Campus Sustainability Plan SEPT2018 - Connecticut College
Connecticut CollegeCampus Sustainability Plan2018 – 2028
Table of ContentsFrom the President . 3From the Office of Sustainability . 3Timeline of Sustainability Milestones . 4Plan Overview . 5Energy and Climate . 6Academics and Education . 8Campus Operations . 10Planning and Construction . 12Administration . 14Implementation Plan . 16Acknowledgements . 17About Connecticut CollegeConnecticut College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college inthe historic seaport of New London. Our 750-acre arboretum campusoverlooks Long Island Sound and the Thames River. Founded in1911, the College enrolls 1,800 students from across the country andaround the world. We offer more than 1,000 courses in 30 academicdepartments and more than 40 traditional majors. Close to 55 percentof our students study abroad, and nearly 80 percent participate in thepaid summer internship program. Graduates are creative, adaptivethinkers prepared to take on complex challenges with an academicfoundation rooted in integrated study, research opportunities andservice learning.The College completed its first STARS assessment in spring 2018 andreceived a Silver rating in March.2
From the PresidentConnecticut College has a long and distinguished history of environmental conservation and stewardship, a legacy thathas been recently strengthened through a renewed focus on sustainability. The College’s strategic plan, Building onStrength, includes a number of goals and objectives designed to develop our commitment to environmentally responsible,economically viable, and socially just policies and practices. This Campus Sustainability Plan offers the logical next step: acomprehensive set of actions that the College will undertake to achieve its ambitious sustainability goals.This year, for the first time, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education awardedConnecticut College a Silver ranking within its Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment, Rating System (STARS). The selfassessment submitted by the College was helpful in identifying where we have been successful in promoting sustainabilityand where we need and want to do more. This Plan describes all that we want to do. It provides a roadmap for the nextten years to integrate sustainability more fully into the campus culture and to reduce the College’s environmental impact.The mission of Connecticut College is to put the liberal arts into action. This Campus Sustainability Plan requirescollective action. I look forward to working with every member of this community on achieving its most worthy goals.Katherine Bergeron, PresidentFrom the Office of SustainabilityConnecticut College is committed to a broad view of sustainability, recognizing the inherent interconnectedness of ourenvironment, society and economy. Thus, sustainability is a framework for discovering economically sound, socially just,and environmentally favorable solutions to local and global challenges. Sustainability is closely tied to the mission ofConnecticut College and the underlying themes are clearly articulated in the core values of the College, which are:Academic excellence, Diversity, equity and shared governance, Education of the entire person, Adherence to commonethical and moral standards, Community service and global citizenship and Environmental stewardship.The College has long been a leader in both environmental stewardship and social justice. Starting in 2011, with thehiring of the first Sustainability Coordinator, the College committed to this broad view of sustainability – with therecognition that the wellbeing of both the environment and people are critical to the continued thriving of the college, aswell as society and the planet. Since 2011, the Connecticut College’s focus on sustainability has continued to develop. InMay 2013, the College published its first Sustainability Plan outlining fourteen priorities for the next few years. One ofthese was the development of an Office of Sustainability, realized just months later in the fall of 2013. The Office is nowco-led by the Assistant Director of Sustainability and the Suzi Oppenheimer ’56 Faculty Director. Each year severalteams of students, each led by a student Senior Fellow, carry out projects in many different areas of sustainability.In parallel with developing this sustainability strategic plan, the Office of Sustainability and the Environmental ModelCommittee collaborated to collect data and assess our current status in a range of areas related to sustainability. Wesubmitted these data to the STARS sustainability rating system of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainabilityin Higher Education (AASHE) and in March 2018, Connecticut College earned a Silver STARS rating. A major focus ofthis sustainability strategic plan over the next three years is to make sufficient progress to earn a Gold STARS rating by2021.3
Sustainability Milestones4
