22, 2012

USF SUSTAINABILITY June

USF

SUSTAINABILITY

Innovative Design & Research Team

By:

Alyssa Boyes, Irina Dergacheva, Jake Homan, Khondaker Haqq, and Justin Portugal Professor Tobienne Professional Writing Summer A
Illustration, Layout & Design by Alyssa Boyes

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USF SUSTAINABILITY June

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary..3 Introduction..4 Dining Efforts....5
The Ban of Styrofoam & More

Interview...6
With Zaida Darley of the Ofce of Global Sustainability

Data Analysis & Figures.....7-9

USF Tampa-Greenhouse Emission Energy Consumption Waste Production

Funding Programs..10
Covering the Four Main Funding Programs:

Sustainability Champions Program Sustainability Mentors Program Sustainability Fellows Program Sustainability Scholars Program

Patel Center Impact....13

LEED Building

Projects & Initiatives..11-12

Students Initiatives Designed Environment Academics Transportation Water Energy

Conclusion......14
Sustainability

Glossary of Terms.15-16 Bibliography..17-19 Works Cited...20-21

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
By: Alyssa Boyes In this paper you will nd that the University of South Florida has made a greater commitment to making a global impact through changes small and large in the way that the university is operated. In 2008, President Judy Genshaft signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. Soon after, the university began improving the ways that the campus was run. You will also learn that with the establishment of a few campus committees working alongside the ofce of Sustainability there has been the creation of the greenhouse gas inventory and Climate Action Plan. The University of South Florida has also instituted a million-dollar Student Green Energy Fund to assist the college and its endeavors to go green. The ofce of Sustainability has four different funding programs which are talked about in this paper. These programs are the Sustainability Champions Program, Sustainability Mentors Program, Sustainability Fellows Program, and the Sustainability Scholars Program. Also included in this paper is a personal interview that was accomplished with the help of the schools Sustainability program coordinator, Zaida Darley. In reading, you will also gain insight into the data analysis and gures that the university has obtained including the USF Tampa-Greenhouse Emission, energy consumption, and waste production. With a thorough analysis of gures the university is able to compare data annually and hopefully improve from year to year. By 2070, the University of South Florida has a dream that the campus will be completely carbon neutral. With the improvements that the university has already made along with setting out future goals and planing for change, it is foreseeable that the University of South Florida may be an upcoming leader in the going green movement. According to the Princeton Review in 2010, USF has demonstrated an above average commitment to sustainability.

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USF SUSTAINABILITY June

For a Cleaner, Greener USF

Sustainability
By: Irina Dergacheva
President Judy Genshaft signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.

The practice of sustainability allows humans to use only what they need. Humans are dependent creatures. We depend on the earth to provide us with nutrients, water, shelter, and resources. So if we depend on the environment for basic support of daily life, then it is critical for decisions to be made with the impact on the environment in mind. In order for our natural environment to continue to support us, humans must be mindful of taking action in a way that minimally if at all disturbs this natural environment. Humans must sustain the earth on which we live in order for it to continue to sustain us. This is the main reason sustainability is something that is on peoples minds more than ever today (What Is Sustainability? What Is EPA Doing? How Can I Help?). Over the years humans have evolved tremendously, and with this evolution change has been evoked on the planet. Consumption of resources, energy usage, and pollution have all increased as the

planets population continues to grow. With this progression people have to be conscious of the actions that they take and what such actions will have on the natural environment (What Is Sustainability? What Is EPA Doing? How Can I Help?). The University of South Florida has decided that with such evolution, the sustainability movement is something that they want to join. The school rst took action, when President Judy Genshaft signed the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment in April 2008. Many colleges and universities have signed this commitment across the United States, and it is an agreement that the institution will make a commitment to going green with set goals. However, only the Tampa campus has signed this commitment; the St. Petersburg campus is however showing devotion to signing the commitment as well form a senate voting that was completed in early 2012. Under this

act the University of South Florida had to take immediate action to reduce its green house gas emissions. Within two months of signing of this commitment the university had to implement immediate practices of sustainability and within two years of signing the agreement the university needed create a plan that would describe the steps of how the university would achieve climate neutrality based on an inventory that was conducted on the universitys green house emissions. The commitment also required that the University of South Florida incorporated sustainability into the curriculum so that students can be educated about this issue (USFSP Should Sign Commitment to Go Green: Guidelines for Making Campus More Eco-friendly Could Push the University). Therefore, the question at hand is has the university implemented all of the promises that it made in 2008 and if so what are the effects that have and will come of them?

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Dining Efforts
By: Irina Dergacheva Eating plays a signicant role in the lives of humans; it is one of the few necessities that is required for basic survival. Today, however, eating is not a simple as it once used to be, as it has evolved due to new techniques and resources. Preparation of food beforehand and cleanup afterward can be a long process that leads to a huge waste of resources if people are not careful. Before you even realize you may have used three different napkins to wipe your hands when really all you needed was one.

