University of Maine
Contact Information
Education and Research:
Campus Master Planning
In partnership with Sasaki Planners, UMaine has developed a new Campus Master Plan focused on sustainability. The plan envisions a campus with fewer roadways and parking lots, more trees and wetlands, improved “walkability” and pedestrian access, and highly-efficient new construction that is properly oriented for maximum passive-solar gain. Construction will be built to LEED green building standards. Rather than construct new buildings, the University is committed to renovating existing structures. Another focus of the plan is to protect the nearby Penobscot and Stillwater rivers by reducing run off and limiting increases in impervious surfaces. The plan will therefore help us achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation and heating. More generally, the plan endeavors to leverage changes in the built environment to enhance the overall sense of collegiality and civic pride at UMaine. It is therefore as much a recipe for social sustainability as it is a plan for environmental sustainability.
Renewable Energy Research
In addition to focusing on campus sustainability, UMaine researchers are working to develop new technologies that will catalyze significant change in the renewable energy industry and will transform energy use at the national and international levels.
- Advanced Engineered Wood Composites (AEWC) Center Ocean Wind Power Initiative: A new $5 million expansion to the AEWC will permit the testing and manufacturing of components necessary for the development of next-generation, deep- water offshore wind farms. The AEWC has identified the Gulf of Maine as an excellent site for testing prototypes and finally developing wind power on a large scale.
- Tidal Power: Researchers from a variety of departments at UMaine (e.g., Mechanical Engineering, Marine Sciences) are working with private firms to develop new turbine designs well adapted for tidal conditions in Maine.
- Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative (FBRI): Researchers in the School of Forestry and the Department of Chemical Engineering have developed several techniques for extracting useful biofuels from wood and (with the support of a $30 million Department of Energy grant) are currently working to commercialize these technologies.
Education and Research
- UMaine’s Center for Sustainability Solutions just received $20 million in funding from the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program. The Center has also received $10 million in matching funds from other sources. This interdisciplinary effort is focused on bridging the gap between the social and natural sciences to facilitate the creation of practical solutions to environmental problems faced by a variety of stakeholder groups throughout the state of Maine. The Center will support a large number of new graduate students and will engage in significant and innovative public outreach.
- 87 courses that address environmental issues and/or satisfy core “general education” requirements
- 15 Departments and over 11 areas of research including national leadership in wind power, tidal power and forest bioproducts
- Sustainable Agriculture program (Bachelor of Science Degree)
- Cooperative Extension programs in 16 counties that include programs such as: Public Education, Farmer’s Markets, Community Gardens, a Giving Garden, and Plant a Row for the Hungry
Campus Operations:
Overview of Sustainability at the University of Maine
With the formation of the University of Maine Sustainability Alliance (UMSA) in 2004, UMaine embarked on a mission to make sustainability a central part of both its daily operations and its long-term strategic planning. From 2004 to 2006, the university signed a commitment with Clean Air Cool Planet and accepted the State of Maine Governor’s Carbon Challenge to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 2005 levels by 2010.
UMaine fully formalized its intent to pursue an agenda of institutional sustainability in February of 2007 when President Robert Kennedy signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and tasked UMSA with developing a climate action plan that will guide the institution down the path to climate neutrality. Since that time, UMaine has already made significant progress in a variety of areas including energy efficiency, campus master planning , renewable energy, alternative transportation, and sustainability in dining operations. In 2008, UMaine met its Governor’s Carbon Challenge goal to reduce carbon emissions two years early.
Even more recently, UMaine has received a variety of national awards and research grants for its activities related to sustainability, master planning (2009 SCUP Excellence in Planning for an Established Campus Merit Award), and renewable energy research funded by competitive state research and development bonds and federal appropriations including funds for deep ocean wind power research. Finally, UMaine has just received $30 million in federal and private support for the new Center for Sustainability Solutions (described below). This innovative program is focused on creating practical and sustainable solutions to a variety of social and environmental problems, and we are optimistic that it will become the backbone of UMaine’s commitment to environmental and social sustainability.
Energy Infrastructure
UMaine is focused on increasing the overall efficiency of its campus energy system and is already working to improve efficiency in energy production and distribution, as well as at the point of end use in campus buildings. We are currently installing a 600 kW backpressure turbine to add cogeneration capacity at our central heating plant, conducting a comprehensive technical study of the campus energy infrastructure in partnership with Vanderweil Associates and Honeywell, and continuing to expand the use of natural gas to replace fuel oil in campus heating operations.
Renewable Energy
UMaine is committed to expanding the use of renewable energy systems on campus as part of its efforts to achieve climate neutrality and has a variety of projects under way. Currently, UMaine
- Operates two small solar water-heating systems that have been in use for many years (one on Neville Hall and another on Sebec House).
- Is partnering with Ascendant Energy (of Rockland, Maine) to install a prototype, 500 square foot solar energy system that integrates thermal collection with photovoltaics.
- Is investigating the feasibility of entering into larger-scale Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for both solar photovoltaic and wind energy. As part of this, we are performing wind-speed monitoring at one particularly promising location on campus (Witter Farm).
Administration and Finance:
UMaine Green Loan Fund
The Green Loan Fund is a financial partnership between the University of Maine Foundation and the University of Maine. The fund is designed to support student-led projects that improve the environmental sustainability of campus facilities and operations in creative and cost-effective ways. The fund is also intended to foster collaboration among students and faculty from disciplines as diverse as business, ecology and environmental science, public policy, and engineering; it seeks to encourage the development of solutions that profit from the unexpected synergies that arise when creative individuals push boundaries and combine a concern for environmental protection with a passion for technological and entrepreneurial innovation. The fund is ultimately rooted in the belief that lasting solutions to environmental problems create both environmental and economic benefits.
Under the terms of the Green Loan Fund agreement, the Foundation has agreed to maintain a $300,000 revolving loan fund for the purposes described above. The fund, along with the terms of all loans and their repayment are cooperatively managed by the University of Maine Foundation and the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance at the University of Maine.
Student groups interested in submitting a project proposal are strongly encouraged to find a suitable professional advisor who is willing to guide them through the application process. The advisor could be a faculty member or administrator at the University of Maine, a representative from business or industry, or even a community leader with relevant expertise. The ideas for the projects themselves may emerge from academic courses (including capstone courses and senior design seminars), student groups, student government, and student-initiated collaborations between the university and off-campus interests.
Projects most likely to receive funding are those that employ innovative approaches to reduce the energy use and/or environmental impacts associated with campus operations. Although the fund is not intended to support routine campus maintenance, unique projects that focus on cost-effective, creative, and ecologically sound ways of improving maintenance and operations activities are certainly welcome. Since this is a revolving fund, all projects must produce measurable cost savings, which will be used to replenish the fund and maintain its viability in the future.
Applications must include a formal economic analysis of the project and an easily understandable calculation of its payback period. Proposals also should include a plan for verifying and/or measuring the environmental benefits that the project produces, and should describe ways in which the project’s successes will be communicated to the university and surrounding communities. Projects that involve collaborations among multiple campus groups and those that can demonstrate matching-funds support from outside sources will receive special attention during the application process.
The Green Loan Fund Advisory Committee is the decision-making body responsible for reviewing project proposals and overseeing the management of the fund. The composition of the advisory committee is determined cooperatively by representatives from the Foundation and the University and may change over time, but will always include students, faculty, and staff.
AASHE Bulletin
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