Plan OverviewThe Campus Sustainability Plan is intended as a comprehensive vision for advancing sustainability at ConnecticutCollege over the next 10 years. Each focus area has both broad goals and specific action items that will contribute tothe transformation of our campus. An implementation plan at the end of this document breaks down a timeline forachieving these goals over ten years.The focus areas and goals are:1. Energy and Climate1.1. Utilize more efficient forms of energy generation1.2. Increase energy efficiency and conservation at the College through systems upgrades and by increasingawareness of energy issues among students, faculty and staff1.3. Develop renewable and cleaner sources of energy production to reduce emissions by 5 percent1.4. Permanently protect the Arboretum for habitat conservation and carbon sequestration1.5. Develop a detailed Climate Action Plan based on this plan2. Academics and Education2.1. Educate students, faculty and staff on sustainability and the connections between social, economic andenvironmental justice2.2. Increase awareness of sustainability policies, practices and accomplishments at the College2.3. Incorporate sustainability more broadly into the curriculum2.4. Provide access to the College's sustainability-related data for use in courses2.5. Expand and strengthen reciprocal partnerships with sustainability related community organizations3. Campus Operations3.1. Reduce total waste by 20 percent by 2028 from the 2017 baseline3.2. Reduce water consumption on campus by 5 percent by 2023 and 8 percent by 2028 from the 2017 baseline3.3. Increase the amount of local, organic and fair trade food purchased across campus to 10 percent by 2023 and20 percent by 2028 from a 2017 baseline of 5.86 percent3.4. Increase the percentage of sustainable and fair labor practice goods purchased by the College4. Planning and Construction4.1. Create sustainable residential facilities4.2. Improve the health and sustainability of the arboretum campus landscape4.3. Expand and develop programs to support the use of sustainable forms of transportation4.4. Increase campus accessibility for those with limited mobility5. Administration5.1. Use our investments to support a just and sustainable society5.2. Increase the Sustainability Revolving Fund to 1 million by 20235.3. Promote an equitable work environment5.4. Improve the efficiency of our workforce and reduce paper use5.5. Expand and strengthen support for the Office of Sustainability and campuswide sustainability coordination5
Energy and ClimateReduce carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2025.Energy use impacts both air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, negatively impacting both the environmentand communities. Shifting to cleaner energy sources and decreasing energy usage will enable Connecticut Collegeto reduce its environmental and social impacts while providing financial benefits over time. In the past decade,the College has updated its central steam plant and installed geothermal wells to heat and cool New LondonHall, leading to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015, the United States committed to reducingcarbon emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025. Although the federal government has since stepped back from thispledge, in May 2017 we joined with hundreds of academic institutions, municipalities, and businesses to showour support for the Paris Climate Agreement when President Bergeron signed the We Are Still In pledge. Thisplan outlines the actions we will take to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy use to reach thattarget.GoalsAction Items1.1 Utilize more efficient forms of energy generation1.1.1 Install efficient on-site electricity generation andinterconnect campus to form a microgrid1.2 Increase energy efficiency and conservation at theCollege through systems upgrades and byincreasing awareness of energy issues amongstudents, faculty and staff2.1 Undertake at least 750,000 in energy efficiencyprojects by 2025, focusing on lighting and otherprojects with short payback time2.2 Use building level data to identify times when lowuse buildings can be "closed" to conserve energy2.3 Consolidate building use to reduce the number ofsmaller, less efficient buildings2.4 Implement existing Sustainability BuildingGuidelines for all renovation and building projectsover 1 million2.5 Add smart submeters to all buildings on campusover 5,000 square feet and publicize the datacollectedFrom 2013-2017 the Collegereduced energy use by14%per square foot6
