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Report Card 2010

Valparaiso University

Campus Survey

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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: Fred Plant
Title:
Executive Director, Facilities Management
Date survey submitted:


ADMINISTRATION

SUSTAINABILITY POLICIES
1) Does your school have its own formal sustainability policy?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:

2) Has the president of your institution signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)?
[ x ]  No
[  ]  Yes. If completed, please provide the date the GHG Report was submitted to the ACUPCC:

3) Has your institution signed the Talloires Declaration?
[ x ]  No
[  ]  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: In 08-09 the Campus Planning committee chartered an Environmental Sustainability Committeee
[  ]  Yes, in the strategic plan. Please describe and provide URL, if available:

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

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: Environmental sustainability committee.  This is a subcommittee to the university’s campus master planning committee
Number of meetings: two per month

7) Please provide number of stakeholder representatives on the committee.
[#2    ]  Administrators
[#2    ]  Faculty
[#    ]  Staff
[#3    ]  Students
[#    ]  Other. Please describe:

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): Kraig Olejniczak and co-chair Fred Plant
Position(s) (e.g., administrator, faculty, staff, student):  Dean of the College of Engineering; Executive Director of Facilities Management

9) To whom does the committee report (e.g., president, vice president)? Campus Planning, which reports to the president

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: Sept 29: Greenlight brainstorming activity at the monthly Administrator’s Forum; Pilot program to unplug water coolers; pilot program to add occupancy sensors for lighting controls in selected locations; worked with the student organization “Earthtones” to support Earthday and Earthweek; developed an intranet website; built the rudiments of a campus electronic communication network to directly with departments to see what they are doing and to share what others are doing.
Progress made on each of these issues since August 2008: the info captured in the Greenlight activity were organized and investigated to learn what things we are already doing---things we could do simply—and things that would be a cultural change.   The pilot for water coolers went well during the winter and is now going through a summer to see what reactions we get.  The intranet website is about to go live.  The electronic network is organized---we have gone through a downsizing activity, so awaiting the names of the contacts who will be in positions when this is done.

We are now construction our 3rd rain garden.


SUSTAINABILITY STAFF
11) Does your school employ sustainability staff (excluding student employees and interns)?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please provide titles and number of sustainability staff.
[#    ]  Number of full-time staff (in FTE). Titles: [         ]
[#    ]  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)?
[x  ]  N/A
[  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please describe:

OFFICE OR DEPARTMENT
13) Does your school have an office or department specifically dedicated to furthering sustainability on campus?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please describe (including name of office or department and year created):

WEBSITE
14) Does your school have a website detailing its sustainability initiatives?

[  ]  No
[x  ]  Yes. Please provide URL: (it is intranet only)

GREEN PURCHASING
15) Does your school have a formal green purchasing policy?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please describe policy and provide URL to full policy, if available:

16) Does your school purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products?
[  ]  No
[x  ]  Some. Please describe: in renovations and new construction
[  ]  All

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. Please describe: depends on price/availability
[  ]  All. Please describe:

18) Does your school purchase Green Seal, Environmental Choice certified, or biorenewable cleaning products?
[  ]  No
[x  ]  Some. Please describe:  we negotiate contracts with a limited number of vendors then select green products
[  ]  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)?unknown
[  ]  No
[  ]  Some. Please describe:
[  ]  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
[x  ]  Some. Please describe: if/when possible
[  ]  All

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENERGY

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS INVENTORY
21) Has your school completed a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory?
Please check all that apply.
[x  ]  No. We have completely shut down our boiler house operation and have converted to high efficiency naturally gas condensing boilers at each building.  This not only contributed to cleaner air, less ngas consumption, but far less water treatment chemicals. The reduced water treatment chemicals is a contribution in terms of its manufacturer, distribution, safety, and labor to manage.
[  ]  In progress. Please describe status and provide estimated completion date:
[  ]  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:
2007:
2006:
2005:

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.
Reduction level:  Internal to the Facilities Management Department we have committee to a reduction in energy by 10% in 09-10. This might also include a discussion about the conversion of several service vans to golf carts.
Baseline year:
Target date:

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?
[  ]  No
[x  ]  Yes. Please list details. We have been gradually reducing our energy production/consumption per gross square feet over the last 10 years.  In recent years we have reduce our service fleet by approx. 9 vehicles and are using golf carts.
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:

08 cooling  705 (normal 810)    heating 6657 (normal 6235)

