Stony Brook University 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application

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Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

The heart of our campus
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Contact

Amy Provenzano
Executive Director
Environmental Stewardship
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
(631) 632-6361
Amy.Provenzano@stonybrook.edu

Governance & Administration

Stony Brook University has been engaged in sustainable practices for more than 20 years. It is within the past two that we have formed the department of Environmental Stewardship and have solidified our commitment to campus-wide sustainability. On September 14, 2007, President Shirley Strum Kenny signed the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment. With this commitment, Stony Brook joins universities and colleges across the country that have decided to become leaders and role models in social, economic, and technological efforts to reverse global warming. Shortly thereafter, Stony Brook made final our next Five Year Plan for the campus, which includes our sustainability goal as follows:

11. Support sustainability through a green-campus initiative.

Stony Brook will build an eco-literate community that contributes to a sustainable future. Building on existing programs and the collaborative efforts of students, faculty, and staff, the University will continue to improve campus resource use and find new ways to limit its ecological impact while educating all members of the campus community about sustainable practices. These initiatives will help Long Island meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century and prepare students for them.

We also acquired a new campus in Southampton in 2006 that has a special focus. Stony Brook Southampton is a new kind of school - a small, intimate campus associated with a major research university. Student life and learning are interconnected and characterized by common purpose. The curriculum is organized not into departments but around issues related to environmental sustainability, public policy, and natural resource management. Classes are shaped around an interdisciplinary core, and students have many opportunities to explore how political, economic, and social issues relate to the environment. They also learn valuable skills - team building, communications, negotiation, project management, and ethics - that they can use as they continue their work after graduation. Energy, agriculture, and the elements will be fully integrated into college life. Our Long Island campus location on the Atlantic Ocean - just 80 miles east of New York City - already has a wind turbine. Students are helping to plan new "green" buildings, and are taking part in landscaping the campus and growing organic fruits and vegetables in our greenhouse.

Through collaboration with our colleagues at other SUNY schools, we were able to enact policy on Energy and Sustainability. The mission of this policy is that SUNY will assume a national leadership role in energy sustainability, education, technology, economics, and public policy through the integration of practice, teaching, and research. SUNY will meet and exceed the requirements of NYS's Executive Orders 111 and 142. Stony Brook is the only SUNY school to have already met the energy reduction target.

Stony Brook also established a Sustainability Task Force composed of students, faculty, and staff. This group meets monthly during the academic year and plans projects to be completed by the end of the year. In following sections, you will read of their work.

We also host the SUNY-wide listserv for sustainability, where we discuss common challenges and opportunities for the state system.

Operations

One of the most notable operational initiatives has been our Energy Savings Performance Contract. Under terms of this contract, energy-efficient equipment was installed and will be financed by the guaranteed savings of almost $4,000,000 in annual energy costs. The equipment installed includes VFDs, a sophisticated energy management system, new air handlers, and closed-loop cooling systems.

In addition, we have implemented projects to replace wasteful incandescent lamps with CFLs and to install dual-technology lighting sensors in offices, classrooms, and common spaces. As part of the renovation of a 45,000-square-foot building, a 10-kW solar array has been installed. While this is a small part of the building's load, it is the first large-scale solar installation on the campus.

Fleet management and its environmental impact is also part of the University's focus. Since April 2005 the majority of the University bus fleet has been operating on a 20 percent biodiesel blend. To expand this program we are converting one of our buses to operate on waste vegetable oil that will be recycled from our campus dining facilities. The dual benefit is that the oil is taken out of the waste stream and the bus is now fueled by something we normally pay to dispose of. We have purchased six electric vehicles this year and have a small fleet of GEM cars as well. We are also awaiting delivery on an electric hybrid bus. We purchase flex-fuel vehicles and purchased our first hybrid vehicle last year.

During the past two years our extensive recycling program has been significantly enhanced. We expanded our paper recycling program to include our residence halls. We have included our kitchens in recycling of cans and bottles used in food preparation. We were successful in lobbying our State Civil Service department to bring the title of Recycling Specialist to the campus and have expanded the staff by three. Construction debris recycling was expanded to include a program to gather used ceiling tiles and send them back to the manufacturer for recycling. At our Southampton campus we hired a company to remove and recycle old lecture hall seating. Just this past May, we initiated a program to recycle much of the typical waste generated as our students leave campus for the summer (see Community Service and Outreach section for more details). Campus participation in the national Recyclemania competition has become part of our culture with rivalries between dormitories as a highlight.