GoalsAction Items3.1 Conduct feasibility studies for a variety ofrenewable energy options to reduce natural gasusage, including at a minimum biogas andgeothermal3. Develop renewable energy and clean energyalternatives campus3.2 Implement the selected renewable energy option(s)at a scale to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by atleast 5 percent3.3 Include solar arrays and/or green roofs as astandard part of roofing and parking lot projects4.1 Permanently protect at least 400 acres of theArboretum through deed restrictions or other legalmeans4. Permanently protect the Connecticut CollegeArboretum for both habitat conservation andcarbon sequestration4.2 Conduct assessment of carbon sequestration in theArboretum and retire offset credits5. Develop a detailed Climate Action Plan basedon this planCurrent ProgressIn 2018, Connecticut Collegecompleted greenhouse gasinventories for FY2013 andFY2017. From 2013-2017,the college saw a 3.5%decrease in carbon emissions.The renovation of NewLondon Hall, an overhaul ofthe steam plant, and lightingand efficiency upgradescontributed to this decrease.The figure to the right showsthe major sources of ourcampus emissions.Carbon Emissions Breakdown FY20170.1%4.6%1.5%2.5%On-Campus SteamGeneration5.7%Purchased Electricity38.3%Campus FleetFaculty CommutingStaff Commuting47.3%Solid WasteTransmission & DistributionLosses7
Academics and EducationIntegrate sustainability into the campus culture.Sustainability is implicit in Connecticut College’s mission and core values. An understanding of sustainabilityand the interconnectedness of environment, society and economy is key to educating students (and faculty andstaff) to “put the liberal arts in action as citizens in a global society.” Ultimately it is through education thatConnecticut College can have the greatest impact on the sustainability of our world. As our students take whatthey learn into their lives and careers, they help increase the sustainability of individuals, organizations andcommunities throughout the world. This education includes the formal curriculum as well as opportunities andexperiences outside the classroom, both on and off campus. Our overall goal is for sustainability to be morebroadly integrated in both the formal and informal learning at the College for all members of the campuscommunity.Goals1. Educate students, faculty and staff aboutsustainability and the connections between social,economic and environmental justiceAction Items1.1 Implement diversity, cultural literacy andsustainability training for all new faculty and staff,phase in training for current employees andenhance current trainings for students1.2 Implement a peer-to-peer sustainability educationprogram for faculty and staff1.3 Administer a campus sustainability literacy andclimate survey every two years1.4 Have a major sustainability awareness campaigneach academic year1.5 Work with Residential Education Fellows andother existing programs to include sustainability intheir events2. Increase awareness of sustainability policies,practices and accomplishments at the College2.1 Update and bring all sustainable building andoperations policies through official approvalchannels and then publicize them to the campus2.2 Prepare an annual sustainability report thatincludes progress toward goals2.3 Create a standard design for and installsustainability signage across campus2.4 Achieve a STARS Gold rating by 20218
Goals3. Incorporate sustainability more broadly into thecurriculumAction Items3.1 Incorporate learning objectives related tosustainability into Connections and/or individualmajors3.2 Develop a recurring, week long summer workshopfor faculty interested in including sustainabilitymore fully in their courses3.3 Develop a network of alumni working insustainability-related fields willing to connect withthe College and include more connections withalumni working in sustainability into classes3.4 Develop a first-year seminar (FYS) module onsustainability that engages students with thecampus’ sustainable features4. Provide access to the College's sustainability-relateddata for use in courses4.1 Develop a system for tracking and reportingsustainability data and make these data accessibleto the campus community4.2 Adopt the model of "campus as a living lab" toincorporate building design and construction,energy use, and other sustainability data intocoursework5. Expand and strengthen reciprocal partnerships withsustainability related community organizations5.1 Assess and document current sustainabilitypartnerships, with an initial focus on food relatedprograms5.2 Use completed assessment to choose key existingor potential community partners in the areas offood, education and social innovation and furtherdevelop these partnerships5.3 Implement the College's Civic Action PlanFrom 2016-2018the College offered over165courses that includesustainability5.4 Develop processes for including communitystakeholders in campus construction andinfrastructure projects5.5 Establish a full-time position to coordinate anddevelop partnerships in the area of sustainablefood, assist with the advising of the Sprout Gardenand teach related courses in the BotanyDepartment9
