Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

Santa Clara University students learn about waste minimization as they create papier mache pieces with recycled materials. This booth is one of many at SCU’s annual campus sustainability fair. Photographer: Chuck Barry, University Photographer

Contact

Lindsey K Cromwell
Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies Institute
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
(408) 554-2369
lcromwell@scu.edu

Governance & Administration

The University's long term commitment to the environment and ecological sustainability is highlighted in our strategic plan, as one of the core features of our mission. The University recognizes the importance of bringing the sustainability movement to the level of each university community member. As a Jesuit University, SCU's mission is for its students, staff, and faculty to be engaged with society and be committed to fashioning a more humane, just, and sustainable world. What better way to do so than to incorporate those themes into every aspect of our educational mission. The University is dedicated to ensuring that every SCU student graduates with "a culture of sustainability."

The University's Comprehensive Policy on Sustainability devotes the University to a more sustainable way of living through environmental stewardship, education, and service. Santa Clara has also dedicated itself to sustainability by signing the American College University President's Climate Commitment.

Santa Clara has committed itself to emissions reductions 20 percent below 1997 by 2010, which is an overall decrease of 34 percent from 2006 emissions. The University's Office of Multicultural Learning is dedicated to coordinating, collaborating, and promoting cross-campus programming that enhance SCU's goals for diversity and inclusive excellence.

Santa Clara has a full-time Sustainability Coordinator, two sustainability interns (one works with faculty and staff while the other works with students), one sustainability assessment intern, and one recycling intern. Faculty, staff, and student volunteers frequently support the efforts of the Office of Sustainability. For example, faculty create course assignments to address current campus sustainability needs - i.e. students learn the scientific method by surveying campus community members about their recycling habits, and statistics students conduct analyses on campus parking permits to determine carbon emissions from commuters, etc.

Santa Clara partners with Sustainable Silicon Valley, a collaboration of businesses, governments, and non-governmental organizations that are identifying and addressing environmental and resources pressures in Silicon Valley. SCU also works closely with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a local organization dedicated to addressing major public policy issues affecting the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley. Santa Clara University is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and is a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Operations

Our operations accomplishments:

27% increase in building area since 2000 with only 3% increase in energy consumption. All construction has been based on LEED standards since 2006 including a sustainable design demonstration building. 90% of construction and demolition waste is recycled. The library (March 2008) is twice the size of the previous building but uses about the same amount of energy with over 90% of public space lit by the sun. The business school (July 2008) will be 10% more energy efficient than required by Title 24, California's energy efficiency standard. Retrofits improve efficiency of existing buildings (replacements of boilers, HVAC systems, etc.). Over 200 waterfree urinals conserve an average of 40,000 gallons of water annually, and over 75% of campus is irrigated with recycled water.

A 50-kW solar array produces 80,300 kWh annually. The new pool (in construction) will be heated by a solar thermal system. An energy management system allows facility managers to monitor building systems throughout campus. Heating and other mechanical systems' controls are centralized, allowing for optimized performance and energy conservation. Our on-going campus sustainability assessment focuses on waste, energy, water, toxic chemicals and includes a carbon emissions inventory.

A comprehensive recycling program collects beverage containers, cardboard, paper, steel, electronics, batteries, cell phones, ink cartridges and CFLs, diverting over 25% of SCU's waste stream. A "classifieds" website facilitates re-use of materials. Students, faculty, and staff can post and search for items (for example, office furniture). Waste reduction programs during campus move-out result in approximately 10 tons of diverted waste with items donated to local charities or stored and re-sold in the fall. SCU purchases 11,256 megawatt-hours of renewable wind energy from Silicon Valley Power (over 1/3 of the University's energy use).  

A fleet of 30 electric carts has replaced gas-powered vehicles. Faculty and staff receive a 25% discount for public transit tickets and carpools receive free parking on campus. The campus is designed to be pedestrian and bike friendly.

