Wellesley College
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

As an academic institution, Wellesley College understands the value of an education and recognizes the importance of incorporating sustainability into the curriculum and the greater Wellesley College community. Defining sustainability as a focus on “natural systems and social systems as they relate to the environment” in applied or conceptual ways, courses aim to address the limits and dynamics of earth systems, inter- and intra-generational environmental and social vulnerabilities, and social, cultural, and historical contexts that shape how we think about environmental problems and solutions.

There is great value in an education that incorporates themes of sustainability. As an educational institution, we must take responsibility in shaping the future generations of leaders and decision makers who must deal with the full range of sustainability challenges, from global climate change to resource depletion to agricultural production. Furthermore, changing the behaviors and attitudes of each individual can have long-lasting impacts on the environment and climate change.

There are many groups at Wellesley who aim to foster a culture that values sustainability as an important facet of daily life. The Greenhouse is incorporated into the curriculum through horticulture classes, but goes even further to engage with students and community members. The Greenhouse hires student Botanista Interns who lead informational lectures and host events to promote plant education. The Office of Sustainability similarly works on projects and events that promote sustainability across campus.

Primary Goal: Promote sustainability across the curriculum

- Continued support for existing sustainability-related courses and research (2 years)
- Organization of a sustainability-themed year (10 years)
- Develop criteria for sustainable learning (2 years)
- Increase awareness of current courses through the enhancement of sustainability website. (2 years)
- Assess the level of incorporation of sustainability across the curriculum (2 years)
- Integration of the Global Flora Project into courses and summer research. (5 years)
- Expand the use of Edible Ecosystem Teaching Garden to additional courses. (5 years)
- Establishment of the Center for the Environment. (10 years)
- Establishment of a visiting sustainability scholars program. (10 years)

Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment
Environmental Studies Department
Environmental Studies Program Coordinator
Sustainability Office
Provost's Office
Botanical Gardens Division
Knapp Social Sciences Center
Sustainability Committee

To effectively track the extent to which sustainability is being incorporated into student research and summer experiences, the following data will be tracked:
- Number of faculty engaging in sustainability-related research projects
- Number of students engaged in sustainability-related research opportunities
- Number of students partaking in sustainability-related internships

Primary Goal: Increase hands-on learning and research opportunities in sustainability
- Encourage development of new sustainability-focused summer research projects led by faculty and students.(2 years)
- Assess student involvement in sustainability research and internships (2 years)
- Encourage sustainable lab practices. This may include equipment sharing and swaps, educating research faculty about energy efficient appliances. (2 years)
- Initiate a Green lab certificate program (5 years)
- Ensure that Wellesley students continue to have opportunities to farm. (5 years)
- Increase awareness of current research opportunities and internships through the enhancement of sustainability website. (2 years)

Sustainability Office
Sustainability Committee
Environmental Studies Department
Environmental Studies Program Coordinator
Provost's Office
PLTC

There are many groups at Wellesley who aim to foster a culture that values sustainability as an important facet of daily life. The Greenhouse is incorporated into the curriculum through horticulture classes, but goes even further to engage with students and community members. The Greenhouse hires student Botanista Interns who lead informational lectures and host events to promote plant education. The Office of Sustainability similarly works on projects and events that promote sustainability across campus. The Office of Sustainability hires several student Sustainability Interns that focus on campus sustainability projects, and eco-reps that promote sustainability in student residential halls.
Initiatives to address environmental issues and promote sustainability on campus have also been led by several student organizations. These organizations include Wellesley Energy and Environmental Defense (WEED), Regeneration, and Slow Food. WEED hosts several lecturers and events during the year, runs campaigns and holds protests to enact college-wide policy changes on issues related to climate change and sustainability. Regeneration runs a small-scale organic farm on campus. Slow Food promotes the growth of natural, nutritious produce. There is also the Sustainable Living Cooperative (SCoop) where students choose to opt-out of the campus dining plan and live in a sustainable manner.

Primary Goals: Expose incoming students to sustainability
Promote sustainable practice among the entire Wellesley community

- Train student leaders about sustainability so they can educate first-years about sustainability on campus (2 years)
- In the “What to bring” section of the welcome package, a section on sustainable items will be included (e.g. LED bulbs, hand towels etc) (2 years)
- Include a section on Wellesley’s efforts on sustainability to the parents’ guide. (2 years)
- Implementation of sustainability themed pre-orientation trips (10 years)
- Develop surveys on sustainability awareness for incoming students and graduating seniors. (2 years)
- Develop a survey for admitted student to examine their view of sustainability at Wellesley. (2 years)
- Assess the Sustainability Office. (2 years)

Additionally, for every sector of the Sustainability there is a student engagement component to ensure students and the campus community are involved in all areas of sustainability on campus.