USF SUSTAINABILITY June

and served in, there has not been a tremendous overall change in the actual food that is served. All of the food is not organic; in fact, the dining halls have implemented a plan in which there is only a ve percent increase per year in food offerings that follow sustainable The University of South Florida has practices. (Green Stakes) However, USF implemented many changes to its old does purchase food that is locally grown dining regime in several different areas as from Fresh Point Produce. The dining a part of its going green movement. One facilities also do provide some organic particular area that was altered was in foods at several locations on campus. In consumable products (USF Sustain-aaddition to this, a program called bull Efforts). USF does not use trays in its The university has also implemented Meatless Mondays has been created at dinning halls. Trayless dining has USF. This program provides more directly reduced water consumption and other sustainable practices in terms of dining. For instance, instead of defrosting meatless options for students to choose has saved 32,992 gallons of water each from in the dining halls every Monday meat under running water, the meat is academic year. The program of taste (USF Sustain-a-bull Efforts). Although dont waste has also gone hand in hand now thawed out in refrigerators. This some changes have been made in terms with the trayless dining technique. The practice has conserved 9,600 gallons of of the quality of the food, more change water. Electricity is also a focus of the idea behind this program is that since can be implemented. conservation movement in the area of there are no longer trays for students to dining at USF. The dining halls use load food onto, students are therefore All of these efforts have been Energy Star appliances to reduce unconsciously forced into getting only instated on the Tampa campus. However, electricity usage. In addition, compact what they can t onto their plate and in reference to the St. Petersburg campus, uorescent light bulbs are used in every thus more likely to consume, as opposed this August will be the rst year that the dining location saving 1,689-kilowatt to a whole tray of food, thus decreasing campus will offer on campus dining and wasted food (USF Sustain-a-bull Efforts). hours of electricity for each academic not much has been disclosed on what year (USF Sustain-a-bull Efforts). these dining services will be like (Guinn). Reusable cups and meal containers The dining department also have also been introduced to the campus incorporates recycling into its practices as to reduce the production of unnecessary well. Every dining center recycles tin and waste (USF Sustain-a-bull Efforts). Implementing reusable products reduces cardboard. However, only the fresh food company dining hall has a program for the use of Styrofoam. Styrofoam is recycling aluminum and plastic (USF considered to be a huge hazard in Sustain-a-bull Efforts). landlls for many reasons. Styrofoam contains a chemical called polystyrene, In addition to such sustainable and the complete oxidation of this practices as these, another important chemical creates carbon dioxide and aspect of dining is the actual food that is water vapor. This chemical endangers consumed. Although the school has wildlife and the environment. Replacing implemented many sustainable efforts in Styrofoam with corresponding reusable the environment that the food is cooked products reduces the carbon imprint of

40,000 students (USF Dining Is Styrofoam-Free). USF has not just eliminated Styrofoam from cups and meal containers, in fact it has successfully eliminated all Styrofoam from campus (Darley). The complete elimination of Styrofoam means less Styrofoam in landlls and thus a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by the school, and also freed space that will no longer need to be occupied by this form of waste (USF Dining Is Styrofoam-Free).

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USF SUSTAINABILITY June

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Interview with Office of Global Sustainability (In-person)

By: Jake Hoffman

Me: What is your name?

Zaida: Zaida Darley

Me: What is your position with the ofce?

Zaida: I am the Sustainability program coordinator.

Me: What are the main responsibilities for your position?

greenhouse gas producing materials. We engage in this ethic of stewardship to guide the development and implementation of programs, policies, and other courses of action in the operation and management of the University of South Florida system as well as its institutional teaching, research, and service commitments.
Me: That sounds great. What is the largest program you have here and which has the biggest impact?

Zaida: I assist the ofce of sustainability managers and their initiatives. Also I help with many aspects of the Green Energy Fund.
Me: What is the main focus of the building? What is your Mission Statement?

Zaida: The Student Green Energy Fund. It really gets many things done.
Me: What has been this ofces biggest impact on campus so far?

Zaida: Our main goal is to reduce green house gases. Really we Zaida: We just were able to get rid of Styrofoam completely. It really has a big impact on our environment. However, it is want to bring USF to a completely carbon neutral campus by not one large thing that we have pushed for, it is many little 2070. Here is our mission statement. things. It is really the little things that build up and make a big difference. (pointed me to a booklet) The Ofce of Sustainability coordinates and builds partnerships for university-wide initiatives that advance the University of South Floridas strategic goal of creating a sustainable campus environment. To accomplish this mission, we actively support faculty, staff, students, alumni, and neighborhood partners in their efforts to transform the University of South Florida into a Green University, where decisions structural and routine consider both individual and collective impacts to our campus, community, economy, and environment. As citizen-scholar activists, we share a sustainability ethic that promotes conserving resources, reducing waste, recycling and reusing materials, nding new sources of clean energy, increasing energy efciency, and diminishing life-cycle impacts and our consumption of
Me: Well said. What is your favorite part about working here?

Zaida: I am a USF alumnus. I like that I am giving back to the school that I went to and helping this school as a whole become a better place.
Me: My nal question is; what is something you would like to see changed? What is something that you are striving to get done?

Zaida: I have been working on our bottled water initiative. We want to see more of those hydration stations that reduce the amount of bottled water on campus.
Me: Thank you so much for your time.