Green purchasing of environmentally responsible computers and janitorial chemicals has been implemented. Out-dated computers and electronic waste are responsibly recycled or donated to local non-profits for reuse. All paper stocked in Central Stores (for use in all copiers and printers) contains post-consumer recycled content. The Chemistry Department adopted safer, more environmentally-friendly alternatives in general and organic chemistry labs resulting in improved safety, reduced waste, and less toxic reagents. Human Resources switched to electronic timesheets reducing paper consumption by over 72,000 sheets each year.

Dining services by Bon Appétit serves local and organic produce (50% local produce up to 80% seasonally), fair trade coffee, sustainable seafood, antibiotic-free meats (vegetarian-fed hamburger), cage-free and certified humane eggs. Vegan options offered every meal period. Biodegradable catering and to-go containers/utensils.

Curriculum & Research

The Environmental Studies Institute offers an environmental science major, environmental studies companion major and minor, and an environmental studies minor for engineers. Many study abroad opportunities expose students to the social and scientific dimensions of environmental dilemmas around the world. ESI supports the Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project (SLURP), which provides undergraduates the opportunity to conduct year-long studies of sustainability as it relates to residence life.

The Center for Science, Technology and Society has a sustainability research area. This past year, the Center gave research course releases to two faculty to conduct research on the economic impacts of climate change.  In addition, the Center is planning a major conference on sustainability.

The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics also has a research focus in environmental ethics. A short course on environmental ethics was designed for beginners to provide a point of entry into the field of environmental ethics. The Center also oversees an environmental ethics fellowship program (in its third year). Past environmental ethics fellows have produced the following papers: a review of ethical challenges in building a solar house, a case study on the construction of SCU's first sustainable building, and an examination of the culture of sustainability of Santa Clara students.

The School of Engineering's Center for Sustainable Studies strives to quantify sustainability in order to help individuals make informed choices. Faculty and students at the Center are committed to enabling sustainability through well-defined and rational metrics, system integration synergies, technologies to inform consumption choices, and industry/university collaboration to build on and enable sustainable living.

In the Fall of 2008, the University will launch a strategic research initiative focused on sustainability. The initiative will be coordinated by the Office of Research Initiatives, the Environmental Studies Institute, and the Center for Science Technology and Society. Faculty and students from across the University who are actively engaged in sustainability research and scholarly work will be invited to participate. The Sustainability Research Initiative will involve faculty reading groups, a faculty colloquium series, writing retreats, and opportunities to form interdisciplinary research teams.

SCU is committed to integrating sustainability across the curriculum. As a result of the Penstemon Project, faculty have integrated sustainability into existing courses in disciplines from Biology to English. The following is a sample of projects from 2007-2008: documentaries about issues including fair trade coffee and electronic waste; an assessment of current practices and barriers to greening campus offices; a cost/benefit analysis of implementing smart power strips at residence halls; exploration of the ethics of GMO crops; and an anthropology class in Costa Rica examined issues related to sustainable development.

SCU is developing an innovative new core curriculum including pathways to foster knowledge, habits of mind and heart, and engagement with the world. Pathways will include areas dedicated to sustainability, civic engagement, social justice, ethical reasoning, critical thinking, and science and technology.

Campus Culture

Students have numerous opportunities to become involved with sustainability on campus. They may choose to live in the CyPhi Residential Learning Community, focused on sustainability and the arts (roughly 20% of campus residents; 1/3 of the freshman class), participate in campus events, join student groups like the GREEN Club, Net Impact, or Bottom Line and Beyond, work on the Solar Decathlon project, as well as other awareness initiatives.

Two websites offer a comprehensive presentation of sustainability at Santa Clara. Sustainable Energy provides real-time feedback of building energy consumption, hosted by University Operations. The University's main sustainability page receives on average 16,000 views each month.

Almost  every member of the SCU community receives the Office of Sustainability's monthly e-newsletter highlighting campus sustainability achievements, news and events, and tips for community members to reduce, reuse, recycle, and respect. The "Sustainability Update" can also be accessed from Sustainability at SCU website.