Sustainability Office
Sustainability Committee
Environmental Studies Department
Environmental Studies Program Coordinator
Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment
First Year Orientation Team
Residential Life and Housing
Student Involvement

Each sector of the 8 sector plan has a public and student engagement component to make sure the goals and outcomes are not isolated.

See above

Sustainability Committee and Office of Sustainability

One of the most pressing global challenges that Wellesley students will face in the twenty-first century is global climate change. The college believes that addressing climate change is a social and moral imperative that intersects with issues that are of pressing concern to the Wellesley College community, including issues of international equity, international governance, human rights, environmental protection, and economic development. Wellesley has long educated its students to be leaders on such issues. But the college acknowledges that to fully address climate change requires changing campus operations by reducing consumption of fossil fuels, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving energy efficiency. Making those changes requires that the college establish goals for addressing climate change that will guide institutional decision-making at all levels.

Main Issues/Primary Goals
1. Establish an updated baseline inventory for Wellesley’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- Update the college’s greenhouse gas inventory. (2 years)

2. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from on-campus activities, including transportation, operations, and electricity and heat generation.

3. Increase the production of renewable energy on campus.
- Install solar arrays, and other renewable energy technologies. Sell RECs to finance such projects. (ongoing)

Sustainability Office
Sustainability Committee
Finance and Planning
Facilities Management
Board of Trustees
Resources

The Wellesley College campus includes buildings both old and new, many of architectural and iconic importance to all who live and work on campus as well as alumnae and campus visitors. The Wellesley 2025 report underscores that “a deep and nuanced understanding of the College’s buildings – individually and as an ensemble – and preservation of their most significant qualities are necessary precursors to additions and renovations that engage in meaningful ways with the existing campus.”

The College’s commitment to sustainable buildings has grown over almost two decades of planning for “additions and renovations.” Sustainability as a value has figured in four important “snapshots” of the campus. In the 1998 Landscape Master Plan, attention was drawn implicitly to sustainability challenges at the college: “the nearly built-out condition of the campus makes expansion and growth difficult,” “the decline of infrastructure,” and “the ageing of historical, architectural and site structures” (Foreward). In the Wellesley College Comprehensive Facilities Plan of 2007, sustainability is one of its “13 Framework Principles”: “Capital Planning for future alterations or expansion at Wellesley will address sustainability, with an emphasis on ecological, cost-effective, and low-maintenance capabilities.” In 2013, Wellesley 2025 declared that the college “has made significant progress towards its environmental goals, and has recently reformulated its sustainability committee” (Sustainability: Overview). The Advisory Committee on Sustainability, that reformulated committee, outlined sustainability goals in new construction and large renovations in the Wellesley College Green Building Standards, adopted by the college in 2014.

1. Improve means to measure, report and communicate energy consumption at a building/unit level and have data available in a central system consistently monitored for timely and effective troubleshooting. “Know what we have”

2. Address deferred maintenance backlog in a plan that prioritizes “catching up” on repairs, moves then to “keeping up” building systems and infrastructure, and finally engages in “stewardship” by thinking proactively about future repairs.

3. Improve physical infrastructure to conserve energy.

4. Mandate energy saving measures in buildings such as set-point temperatures and restricted use of buildings over low-need periods.

5. Engage building occupants in the sustainable use of buildings systems and implement programs to change behavior

Sustainability Office
Sustainability Committee
Finance and Planning
Facilities Management

The purchasing, preparation, consumption, and disposal of food has an effect on the environment, the health of students, and the economic strength of the College. Therefore, food is inherently tied to the College’s commitment to sustainability. The College’s sourcing of foods impacts environmental issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, toxicity, and animal welfare; the transportation and preparation of foods impacts energy and water consumption; and the disposal of food contributes to economic and physical waste. The Committee therefore aims to identify and execute ways to minimize the College’s impact on these issues and implement methods that will be both environmentally and economically sustainable.

The Committee’s ultimate vision for sustainable dining foresees purchasing foods that are in-season from local or regional farms that minimize pesticide use or from sustainable fisheries, serving healthy and nutritious meals that have low energy and water footprints, and producing little to no food and non-food waste.

