University of Connecticut
OP-2: Outdoor Air Quality

1. The University complies with the State of Connecticut’s Anti-Idling regulations. Under Connecticut law, all vehicles are prohibited from unnecessary idling for more than 3 minutes. In addition, the University does outreach work for anti-idling through the Office of Environmental Policy’s website.

http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/air/regulations/mainregs/sec18.pdf
(section b, number 3, letter c)

http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/transportation/no-idling.html

2. Grants have allowed the University to install 5 electric vehicle charging stations across campus. These stations are free of charge to the public for the first 5 years of operation. Additionally, in February 2015, UConn signed the U.S. Department of Energy’s Workplace Charging Challenge which requires the University to develop plans to assess and promote electric vehicle use on campus. As the electric vehicle infrastructure at UConn develops, outdoor air quality can be improved by reducing the number of fuel burning cars on campus.

http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/transportation/electric-vehicles.html

3. The University also works to promote alternative forms of transportation other than personal vehicles. UConn has an extensive public transportation network and a new bike sharing program. A transportation fee is included in student’s fee bills that funds the operation of UConn’s fleet of shuttle buses. The Windham Region Transit District also offers buses that travel from UConn to Willimantic free of charge and large bus companies like Peter Pan and Greyhound serve UConn. Furthermore, UConn Recreation deployed UConn Cycle Share last semester that enables students to rent a bike for a week or the entire semester for free. All of these options help to reduce outdoor air pollutants by reducing the number of cars in use on campus.

http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/transportation/biking.html

http://www.wrtd.net/

http://web2.uconn.edu/transportation/#home

4. UConn has developed a commuter carpool tool to help facilitate carpooling for commuting faculty, staff, and students. This tool allows people in the surrounding areas to connect with each other to coordinate ride sharing.

5. The University received a $260,000 grant from the Connecticut Department of Transportation to purchase electric vehicles to replace the older vehicles in UConn’s transportation fleet. Furthermore, UConn’s light duty fleet is now 15% Alternative Fuel Vehicles (27 of 184 total vehicles). It is expected that this will increase to 18% in May of 2016 and 25% by 2025. Currently, UConn has 12 electric vehicles and 15 hybrids. These new vehicles help to further reduce outdoor air pollution at the Storrs campus.
http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2013/09/uconn-getting-green-for-going-green/

6. As part of the Green Campus Academic Network (a program to engage new faculty members in campus sustainability), Dr. Kristina Wagstrom had students enrolled in her Transport and Transportation of Air Pollutants class in the fall semester of 2015 assess and monitor air pollution on campus.

7. A Sustainability Framework Plan accompanied UConn’s Campus Master Plan in 2015 and it sets specific sustainability goals related to the movement of people (expansion of bike-sharing program, alternative fuel vehicles, reducing single occupancy vehicles, etc. (pp 13)

http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/docs/development/Sustainability%20Framework%20Plan.pdf

The University uses a combination of methodologies to track emissions from our fuel burning sources of emissions. For most sources, UConn tracks fuel use and/or hours of operation and applies a standard emissions factor (EPA AP-42, manufacturer’s guarantee, or from stack test results) with worst case assumptions. For one particular boiler, the University uses actual continuous emission monitoring data for NOx. Every month a new 12-month rolling total is calculated for the emissions categories to demonstrate permit compliance.

UConn Design Guidelines and Performance Standards (pp 19, 3.10 Air Emissions)

http://paes.uconn.edu/DesignGuides/Design_Guidelines_and_Performance_Standards_May2015.pdf

UConn Office of Environmental Policy, Air Compliance:

http://envpolicy.uconn.edu/air/

The University has decreased air emissions from stationary sources primarily through energy efficiency initiatives designed to reduce demand for electricity, heating and cooling in our buildings, which is derived mostly from fossil-fuel sources, such as gas turbines, boilers and diesel emergency generators. All new buildings and renovations over $5 million are required to meet LEED Silver certification. It is expected by the end of the spring 2016 semester that the University will adopt a new policy that will make LEED Gold the minimum standard.

We have also reduced emissions by centralizing more buildings on our highly-efficient, 25MW campus cogeneration facility, which powers around 90% of our main campus. This reduces use of electricity, heating and cooling from less efficient stationary sources. We have also reduced emissions by installing renewable and clean energy sources when and where feasible. For example our 400 kW fuel cell installed in 2012, reduces CO2 by more than 800 tons per year and also reduces other forms of pollutants (NOx, SOx, VOCs, HAPs) from conventional generating or fuel-burning CHP sources. We also use more conventional sources of air pollution control technologies pursuant to state and federal air permits and regulations, including SCR at the co-gen power plant and other technologies needed to comply with LAER, BACT, and RACT. UConn also uses only ultra-low sulfur fuel in its diesel-fired emergency generators.

As a signatory of Second Nature’s Carbon Commitment the University has pledged to be a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050. Despite, the expected growth of the campus through the $1.5 billion Next Generation Connecticut program, UConn is still on track to meet its 20% interim reduction goal by 2020. This is being achieved primarily through on-going LED re-lamping projects in buildings, parking lots, and walkways and with the replacement of old, inefficient steam pipes. These projects are expected to be completed between 2015 and 2020 and will yield an annual 13,265 ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Ozone and ODCs are not tracked (difficult to measure)