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USF SUSTAINABILITY June

Data Analysis & Figures:

By: Khondaker Haqq

USF Tampa-Greenhouse Emission, Energy Consumption, Waste Production.

In April of 2008, the president of University of South Florida Judy Genshaft signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (Greenhouse Gas Inventory 2). The event at the Going Green Tampa Expo have set forward a series of initiatives focusing on many area of environmental sustainability including greenhouse gas emissions, water, energy, and waste management. A new commitment to sustainability requires measurable inventory to see the present status of the energy consumption and waste production of USF. An inventory also helps to plan long term strategies and allows comparisons of improvements from various initiatives from year to year. As a result, the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory report in each scal year has been developed through the aid of members of the USF Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee and the USF Ofce of Sustainability. Quantitative tools: The Clean Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator, version 6.6 was used to compile the inventory data. This specic calculator evaluates emission through three levels of scope. The accounting concept denes the responsibilities of emission of each institution. Scope 1 calculates the source of direct emission oncampus. Scope 2 accounts for chilled water and purchased energy. Scope 3 includes sources of emission through indirect means (USF Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010 4). Physical size: The 2009-2010 GHG inventories include academically oriented organizations like colleges and academic departments as well as some auxiliary ofces in the Tampa campus. The auxiliary ofces are the Marshall Student Center, USF Bookstore, USF Credit Union, and USF Housing. The GHG inventory report does not include the USF sub-leased entities like the Moftt Cancer Center or Shriners Hospital. Nor does it include other campuses beside Tampa and other off-campus operations. In addition, as shown in the table 1 below, the total building space reported for scal year 2009-2010 GHG inventory has increased by 43.5 percent from the scal year 2007-2008 report because of adding some of the Tampa campus auxiliaries building space (USF Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010 5). Table 1 - USF Tampa campus physical space by scal year, 2003-2010

Emission Sources: Scope 1: These emissions are from the On-Campus Stationary Sources, Direct Transportation Sources, Refrigerants and Chemicals, and Agriculture Sources. On-Campus Stationary Sources includes the natural gas consumption of the Tampa main campus, which accounts for 98 percent of its intake and auxiliary ofces mentioned earlier. Figure 1-Natural gas consumption by scal year, 2003-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web. Direct Transportation Sources accounts for use of gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel for vehicles for all the campus departments. The Sustainability initiative in the past one year had shifted the USF from use of gasoline to more diesel and biodiesel, as we can be seen in Figure 2. Figure 2 - Fuel consumption by scal year, FY 20072008 and FY 2009-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web.

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web.

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USF SUSTAINABILITY June

Continued from page 5 In Refrigerants and Chemicals, the USF Physical Plants have replaced the inefcient gas operated chiller with the most energy efcient electric chiller obtainable. These advances in improving this efciency have highly reduced global warming potential. Table 2 lists the use of refrigerants at the USF Tampa campus for past 7 years. Table 2 - Refrigerants use at the USF Tampa campus by scal year, 2003-2010

Purchased Chilled Water in scal year 2009-2010 reported to be total of 670,771.1 MMBTUs for the main Tampa campus, USF Bookstore, and USF Housing. Scope3: includes emission from indirect sources that are either nanced or inuenced by the USF such as commuting and waste. Commuting: The direct nanced auto travel by faculty, staff, and students for the scal years of 2009-2010 was 2,133,601 miles which was reimbursed by USF. According to the Education Abroad Ofce, the total number of miles travelled by student in the program going abroad was 7,345,296. USF estimates 16,498,536 miles of commuting takes place annually by faculty, staff, and student. (USF Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory FY 2009-2010 10) Solid Waste produced by USF is 3,207.55 short tons of which are transferred to a waste-to-energy facility off-site. Figure 4 - Percentage of solid waste produced by each Tampa campus ofce, FY 2009-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web. Agriculture Sources, especially the use of fertilizer on the USF Tampa campus has been reduced by a fairly large amounts since the scal years of 2008-2009. Table 3 sums up the percentages of nitrogen fertilizer applied in the USF Tampa campus. Table 3 - Fertilizer use at the USF Tampa campus by scal year, 2007-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web. Scope 2: These emissions are directly linked to the consumption of energy at USF but the source of productions are not operated and not owned by USF. Purchased Electricity: Figure 3 - Electricity consumption by scal year, 2003-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web. The Wastewater produced by USF in scal year 2009-2010 is 312,537,032 gallons. Figure 5 summarizes the percentage of production by each Tampa Campus ofce. Figure 5 - Percentage of wastewater produced by each Tampa campus ofce, FY 2009-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web.

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability,

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USF SUSTAINABILITY June

Continued from page 6 After putting together all of the data provided by the CACP Campus Carbon Calculator, USF produced 268,033 metric tons of greenhouse gases. Scope 2 is responsible for most of the emission (65 percent). Table 4 summarizes the overview of the greenhouse gas emission at USF Tampa for scal year 2009-2010.

Table 4 - Overview of greenhouse gas emissions at USF, FY 2009-2010

Source: University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web.