Wellesley College has contracted with AVI, locally known as Wellesley Fresh to conduct most of its dining services. With the exception of the College Club, Wellesley Fresh handles all aspects of dining at Wellesley. Wellesley Fresh has already begun addressing the sustainability of its practices and is open to implementing more sustainable practices in the future.

1. Reduce the College’s footprint by increasing sustainable food and utensil purchases through gradual changes in both supply and demand channels.
2. Reduce the College’s footprint by decreasing overall food and utensil purchases and waste generation through increased efficiency of food preparation and student knowledge/awareness.
3. Create a better system for increased food related data and information.

Sustainability Office
Sustainability Committee
AVI Wellesley Fresh
Facilities Management

Recommended Commitment: Building on Wellesley College’s long-standing commitment to global leadership, energy efficiency, environmental responsibility, and financial stewardship, we recommend that the college adopt goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% by 2026 and 44% by 2036 from a 2010 baseline. These targets will be re-assessed at least every five years.

Central Energy Plant Improvements
Behavioral Change
Campus Renewal (using Green Building Protocols)
GRF — Tier 1: A $500,000 Green Revolving Fund (GRF)
GRF — Tier 2: An additional $1,500,000 GRF
Solar Panels 1: megawatt of solar on campus rooftops
Carbon Offsets Carbon credits

The entire campus
Sustainability Office
Senior Administration and Staff
Facilities Management
Board of Trustrees

The College landscape today spreads across approximately 500 acres, 22 of which are managed by the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, with the remainder—including the 90 acres of Nehoiden Golf Course—in the hands of the Grounds Department. The watershed we occupy is an integral part of this landscape. Wellesley is the only college or university in Massachusetts, and one of very few in the country, that manages and supplies all of its water needs for the entire campus from on-campus sources. We owe it to future generations to maintain the health, utility, and beauty of these systems.

Main Issues/Primary Goals
1. Make the campus a fully regenerative landscape
- Promote a systems approach to landscape management that boosts natural self-regeneration (2 years)
- Increase metering, measurement, and environmental testing wherever possible (5 years)
- Revitalize and use the landscape master plan (98CMP) (2 years)
- Continue to hire and develop expert staffs to steward the landscape (2 years)
- Continue to limit parking in central campus areas and improve parking facilities elsewhere.

2. Promote sustainable and educational human interaction with the landscape
- See the Global Flora project through to a successful conclusion (5 years)
- Use the campus as a living laboratory (2 years)
- Make the landscape inviting and interesting to the campus community (2 years)
- Boost signage in WCBG, and for other campus specimens (5 years)
- Create work-study jobs in the landscape that take advantage of students academic interests (5 years)
- Relocate student garden plots to promote their visibility (5 years)
- Increase our dissemination of environmental regulatory requirements (from EPA and Mass. DEP) to the campus community (2 years)
- Use creative means to communicate about the campus landscape (5 years)
- Use tours to educate the community about the landscape (2 years)

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens
Facilities Management and Planning Department
Office of Sustainability
Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Grounds Service
Academic community
Public Affairs
Campus Police

The plan addresses our current purchases and how to decrease the frequency of them, how to encourage more re-use, and how to choose the most sustainable options.

Main Issues/Primary Goals
1. Develop and follow sustainable purchasing policies focused on high-volume categories, such as paper, toner, computers, and peripherals that encourage reductions in consumption.
- Make suppliers aware of Wellesley’s commitment to green purchasing. (2 years)
- Educate the campus on the college’s green purchasing strategies. (2 years)
- Reduce paper consumption on campus by 10% (Phase I), 20% (Phase II), 40% (Phase III)
- Increase post-consumer recycled content of purchased paper: 75% of paper purchases should have at least 30% recycled content (Phase I).
- Increase post-consumer recycled content of purchased paper: 100% of paper purchases should have at least 30% recycled content; 25% of paper should have 100% recycled content (Phase II).
- Increase post-consumer recycled content of purchased paper: 100% of paper purchases should have at least 30% recycled content; 50% of paper should have 100% recycled content (Phase III).
- Purchase recycled toner and ink cartridges: 30% (Phase I), 50% (Phase II), 75% (Phase III)
- Reduce delivery days from major office suppliers (such as Staples) from 4 days a week to 3 days a week (Phase II)
- Increase the minimum order size required for major office suppliers (such as Staples) from $25 to $50 (Phase I), $75 (Phase II), $125 (Phase III)
- Partner with Boston Consortium Schools to require that office suppliers deliver goods in reusable totes (that they will collect and reuse).
- Establish annual rewards program that encourages departments and programs to reduce spending on office equipment and supplies. (Phase I)
- Develop sustainability guidelines for the purchase of furnishings. (5 years)
- Undertake a review of the sustainability of current cleaning supplies purchased on campus. (2 years)
- Increase the amount of post-consumer recycled material in disposable paper products, such as paper towels and toilet paper. (2 years)

