| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Steve Mital |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Oregon
PA-2: Sustainability Planning
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Steve
Mital Office of Sustainability Director Finance & Administration |
Does the institution have current and formal plans to advance sustainability in the following areas? Do the plans include measurable objectives?:
| Current and Formal Plans (Yes or No) | Measurable Objectives (Yes or No) | |
| Curriculum |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Research (or other scholarship) |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Campus Engagement |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Public Engagement |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Air and Climate | Yes | Yes |
| Buildings | Yes | Yes |
| Dining Services/Food |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Energy | Yes | Yes |
| Grounds |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Purchasing |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
Yes |
| Transportation | Yes |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Waste | Yes |
No
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
|
| Water | Yes | Yes |
| Diversity and Affordability | No | No |
| Health, Wellbeing and Work | No | No |
| Investment | No | No |
| Other | --- | --- |
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Curriculum:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Curriculum plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Curriculum plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Research (or other scholarship):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Research plan(s):
Net Zero Increase in Campus Energy Use from New Development
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Research plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Campus Engagement around sustainability:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Campus Engagement plan:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Campus Engagement plan(s):
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Public Engagement around sustainability:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Public Engagement plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Public Engagement plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Air and Climate:
Climate Action Plan:
By signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), the University of Oregon (UO), along with the other six institutions that comprise the Oregon University System (OUS), is committing to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions. While OUS has supported efforts to draft institutional climate action plans, appropriate actions and assessment will be managed at the institutional level.
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Air and Climate plan(s):
Current targets for the University of Oregon are:
2010: Stabilize and begin to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
2020: Achieve greenhouse gas levels 10% below 1990 levels
2050: Climate Neutrality
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Air and Climate plan(s):
Steve Mital, UO Director of Sustainability
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Buildings:
Oregon model for Sustainable Development:
ENERGY GOAL: Net Zero Increase in Campus Energy Use from New Development
Advanced Energy Threshold (AET)
All new development projects must fund and meet the Advanced Energy Threshold (AET), which is defined as 35% more efficient than the Oregon Energy Code requirements (compared to the SEED requirement of 20% more efficient).*
The AET will ramp up to a higher standard over time as recommended by a small council of knowledgeable individuals led by Campus Planning and Real Estate.
Projects are encouraged to use an integrative design process to achieve and go beyond the required AET and study ways to achieve net zero energy use for the building. Projects that are an additional 5% better than the AET do not have to pay their share (10%) of the cost to implement energy savings measures in existing buildings. Additionally, if a project goes beyond the AET plus 5%, itmay apply for funds from the Central Energy Fund (refer to the section below for more information about the Central Energy Fund). Allocation of funds would be determined on a case-by-case basis. These options are designed to provide an added incentive to pursue excellence in energy conservation design.
*A project is not restricted by SEED program rules once it has met the 20% SEED requirement.
Energy-saving Mitigation Measures in Existing Buildings
Energy-savings measures will be implemented in existing facilities to offset the resulting purchased energy needs generated by the new development project. This will achieve a net zero increase in campus energy use from new development.
Funding will be shared by new development project funds (10%) and the Central Energy Fund (90%).
Central Energy Fund: Individual projects are not responsible for coordinating and implementing required energy conservation measures in existing buildings. The project will deposit its share of the funding (10%) into the Central Energy Fund, which will be funded and administered centrally. The amount owed by the project will be determined by establishing an average cost to implement energy conservation measures campus-wide ($ per mmbtu or one million British Thermal Units). Campus Operations will manage the fund and appropriately implementat measures needed to mitigate new energy use from new development projects. Over time, the Central Energy Fund will be funded through energy savings. During the ten year cycle of this policy (in particular in its early years) it is expected that the fund will create an energy savings “bank,” from which auxiliaries can borrow (see below).
Auxiliary Projects: The strength of this policy resides in the campus-wide (versus siloed) approach. Auxiliaries will benefit from, and be a part of, the shared goal of a net zero increase in campus energy use from new development. However, funding and management structures must be accommodated. Auxiliaries are self-funded and pay their utility bills directly; therefore, new auxiliary development projects will achieve a net zero increase in campus energy use by fully funding and implementing conservation projects within their own facilities (i.e., Student Affairs, Athletics, etc) unless it is not possible due to an unreasonable* cost. If the cost is unreasonable,* the Central Energy Fund (central funds) will use some of its “banked” energy savings or pay to implement measures in non-auxiliary facilities to achieve net zero energy use. The auxiliary will incur an energy “debt” equal to the amount of energy saved through the Central Energy Fund measures. If future building projects within the auxiliary result in energy savings (e.g., a building demolition or remodel), the energy savings will go towards “paying” back its energy “debt.”
