Duke University 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application

Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

image
"Bleed Blue, Live Green", Duke's Cameron Crazies go Green for Focus the Nation
Photographer: Jon Gardiner, Duke University Photography

Contact

Tavey McDaniel Capps
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Office of the Executive Vice President, Sustainability Office
Duke University
Durham, NC
(919) 660-1434
tavey.mcdaniel@duke.edu

Governance & Administration

Duke is a model for successful top-down administrative commitment to sustainability. In 2005, the University and Health System adopted a comprehensive Environmental Policy committing to addressing sustainability in three priority areas - academics, operations and community impact. As a "university in the forest" the campus includes over 9,000 acres of pristine forests and wetlands, established and maintained by students, staff and faculty on land depleted by primitive farming less than a century ago. This thriving ecosystem has motivated Duke's Administration to implement many successful policies aimed at minimizing the campus' footprint

Our Comprehensive Green Purchasing Policy,has resulted in the creation of a Green Purchasing Coordinator. In addition to identifying environmentally friendly products, staff foster social sustainability directly with local, minority-owned businesses. In the past fiscal year, Duke University and Health System spent over $33 million with Diverse Suppliers, an increase of over 30% over the previous fiscal year.

Duke Store's Green Purchasing policy commits the campus stores to supplying greener, socially responsible products. The University's Energy Star Policy requires that all purchases minimize energy consumption contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Duke's administration has emphasized the importance of our natural capital in all campus planning. The design process is committed to planning for 50 years, emphasizing longevity, energy conservation and efficiency of mechanical/electrical systems. Since adopting a LEED Building Policy in 2003, all new construction and renovation has been built to LEED standards (20 buildings).

Duke's sustainable planning efforts don't end with the built environment. The Campus Stormwater Management Plan ensures that human activities will have minimal or no adverse impacts on the environment. Over 1,220 acres of Duke Forest have been designated as Natural Heritage Areas, setting it aside from development and invasive research. This commitment to sustainability in campus development and land use is guided by the Campus Master Plan that explicitly states that "Duke is a university in the forest" as the 4th Guiding Principle.

As Duke's administrative interest and commitment to sustainability have grown so have the staff positions to spearhead this effort.

  • Sustainability Coordinator, Exec. VP
  • Sustainability Outreach Coordinator, Exec. VP
  • Coordinator of Student Environmental Initiatives, Student Affairs
  • Green Purchasing Coordinator, Procurement
  • Green Dining Coordinator, Dining
  • LEED Coordinator, Duke Health System Architect
  • Energy Manager, Facilities
  • Recycling and Waste Reduction Coordinator, Facilities

Campus committees addressing environmental issues include -

  • Duke Transit Advisory committee - reports to VP of Campus Services about impact of transportation planning and improvements
  • Committee on Facilities and the Environment - reviews projects that are destined for consideration by the Trustees
  • Duke University Student Dining Advisory committee - addresses impacts of  campus dining
  • Green Dining Committee - promotes, develops and raises awareness about the sustainability of campus dining

After signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2007, Duke established a presidentially appointed Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC), co-chaired by the Executive Vice President and the Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, with representatives from faculty, staff and students.

 

Operations

The breadth of campus accomplishments in the area of operations reflects Duke's model of engaging students, staff, faculty and top administrators in collaborative and strategic problem solving. Highlights include -

Water conservation - severe drought in 2007 pushed Duke to expand efforts to reduce water consumption by 70% from August/07 to February/08. Projects include:

  • Condensate reclamation in University, Medical Center and Health System cooling systems for use in campus chilled-water plant cooling towers
  • Comprehensive building audits for leaks and energy-efficiency
  • Installing low-flow showerheads in all campus dorms and athletic facilities
  • Utilizing rainwater from a network of large cisterns and reclaimed municipal wastewater

Campus green building efforts at Duke have produced 20 LEED projects.

  • Duke has the first LEED-certified dormitory renovation in the US and the first platinum LEED residence hall in the world, the Home Depot Smart Home, a state-of-the-art 6,000-square-foot home and live-in laboratory
  • Duke is currently in the planning stages of a 200-acre redevelopment of its Central Campus that will integrate ecological sustainability initiatives into all aspects of the project.

Alternative Transportation initiatives are a primary focus for this year.  In addition to campus, city and regional bus options and a free, student bike rental program, the university has added -

  • An enhanced carpool program - offering staff, faculty and students incentives such as free, convenient parking for carpoolers and free passes for emergencies.
  • GreenRide,a web and map based rideshare solution that helps users find carpool partners
  • Discounted regional transit passes available on a pretax basis
  • Two new Zip cars

Energy and Climate Change efforts include a 2004 GHG inventory with annual data back to 1990. The campus GHG inventory has been updated in 2008. Duke is now in the process of developing its climate action plan,with a goal of climate neutrality.