Facilities Management and Planning Department
Office of Sustainability
Purchasing
Custodial Services
All departments
Sustainability Committee
LTS

The factors that contribute most heavily to emissions are the focus of the transportation sector. Accordingly, transportation at Wellesley is divided into three sub-sections: 1) Air travel, 2) Faculty/staff commuting and 3) Fleet vehicle use. Student travel to and from home is, by far, the single largest contributor to transportation emissions. Wellesley is proud of its geographic diversity; Wellesley students hail from all 50 states and 55 countries. As it is a goal of the college to encourage a culturally and geographically diverse student body, student travel will remain a dominant emissions factor.

Our recommended strategies focus on the remaining significant emissions factors: college-funded academic travel, the college-owned fleet of vehicles, and faculty/staff commuting.

Main Issues/Primary Goals
1. Introduce systematic tracking of college-funded travel type (air, rail, auto) and associated miles and investigate carbon offsets
- Conduct survey of faculty/staff air travel (2 years)
- Encourage rail or bus trips for trips < 500 miles (2 years)
- Collect accurate data about college-funded air travel (5 years)
- Research carbon offset companies and establish a partnership with one (10 years)

2. Increase the efficiency of the Wellesley Motor Pool fleet with new purchases and replacements, subject to budgetary constraints.
- Administer annual commuting survey (2 years)
- Consider adapting policies that charge parking rates for students/faculty/staff (5 years)
- Consider introducing a parking opt-out incentive (pay employees who do not park on campus, e.g. $100 for < 1 mile from campus and $400 for < 5 miles) (5 years)
- Encourage the 30+% of commuters who say they would carpool or probably carpool by facilitating communication and organization amongst those interested. (2 years)
- Provide more subsidies for taking public transportation (5 years)
- Analyze data re: Zipcar usage and, if needed, adjust the number of vehicles on campus (students are then less likely to have their own cars on campus) (5 years)
- Improve biking and walking on campus (suggestions from our IdeaFest indicate a strong support for more biking on campus) (10 years)

3. Reduce single-occupant personal vehicle use for commuting from 80% to 60% of trips by 2020 (207,600 miles or 114 MT eCO2)

Office of Sustainability
Sustainability Committee
Department of Faculty Housing & Transportation
Human Resources
Campus Police
Motor Pool
Disability Services

The plan's first step is to establish baseline data and better recording to then set goals towards zero-waste. Ultimately, moving towards a campus where at least 90% of waste is diverted from landfill or waste-to-energy.

Main Issues/Primary Goals
1. Develop management strategies for college activities and operations that encourage materials re-use and waste reduction.
- Increase awareness of the speciality recycling services for e-waste and batteries provided through the library. (2 years)
- Review campus policy with respect to storing and re-using furnishings (2 years)
- Create a campus re-use store. (10 years)
- Establish a protocol for what constitutes a zero-waste event on campus. (2 years)
- Phase out plastic bags at all retail operations on campus. (2 years)
- Expand composting to all dining halls, dormitory kitchens, and other food vendors on campus (5 years)

2. Systematize waste management to ensure that sustainability is tracked and factored into all waste management decisions.
- Comprehensive review of waste management and recycling practices (2 years)
- Regular and publicly reported statistics on waste and recycling collection on campus (2 years)
- Review the college’s single-stream recycling policy (2 years)
- Develop a uniform system for waste management labeling and communication. Standards should be established during Phase I; implementation will take place in Phase II and III (as waste receptacles are replaced.

Facilities Management and Planning Department
Office of Sustainability
Sustainability Committee
Custodial Services
Dining Services

Wellesley College’s potable water supply is drawn from an aquifer in the Charles River Basin, a stressed water environment. The college controls Zone 1, the immediate area around the wellheads Botany Wells #1 and #2 (2014 Drinking Water report); but not Zone 2, which is controlled by the Town of Wellesley. In the past, it has been assumed that WC doesn’t have to worry about water, that because it has its own wells, it is “free” (ES 300 2010). However, the Department of Environmental Protection controls how much water the college is able to withdraw from its wells. The withdrawal permit includes permit conditions; especially relevant to our sector are the water conservation conditions. See “Amendment to Water Management Permit 2012” (when the latest permit issued) (Paul to Patrick to CWS coming shortly). Every time the permit is renewed DEP will press the college to conserve even more water.

