Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

Aerial view of Boise State campus and adjoing community across the Boise River Photographer: John Kelly

Contact

John Gardner
Associate Vice President for Campus Sustainability
Office of the President
Boise State Unversity
Boise, Idaho
(208) 426-5702
jgardner@boisestate.edu

Governance & Administration

Shortly after signing the Presidents Climate Commitment in Spring 2007, university president Bob Kustra created a new, high-level administrative position, the associate vice president for energy research, policy and campus sustainability.  This position answers directly to the president and coordinates existing sustainability efforts on campus. (website: http://boisestate.edu/sustain/ )The AVP is also responsible for campus wide leadership in sustainability-oriented academic research and educational programs.  The development of this new position is a keystone to a decade-long commitment to sustainability through environmental stewardship that is central to our mission in the state and our vision as a metropolitan research university of distinction.

Boise State University is the largest university in the state of Idaho, and has in the midst of sustained and impressive growth.  In an effort to guide and control growth of the physical plant, a campus master plan was developed in 1997 and is continuously updated.  This master plan (http://www.boisestate.edu/masterplan/) commits Boise State to a path consistent with our metropolitan setting, by growing up more than out and celebrating our urban heritage in our architecture and careful preservation of open space. 

Consistent with the PCC, the university is drafting a building policy based on energy performance. Incorporating the best features of the Architecture 2030 challenge, our policy commits us to a path of continually increasing efficiency as the campus infrastructure grows.

As an example of energy efficient building, construction is under way on the new Norco building just behind the Student Recreation Center on the southeast side of campus. When complete in about a year, its 81,300 square feet will be home to the Department of Nursing, with classrooms, seminar rooms, practice labs and an acute care simulation lab, as well as house a new Student Health, Wellness and Counseling Center, complete with urgent care clinic, a pharmacy, a dental clinic and more. Integrating the two will enhance the quality of the learning environment for students, but the building will also be an example of Boise State's continuing commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability. The high-performance building has been designed and will be constructed to the highest standards, consistent with program needs and budget. Current design indicates that it will be at least 40 percent more energy efficient than is required by code.  The building is planned for eventual connection to Boise State's geothermal system, which would further reduce energy use. A possible groundwater-cooling loop, if feasible, could result in an additional 6 percent reduction in energy use.

The university has also hired a campus wide recycling coordinator.  This full time position supervises the custodians and recyclers and reports to the Director of Facilities, Operations, and Maintenance.

This year, the Registrar no longer prints the semester class schedule, moving all operations to an online format. This simple effort avoids the production of over 10 tons of paper products annually and will greatly reduce the paper used and thus wasted at the University.

Operations

Boise State University is committed to improving efficiency, minimizing waste, and providing healthier alternatives.

Boise State strives to improve efficiency in many ways. One method currently implemented is the performance contract which helps to improve building efficiency in electric, gas, and water consumption and highlight areas for improvement. Preliminary results of the contract indicate a 16% to 20% energy savings in the targeted buildings. New buildings and renovations constantly strive for use of natural light, occupancy-sensor lights, low flow toilets, and geothermal heating. Another area for efficiency lies in the grounds maintenance. With a total campus size of over 175 acres in the heart of the capital city, public perception is central to current and future designs within the master plan for land development, preservation of green space landscaping, and water consumption. Landscaping is done to preserve existing green areas and utilize vegetation both aesthetically pleasing and suitable for the regional climate. Installation of native species and drought-tolerant plants enhance the beauty and increase efficiency of watering frequency.

Boise State University endeavors to provide healthier alternatives when selecting food from dining services, facility cleaning and paint products, or commuter options. Our greatest achievement is the availability to faculty, staff, and students a free use of the valley bus system which serves five cities in two counties. Along with this option are park and ride lots, preferential carpool parking spots on campus, a free campus shuttle bus, and access to the guaranteed ride home program. The free campus shuttle bus allows anyone to ride and quickly transports to food, class, or work destinations around the campus during the fall and spring semester. Due to these efforts, the campus was recently awarded the status of "Best Workplace for Commuters" (http://www.bestworkplaces.org/index.htm)  by the EPA.

In addition to the commuting options, our vehicle purchasing agent promotes alternatively fueled vehicles and flex fuel vehicles. Many departments are using electric golf carts and service vehicles for the numerous on campus trips in lieu of gas powered vehicles. All of these available options decrease the total number of miles driven and contribute to a cleaner airshed. When available, local produce and bakery items are offered to dining service patrons. Another example is the use of green and low or non-toxic cleaning products for janitorial staff. This helps improve the health of the worker and the environment. Boise State University uses recycled content toilet paper campus-wide.

Our combined efforts for efficiency, minimization, and provision of healthier, sustainable options showcase our commitment to the health of faculty, staff, students, and the surrounding community.

