University of Pittsburgh
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) in collaboration with Facilities Management installed the Aircuity system, which monitors the indoor air quality in the MCSI physical spaces. IAQ data is used by instructors and researchers for educational and research purposes.

The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) has worked with Facilities Management to install additional energy metering and obtain operational data for energy modeling and life cycle assessment research in MCSI facilities within Benedum Hall. Indoor environmental quality was also assessed as well as it's associated impact on occupant productivity. Also, student employees in Facilities Management evaluated building occupancy schedules within the building automation system and recommended areas for fine-tuning these schedules, resulting in significant energy savings.

Student employees in Facilities Management are responsible for data analysis and submission for Pitt's participation in the Pittsburgh 2030 District as well as the Pittsburgh Green Workplace challenge. These students submit all required energy data (via Energy Star Portfolio Manager) as well as documentation of sustainability-related activities on campus. Pitt has earned first place in the Pittsburgh Green Workplace Challenge for the past four years. In addition, each fall, students organize and administer the Panther Power Down Showdown, a dormitory energy competition. The Showdown pits residence halls against one another to see which building can save the most energy over a one month period.

Students and faculty are encouraged to use dining services on campus as a living laboratory for their studies. Dining Services has a long history of working with students, especially with engineering and business school students. Engineering students have developed new layouts for dishrooms and evaluated the feasibility of moving large systems such as food waste disposals from one dining location to another. Business school students recently worked on bringing a food truck to campus. A majority of the sustainability initiatives in Dining Services are because of students. Several classes encourage students to work on sustainability projects and many of those have involved dining services including: paperless receipts, a reusable to-go container program, and the Real Food Challenge. Dining Services employs five finance interns, five marketing interns, and three sustainability interns throughout the school year to assist in those aspects of our operations.

As the winner of Pitt's student Sustainable Solutions Competition, a group of students worked with Facilities Management, Environmental Studies faculty, and the Pitt grounds crew to install a native plant garden in a very visible location on campus. Marlie Gardens was designed and installed by students to incorporate native, low maintenance plants while providing habitat for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Also, the Student Office of Sustainability conceived, funded, and with the help of Facilities Management and the Department of Biological Sciences designed five and to date installed two pollinator gardens that will be used for pollinator research.

The Pitt Bicycle Collective (student group) has worked with Facilities Management, the department of Parking, Transportation and Services, and Athletics and Recreation to plan a Bicycle Co-op adjacent to a University building. The group has successfully identified a visible, central location, obtained authorization to use the space, designed the space layout and fencing enclosure, secured necessary funding, and developed an operating model. Student employees staff the Co-op and assist the Pitt bicycle community with bicycle repairs, including access to minor parts and tools, with the goal of teaching bike owners to perform their own repairs. The Co-op also offers social activities to promote bicycle safety, group rides, etc. The Co-op began operation in August, 2017.

Each year, students work to organize and promote Pitt's participation in RecycleMania. They work with Facilities Management to plan promotional events including tours of the University's contracted recycling facility, film screenings, and an annual waste audit. The largest event each year is the RecycleMania Game Day event held at a men's basketball game. Students staff the event to educate fans on what materials are recyclable, and stay after the game to collect recyclable materials from the stands within the Petersen Events Center. This year, Pitt's Food Recovery Heroes also worked to recover surplus food for donation to local charities.

Professors Brian Thomas, Daniel Bain, Emily Elliott and David Sanchez are deploying real-time environmental sensors on-campus and in the surrounding wooded parks to monitor soil moisture and infiltration. The sensor network serves two purposes 1) data collection for advancing our engineering and geological understanding of urban watersheds and 2) enabling university students to work live-data and sustainability applications.

Provost Patricia Beeson declared academic year 2016/2017 as the Year of Diversity at Pitt. In her words, "It’s going to be a year that we’re going to celebrate difference; a year when we’re going to engage in conversations about difference: about cultural difference, academic difference and political differences. I hope we can use that year to renew our commitment not just to academic freedom as an individual right to speak, but also to the importance of engaging in ideas and views that are different from our own." The Provost’s office is providing matching funds of up to $5,000 for lectures, workshops and other events that advance the Year of Diversity initiative.

The University of Thriftsburgh is a student created and coordinated thrift store. The shop was created by two undergraduate students and opened in the O'Hara Student Center in March 2015. Thriftsburgh employs four student coordinators and is governed by a student and staff advisory board. The goals of the store are to promote affordable, sustainable purchasing for students on campus and to call attention to the policies of the textile industry and fashion industry.