*The cost to implement energy conservation measures in auxiliary facilities is deemed unreasonable if it has a simple payback period that exceeds ten years. http://uplan.uoregon.edu/subjects/Sustainability/OMSD/OMSDHomepage.htm
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Buildings plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Buildings plan(s):
Christine Thompson, Campus Planner, Campus Planning and Real Estate
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Dining Services/Food:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Dining Services/Food plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Dining Services/Food plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Energy:
Central power station
The CPS is currently undergoing a major, two-phase upgrade whose estimated cost is $100M. Phase One, which was recently completed, involved a complete overhaul of the campus chilled water facilities. The four older chillers were replaced with five new 1500 ton/hr chillers and associated cooling towers. The new system is expected to be significantly more efficient than the old system, resulting in lower electricity use for the chillers. This phase also involves a replacement of all the existing switchgear and an upgrade to the electrical substation.
Phase Two, currently in the design and planning stage, involves switching to newer, more efficient boilers, an upgrade to the steam delivery system, and associated landscaping and site work. This should result in an estimated 20% decrease in natural gas consumption. Conservatively, the UO can expect to see a 10% decrease in campus emissions due to these CPS upgrades. A more accurate calculation of improvements is expected sometime in the near future when the more detailed engineering report ordered by the Facilities Services is completed.
The CPS upgrade will also accommodate alternative fuels in the event they become available and more economically viable in the future. Switching from natural gas to an algae-based or switch grass derived biofuel may dramatically reduce our emissions. However, significant breakthroughs in technology and changes in public policy and farming practices would first have to happen. Therefore, it is impossible at this time to predict the likely impact of biofuels on UO’s emissions. Nevertheless, planning to accommodate biofuels makes a great deal of sense given current focus on developing these fuels and the likelihood that large swaths of the Willamette Valley may someday be dedicated to growing them. Additional fuel options also increase our options to deal with supply interruptions caused by extreme weather events, reductions in oil availability, and price volatility.
Oregon Model for Sustainable Development:
The University of Oregon will cap the total campus energy use from new development projects. This goal will be achieved by taking a systematic campus-wide (as opposed to building-by-building) approach. New development projects will be required to achieve a state-of-the-art energy performance level—an Advanced Energy Threshold. Also, energy-savings measures will be implemented in existing facilities to offset the resulting energy needs generated by the new projects. This will result in a net zero increase in campus energy use from new development. http://uplan.uoregon.edu/subjects/Sustainability/OMSD/OMSDHomepage.htm
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Energy plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Energy plan(s):
Jeff Madsen, UO Campus Energy Engineer, Capital Construction Department
Christine Thompson, Campus Planner, Campus Planning and Real Estate
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Grounds:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Grounds plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Grounds plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Purchasing:
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Purchasing plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Purchasing plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Transportation:
Commuting
UO has already made significant progress in this area, which is measured as Scope IIIb in our GHG inventory. The 2009 Transportation Survey showed that only 11% of students currently drive alone to campus, most choosing to walk, bike, or take public transportation. Of University employees, 49% drive alone to campus. Oregonians consume only 7.3 gallons of gas per week compared to 8.2 gallons consumed a week by the average American , demonstrating that students and employees are part of an already informed community of commuters.
In order to support alternative commute modes and discourage the use of vehicles, the University provides over 4,000 secure bicycle parking spaces on campus, enough for one-sixth of the entire population. The University also has one of the lowest ratios of vehicle parking spaces to campus users in the nation.
Since 1988 the University has made available free bus passes to the entire campus population, with the ability to ride anywhere in the service district. The Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO) paid $888,000 for students and the University paid $210,000 for faculty and staff to receive this benefit for the 2009 calendar year. Financial and priority parking incentives for carpoolers and a guaranteed ride home program for faculty and staff who ride the bus to campus have been in effect for several years.
Overall, this is an area where the University has already made great strides. Maintaining these alternatives to driving are important, though significant additional emissions reductions are unlikely. UO will continue to support these programs and expects to see a rise in their popularity due to external factors such as rising gas prices and an increased sense of climate responsibility.
In the next update of this Climate Action Plan, we plan to include a model developed by Good Company that estimates reductions in commute emissions based on increased MPG and introduction of electric cars to the market.
Air Travel
Air travel is estimated to account for nearly a third of UO’s emission profile. This is also not an area where emissions can be easily reduced. Travel is fundamental to university life. Faculty and staff travel to conferences, athletics teams to their sporting events, and students will – and should – participate in study abroad programs. While some progress could be made in this area through administrative suggestions, educating faculty and staff on efficient travel techniques like choosing non-stop flights and encouragement of alternatives such as videoconferencing, this is not an area the UO can make significant changes given the realities of university life.
As mentioned earlier in this report, a more accurate model for converting dollars spent on air travel to air travel emissions will itself lower our estimated air travel emissions. Flights from Eugene cost more than flights from Portland, for example, but don’t emit any more per air mile travelled. Future emissions calculators will take the additional cost to fly out of a regional airport into consideration.
The University expects to see a reduction in air miles traveled due to increased expense of flying and tighter university budgets. There is also a promising possibility that airplanes themselves will become less carbon intensive. Great improvements in fuel efficiency of aircraft, streamlining of ground operations, and the potential for the use of renewable biofuels all show promise in the mitigation of GHG emissions associated with air travel. For example, Virgin airlines is purchasing several new Boeing 787 aircraft which use 20% less fuel than similar airplanes and is setting a goal of 30% improvement in fuel efficiency for its entire fleet by 2020.30 It is expected that external developments like this will have a beneficial impact on our campus GHG profile.