In 2007 the EPA honored Stony Brook University Medical Center (SBUMC) for its outstanding efforts to protect the environment in New York. The Environmental Quality Award is the highest recognition presented to the public by the EPA. SBUMC received the award for significantly reducing its use of mercury; increasing its paper, cardboard, and wood pallet recycling; establishing a hazardous waste minimization program; promoting sustainability; instituting a storm-water protection awareness program; and introducing an integrated pest management program. In addition, it was noted at the ceremony that SBUMC was given the prestigious "Making Medicine Mercury-Free Award" in 2006.

Curriculum & Research

 The Environmental Studies Major gives students the skills to understand and address complex environmental issues.  In addition to providing intellectual breadth, the major offers the opportunity for students to carry out independent study that provides a significant depth of knowledge within a specific area of interest.  Because environmental issues are not resolved in the scientific, technological, social, or political arena alone, the interdisciplinary curriculum integrates principles and methodology from the social sciences, engineering, the natural sciences, and humanities.  To demonstrate depth of learning, an elective study area is required.  Also, a research course, internship, or field study is an essential part of the curriculum to provide real-world experience in a subject area.  Seniors share these experiences with the rest of the academic community by participating in an annual environmental studies colloquium.  All students in the major must take a set of four courses in an elective study area to develop depth of knowledge in a specific field of interest in the following areas: Archaeology, Atmospheric Studies, Conservation/Physical Anthropology, Ecology, Environmental Economics, Environmental Law, Marine Environmental Studies, Public Policy or Waste Reduction and Management.  In Fall 2008 majors in Ecosystems and Human Impact; Environmental Design, Policy and Planning;  and Sustainability Studies will also be offered.

The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) is SUNY's designated center for marine and atmospheric research, education, and public service.  More than 100 graduate and 200 undergraduate students from 16 different nations are currently at SoMAS studying coastal oceanographic processes and atmospheric sciences in academic settings that encompass two campuses.  Long Island offers a diverse natural laboratory providing abundant opportunities for conducting fieldwork.  Our dual mission is to expand our understanding of the oceans and atmosphere and to apply that knowledge to the solution of pressing environmental problems on local, regional, and global scales.  SoMAS is proud of its integrated programs that address Environmental Modeling and Prediction, Patterns and Impact of Climate Change, Environmental Health and Contaminants, Conservation and Management of Marine Resources, and Biogeochemical Transformation of Energy and Elements.

Long Island and NYC coastal lands are vulnerable to elevated water levels, or wave setup, from storm surges due to hurricanes and Nor'easters.  Building on previous New York Sea Grant-funded research validating the use of the Simulating Waves Nearshore (SWAN) wave generation and propagation model for the South Shore of Long Island, this new project funded in 2007-2008 will focus on automating and operating the wave model in forecast mode and provide wave-forcing data to storm surge models.  This research team will examine the inclusion of wave setup along the coast and in bays within the Stony Brook Storm Surge Model.  Incorporation of the SWAN model into the already developed 60-hour storm-surge forecasting model will improve predicted water levels along coastal areas, advance scientific understanding of flooding around barrier island systems, and facilitate four investigations of local rip current events.  Using this modeling system, the National Weather Service and local emergency managers can predict storm surges and plan for barrier breach mitigation and erosion hazards.

Campus Culture

The past two years have seen a dramatic change in the campus culture as it relates to sustainability. Presentations by our Environmental Stewardship (ES) department to various groups on- and off-campus have become the norm. As the word spreads about our relatively new programs, requests for information and participation are growing exponentially. For example, we work directly with the residence hall directors and resident assistants to promote sustainability in the residence halls. We have a close working relationship with our Journalism students and routinely give interviews on sustainability topics for both class assignments and the campus newspapers. Within the past year we started the ES Web site, which has information on utility consumption, live campus energy readings, recent news and events, and useful links. We hire students into our ES and Recycling departments to assist with our outreach efforts.

