMC Pickup truck used at Beech Hill Farm is a flex fuel vehicle, however, currently there is no 100% ethanol available on Mount Desert Island with which it can be fueled.
60) What is the average GHG emission rate per passenger mile of your institution's motorized fleet?
[# 1.11] pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per passenger mile traveled. (Presumed that our three Ford 11-passenger vans, Ford Expedition and GMC pickup truck together average about 17.5 mpg. Used EPA figure of 19.4 pounds of CO2 per gallon of gasoline.)
LOCAL TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES
61) Does your school offer incentives for carpooling?
[ ] N/A. Please explain:
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe details of the program including the type of the incentive and eligible community members (e.g., faculty, staff, students):
62) Does your school offer public transportation subsidies?
[ ] N/A. Please explain:
[X] No. Public transportation opportunities in this region are rare.
[ ] Yes. Please describe the program including the size of the discount (as a percent of full price) and eligible community members (e.g., faculty, staff, students):
63) Does your school provide free transportation around campus?
[ ] N/A. Please explain:
[X] No. The campus is only 35 acres; on-campus transportation is not needed.
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
64) Does your school operate a free transportation shuttle to local off-campus destinations?
[ ] N/A. Please explain:
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: During the academic year the college runs a “night bus” to downtown locations in Bar Harbor to provide students a safe means of travel and to reduce vehicle use. During the summer season, which does partially extend into the school year, the college is a stop on the (free) Island Explorer bus route associated with Acadia National Park.
BICYCLE PROGRAM
65) Does your school offer a bicycle-sharing/rental program or bicycle repair services?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please provide details below.
Year created: The college received a grant award from Healthy Acadia in the fall 2007, which really kick-started a revival of the college’s bike program. It has been housed under the Outdoor Program, which has been putting operating budget and work-study funds into it for the last two years.
Number of bikes available: 12
Fees for participation: There are no fees. Students, faculty and staff can check out bikes at the campus library for up to a full trimester.
Repair services provided: General maintenance on tires, tubes, brakes, cables, housings, shifters, derailers, etc.
CAR-SHARING PROGRAM
66) Does your school partner with a car-sharing program?
[X] No
[ ] Yes. Please provide details below.
Year created:
Total number of vehicles:
Number of hybrid vehicles:
Fee for membership:
PLANNING
67) Does your school have policies that support a pedestrian-friendly or bike-friendly campus (e.g., in the school's master plan, a policy prohibiting vehicles from the center of campus)?
[ ] N/A. Please explain:
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: Vehicle parking is situated at the western perimeter of the campus along Route 3. Bike racks are provided at strategic locations around campus and a new plan for their most effective placement is being implemented. The director of Campus Buildings and Grounds has made available free safety equipment for bike riders. As pathways around campus are developed or maintained, the need to make them bike-friendly is a prime consideration.
68) What percentage of individuals commute to campus via environmentally preferable transportation (e.g., walking, bicycling, carpooling, using public transit)?
[15%]
STATISTICS
69) Campus setting:
[X] Rural
[ ] Suburban
[ ] Urban
[ ] Other. Please describe:
70) Total number of buildings: [# 25]
71) Combined gross square footage of all buildings: [#143,847]
72) Full-time enrollment (undergraduate and graduate): [# 308]
73) Part-time enrollment (undergraduate and graduate): [# 19]
74) Part-time enrollment as a proportion to a full-time course load: [# ? ] Part-time students only make up 6% of our total student enrollment.
75) Percent of full-time students that live on campus: [ 43 %]
Questions 76-87 are for informational purposes only; responses will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
OTHER AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENGAGEMENT
Please mark an "X" next to each item that applies to your institution.
76) Outdoors club:[ ]
77) Disposable water bottle ban: [ X ]
78) Participation in Recyclemania: [ ]
79) Student trustee position: [ ]
80) Environmental science/studies major: [ X ] (though all students receive a degree in human ecology, many students pursue a course of studies equivalent to a major in environmental sciences/studies.
81) Environmental science/studies minor or concentration: [X]
82) Graduate-level environmental program: [X]
83) Student green fee: [ ]
84) Alumni green fund: [ ]
85) Revolving loan fund for sustainability projects: [ ]
86) Campus garden or farm: [X]
87) Single-stream recycling: [ ]
<< Back to Report Card