Facilities Management works continuously to improve efficiency. A new Energy Manager is coordinating future plans to co-fire biomass in a steam plant.

Duke is currently working on a GreenTouch screen project - developing a real-time, web-based, feedback system that will allow analysis of resource consumption.

Duke is working with third parties and the Fuqua School of Business on a proposal to build a large scale solar power plant that would provide as much as 5% of Duke's energy.

2008 data shows Duke's campus dining facilities purchasing from over 73 local farms, spending $2 million dollars of their $5.2 million annual budget on local food. Duke's Dining contract evaluation program rewards these efforts and encourages innovative thinking about new ways to be "green".

Duke Recycles conducts "Garbology", participates in RecycleMania, and coordinates Move Out for Charity, an end of year reuse program.  Duke recycled 33% of all waste last year.  Other initiatives include a composting program for campus dining facilities; recycling programs for universal wastes such as CFLs and cell phones; reprocessing medical instruments; Duke Computer Exchange program donates machines to local schools and community centers; and Surplus program donates all usable materials to area nonprofits.

 

Curriculum & Research

Duke is currently making efforts to guarantee incorporation of the tenets of sustainability into every student's academic experience. While hard to quantify, the sustainability educational programs within the classroom and beyond may provide the most significant environmental benefit of Duke's overall program. The Nicholas School of the Environment and the Pratt School of Engineering are excellent examples of the integration of sustainability into the core curriculum.

The Nicholas Schools offers degrees in Environmental Sciences and Policy at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral level. In addition to offering minors, the Nicholas School brings a wealth of renowned speakers and faculty, creating enriching opportunities for everyone on campus.

Sample courses from the Nicholas School that incorporate real-world issues into the learning environment -

  • Energy and the Campus - students explore ways to conserve energy/diversify sources of energy at Duke - ex. projects this year included feasibility of LED lights in campus parking decks; engineering/economic analysis of rooftop photovoltaic systems
  • Examining Biodiesel - collaboration between Fuqua School of Business and Nicholas school to look at potential for using waste vegetable oil from area restaurants and Duke dining facilities to make biodiesel

The Pratt School of Engineering offers many courses that incorporate environmental engineering into the curriculum and manages the LEED-Platinum certified Smart Home. A half-credit course is offered with guaranteed funding for students looking to conduct hands-on sustainability research.

Liberal Arts students frequently draw upon the courses or minor offered by these schools. An additional option at Duke has allowed several students to propose their own curriculum, drawing from courses in diverse disciplines to create the interdisciplinary experience essential to the study of sustainability.

Duke's Sustainability Office identified 42 courses in the spring semester of 2008 alone, that emphasized elements of sustainability in diverse disciplines.  Some highlights include: 

  • Farmworkers in NC: Poverty - Focus upon those who bring food to our tables, particularly those who labor in the fields of North Carolina and the Southeast. This Documentary Studies course examines the human systems responsible for putting food on our plates.
  • Environment as Community - Examination of connection between community and responsible environmental behavior. Includes on-site collaboration with a local neighborhood having explicit environmental goals.
  • Sustainability and Renewable Resource Economics - Introduction to economic theories of sustainability, contrasted with other scientific views. Focus on renewable resource economics, modeling, and management.

Research by Graduate Students and Faculty at Duke has also continued to address the challenges of the campus sustainability movement and the environmental problems facing our society. Examples of recent sustainability research efforts include -

  • Co-authoring the main chapters of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 4th Assessment Report
  • Utilizing a research helicopter with an atmosphere-sensing nose to increase understanding of the lower atmosphere and its intimate connection to seasonal changes in land cover
  • Studying how tropical deforestation affects global warming

Students have received campus funding and support to study issues such as local options for offsetting CO2, providing sustainable economic opportunities for Duke's surrounding communities.

 

Campus Culture

While Duke's environmental impacts are undeniable, efforts to affect a culture that recognizes the broader impacts of our institution and values sustainable solutions has helped to distinguish our campus community's deep commitment to sustainability. Duke's success in fostering a culture of sustainability amongst students, staff and faculty would not have been possible within tremendous and constant grassroots advocacy. Upon arriving at Duke, students have the opportunity to join one of the many student groups focused on environmental issues-

  • Environmental Alliance (undergraduate)
  • Duke University Greening Initiative (graduate)
  • Social Impact Club (Fuqua School of Business)
  • Environmental Law Society (Law School)
  • Physicians for Social Responsibility (Medical School)
  • Duke Bike Advocates
  • WOODS  (environmental education in local schools)
  • Project WILD (Wilderness Education for Duke undergraduates)