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Funding Programs By: Justin Portugal

There are four funded programs on USFs Tampa campus managed by the Ofce of Sustainability. These four programs are the Sustainability Champions Program, Sustainability Mentors Program, Sustainability Fellows Program, and the Sustainability Scholars Program. These programs encourage and facilitate participation in sustainability efforts by faculty, staff, and students. Sustainability Champions Program This program highlights outstanding faculty and staff who demonstrate a strong commitment to make the USF campus and community a cleaner, greener place to live and work. The candidates for the Champions program are selected based on their dedication to conserving resources, reducing water, recycling and reusing materials, increasing energy efciency, and other behaviors that demonstrate that they are helping make USF a more sustainable campus. Every semester two Champions are chosen, who receive an award and will also be featured on the Ofce of Sustainability website. (Programs) Sustainability Mentors Program This program focuses on highlighting amazing faculty or staff who mentor undergraduate or graduate students in sustainability activities on campus. The program celebrates faculty and staff mentoring excellence and encouraging others to serve as mentors. These Mentors are selected based on their involvement working with USF students on sustainability issues as well as the social, economic, and the environmental impact of these efforts. Each semester two Mentors are selected and will receive an award, as well as being featured on the Ofce of Sustainability website. (Programs) Sustainability Fellows Program This program is based on service learning and provides USF graduate students with the opportunity to work closely with the Ofce of Sustainability staff to make USF a Green University. Working 10 hours per week these Fellows will help coordinate sustainability activities on campus, educational and community-based initiatives on sustainability, and other tasks integral to the mission of the Ofce of Sustainability. Every semester there are two Fellows selected, and they have the chance to be reappointed for another semester depending on their previous performance. Each Fellow receives a stipend amount of money as an award. (Programs) Sustainability Scholars Program This program provides USF undergraduate students with the opportunity to work closely with the Ofce of Sustainability and work towards the main goal of making USF a green campus. As well as make USF a greener and cleaner place to live and work. Sustainability Scholars will work collaboratively with stakeholder groups on a range of sustainability projects on campus, examining and assessing coupled social, economic, and environmental practices that promote or impede sustainability. The Scholars will work about 10 hours a week and can receive up to three credit hours of Undergraduate Research. There are two scholars selected each fall and spring semester and they will be awarded $1000. (Programs) Student Green Energy Fund The University of South Florida established the Ofce of Sustainability in 2009, which oversees a long-term Climate Action Plan to reduce and, eventually, eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the Tampa campus operations and infrastructure. The Student Green Energy Fee is a student fee that is used to help in conserving energy, reducing energy costs, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting renewable energy technologies. The SGEF are gained from 0.58 percent undergraduate resident per credit hour and 0.27 percent graduate resident per credit hour. On March 24, 2011 the Florida Board of Governors approved students votes every three years to determine if they supported the fee and at what rate on each campus. The most referendum for the Tampa campus occurred April 2011, with the next referendum in 2014. 70% of students who voted approved and supported the fee. (Student Green Energy Fund)

USF SUSTAINABILITY June

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Projects & Initiatives By: Justin Portugal

USF SUSTAINABILITY June

health. The initial focus in the school is water. Other focuses include dealing with food security and health, the designed and built environments, transportation, gender and ethnicity, global citizenry, climate change, coastal wetlands, the history of sustainable communities, the role of the arts in mega-cities, and the civic responsibility for the future. (Academics) Transportation

Students Initiatives Student Government created a new position, the Chief Sustainability Ofcer in 2010. The Chief Sustainability Ofcer oversees the university's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions signicantly over the next few years (80 percent by the year 2050), and nd new ways of making the USF campus more sustainable. In Fall 2010, USF began implementing a campus-wide recycling program in all housing and residential halls. There are many student organizations that help contribute to USFs sustainability efforts such as the Student Environmental Association, Students in Free Enterprise, Emerging Green Builders, Engineers for a Sustainable World, Engineers without Borders, Alliance of Concerned Students, and Necessary Improvements to Transform Our Environment. These organizations missions are to educate, serve, and develop ways for the community to improve sustainability efforts. (Student Initatives)

Designed Environment One of the biggest improvements has been constructing new buildings up instead of out. The majority of the buildings constructed over the past ten years have been at least four stories. This improvement allows for a greater conservation of open space around campus. Major public spaces, quads, and courtyards, have been built including, MLK Plaza, Sessums Pedestrian Mall, Marshall Student Center Plaza, and the quads at Cooper Hall, College of Education, and College of Engineering. USF isnt stopping there though, other road, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements are continuously being done. Since 1995, USF has put effort into planting over 2,000 trees. USF also began planting more drought-tolerant plants in 1995. The new Patel Center for Global Solutions landscape design is the rst project to fully commit to full xeric and natural plant materials. The Campus Master Plan emphasizes sustainable practices in land use, energy consumption, conservation, landscape, recycling, and transportation and will continue to make improvements. (Designed Environment) Academics The School of Global Sustainability was created in January 2010 by USF. The School is a holistic academic unit that is based on integrated interdisciplinary research, scholarship, and teaching. Its strength derives from the committed involvement of faculty representing natural and social sciences, engineering, business, the humanities, arts, and