The residential component of the Environmental Studies Program is the Environmental Studies Living/Learning Center housed in Hendrix College as part of the Science and Technology College. Students majoring in environmental studies are given priority for housing in Hendrix College. A lounge area is also available within Hendrix for commuters enrolled in the major. The Center offers special programs, such as a seminar series showcasing faculty research, and selected courses in the major. First-year students interested in majoring in environmental studies are encouraged to take one of the USB 101 special sections taught by faculty associated with the program.

Stony Brook encourages both on-campus and off-campus community members to take our Green Pledge. This pledge states: "I pledge to use the knowledge and skills that I have acquired to improve and sustain the natural world and resources around me. Furthermore, I pledge to minimize the impact of my ecological footprint and promise to take action to fulfill this commitment."

The campus has a very active student Environmental Club that holds its own events and collaborates with many offices on campus. In addition, we have a subcommittee to our Faculty Senate whose focus is the campus environment. This committee routinely makes recommendations, such as native species plantings and stronger  anti-smoking policies, through the Senate to the University President for consideration.

Stony Brook's Faculty Staff Association (FSA) also supports the campus' sustainability efforts. We are installing a food waste in-vessel composting system at Roth cafeteria. This system will accept pre-consumer food waste from our kitchens initially with the goal of accepting post-consumer dining waste as well. The resulting compost will be used in our greenhouses and planting beds. FSA follows the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guidelines and offers customers only sustainable seafood. It purchases produce from local farmers, ensures that all food is completely trans-fat-free, and sponsors and participates in a Community Shared Agriculture program with a local organic farm. Its executive committee this summer approved the use of biodegradable consumer packaging and trays. The program will be fully implemented within the next two months. The FSA also serves drinking water in pitchers rather than plastic bottles for catered events.

Community Service and Outreach

 The Sustainability Task Force also initiated a very successful Annual Campus Spring Move-Out program. This initiative was designed to remove reusable and recyclable items from the vast amount of what is left behind at the end of the semester by our students. This includes furniture, small appliances, clothing, and non-perishable food items being diverted from the trash and redirected to those in need within our local community. At the end of the two-week program 1,535 pounds of food were donated to a local food pantry, 8,192.5 pounds of clothing were donated to Goodwill, more than 4,800 pounds of paper and books were recycled, an additional 602 pounds of students' sneakers found their way to the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, and more than 1,900 pounds of electronics and appliances were retained to be reissued in the Fall semester.

Stony Brook's Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center (AERTC) was established as a consortium of stakeholders including other academic institutions, federal laboratories, and industry partners. The objectives of AERTC are to establish a research program to design the next generation of energy systems, to build a state-of-the-art laboratory to model power generation that can test new technologies, to engineer full-scale demonstration and testing facilities to simulate the power generation grid accurately, and to design a program of public outreach to the community to explain emerging technologies. The facility being constructed to house this initiative is a 45,000-square-foot laboratory and office building, which is being designed to be the first LEED Platinum rated building on Long Island.

The Earthstock program series at Stony Brook received the SUNY 2007 Outstanding Student Affairs Award for Emerging Programs. "Earthstock 2007 - The Future is Now" included a variety of programs in different genres and media to educate the campus and local community on the environment and sustainability. Started as a grassroots effort by students and staff to celebrate Earth Day in 2002, Earthstock has grown into a weeklong multidisciplinary program featuring 32 departments from across the campus.

2007's award-winning program included a lecture by former U.S. Congresswoman Hon. Claudine Schneider, author of the first Global Warming Prevention Act (1988). It also included panel presentations, film screenings, a parliamentary debate, an exhibition of undergraduate and graduate student research on the environment, opportunities to volunteer to enhance and beautify the campus, concerts, student musical and dance performances, a symposium, and a large culminating festival.

Earthstock is one of the largest programs of its kind on Long Island, across SUNY and in New York State. It is designed to raise awareness and help provide solutions for climate change and global warming by involving local, regional, and national government and business leaders in the discussion; including a broad range of students and faculty; approaching programming in an interdisciplinary way and through various mediums; and balancing serious discussion of environmental sustainability with a celebration of local and regional accomplishments already achieved. It has become an annual event that is widely popular both on- and off-campus.