Consumption of water at the College also includes non-potable water used for irrigating the college landscape; potable water from the Town of Wellesley to supply college facilities off the main campus; bottled water from large and small containers bought in bulk for events, to stock vending machines, and available for individual purchase on campus.

1. Improve sustainability of water management
- Improve management of campus potable water supply
- Re-engineer the Silver Thread and Paramecium Pond water system
- Update snow and ice management approach
- Update stormwater management
- Update irrigation systems

2. Campus-wide metering of potable and non-potable water use to provide data for reduction of potable and non-potable water use.

3. Use of data on potable water to increase awareness of water as a valuable resource and educate on water conservation principles.

4. Pursue strategies that will increase the quality of the college’s potable water.

5. Pursue strategies that will affect water loss and address water damage in college infrastructure.

Wellesley College Botanic Gardens
Facilities Management and Planning Department
Office of Sustainability
Sustainability Committee
Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Grounds Service
Academic community

The Intercultural Education Team has responsibility for the development and leadership of intercultural education activities, trainings and programs that educate and promote awareness, understanding and appreciation of diversity and inclusion on campus and increasing multicultural competency throughout the campus community. In addition Intercultural Education Team members serve as advisors to particular student cultural communities, mentor students, and support clubs and students on issues related to academic achievement, student development, leadership, conflict resolution, community building and collaboration with other students and student groups on campus. The work of the Office of Intercultural Education is centered on four Strategic Directions developed by the Core Committee and focused on the themes of and diversity and inclusion, affirmation and collaboration, student success, and leadership development.

1. Diversity and Inclusion Education – develop campus-wide multicultural capacity among students and within the Division of Student Life through programs of multicultural education and structured dialogues that enable all students to engage one another around issues of diversity and inclusion and deepen their competency in addressing issues of identity, culture and community.

2. Affirmation and Collaboration – develop a vibrant and inclusive sense of community on campus by affirming social identities through the support of particular cultural communities, while at the same time, building stronger connections across differences through programs which foster mutual understanding and collaboration among all students and student organizations.

3. Student Success – work in partnership with faculty and student life staff to ensure that all Wellesley students reach their full potential through a vibrant educational experience that includes academic excellence, leadership development, interpersonal engagement and individual fulfillment.

4. Leadership Development – enable students to develop the knowledge, experiences and skills necessary to lead in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world by bringing people together with different histories, cultural legacies, and values in a manner that recognizes and addresses the tensions stemming from different social identities and builds community through the development of shared principles.

The Office of Intercultural Affairs
Diversity and Inclusion Core Committee
Diversity and Inclusion External Advisory Committee

What is Wellesley Sustainability?

It's you. It's me. It's every one of us. We all have the ability to make a difference in the world: everything you do, every day, matters. Here at Wellesley we act on that principle. It is who we are. Together we are Wellesley Sustainability.

Sustainability is much bigger than Wellesley College.

Sustainability is constantly evolving and has over five hundred different definitions. One of the more common definitions is “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Sustainability is more than “being green.” It is also demonstrating social, financial and local/global responsibility through a renewed concern for the environment and an institutional commitment to make a difference. At Wellesley College, it is our collective effort that can build a sustainable community. We believe these four principles succinctly define sustainability:

1. Sustainability revolves around humans and their environment – we recognize that health and happiness are at the core of a sustainable community, and that our actions to protect air, water, and natural resources are necessary to protect our wellbeing.

2. Sustainability recognizes the larger system – all things are interconnected and work together; seeing how a change to one thing influences another is essential for understanding the impact of our decisions.

3. Sustainability focuses on the elimination of wastes – there is no value or benefit when wasting energy, water, natural resources, money, time, or human capital.

4. Sustainability focuses on the future – change is inevitable, happens quickly, and is often unpredictable. It is essential to make thoughtful decisions today that will make us more likely to succeed in the future.

(Davis Bookhart, HKUST Sustainability)

The current guiding document is our plan for Campus Renewal or "Wellesley 2025." "Wellesley 2025" is a major, multiyear project to renew and reinvigorate Wellesley’s iconic and essential campus buildings. The projects incorporated in the plan will support our academic enterprise, the residential experience, and wellness and recreational programs at Wellesley. This exciting project will transform our living and learning environment. And it will do so without changing the look and character of our beautiful campus.

For every renovation the project managers will be using the Green Building Protocols to ensure each renovation is done up to a LEED Gold standard.