SCU celebrates Campus Sustainability Week in October, showcasing campus projects, programs, student research, and local businesses promoting sustainability. The University also celebrates Earth Week each April.

Initiatives inform the campus community about recycling procedures and encourage participation in waste reduction. These initiatives, primarily directed by the undergraduate recycling intern, include instructional and educational signage for residence hall recycling/waste areas, recycle trivia competitions, frequently asked questions website, and a Facebook group for students to interact and sign-up for events.

Undergraduates may contribute to the Sustainability Assessment, intern as sustainability or recycling coordinators, or conduct year-long sustainability-related research projects in conjunction with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics or the Sustainable Living Undergraduate Research Project.

The University was one of 20 institutions in the Department of Energy's 2007 Solar Decathlon. Over 100 SCU undergraduates designed, built, and operated an energy-efficient, sustainable solar-powered home. The team earned third place in the international competition and was selected to participate in 2009!

"Green Practices in the Workplace" workshops encourage staff to identify their personal and professional values. By the end of the workshop, participants develop sustainability policies for their offices or departments and are eager to teach their co-workers. Another workshop to helps SCU employees bring their spiritual and environmental concerns to bear on their daily work. Participants learn how to deepen their workplace spirituality, bring their concern for the earth into their workday, and strengthen their environmental ethics.

The Office of Sustainability developed the Sustainable Office Assessment Project, in which student interns consult faculty and staff to help them reduce building energy consumption and green their workspaces.

The campus phone directory, previously printed and distributed to all faculty and staff, is available online. Though employees can choose to receive the printed version, they are encouraged to (and many do!) opt-out of receiving the printed book and solely use the online directory.

SCU developed the Sustainability PLEDGE, a program that challenges members of the campus and community to commit to specific sustainable habits. Participants make a written commitment to reduce the energy they consume, the waste they produce, and to develop sustainable habits.

Community Service and Outreach

Santa Clara undergraduates developed the bi-annual Sustainability Decathlon-a high school outreach component of the Solar Decathlon project. Students at participating local high schools are mentored by SCU students as they green their campuses by developing programs such as carpool databases, holding Earth Day celebrations, and sharing their new knowledge with local elementary and middle schools.

The Environmental Studies Institute (ESI) supports Ulistac Natural Area, a community habitat restoration project in the City of Santa Clara. Ulistac Natural Area is 40-acres of open space located along the Guadalupe River.  ESI provides grant writing, office space, administrative support, student outreach interns, and environmental education curriculum for the project's Outreach Center. In 2007, ESI led environmental education field trips for over 300 local students, coordinated over 1,000 volunteer hours dedicated to planting and maintaining California native plants at the park, and fostered countless numbers of joggers, birders, dog walkers, and children looking for adventure in the outdoors and a connection to nature.

The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI), a project of the University's Center for Science, Technology, and Society, provides an intensive two-week residential program that enables successful social benefit entrepreneurs to scale their endeavors and achieve sustainability. The GSBI combines the discipline of business planning and Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial resources with sensitivity to culturally embedded models of social change.

The Environmental Studies Institute Seminar Series features local scientists discussing a wide variety of environmental topics and research. The series is intended to stimulate and support cross-disciplinary inquiry. The School of Engineering Speaker Series is hosted quarterly by different departments in the School of Engineering. Many topics relate to sustainability. Both series are open to the public.

The Faith, Ethics, & Vocation Project links environmental vocation interns with an environmental organization and a local faith community in areas near Santa Clara. This internship helps local faith communities work with environmental organizations in regions that are not currently well served.

A University faculty member serves on the Board of Directors for the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, which works for environmental justice in the high technology industry.

The University Sustainability Office worked with community members in the city of Tracy, CA to develop a community-led sustainability initiative based on our University Sustainability PLEDGE program.