There are plans to include more on-road bike lanes around USFs Tampa campus to make it easier for bike riders to get around campus. The university also has plans to improve pedestrian walkability around campus by improving many of the walking paths. These paths will allow more students to get to campus without using their vehicles, The Bull Runner Transit is a free service offered to students, which runs on biodiesel fuel. These buses have implemented an Automated Vehicle Locator (AVL) system. This service is gives students the ability to see arrival times for all buses at their assigned stops. The AVL system also gives riders the ability to track the buses from anywhere and be able to plan their time accordingly. In April 2010, USF also implemented automatic passenger counting on buses so riders will be able to know how full a bus is before it arrives. This system helps students drastically reduce their wait time for the bus. USF also has a deal with Hillsborough County public HART bus line that allows students to ride free and faculty and staff pay just $0.25 per trip. (Transportation) Water

In Spring 2011, USF worked with the Southwest Florida Water Management District on a university-wide water conservation campaign. USF has considered waterless urinals but decided against them. Although a waterless urinal may conserve water its operation requires additional energy consumption, which creates pollution and a larger carbon footprint. Sanitary water is used by the City of Tampa to produce recycled gray water for irrigation elsewhere in the city, which is a better sustainable alternative. Many of the Tampa campus buildings have been installed motion sensing automatic faucets and ush valves, helping to prevent waste and conserves water usage. USF also uses recycles water on the Golf Course for irrigation. (Water)

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Continued from page 9

and glass containers; additional containers are planned. The USF Student Environmental Association has been working on establishing aluminum can recycling in the residence halls. (Recycling)

USF SUSTAINABILITY June

Energy Through the use of the Florida Energy Code, USF has implemented standards in building insulation values for walls, roofs, windows, motor and equipment efciencies, mechanical systems insulation and controls for both HVAC and lighting. USF has replaced T12 uorescent lamps and magnetic ballasts with F32 T8 uorescent lamps and electronic ballasts under the Green Lights program. Now, USF is currently underway replacing F32 uorescent lamps with F28 T8 uorescent lamps for all campus buildings in excess of 4 million square feet. USF has also installed vend-mizer on all vending machines. This is a motion sensing lighting and energy control technology used in vending machines. USF is also in the process of replacing incandescent trafc lights with LED trafc lights. Under the Greenlights Program USF has replaced inefcient light xtures across campus. High efciency chillers have been installed, heat pipes on high OA systems have received additional insulation, the conversion of the chilled water distribution system from primary/secondary to variable primary has recovered lost energy, and return ducts are insulated to help conserve energy. Another ongoing project is roof replacements, with new highly reective surfaces. (Energy)

Green Building There have been major renovations to several buildings including the Chemistry, Education, Science Center, and Kopp. Several roofs have been replaced with high insulation and reectivity values. Sunscreens are being installed on southern window exposures, along with high efciency glass. USF has built several buildings to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certied, Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions on the Tampa Campus; Interdisciplinary Science on the Tampa Campus; Science and Technology Building on the St. Petersburg Campus; USF Polytechnic Phase I on the Lakeland Campus; as well as the Wellness and Nutrition Center on the Tampa Campus. (Green Building)

Student Green Energy Fund Projects In April 2012 the Student Green Energy Fund Council selected ve new sustainability projects. These ve approved projects for energy conservation have been awarded a total of $269,510. A proposal from Housing and Residential Services was awarded $12,340, which will install light controls at Cypress Hall, which Recycling & Waste Management will dim or brighten the lights. These light controls will use Efforts are underway to purchase Energy Star computers ambient light to adjust the brightness. The brighter it is outside and equipment, ex fuel purchases for the university vehicles, the dimmer the light; the darker it gets outside the brighter the and an emphasis on the importance of sustainability to USF lights. A $50,000 project to reduce electricity consumption will vendors in the competitive bidding process. Physical plant currently purchases Green Seal Certied products for cleaning use cutting edge technology to manage desktop computers on campus. New software would be installed in campus throughout the university. USF dining halls offer USDA computers, which would allow them to go into sleep mode Organic certied, vegetarian, and vegan options on their when not in use. Juniper-Poplar Halls will also receive menus with implementation of tray less dining saving 32,992 gallons of water per academic year, as well as providing the use upgrades in their heating, ventilation and cooling system. This project will cost $104,760 and will require a 30-day installation of reusable tableware and recyclable cups. Grease is also collected from the restaurants and taken by Darling Restaurant after an energy assessment is performed to determine how much energy could be saved through the new system. $24,320 Services or Filtafry, which recycles it for biodiesel to power is being given to 15 more water fountains designed for efcient automobiles. Waste is collected by Republic and the vendor relling of water bottles, thermoses and other beverage burns garbage solids to generate electricity, scrap metal is containers. The nal project, proposed by Parking and recycled and some food waste is being composted with USF Transportation Services (PATS), will replace existing Grounds department. Online reviews of lesson plans, uorescent lighting in the Crescent Hill Parking Garage with assignments, and policies reduce the necessity for paper with the utilization of Blackboards digital drop box for assignments, energy-saving LED lights. PATS originally requested about $1 million for their project, but the council decided only to fund and other necessary documents. More than 2,000 recycling containers for paper have been instituted on campus. 350 blue them at $78,000, which is enough to replace half of the lights. (Velez) recycling containers were distributed to academic and administrative Tampa campus buildings for recycling plastic