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Transportation plan(s):
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Transportation plan(s):
Steve Mital, UO Director of Sustainability
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Waste:
Climate Action Plan:
Based on data received from the Campus Recycling Program, the University recycled 1,451 tons of the 3,071 tons of solid waste (47%) created through University activities in FY2008. Annual recycling rates are based on the total amount of waste recovered via recycling and composting divided by the total amount of all collected materials including material disposed in the landfill39. These materials would have been landfilled if they had not been diverted from the waste stream. According to the US EPA’s WARM program,40 UO’s recycling and composting efforts mitigated over 3,000 MTeCO2. The Campus Recycling Program believes it can further increase recycling rates and thereby mitigate even more emissions. Ideally the University will develop purchasing and conservation policies that will lower the volume of waste generated while encouraging more solid waste recycling.
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Waste plan(s):
NA
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Waste plan(s):
Karen Kaplan, UO Zero Waste Program
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Water:
The University of Oregon will improve the quality of campus stormwater emitted into the region’s waterways campus-wide by focusing on areas that contribute the most to the degradation of water quality—campus streets and parking lots. New development projects will be required to treat the equivalent amount of stormwater runoff as required by city code; however, some of the area treated will be shifted outside the project site to address campus areas with relatively low water quality—streets and parking lots.
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Water plan(s):
All new development projects will treat stormwater run-off from a portion of an existing street or parking area instead of treating the equivalent amount of relatively clean on-site, impervious surfaces, primarily defined as pedestrian surfaces such as sidewalks (especially those that do not drain directly into a stormwater pipe). The same amount of impervious surface will be treated, but the dirtier surfaces will receive greater attention.
For example, if a project site has 1,000 square feet of sidewalks that must be treated, the project would not be required to treat this area; instead, it would be required to fund 1,000 square feet of stormwater treatment for an existing campus street or parking lot.
The cost to treat existing streets and parking areas will be determined by establishing an average cost/square foot. The project is not responsible for implementing the off-site stormwater measures. Funds will be deposited into a central fund earmarked for stormwater treatment measures. Campus Operations will manage the fund and appropriately implementat measures needed to equal the required stormwater treatment from new development projects.
Projects should be designed to accommodate the potential to treat all of their stormwater in the future.
This goal will require coordination with the city (and in some cases may preclude implementation of this policy).
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Water plan(s):
Christine Thompson, Campus Planner, Campus Planning and Real Estate
Date Revised: May 15, 2014
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance Diversity and Affordability:
NA
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
NA
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Diversity and Affordability plan(s):
NA
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Health, Wellbeing and Work:
NA
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
NA
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Health, Wellbeing and Work plan(s):
NA
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in Investment:
NA
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the Investment plan(s):
NA
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the Investment plan(s):
NA
A brief description of the plan(s) to advance sustainability in other areas:
NA
The measurable objectives, strategies and timeframes included in the other plan(s):
NA
Accountable parties, offices or departments for the other plan(s):
NA
The institution’s definition of sustainability:
Sustainability is about meeting our current resource needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Because our economy and society are dependent on a healthy environment, sustainability requires balancing economic success with environmental conservation, and social equity, also known as the triple bottom line.
Does the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document include sustainability at a high level?:
A brief description of how the institution’s strategic plan or equivalent guiding document addresses sustainability:
The UO Academic Plan makes several references to environmental stewardship. Important examples include:
Page 2 of the Academic Plan:
Respectful Stewardship – "We are guided by the humble recognition that we have been entrusted with human and natural resources that we must sustain and manage for posterity. This sense of stewardship, inspired and renewed by the extraordinary beauty of the region and reflective of the broader public trust extended to us by the state of Oregon, underlies the environmental commitments of many of our colleagues, students and staff. It shapes our research, teaching and our practices. We cherish a campus life and a curriculum that publicly fosters our keen sense of the aesthetic, and champions creative and artistic expression within a rich and beautiful natural environment."
From Page 3:
Oregon's Future - "We honor our commitment to a bright future by contributing to the economic and human development of Oregon. We educate Oregonians to take leadership roles in business, education, law, arts and multicultural communities across the state, and around the world. The comprehensive excellence of our University serves to attract the best and brightest from around the globe. In their artistic, professional and scholarly achievements our students and faculty serve the state of Oregon within an increasingly global environment. The knowledge created in our academic core furthers humanity's ability to prosper, at peace with our neighbors and our environment."
From page 6:
Natural Environment - "As we enter the second decade of the twenty-first century, environmental concerns play an ever larger role in local and global public discourse, and are of particular relevance for us, given our commitment to sustaining our natural resources. Moreover, we belong to a distinctive region of the United States: the Pacific Northwest. Our goals and plans should capitalize upon our setting."
Equally important is the "Big Ideas" strategy outlined in the plan which proposed to identify several big ideas that unite faculty and students around common pursuits. Three of the Big Ideas - Sustainable Cities Initiative, Green Product Design Network, and Global Oregon - have sustainability of environment and cultures at their foundations.
The website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability planning is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.