Overall Rating Bronze - expired
Overall Score 30.98
Liaison Jennifer Bodine
Submission Date Sept. 20, 2011
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.0

Weber State University
PAE-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Jennifer Bodine
Sustainability Specialist
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee or a brief description of the committee's purview and activities :

Weber State University's Environmental Issues Committee has the following charges as specified by the faculty senate:

1. Help facilitate the modeling of best practices for economic and environmental sustainability at WSU.

2. Serve as a local and statewide source for scientifically-based information and for leadership on environmental issues affecting Utah and the Wasatch Front.

3. Help facilitate integration of environmental initiatives into academic affairs, student affairs, and facilities management.


Members of the committee, including affiliations:

- Hal Crimmel (Chair): English Department
- Rebekah Dickenson: Health Professions
- Eric Ewert: Geography
- Jeremy Farmer: College of Applied Science & Technology
- Therese Grijalva: Business & Economics
- Ed Hahn: Business & Economics
- Kevin Hansen: Facilities Management Director
- Meg Leatherbury: College of Applied Science & Technology
- Jon Marshall: Zoology
- Alice Mulder: Geography
- John Mull: Zoology
- William Pollett: English
- Richard Pontius: Education
- Penee Stewart: Education
- Kathryn Lindquist: Community member
- Jacob Cain: Energy & Sustainability Manager for WSU
- Jennifer Bodine: Sustainability Specialist for WSU
- Susie Hulet: Community member

+ Date Revised: Oct. 27, 2011

The website URL where information about the sustainability committee is available:
Does the institution have a sustainability office?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability office:

Energy and Sustainability Office Vision:

To make Weber State University a leader and model by transforming the University into a carbon neutral and sustainable campus through the use of intelligent business practices. The Energy and Sustainability Office embraces the idea that business goals and environmental goals are not mutually exclusive and must in fact be pursued together to successfully generate a sustainable university.

The Energy and Sustainability Office shall work to help create an environmentally literate campus and community by educating students, faculty, staff and the regional general public on sustainable practices. A part of that education will comprise communicating regularly and transparently with the campus and the public about WSU’s sustainability progress.

Energy and Sustainability Office Mission:

The Energy and Sustainability Office at Weber State University will work diligently to:

1. Educate ourselves, the campus, and the community on sustainable practices and lifestyles by:
a. Meeting often with other universities/colleges in the state of Utah (and the region) to share the latest ideas and knowledge
b. Staying abreast of new developments in the profession
c. Providing all campus and community members with opportunities to become more literate about their individual and collective environmental foot-print and provide them with strategies for mitigating those impacts
d. Supporting WSU’s Environmental Issues Committee’s work to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum and across all departments
e. Involving students in the evaluation, design and implementation of sustainability projects on campus so that they have the skills necessary to become future sustainability leaders in their respective professions

2. Plan, create and maintain a sustainable university by:
a. Constructing, operating and maintaining energy efficient facilities
b. Aggressively transitioning the campus to a carbon neutral future
c. Wisely utilizing our limited water resources and eliminating wasteful consumption
d. Promoting waste minimization on campus by prioritizing reduced consumption and re-use of resources first, recycling second, and sending waste to the landfill as a last resort
e. Vigilantly striving to reduce or eliminate WSU’s additional environmental impacts on biodiversity loss, deforestation, air pollution, chemicals/toxics/heavy metals, ozone layer depletion, and ocean pollution
f. Regularly monitoring and evaluating WSU’s progress towards sustainability and updating our plans and strategies as new information is received
g. Encouraging the incorporation of sustainable concepts and ideals into all aspects of university administration and operations (from the strategic plan, to sporting events, to purchasing)
h. Working collaboratively with all of the relevant departments, offices, groups and organizations on campus to ensure that the above goals are accomplished in harmony with WSU’s primary education vision and mission.

3. Communicate regularly and transparently with the campus and the surrounding community about WSU’s progress towards becoming a sustainable campus


The number of people employed in the sustainability office:
8

The website URL where information about the sustainability office is available:
Does the institution have a sustainability coordinator?:
Yes

Sustainability coordinator's name:
Jacob Cain

Sustainability coordinator's position title:
Energy & Sustainability Manager

A brief description of the sustainability coordinator’s position:

35% Project Management – Design, bid, and build energy related construction projects on campus. Work with local architects and engineers to ensure successful analysis, design, construction, and maintenance of campus physical facilities. Provide energy and sustainability recommendations for all capital development and capital improvement projects on campus.

5% Grant Writing – Research potential funding options through federal, state, and local entities (EPA, energystar, DOE, State Energy Program, local donors and foundations, local utility companies, etc..) Work with WSU Office of Sponsored Projects for writing grants to sponsoring organizations.

20% Promote Environmental awareness on campus and in the community. Meet with faculty, staff, student, and local environmental organizations and provide insight on sustainability practices and report progress. Design and promote environmental awareness programs and behavior modification practices. Represent WSU at local environmental/energy meetings and conferences.

20% Energy Analysis
Perform building system analysis, perform comparative analysis using benchmarks and national standards for various building types to identify opportunities for conservation, researches new technology for implementation, identifies areas for load shedding, establishes benchmarks for utility usage, verify manufacturer claims against operating conditions, reviews campus utility bills, analyzes and records impact of preventive maintenance on building operating efficiency, meters building energy performance, makes recommendations for energy projects, analyzes performance on campus central automation system to determine set points and operating schedules.

10% Report Writing and Budgeting
Develops campus sustainability report, reports progress on the University’s Climate Action Plan, writes reports on building performance, tracks utility rates and makes recommendations for budget changes.

10% Work closely with FM shops and the Operations Director to ensure maintenance programs include the most current energy and environmental practices. Frequently assist Campus Planning and Construction Director with incorporating energy and environmental standards into current construction projects and into construction standards.


The website URL where information about the sustainability coordinator is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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