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Patel Center Impact

By: Jake Hoffman

USF has done quite a lot regarding going green however, the biggest step that USF has taken is building The Patel Center for Global Solutions. In January 2011 USF opened the center to focus strictly on the environmental problems the world faces today. The ofce has boosted USF to the forefront of the green movement, because the ofce is now recognized by many, including the Princeton Review as a leader in the sustainability movement. As for the specics of the Patel Center, since their opening in 2011 they have not only devised a strategic plan for incorporating sustainability into the university, but they have begun to implement the plans as well. In this small amount of time, the Patel Center has revamped the Master Plan to focus on smart growth. They have arranged a committee that prepared the universitys rst greenhouse gas inventory and Climate Action Plan, and they have erected the rst eco-friendly (LEED Gold) building on campus, and started a million-dollar Student Green Energy Fund (Carney 2012). These accomplishments are impressive, but as for physical change on the USF campus, the ofce has accomplished that as well. In June 2011, USF began to turn its water fountains into hydration stations, which are used to rell water bottles and reduce the number of harmful plastic bottles on campus. In July 2011, USF started to convert all of the golf carts on campus to solar power, and by November of the same year, $300,000 was awarded to the Student Green Energy Fund for solar projects on campus. One of the biggest accomplishments of the Patel Center has been the removal of all Styrofoam from the USF campus, which is an extremely harmful product that takes many years to biodegrade in landlls. Finally, in April 2012, USF planted 300 new trees to celebrate Arbor Day (Carney 2012). As you can see, in such a short amount of time, USFs new Patel Center has accomplished many of its goals as well as set new ones to strive for.

Other than the changes that have already been implemented, the Patel Center has many projects waiting in its wings. Yogi Goswami, co-director of the Clean Energy Research Center, is working right now to develop new technologies that utilize sunlight, biomass, and other renewable energies. Daniel Yeh, the Associate Professor of Civil Environmental Engineering is investigating energy-efcient ways to treat waste water. At the botanical gardens on the Tampa campus, research and experiments are being conducted which have a focus on on sustainability issues, such as the positive effect of bees on the environment. Kala Vairavamoorthy, the executive director of the Patel Center is now an internationally recognized expert on urban water issues, and is continuing to focus on research across many colleges and departments all over the country. Individual and group efforts are on-going and progressing daily across USF, with much help from the newly built Patel Center. The main goal of the Patel Center is to bring together and integrate the research being done to allow for a more systematic approach to studying issues of resource management (Carney 2012). In Jakes research, he was able to contact and personally interview the Sustainability Program Coordinator for the Patel Center, Zaida Darley. She received her B.A. (cum laude) and M.A. in Applied Anthropology, as well as a Graduate Certicate in Geographic Information Systems from the University of South Florida. She is an environmental archaeologist, whose research interests include water management and the impacts of policy and decision-making processes on natural and cultural resources. Ms. Darley was able to highlight many of the accomplishments of the Patel Center and discussed with him what its like to work with such a progressive movement (Darley 2012).

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Sustainability
By: Irina Dergacheva

The University of South Florida began to incorporate sustainability goals and practices in the schools master plans in 1995 (Sustainability Programs and Initiatives at USF and around the World: History). However, the school did not start making any extreme changes until 2008. Since then the school has continuously expanded its sustainability movement and the school plans to expand their practices across the globe (Sustainability Programs and Initiatives at USF and around the World: Grand Challenge). The University of South Florida has incorporated sustainability in its Strategic Plan and its Tampa Campus Master Plan. The school has also created a policy that extends across the entire university and that focuses on institutional sustainability, so that sustainability can be incorporated into the learning experience of all students. USF has also shown that research is a critical part of its sustainability movement because of the creation of the Patel Center, the worlds rst school of global sustainability. The university has demonstrated that the going green movement at USF is not just a movement that faculty have been assigned to implement, but that it is a school wide movement as well. Students are involved in the movement because of their agreement to the Student Green Energy Fee, and also because students make the decision of what green projects get approved, and after approval, students take the initiatives to carry out those projects (Carney). The majority of the sustainability practices within the USF system are occurring on the Tampa campus. Although the St. Petersburg campus has implemented some sustainable practices, the presence of going green is not as pronounced on this campus. The St. Petersburg campus does not have an ofce dedicated to sustainability and they have not signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The St. Petersburg campus has however shown some commitment to the sustainability movement because of the construction of a LEED building on their campus and also the creation of a Student Green Energy Fund, which was voted for by students (USFSP Should Sign Commitment to Go Green: Guidelines for Making Campus More Eco-friendly Could Push the University). Overall, the Tampa campus has made an impression on the environment because of their sustainability practices, however the school still has a long way to go before it reaches its goal of carbon neutrality in the year 2070 (Darley).