Campus OperationsReduce the environmental impact of the College’soperations.Operating a campus necessarily comes with an environmental impact from the everyday use of buildings andresources. The more than 2,600 daily users of our campus create 800 tons of waste, use 35 million gallons ofwater, and consume more than 620,000 meals in our dining halls each year. The goals in this focus area areintended to reduce the consumption of these resources at the College and to redirect our purchasing towardmore sustainable food, goods and services. The specific action items outlined below are meant only as first stepstoward reducing our environmental impact. The College will continue to monitor the possibilities for large-scaleprojects as new technology, composting facilities and funding become available. Achievement of the goals in thisarea will also be strongly tied to successfully educating community members to engage in habits that conserveresources. The College has already begun to make significant efforts to improve the sustainability of itsoperations, and through this plan we hope to continue making changes that reduce the environmental impact ofthe College and improve the quality of our community.Goals1. Reduce total waste by 20 percent by 2028 froma 2017 baselineAction Items1.1 Install standard, highly visible signage at all pairedrecycling and trash bins1.2 Minimize the use of paper towels in bathrooms byremoving paper towel dispensers and installinghand driers where appropriate1.3 Follow green building standards for constructionand demolition waste recycling on all constructionand renovation projects1.4 Expand the reach of the Office Swap program byestablishing a permanent office-supply closet andby creating a catalog in the forthcomingeProcurement system1.5 Implement food-waste tracking software in thedining hallsIn 2017 the College diverted47%of its waste fromthe incinerator1.6 Maximize the efficiency of existing cateringresources by providing the office with the right offirst refusal for catering at on-campus events, andbetter communicate how to properly submit ordersto prevent over-ordering1.7 Set up a system for collecting small amounts ofcompost from events, student-run coffee shops andindependent living facilities10
Goals2. Reduce water consumption on campus by 5percent by 2023 and 8 percent by 2028 from a2017 baselineAction Items2.1 Replace the dishwashing machine in Harris with anewer, more efficient model2.2 Adapt or replace toilets, faucets and showerheadswith low-flow fixtures2.3 Implement an education campaign around waterconservation2.4 Install water meters on residential buildings totrack the impact of water conservation projects andeducation campaigns2.5 Collect rainwater and/or greywater for irrigation,landscaping and gardening3. Increase the amount of local, organic and fairtrade food purchased across campus to 10percent by 2023 and 20 percent by 2028 from a2017 baseline of 5.86 percent3.1 Increase Dining Services food budget toaccommodate purchasing more locally orregionally grown, organic and fair trade food3.2 Formalize a partnership between the SproutGarden and Dining to produce specific items forthe dining halls, such as herbs4. Increase the percentage of sustainable and fairlabor practice goods purchased by the College4.1 Gather information to establish a baseline for whatpercentage of goods the College purchased inFY2018 were sustainable and/or fair labor4.2 Include sustainability education in theProcurement Services training program4.3 Establish and use recognized "green" and"recycled" symbols and designations in theproposed eProcurement system and make thoseitems the default optionFrom 2013-2017 the Collegeachieved a10%reduction in water use4.4 Include sustainability initiatives in supplierquarterly business review meetings and investigateopportunities to reduce packaging and loweremissions by redesigning delivery schedules withsupply partners4.5 Join the Fair Labor Association or Workers RightsConsortium11
Planning and ConstructionEmbed sustainability in the campus landscape, buildings andinfrastructure.The College landscape has been continually changing since its founding over a century ago. Over
The Campus Sustainability Plan is intended as a comprehensive vision for advancing sustainability at Connecticut College over the next 10 years. Each focus area has both broad goals and specific action items that will contribute to . program for faculty and staff 1.1 Implement diversity, cultural literacy and sustainability training for all .
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on-going initiatives include: UCONN 2000 & 21st Century UConn, Next Generation Connecticut, and Bioscience Connecticut. The main campus is located in Storrs, Connecticut and regional campuses are located in the following Connecticut towns: Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury, and West Hartford.
1.3. Why Develop a Sustainability Plan? 5 1.4. Relationship to Other ICLEI Tools and Programs 6 1.5. Lessons Learned from NYC 7 2. Scope of a Sustainability Plan 8 2.1. Sustainability Plans vs. Climate Action Plans 8 2.2. Typical Elements of a Sustainability Plan 10 3. Overview of the Five Milestones for Sustainability 11 4. Forming a Team 16
1.2 Final Report on the Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2009 – 2014 In 2008, the Sustainability Action Plan: Campus Operations 2009 – 2014 was prepared to guide the university’s efforts toward greater sustainability in its operations. Along with its goals and actions, the Plan
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