| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 40.16 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Bodine |
| Submission Date | April 23, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Weber State University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Jennifer
Bodine Sustainability Specialist Facilities Management |
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee, office, and/or officer that focuses on sustainability broadly and covers the entire institution?:
A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the committee(s), office(s), and/or officer(s) during the previous three years:
The Energy & Sustainability Office is located in the Facilities Management Department and is responsible for the following campus-wide:
Planning, creating, and maintaining a sustainable university.
Educating ourselves, the campus, and the community on sustainable practices and lifestyles.
Communicating regularly and transparently with the campus and the surrounding community about WSU’s progress towards becoming a sustainable campus.
With the help of WSU's Environmental Issues Committee (see below) this office is responsible for making progress on STARS and meeting the goals outlined in the University Climate Action Plan. Some of the most significant accomplishments include the following:
- Reducing campus-wide natural gas and electricity consumption by 30% from the 2007 baseline.
- Creating and launching the student Environmental Ambassadors Program
- Getting a student sustainability fund approved to finance campus sustainability projects
- Getting a campus anti-idling policy approved
- Hosting the Intermountain Sustainability Summit for the past five years
- Hosting a University engaged learning series focused on sustainability for three years. This academic year (2014-2015) will be the last year in the series.
- Sponsoring the University Sustainability Research Awards for students and faculty
Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each 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 each committee, including affiliations and role (e.g. staff, student, or faculty):
- Dr. Alice Mulder (Chair): Geography Department
- William Speigle, Assistant Professor Automotive Technology
- Dr. Gregory Parkhurst, Assistant Professor Economics
- Dr. Cass Morgan, Assistant Professor Health Promotion and Human Performance
- Janice Thomas, Assistant Professor Medical Lab Sciences
- Dr. Carla Trentelman, Assistant Professor Sociology
- Kevin Hansen, Facilities Management Director
- Dr. John Mull, Professor Zoology
- Dr. Chris Hauser, Assistant Professor Information Technology
- Dr. Natalie Williams, Associate Professor Teacher Education
- Jan Hamer, Instructor English
- Dr. Shaun Hansen, Assistant Professor Business Administration
- Dr. Mary Beth Willard, Assistant Professor Philosophy
- Kathryn Lindquist: Community member
- Jacob Cain: Energy & Sustainability Manager for WSU
- Jennifer Bodine: Sustainability Specialist for WSU
- Susie Hulet: Community member
The website URL where information about the sustainability committee(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) employee?:
A brief description of each 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
Full-time equivalent (FTE) of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
The website URL where information about the sustainability office(s) is available:
Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Name and title of each sustainability officer:
A brief description of each sustainability officer 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 officer(s) 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.