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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Biodiesel: An alternative fuel formulated exclusively for diesel engines; its made from vegetable oil or animal fats. Carbon Footprint: A representation of the effect human activities have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gases produced (measured in units of Carbon Dioxide). Carbon Neutrality: the potential for net carbon emissions to be zero, all else being equal. For operational activity, this would involve some form of offset. The Clean Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator:A tool for compiling an institutional greenhouse gas inventory, or an account of the amounts and sources of emissions of greenhouse gases attributable to the existence and operations of an institution. Climate Action Plan (CAP): is a set of strategies intended to guide community efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Energy Star: Energy Star is a program that evaluates the energy efciency of appliances, house xtures and other home utilities. Co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, the Energy Star program seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by identifying energy efcient appliances, helping Americans save money on utility bills with more energy efcient homes. Greenhouse Gas (GHG): Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chlorouorocarbons (CFCs), hydrochlorouorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone (O3 ), hydrouorocarbons (HFCs), peruorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexauoride (SF6). Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. KHW: KHW are abbreviations for kilowatt hour, a unit of energy. MMBTU: A standard unit of measurement used to denote both the amount of heat energy in fuels and the ability of appliances and air conditioning systems to produce heating or cooling. Organic: USDA Certied Organic foods and farms cannot use most synthetic or petroleum derived pesticides and fertilizers, any irradiation, or sewage sludge. No genetic engineering is allowed. Organic farmers use crop rotation, tilling and natural fertilizers, such as compost.

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Continued from page 15 Sustainable: Meeting the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainability also means that human practices do not result in the permanent damage, alteration or depletion of the environment, ecosystems, species or natural resources. Sustainability: Sustainability refers to a quality and system of life that allows people to meet their current needs without compromising the resources available for future generations to meet their future needs. Therm: A unit of heat equal to 100,000 British thermal units (1.054 108 joules). Water Vapor :The most abundant greenhouse gas, it is the water present in the atmosphere in gaseous form. Water vapor is an important part of the natural greenhouse effect. While humans are not signicantly increasing its concentration, it contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect because the warming inuence of greenhouse gases leads to a positive water vapor feedback. In addition to its role as a natural greenhouse gas, water vapor plays an important role in regulating the temperature of the planet because clouds form when excess water vapor in the atmosphere condenses to form ice and water droplets and precipitation. See greenhouse gas. Xeriscaping: landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Carney, Ann. "Sustainable Leader." USF News. 05 2012: 30-33. Print. This source was a magazine that USF News put out to educate people on the activities going on around the USF campuses. It was used to pull information regarding the aforementioned Patel Center for Sustainability. The Sustainable Leader offers a helpful timeline regarding the large events that have impacted USFs green movement. This source also lists accomplishments and the people that have been inuential along the way. Overall, it isa very helpful outline laid out in a simple manner. This information will be used in the introduction, in the projects section, and also in the section dedicated to the Ofce of sustainability. Darley, Zaida. Personal Interview. 06 10 2012. During this interview, I spoke with Zaida Darley, the Sustainability Program Coordinator for the Patel Center of Sustainability. In the interview we discussed the goals and achievements of the Patel Center since it has been built last year. We also discussed her role in the process. More specically, we discussed the efforts to remove all styrofoam products from the campus and the construction of Hydration Stations around the Tampa campus. Finally, we discussed some of the personal opinions about her favorite parts of working there. The information that was retrieved during the interview will be used in the content of the paper in the interview section, as well as in the section discussing the Ofce of Sustainability.

"Student Green Energy Fund." Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida, Web. 13 June 2012. <http://psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/green-energy-fund/>. The Patel School of Global Sustainability website offers a view into the initiatives and strides that USF has made in their efforts to become one of the top Universities in terms of their green standards. In 1995 USF began working on green efforts by planting trees, and improving many aspects of the campuses. USF established the Ofce of Sustainability in 2009 which oversees a long-term Climate Action Plan to reduce and, eventually, eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the Tampa campus operations and infrastructure. The Student Green Energy Fee is a student fee that is used to help in conserving energy, reducing energy costs, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting renewable energy technologies. The site was important in discovering ways the Student Green Energy Fund is being utilized, and it will be included in the Funds section of the paper. Addresses fee administration, fund management, the proposal and evaluation process, and project management.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Continued from page 17 "Sustainability." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 09 June 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/ >. This source describes what sustainability is and why it is so crucial for the world to be aware of its importance. This web page describes the outcomes of careless living, and it describes the steps that can be taken to prevent disastrous effects. The government regulates this webpage so the page gives great insight into regulations and desired norms. This webpage will be used in the introduction of the white paper. It will be used to dene what sustainability is, and what practices can be done to achieve sustainability. The webpage will allow the audience to understand what it takes to achieve sustainability so that the audience can make an informed decision on the efforts of USF.

University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory FY 2009-2010, USF Ofce of Sustainability. Web. 2011. http://rs.acupcc.org/site_media/uploads/ghg/963-2010-inventoryreports.pdf The publication from the USF Ofce of Sustainability reports the greenhouse gas emissions inventory for the Tampa campus for scal year of 2009-2010. This research is developed by the members of the USF Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee (SISC) to manage USFs climate impact assessment. The Clean Air Cool Planet Campus Carbon Calculator, Version 6.6 was used to produce the data for this report. This reference contains factual data on the usage of energy and production of waste for the Tampa campus. This report reveals the tangible affects of prior initiatives or projects of going green. In addition, It lays the ground work for what needs to be done or area to be focused for sustainable future. In a nutshell, this is where we stand. This information will be used in the section dedicated toward usage.