Other ways the campus community has engaged and celebrated campus sustainability include:

  • The annual Eco-Olympics, a dorm vs. dorm energy, waste and water reduction competition between the freshmen dorms at Duke. Due to the successful coordination of the competition by Duke students, some dorms have reduced energy use by nearly 80%, giving students a tangible example of how their behavior impacts resource use.
  • Facilities and the undergraduate environmental group team up to provide over 900 compact florescent bulbs to incoming freshman. Students canvas the dorms exchanging CFLs for incandescent bulbs while educating their peers about the energy savings they can provide.
  • Duke students celebrated the "Green Devil" during a nationally televised basketball game, as part of a campaign to raise awareness about Focus the Nation and President Brodhead's signing of the ACUPCC.
  • The Green Grant Fund - $50,000 yearly to fund student, staff and faculty initiatives that help "green" Duke - has funded over 30 campus projects, including student-run foodwaste composting and an organic garden program at the Marine Lab.
  • Students for Sustainable Living Program - 15-member student corp. utilizing social marketing techniques to engage and educate the campus. Projects have focused on topics such as water use in the dorms, resource use by OIT programs on campus and dining facilities, and promoting alternative transportation options such as biking on campus.
  • Sustainability Internship Program - students employed with the Sustainability Office working on issues such as transportation demand management, green dining, LEED buildings, etc. - gaining valuable experience while helping make the campus more sustainable
  • Series of "Crash Courses" - an extra-curricular evening program organized by Student Affairs - on how to green your lifestyle while at Duke.
  • An interdisciplinary academic cluster available for all first and second year students focuses on Sustainable Engineering in fall 2008
  • Annual summer Duke Farmer's Market bringing local farmers to campus and providing healthy food options for the Duke community
  • Working with campus Orientation staff to incorporate sustainability message into send-home materials and events as freshmen arrive on campus such as a "waste-free" picnic for students and their families
  • Environmental Mgmt. Advisory Committee awards designed to reward campus groups and individuals committed to sustainability

 

Community Service and Outreach

The impact of Duke University's sustainability efforts extends well beyond the campus. Duke Engage, the service-learning program for the University has expanded its focus to the surrounding Durham area in an effort to emphasize the university's civic and social connection to our community while eliminating the environmental impact of traveling across the globe. Students volunteer time and knowledge at area non-profits, neighborhood conservation groups and work as environmental educators in low-income areas. All internships emphasize the importance of exposing students to social, economic, cultural, and environmental issues that shape their work.

Additional efforts to bring Duke's sustainability efforts and programs to a larger audience include:

  • Educational presentations on campus (open to surrounding community members) cover topics including local/organic food and the politics of food; energy resources and our future; environmentally responsible health care; GHG management; moral basis of environmentalism; and free market environmentalism; green buildings; and green purchasing
  • Earth Month (April) at Duke highlights sustainability programs, films, speakers and events, open to campus and Durham community
  • "Recycle for the Children" - football game recycling, revenue benefits the Duke Children's Hospital.
  • Duke GROWS project - student volunteers and Grounds work together to beautify Durham
  • Durham Neighborhood Partnership program seeks to enrich and improve conditions for Duke and the surrounding schools and neighborhoods.
  • Duke students help to reduce home energy use in Durham through a new "Share the Light" program. Students deliver packages of energy-saving lightbulbs to the Department of Social Services for free distribution
  • Working with Triangle Green Builders to develop high performance building workshops and conduct tours of Duke's LEED buildings
  • Climate Change Policy Partnership - effort by Duke and corporate partners to explore opportunities to address climate change
  • Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions - marshals the broad resources of Duke to provide independent analysis on key environmental issues. Past projects - "Best Bus" model - a decision-support model to determine the best-cost alternatives for reducing fleet emissions; Greenhouse Gas Guide - The first how-to manual for reducing GHG emissions in the US through changes in land use and farming practices, and turning those reductions into verifiable credits for trading in carbon markets; Future of Water in NC workshop - addressing the challenge of maintaining clean and abundant water for healthy growth and ecosystems
  • Duke, the University of Cambridge, and the Climate Group have launched the "Climate Academy" to educate executives on how to seize the business advantage inherent in addressing global climate change
  • Duke's Fuqua School of Business hosts their annual Footprints Conference celebrating the convergence of private, public, and social sectors to create sustainable social and environmental benefit

Duke is a premier university in NC that has a significant impact on the economic, social and environmental climate of this region. As the third largest employer in the state, our policies and practices impact many citizens of NC and beyond. We have the responsibility and opportunity to be an example for the rest of the state and its institutions.