Curriculum & Research

At Boise State, the concept of sustainability is not considered the province of any one academic program.  In keeping with this philosophy, sustainability topics are integrated throughout the curriculum.  Students wishing to have a more substantial educational experience in this area may pursue their goals through out Environmental Studies Program.  Lead by a diverse group of faculty from Anthropology, English, Civil Engineering, History, Geosciences and Chemistry, this program is an interdisciplinary

liberal arts degree with a basic background in mathematics, science, social sciences, and environmental policy.

Our core curriculum also manifests our commitment to sustainability. As stated in our course catalog, the philosophy of our core curriculum is

It is the University's responsibility to help students learn to think critically, to communicate clearly and concisely in oral, written, and visual form, to appreciate themselves as part of a larger world, and to cultivate the imagination and intellectual curiosity required for life-long learning. The Core curriculum is designed to... contribute to the preparation of students as both local and global citizens.

Similarly, research related to sustainability is prevalent at Boise State.  When he took over as president of the university in 2003, Dr. Bob Kustra put the university on a course to become a "metropolitan research university of distinction." Since then, our annual research contracts have increased sharply, amounting to $26.8M in the 2007 academic year. While much of this research is related to sustainability (e.g. geosciences research related to both carbon sequestration and geothermal resources, engineering research in wind turbine technology and energy storage, economics research on carbon markets and global climate change, just to name a few), the creation of the office of Energy Research, Policy and Campus Sustainability  signals the university's commitment to develop a focused research agenda to the issue of energy, which is central to the a sustainable future.  Through this office, groups of researchers will be brought together under a coherent mission of sustainability research which has local significance in the Intermountain West, but global implications.

Research efforts related to sustainability cross nearly all academic discinplines. A sample of these include:

• The Energy Policy Institute
• The Environmental Finance Center
• The Wind for Schools Program
• Boise State Wind Application Center
• The Environmental Science and Public Policy Research Institute
• Global Change Research
• Institute for Urban and Regional Planning

In addition, we are in the final planning stages of two highly significant research centers:

The Institute for the Next West will be a cross disciplinary umbrella institute that encompasses many of the existing activities, with a focus on the urbanization of the American West.

The Boise State Center for Research on Energy Efficiency and Effectiveness is a university/industry partnership which will focus on research to enable significant and long term energy savings through more efficient and effective use of resources.

Campus Culture

Boise State University is part of the Society for College and University Planning, which promotes and entertains campuses nationwide for Campus Sustainability Day (CSD) in October. As a direct result of the 2005 CSD, Boise State University formed a group now known as the Green Team (http://www.boisestate.edu/greenteam/)  composed of faculty, staff, students, and community members administratively funded to promote sustainability on campus and throughout the greater community through stewardship, teaching, and outreach. Our mission serves not only Boise State University, but the surrounding city in which we live and work. We receive annual funding to host numerous national, regional, and local campus events.

This year, we have organized a local ‘Move Out Clean Out' Campaign in conjunction with the national STUFH organization which challenges students in residential housing to donate non-perishable food and usable goods to a local charity instead of hauling it to the landfill. In its first year, we diverted several tons of clothing, household goods, and non-perishable foods to several local charities. Through the Green Team funding, five reusable boards were produced to advertise the event in dorms across the campus.  The campaign was a great success, and we realized a significant reduction in unnecessary waste as a result.

Another focus for promoting a sustainable campus is in the development of a Green Bike Program which will serve the campus community in offering comfortable, convenient bicycle check out for use on campus and to surrounding locations.

Focus the Nation participation by Boise State University serves the campus community by highlighting political measures by which to enable students to organize and effectively rally in support by climate change focus groups, political lobbies, and online voting.

Community Service and Outreach

As Idaho's largest university, and as the only major institution of higher education located in the state's capital, Boise State plays a significant role both within in the community and throughout the state.  The faculty appear regularly as speakers and panelists at downtown business functions, local radio talk shows and television spots.  Here are but three examples:

• Business Professor Sian Mooney was a speaker at the Idaho Environmental Forum where she spoke on the economics of the carbon market. She also testified at the state legislature on the same issue.

• Professor John Gardner (associate vice president for energy research, policy and campus sustainability) has had of 30 public appearances since his appointment in October of 2007 including KBOI drive time talk show and Idaho Public Television's "Dialog".

• Professor John Freemuth is often interviewed for his perspective on environmental policy and hosts regional conferences.

• Todd Haynes, Energy Systems Research Engineer, regularly contributed to local lecture series dealing with wind energy and other renwable sources.

In addition, our faculty contribute to sustainability efforts in local government and industry.  Our faculty members participate in the City of Boise Citizens Climate Protection Committee, Idaho Power's Integrated Resource Plan Advisory Committee and the Boise Area Chamber of Commerce Energy Policy Task force, to name a few.

Due to our urban setting, the administration highly values our mission as a local leader in the area of sustainability. While some of our expansion in recent years has been at the expense of adjacent residences we have established a program in which we allow a team of salvage experts to extract valuable recyclable materials from homes before they are demolished, saving landfill space, but more importantly, saving the energy that would otherwise have gone to making new materials.