Carnegie Mellon University
Campus Category
Four year and graduate institutions 5,000 – 15,000 student FTE
Contact Information
Barbara Kviz
Environmental Coordinator
Facilities Management
Education and Research
Research
Carnegie Mellon promotes interdisciplinary environmental and energy research through more than 18 centers that span our 7 colleges. The centers most focused on climate change include: Climate Decision Making Center, Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center, and the Green Design Institute. In addition, we are a partner in the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Institute for Advanced Energy Studies. Center collaboration is facilitated with the help of the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research, a campus-wide center that was formed in 2004 to promote Carnegie Mellon's strategic goal of 'transitioning to an environmentally sustainable society.'
Education
We strive to make every student a steward of the environment through both formal and informal education. Informal education is delivered through our campus operations and promoted by our Green Practices Committee (discussed elsewhere) as well as our many student groups (discussed below). Formal education happens at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate offerings range from environmental art to a public policy class that has evaluated the campus carbon footprint and has provided thoughtful discussion as to whether Carnegie Mellon can feasibly make the commitments implied by the signing of the PCC. Where our education is interdisciplinary, the bulk of our formal environmental and energy related education occurs in our engineering school.
Sustainability Research
Interdisciplinary research is a cornerstone of the Carnegie Mellon philosophy. Environmental and energy related research occurs in all 7 colleges with funding from state federal government sources as well as local and national foundations. Emerging environmental research is promoted by the Steinbrenner Institute in the form of 'SEED' grants for novel projects that fall outside the realm of traditional funding streams and Graduate Fellowships that provide tuition support for second year PhD students involved in environmentally-focused, interdisciplinary research projects. Additionally, Small Undergraduate Research Grants provided by the Undergraduate Research Office fund individual and group projects that lead to the production of new environmental knowledge.
Community Outreach
Our staff and faculty participate in the City’s Higher Education Climate Coalition, the County’s Green Action Team and a regional initiative called the Pittsburgh Green Innovators; and multi-stakeholder group that is developing an Environmental Living Learning and Earning Center; which will be an incubator for entrepreneurial environmental companies and the concomitant creation of green jobs.
Campus Operations
Green Building Practices
The University’s building policy requires that any construction or renovation project with a value over $2 million achieve a LEED Silver rating at minimum. The university was a pilot partner in the EPA's Lab21 program for green design in laboratory facilities. The 2005 DOE Solar Decathlon house was permanently installed on campus and is used as a meeting space and demonstration of green design practices. The Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace built in 1996 continues to evolve as a living laboratory and research facility for new technologies. Thirty-eight percent of cleaning products used on campus are Green Seal certified and an Integrated Pest Management Program has been in place for years.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources
Carnegie Mellon is a founding EPA Green Power Partner and a recipient of a 2001 Green Power Leadership Award for making, what was at the time, the largest single retail purchase of wind energy in the nation. In 2009, 29 percent of the school's electricity is from renewable sources, 23 percent is Green-e certified. Solar installations generate electricity on three campus buildings and one solar thermal system is being used for building heating and cooling.
Transportation
Facilities Management Services operates ten electric Club Cars, all campus shuttle buses run on biodiesel fuel and police cars purchased since 2006 are equipped to run on E-85 fuel. Public bus passes are provided to all students, faculty and staff. We are active participants in the Bike Pittsburgh’s Bike to Work program, Zipcar, and we offer car pool incentives. Learn more
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
The university has a comprehensive recycling program including; paper, cardboard, plastic (1-5), bottles & cans, scrap metal, carpet, e-waste, kitchen grease and participates in the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program. In 2008, we started a pre-consumer food composting program in the kitchens along with a post-consumer program in the Schatz Dining Hall. The university’s current recycling rate is 19%. LEED Silver buildings divert 85 -100 percent of construction waste and all other construction projects divert at least 50% of the waste.
Dining
The university purchases food from dozens of local producers and carries organic produce in our on-campus convenience store. Vegan and vegetarian options are offered in several dining areas. The university uses biodegradable cups, has eliminated the use of Styrofoam campus-wide and select locations offer discounts if using reusable cups. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs enables the campus community to receive fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy and baked goods from local farms, year round.
Procurement
Carnegie Mellon promotes green purchasing.
Administration and Finance
"Carnegie Mellon is committed to making a difference in the world by applying its interdisciplinary problem-solving skills to important real problems. In this regard, environmental problems rise to the first rank. Carnegie Mellon's commitment to making contributions to environmental improvement is comprehensive, embracing our environmental education and research, as well as the university's own environmental practices." - President Jared Cohon http://www.cmu.edu/environment/
Carnegie Mellon’s Campus Master Plan, Strategic Plan, and Design Standards all contain sustainability components.
Since 1998, Carnegie Mellon has a Green Practices Committee comprised of faculty, staff and students that meets monthly to coordinate sustainability efforts. The committee is Co-Chaired by the environmental coordinator, staffed in Facilities Management, and a faculty member. Two full time university positions work on sustainability issues, the environmental coordinator and executive director of The Steinbrenner Institute.
Implementation polices for CO2 reductions are directed by a steering sub-committee of upper level managers. A comprehensive 115-page environmental assessment report was completed in 2005, and a GHG inventory and environmental footprint in 2008. The university participates in every aspect of the Pittsburgh Climate Initiative.
Facilities Management employs student Green Practices Interns to work on environmental projects during the semester and in the summer. Orientation programming encourages students to get involved in environmental efforts on campus including environmental student groups, Green Practices, environmental education and research opportunities. All incoming freshman receive a reusable shopping bag and refillable water bottle during Orientation.
Student organizations on campus include Sustainable Earth, Eco-Reps, Net- Impact, Engineers for a Sustainable World and Pugwash.
The university has many significant investments in (and future commitments to) investment funds that are dedicated in part or in their entirety to the creation, building and growing of renewable energy technologies and related companies. These investments by the university are philosophically consistent with the university’s long-standing commitment to sustainability principles and the current sustainability projects that the university’s community has actively embraced.
Independent of the university’s endowment investments, the university has directed substantial gifts toward supporting environmental/sustainability-related projects, such as the recent gift to the university from The Heinz Endowments, a portion of which will be used to expand teaching and research at the university specifically in green chemistry and sustainability.