"USF Sustain-a-bull Efforts." Welcome to CampusDish at the University of South Florida! Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivSouthFlorida/Sustainability/>. This source provides insight into what programs USF is implementing to incorporate sustainability in the area of dinning. The school has focused on several projects in this area including the reduction of consumable products, the enactment of sustainable practices, and the usage of natural food sources. The majority of these projects were implemented in the dinning halls, however these efforts extend much further than the campus because these decisions impact the community as well. All of this information will be used in the section of the white paper that is all about dining.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Continued from page 18 The section titled dining will discuss what USF is doing in terms of serving and preparing food in a manner that is efcient and not wasteful. The information from this source will also describe how the efforts of USF are not just dedicated to reducing waste but also how these implemented changes are helping the actual community.

Velez, Jessica. "Green Fee Council Selects 5 New Sustainability Projects." The Oracle. N.p., 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 13 June 2012. <http://www.usforacle.com/news/green-fee-council-selects-5-new-sustainabilityprojects-1.2724703>. This article by Jessica Velez gives an overview of 5 new sustainability projects that have been approved using the Student Green Energy Fee. These projects total $269,510, and plan to reduce electricity consumption. This article goes into detail of what each project entails, why they are necessary, and the cost of each project. Although not all projects will be completed by the end of the semester they are being worked on. This site is important in discovering ways the Student Green Energy Fund is being utilized. It addresses fee administration, fund management, the proposal and evaluation process, and project management. This information will be used in the funds section of the paper.

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WORKS CITED

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"Academics."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/academics/>. Darley, Zaida. Personal Interview. 06 10 2012. "Designed Environment."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. <http://psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/designed-environment/>. Cash, Jacqui. USF One of Nation's Top Green Colleges. University of South Florida. Web. 5 May 2010. <http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?a=2295>. "Energy."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/energy/>. "Energy Star's Most Efcient Label to Single out Top Performing Products." Electrical Efciency : The Webmagazine about Energy Efciency. Web. 13 June 2012. <http://www.electrical-efciency.com/2011/11/ energy-star%E2%80%99s-most-efcient-label-to-single-out-top-performing-products/>. "Green Building."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 16 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/green-building/>. "Green Stakes." Welcome to CampusDish at the University of South Florida! Web. 15 June 2012. <http:// www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivSouthFlorida/Sustainability/GreenStakes.htm>. Guinn, Christopher. "Punching the Meal Ticket: University to Sign Dining Deal." The Crow's Nest. 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 June 2012. <http://crowsneststpete.com/2012/01/24/punching-the-meal-ticket-university-tosign-dining-deal/>. "Programs."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 16 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/programs/>. "Recycling."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 16 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/recycling/>. "Student Green Energy Fund."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 13 June 2012. <http://psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/green-energy-fund/>. "Student Initiatives."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. < http://psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/student-initiatives/>. "Transportation."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/transportation/>.

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WORKS CITED

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Continued from page 20 "USF Dining Is Styrofoam-Free." University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. <http://news.usf.edu/article/ templates/?a=3572>. "USF President Judy Genshaft Signing American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment." National Center for Transit Research. Web. 12 June 2012. <http://www.nctr.usf.edu/2012/03/going-to-school-ontdm-what-universities-are-doing-for-sustainability-netconference/presidentgenshaftsigning/>. "USF Sustain-a-bull Efforts." Welcome to CampusDish at the University of South Florida! Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivSouthFlorida/Sustainability/>. "USFSP Should Sign Commitment to Go Green: Guidelines for Making Campus More Eco-friendly Could Push the University." The Crow's Nest. 25 Jan. 2012. Web. 05 June 2012. <http://crowsneststpete.com/ 2012/01/25/usfsp-should-sign-commitment-to-go-green-guidelines-for-making-campus-more-eco-friendlycould-push-the-university/>. Velez, Jessica. "Green Fee Council Selects 5 New Sustainability Projects."The Oracle. 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 13 June 2012. <http://www.usforacle.com/news/green-fee-council-selects-5new-sustainability-projects-1.2724703>. University of South Florida Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory FY 2009-2010. Rep. Ofce of Sustainability, 2011. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://rs.acupcc.org/site_media/uploads/ghg/963-2010-inventoryreports.pdf>. "Water."Patel School of Global Sustainability. University of South Florida. Web. 15 June 2012. <http:// psgs.usf.edu/usf-ofce-of-sustainability/initiatives/water/>. "What Is Sustainability? What Is EPA Doing? How Can I Help?" EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 10 June 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm>. "Why Ban Polystyrene Styrofoam?" Why Ban Polystyrene Styrofoam? Web. 12 June 2012. <http:// www.greenmi.net/why-ban-polystyrene-styrofoam/>.