Arizona State University 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application

Category

Four-year and Graduate Institutions over 7,500 FTE

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The Global Institute of Sustainability Building at Arizona State University showcases renewable energy sources and many other sustainable features.
Photographer: Vince Palermo

Contact

Karen Leland
Director, Communications and Marketing
Global Institute of Sustainability
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
(480) 965-0013
Karen.Leland@asu.edu

Governance & Administration

 

President

When Michael M. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University in 2002, he began a remarkable transformation of the University.  Under his direction ASU pursues teaching, research, and creative excellence focused on the major challenges and questions of our time, especially those central to the building of a sustainable environment and economy for Arizona.  Illustrative of this commitment, Crow became a founding member of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2006 and is the chair of the ACUPCC Steering Committee.

Global Institute of Sustainability

In 2004, ASU established the Global Institute of Sustainability as the hub of the University's sustainability initiatives, advancing research, education and business practices for an urbanizing world.  The Institute evolved from over 30 years of environmental research conducted by the Center for Environmental Studies at Arizona State University. 

Jonathan Fink was appointed Director of the Institute in July of 2007 and is ASU's Chief Sustainability Officer.  In these roles, Fink is ASU's lead strategist for developing a comprehensive, university-wide approach to issues of global sustainability. Besides the Institute, Arizona State University's sustainability agenda includes the degree-granting School of Sustainability and a set of programs designed to help make the University's business practices more environmentally and socially responsible.

Under Fink's leadership, and guided by an advisory board of international leaders in business and academia, the Institute has evolved from its roots as a research center into an administrative hub for some of the most ambitious and impactful programs at ASU.  Staff positions have been created to support the University's sustainability education, research, and operations efforts.

School of Sustainability

Charles Redman is the director of the nation's first degree-granting School of Sustainability, established in 2007.  Redman's interdisciplinary faculty includes representatives from more than two dozen colleges, schools, departments, research projects, and other units across ASU's four campuses and beyond.  School staff includes undergraduate and graduate academic advisors, an internship coordinator, a program development specialist, a course scheduler, and front office staff.

Research Federation

Within the Institute, staff has been reorganized and positions have been created to better facilitate the collaboration of sustainability-related researchers from across the University.  The Institute supports proposal preparation, grant management, communications and media relations, data management, computing needs, intellectual property concerns, travel, and conference and workshop organization.

University Business Practices

Manager Bonny Bentzin and a staff of two form the University Sustainability Business Practices office, charged with designing and implementing programs which will ultimately reduce ASU's carbon footprint and in general help the University achieve more sustainable operations.  As programs are implemented, new positions and job responsibilities are created.  To date, a full-time recycling coordinator has been hired at ASU's Tempe Campus, and several departments (including grounds, purchasing, and residential life) dedicate a percentage of an employee's time (30 - 70%) to focus on sustainability.  In addition, a number of ad-hoc committees currently address such topics as recycling, student life, green building, and purchasing efforts on all four campuses.

 

Operations

 

Energy

  • The University recently upgraded lighting, HVAC, and other systems in over 80 campus buildings, saving an estimated 33 million kWh and 70 million pounds of CO2 annually.  
  • A newly approved $40M investment will support additional energy efficiency upgrades.
  • ASU is now installing 2 MW of photovoltaic capacity on Tempe campus roofs, with a planned expansion to 7 MW, plus additional arrays on two other campuses. The initial installation will provide 7 percent of campus electric needs.
  • Purchasing policies mandate Energy Star products.

Building

  • ASU requires that all new University-owned buildings be certified LEED Silver or better. The University has eleven LEED buildings, including four gold and one platinum.
  • Purchasing policies support integrating green materials into ASU buildings.
  • Low-water-use fixtures are integrated into all new builds and major renovations.

Transportation

  • ASU offers unlimited access to municipal bus and light rail; service is free to students and subsidized for faculty and staff.
  • The University operates a free shuttle between its four campuses with access to a major downtown center.
  • ASU offers Zipcar and has a carpool program with special parking privileges.
  • A student-funded and operated bicycle co-op sells headlights, helmets, and locks for half-price.
  • A policy under development will offset carbon produced by university business travel.
  • ASU is transitioning its fleet to alternative fuels; some staff have switched to department bicycles.

Food

  • Last year 21.7% of food purchased by ASU came from within 150 miles, with 56 other producers located in states bordering Arizona.  
  • ASU Dining serves campus-grown herbs, fruits, and nuts harvested by volunteers.
  • Reduced-waste dining efforts include trayless dining and waste-reducing catering practices.
  • Ecolab's green seal-certified products are used in cleaning all dining facilities.

Waste Reduction

  • A composting program diverts an average of 12 tons of material a month from the waste stream to a local farm. ASU purchases the compost for use on campus landscapes, replacing nitrogen-rich fertilizers.  Food waste diversion strategies are under discussion.
  • A newly redesigned recycling program for the Tempe campus of over 51,000 students will increase its diversion rate to 60% in less than three years. 
  • A green purchasing program favors products which minimize waste.
  • Durable goods such as paint, building supplies, furniture, and electronics are reused whenever practicable.
  • ASU's sign shop designed a near-zero waste signage system that is now being implemented on campus.

Other Practices

  • ASU's print shop is expected to receive FSC certification by August 2008 at which point all ASU stationary and business cards will be on 100% recycled-content paper. 
  • 95% of cleaning products are green certified.
  • An online "toolbox" will soon be launched to facilitate greening of ASU office operations and events.
  • ASU's Campus Metabolism (http://www.asu.edu/campusmetabolism) project, launched May 2008, is an interactive and educational website displaying real-time energy consumption data for one campus building.  Efforts are underway include up to 50 buildings, while adding renewable energy generation, water, and waste data. 