07 cooling  949 (normal 819)  heating  6657  (normal 6235)

06  cooling  734 (normal 811) heating5629 (normal 6175)
Heating degree days average over the past three years:

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. not calculated
2008:
2007:
2006:

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. Not calculated
2008:
2007:
2006:

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)?
  Replaced boilers (helped cut energy costs by 12%) ; new projects use water fountains (rather than coolers)—doing a pilot in current buildings; many lighting retrofits; waterless urinals; occupancy sensors for lighting and hvac; high efficiency electric a/c; high efficiency windows; converting from paper hand drying to electric (saves all of the expense in producing/distributing then travel to landfill of paper hand towels); new dining room/kitchen uses new technologies in cooking and fume hood exhaust; working on changing the campus culture to 68/winter and 78/summer; variable speed drive motors on mechanical equipment….beginning to install LED lights…..beginning to re-discover solar lights for out door use.  We are attempting our first certified LEED building at a gold level.  We have slightly over ½ of the buildings on energy management systems. This is not an exhaustive list, I have attempted to offer a sense of our effort by providing examples.

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: Communication about the need to conserve at various levels; the Environmental Sustainability Committee is going to draft a policy statement for consideration; communication through Residence Life to students; the up coming communication network for sustainability on campus; at holiday breaks staff go room to room in residence halls to make sure windows are closed and appliances are off.

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?
[no  ]  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.
[x  ]  No  we have not been able to identify a source in our area
[  ]  Yes. Please describe.
Date of most recent contract:
Quantity (kWh):
Percentage of your total electric energy use that it represents:

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 used approx 110,000 million btus for electric and natural gas in 07-08;  about 60% of that was for on site combustion heating—none for combustion cooling.  08-09 data is not yet available.
34) Please list each fuel source (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil) and the percent of overall BTUs derived from that source:
 natural gas

35) Is any on-site combustion for heating and cooling derived from renewable sources?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please describe.
Percentage on-site combustion derived from renewable sources: [   %]
Total BTUs of energy generated from renewable sources: [#      ]
Description of renewable energy sources used for on-site combustion for heating and cooling:

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
[ x ]  Aluminum
[ x ]  Cardboard
[ x ]  Glass
[ x ]  Paper
[x  ]  Plastics (all)
[ x ]  Plastics (some)
[x  ]  Other. Please list: motor oil, vehicle batteries, tires, antifreeze, asphalt, concrete, steel/iron, this year we installed an artificial turf football/soccer field that used ground tires as fill

37) Diversion rate: [ 22-25   %]

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. Unknown
[x    ]  Batteries
[x    ]  Cell phones
[x    ]  Computers
[x    ]  Lightbulbs
[x    ]  Printer cartridges
[x    ]  Other E-waste. Please list: components from digital photographic equipment, digital calculators

COMPOSTING (ASIDE FROM DINING FACILITIES)
39) What percentage of your campus's landscaping waste is composted or mulched?

[ 60      %]

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: we have a pilot project for one small kitchen that is an opportunity for students to use

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: we have a surplus inventory activity that allows (primarily) furniture to be “adopted” by academic departments.

GREEN BUILDING

GREEN BUILDING POLICY
42) Does your school have a formal green building policy?
[x  ]  No  There is no formal policy, Facilities Management and university leadership have as a general practice to build and renovate to a LEED standard. We have chosen not to pursue certification with the exception of an up-coming addition to our Engineering building
[  ]  Yes. Please describe policy and provide URL to the full policy, if available:

GREEN BUILDING STANDARDS
43)
Please indicate LEED-certified buildings.
[# o     ]  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.
[# 5     ]  Total number of buildings that meet LEED criteria
[    sq ft]  Certified-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
[385,000    sq ft]  Silver-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names: library, met/geo center, facilities management, German cultural center, union.
[    sq ft]  Gold-level criteria met, but not certified (combined gross square footage). Please list building names:
[    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.
[#      ]  Total number of ENERGY STAR buildings. Please list building names:
[    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). 

 

This level of detail is not available. Over 50% of our buildings have energy management, about 15% of our buildings have occupancy sensors for lights and hvac; we use high efficiency lighting suited for each task; we use and are retrofitting lighting(gradually) across campus; we are converting some lights to LED (emergency and exit lights first); using in new projects and retrofitting urinals with waterless and toilets to power assist/low flow as funds are available).  We have been eliminating cooling towers to avoid water consumption, evaporation, reduce the use of water treatment chemicals and reduce pumping costs, reduce load on the sanitary sewer and the various delivery and labor elements to their operation. We have 3 projects planned: an Engineering building addition as a LEED; a Law Clinic building reconstruction to a LEED standard; and a Solar Furnace research project that are using a number of leading edge technologies with support from Eaton and DuPont.