 

Curriculum & Research

 

Curriculum

Established in 2007, ASU's School of Sustainability is the first of its kind in the US.  The School offers two undergraduate and three graduate degree programs that are flexible, interdisciplinary, and problem-oriented.  Undergraduate programs introduce students to the problems of sustainability, taking a comparative approach; graduate programs train students for academic, research, and professional roles.  Graduate students and working professionals can also earn a Certificate in Sustainable Technology & Management (a joint certificate between the School of Sustainability, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, and W.P. Carey School of Business).

All ASU freshmen are required to take ASU 101 in their first semester; sustainability is one of five core areas of the course.  ASU also offers a growing internship program focused on campus sustainability and had seven courses integrating campus sustainability-related projects into their coursework during Spring 2008.

Research

Exciting research takes place in many departments across all four ASU campuses and beyond, developing real-world solutions to global sustainability challenges.  The following research programs represent the core of ASU's sustainability portfolio:

Advancing Conservation in a Social Context investigates the tradeoffs between human well-being and biodiversity-conservation goals. The focus of this project is to understand the interplay between conservation and other economic, political, and social agendas at local, national, and international scales.

Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research features groundbreaking investigations into the structure and function of an urban ecosystem. CAP LTER achievements include a broad research portfolio, contributions to top-tier scientific research, award-winning outreach to the K-12 education community, and an informatics system that contributes to a larger LTER network.

Decision Center for a Desert City studies how water managers make decisions about water allocation in the face of persistent uncertainty concerning drought, population growth, and climate change.

National Center of Excellence: Sustainable Materials and Renewable Technologies (SMART) Innovations for Urban Climate and Energy develops and implements sustainable materials and renewable technologies for local communities, through funding from the US Environmental Protection Agency and corporate partners.

The Environmental Fluid Dynamics and Urban Air Management Program studies how fluid flow impacts environmental pollution and how urban air pollution forms and impacts human health.

Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) trains transdisciplinary, collaborative researchers in the emerging fields of urban ecology and sustainability science.

100 Cities uses remote-sensing technology to detect patterns of urbanization and their environmental consequences in 100 cities across the globe.

Mongolian Grassland Restoration and Biofuel Development (with Inner Mongolia University) seeks to restore the environmental and economic productivity of grasslands of western and northern China, an ecologically degraded region that covers >40% of China's land area.

Bacteria-Based Biofuels is an integrated biotechnology and alternative fuels program studying ways to produce biodiesel from cyanobacteria in "Tubes in the Desert" that does not compete with agricultural land used for food production.

The Solar Power Laboratory was recently established at ASU to advance solar energy research, education and technology.  The Laboratory is part of the University's commitment to boost Arizona's economic development prospects in the renewable energy industry. 

 

Campus Culture

 

Active Engagement

Students and community members must be actively engaged to effect real changes in behavior.  ASU reaches its community through peer to peer student organizations, sustainability themed housing, student-run outreach and awards, and an overall university commitment to sustainability in word and in deed.

  • ASU has numerous sustainability-related student organizations, including a recycling awareness group, a vegan/vegetarian support group, a renewable energy advocacy group, a sustainable business association, and others. ASU's Student Sustainability Coalition provides an organizational connection, serving as an umbrella organization through which individuals and existing student organizations can collaborate to advance sustainability objectives.
  • In Fall 2008, ASU opens a pilot, 50-person sustainability-themed residence.  Upon completion of the new Barrett Honors Complex in 2009, Sustainable House at Barrett will comprise an entire residence hall, and will be dedicated to sustainable living and education.
  • The Serving Sustainability to Sun Devils project is a student-designed program fostering green practices in food service on and in the areas surrounding the campus through a toolkit, evaluation, and award process.
  • To reinforce a culture of sustainability in daily office operations, the Global Institute of Sustainability this year introduced a sustainability component as part of the employee annual review.  The program will be implemented university-wide next year.
  • ASU has developed a sustainability pocket-guide which will be distributed to all 80,000 members of the ASU community in Fall 2008.  The brief reference guide offers straightforward sustainability tips and a list of resources.

 

Community Service and Outreach

 

ASU's vision is to be a New American University, increasing access to its educational resources and working with communities to positively impact social and economic development.  The Global Institute of Sustainability welcomes its responsibility to exchange knowledge with the public and private sectors, especially on the need for society to balance environmental, social, and economic stewardship. The Institute produces and collaborates in special events, hosts the Wrigley Lecture Series on Sustainability, and provides programs targeted to a variety of audiences.

ASU's Decision Theater uses 2- and 3-D visualization to illustrate alternative future scenarios. The Theater provides decision-makers - including government officials, corporate officers, water managers, real-estate developers and others - with simulation, modeling, and collaborative tools necessary for making informed decisions on issues such as land use, water supply, air quality, and transportation.

The Institute's Educational Outreach Office brings hands-on ecological and sustainability science into K-12 classrooms, preparing the next generation for the serious challenges to global sustainability. The School of Sustainability develops and delivers sustainability curriculum for partner schools through teacher workshops, and Institute researchers educate K-12 students through, for example, the CAP LTER Ecology Explorers activities, the Service at Salado afterschool clubs, and DCDC water policy choice scenarios.

Sustainability Partnerships link ASU's sustainability research with the interests and needs of city and state agencies and NGOs. The Institute also works with a network of corporate partners to jointly meet the challenges and opportunities in the private sector.