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). 

 

The level of detail requested is not available.  We regularly install low-flow shower heads, low flow faucets, waterless urinals.  We are about to specify dual-flush toilets in a LEED project; and a gray water system in another. 

51) What percentage of your institution's non-hazardous construction and demolition waste is diverted from landfills?
[46-48 %]

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES
52) Are there any sustainability-themed residential communities or housing options at your school?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please provide details below.
Name of program:
Type of community (e.g., hall, building, house):
Number of students involved:
Additional details:

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): This spring was the first attempt to raise awareness

INTERNSHIPS/OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
54) Does your school offer on-campus office-based sustainability internships or jobs for students?
[no  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please provide number of students and average number of hours worked weekly per student:
[#     ]  Paid positions. Average hours worked weekly per student:
[#     ]  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?
[  ]  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: this is a group called the Earthtones, whose president has a chair on the Environmental Sustainability committee

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?
[#approx. 60 ]

59) Please list the number of alternative-fuel vehicles in each class.
[#        ]  Hybrid. Please list makes and models:
[#  6     ]  Electric. Please describe type of vehicles: These are golf cart-like vehicles in maintenance that replaced service vans
[#        ]  Biodiesel. Please describe type of vehicles and list biodiesel blend(s) used:
[#        ]  Other. Please describe:

60) What is the average GHG emission rate per passenger mile of your institution's motorized fleet?
[#  undetermined      ]  pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per passenger mile traveled.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES
61) Does your school offer incentives for carpooling?
[x  ]  N/A. Please explain: Many of our employees do carpool when schedules permit. Because we have such a diverse operation many staff come/go and different times of the day and days of the week.
[  ]  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?
[x  ]  N/A. Please explain: our community doesn’t have public transportation options
[  ]  No
[  ]  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:
[  ]  No
[x  ]  Yes. Please describe: service personnel do have the use of service vehicles; evening/nights we offer a van service

64) Does your school operate a free transportation shuttle to local off-campus destinations?
[  ]  N/A. Please explain:
[  ]  No
[x  ]  Yes. Please describe: this service is offered evening/nights to local shopping centers

BICYCLE PROGRAM
65) Does your school offer a bicycle-sharing/rental program or bicycle repair services?
[x  ]  No
[  ]  Yes. Please provide details below.
Year created:
Number of bikes available:
Fees for participation:
Repair services provided:

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: We have eliminated vehicular traffic from much of the center core of campus and eliminated almost all on street parking.  We have nearly all of the campus walks improved and ADA accessible. We have improved walk night lighting with high efficiency lighting that shed light downward and have added many emergency phones.  We have many bike racks that are primarily used by students. Students may only park in lots designated for residential students or in areas for commuter students.

68) What percentage of individuals commute to campus via environmentally preferable transportation (e.g., walking, bicycling, carpooling, using public transit)?
[ 5% (approx)%] Some staff/faculty live in university housing and walk, a few do ride bikes, a few do carpool, public transportation is not an option for most

STATISTICS

69) Campus setting:
[  ]  Rural
[x  ]  Suburban
[  ]  Urban
[  ]  Other. Please describe:

70)  Total number of buildings: [# 60        ]
71)  Combined gross square footage of all buildings: [# 1.9 million        ]
72)  Full-time enrollment (undergraduate and graduate): [# 3874        ]
73)  Part-time enrollment (undergraduate and graduate): [#         ]
74)  Part-time enrollment as a proportion to a full-time course load: [#         ]
75)  Percent of full-time students that live on campus: [ 50          %]

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: [  ]
78)  Participation in Recyclemania: [  ]
79)  Student trustee position: [  ]
80)  Environmental science/studies major: [x  ]
81)  Environmental science/studies minor or concentration: [x  ]
82)  Graduate-level environmental program: [  ]
83)  Student green fee: [  ]
84)  Alumni green fund: [  ]
85)  Revolving loan fund for sustainability projects: [  ]
86)  Campus garden or farm: [  ]
87)  Single-stream recycling: [  ]

 

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