GOING GREENER TASK FORCE
BEN REDEKOP CHAIR
CHIP FILER
RACHEL FREEMAN
DAVID GUGLIELMO
JIM HANCHETT
BRIAN KELLEY
LINDA MANNING
PHILIP MELILLLO
Going Greener Comprehensive Report
October 2023 - June 2025
Background
The Zero Carbon Task Force first met in November and December 2022 and January 2023. Our goal was to create a blueprint for a CNU Climate Action Plan (CAP) that would be presented to the incoming CNU President. Task force participants included CNU students, faculty and staff. The result of the task force’s work was a 6-page white paper presented to President Kelly on Oct. 23, 2023. The report included data on sustainability efforts already in place at CNU, both academically and operationally, as well as data on CAPs at peer institutions. President Kelly offered strong support and suggested we call the initiative “Going Greener at CNU” and launch it in January 2024. Since then, we have made considerable progress on sustainability efforts at CNU. This report describes initiatives and achievements between October 23, 2023 and June 12, 2025.
1. Energy
As part of the Going Greener Task Force, the Energy Working Group is responsible for increasing campus-wide energy efficiency and reducing our environmental impact. The coordinated efforts of this group include many departments across campus and consist of adjustments, replacements and upgrades to mechanical systems, refinements of occupancy schedules and building use patterns, and installation of high-efficiency lighting and BAS programming. Data has been measured and verified using EnergyCAP, utility meters and bills, and utility-grade submeters.
Energy Efficiency Projects:
● DSU Kitchen Exhaust Hood Controls: A control system installed that uses temperature and optic sensors to modulate the speed of kitchen exhaust hoods. Reduces energy consumption when the kitchen is not in use. Result: 9.8% reduction in DSU electricity consumption.
McMurran Advanced Occupancy/HVAC Building Controls: Links the building automation and lighting control systems to monitor occupancy and maximize efficiency by allowing individual rooms to operate in occupied, standby, or unoccupied settings. Result: 16.6% reduction in McMurran energy consumption.
Ferguson Parking Garage LED Upgrades: Replaced high-wattage metal halide lights with high-efficiency LEDs with dimming controls. Result: 41.3% reduction in electricity consumption.
Boiler Replacements: Old non-condensing boilers at Ratcliffe and Trible Library replaced with high-efficiency condensing boilers that allow the heating system to be operated at a lower temperature and consume less natural gas. Result: significant reduction in natural gas consumption (details TBD).
Parking Lot and Campus Bollard Light Upgrades: Replaced high-wattage metal halide lights with high-efficiency LEDs with dimming controls. Result: significant reduction in electricity consumption.
Campus-wide Mechanical System and Occupancy Schedule Refinement: Mechanical systems and building occupancy patterns were monitored, analyzed, and adjusted to optimize building performance and energy efficiency. Overall campus energy savings (all of the above): 7.4%.
McMurran
Ferguson Parking Garage
Ratcliffe Boilers
Trible Library Boilers
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Moving Forward
As part of our efforts to enhance campus environmental sustainability, the Energy Working Group will continue to explore and implement measures to increase operational efficiencies. We have partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy and joined the Better Buildings Challenge, through which we have committed to reduce our energy consumption by 20%. Upcoming energy efficiency projects include:
● Complete building LED upgrades at York East and West and Potomac North and South during the Summer of ’25, anticipated reduction of 900,000 kWh per annum electricity usage.
● Boiler upgrades and integrated heat-recovery equipment at Forbes.
● Fume hood and building pressurization system replacement at Forbes.
● Installing electrical submeters to acquire more granular building-level energy consumption data.
● Implementing advanced analytics programs to optimize the central chiller plant performance.
● See Future Plans section below for further information on future energy savings projects.
2. Waste, Grounds, and Water
The Waste, Grounds, and Water Working Group of the Going Greener Task Force includes individuals from numerous departments on campus; including facilities, dining, grounds, athletics, residence life, housing, and more. The goal of the group is to enhance overall sustainability initiatives on campus to include waste reduction and reuse, proper recycling procedures and communication through enhanced signage and outreach, sustainable landscaping practices, and water reduction. This is a collaborative effort to design and implement solutions and measure the impact of programs.
Updates
Campus-Wide Achievement:
● AASHE STARS Bronze: This sustainability report allows CNU to measure sustainability performance across a broad range of categories, including academics, engagement, operations, and planning. The tool evaluates current initiatives and compares those with similar universities to see areas for improvement. This is the University’s first submission and will be used as a foundation to guide future submissions at least every 3 years.
Waste Initiatives:
● Standardized Recycling Signage Progress: over 100 frames with signs hung in the Trible Library, Luter, and Forbes to improve recycling communication on campus.
● Zero Waste Football: 55% diversion rate achieved for the last game through composting and recycling, with progress made throughout the season.
● Green2Go Reusable Take-out Program: 112,517 verified returns with a 96.2% return rate accomplished this year for Fall and Spring semesters, with estimated savings of $49,507.58 for the year. Since the program started in Fall 2023, it has eliminated over 230,000 disposable containers.
● 2025 GiveItUP Move-out donation: 3,636 lbs of donations collected that were distributed to Goodwill and the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank.
● Soap and paper towel dispensers: Replaced older motion sensor battery models with 500 solar-powered soap dispensers and 500 pull-down paper towel dispensers, eliminating the use of approximately 6,000 batteries over the year and reducing costs.
● Water refill station counts: Used over 218,000 times from August to May 2025, with each count the equivalent of a 20-oz bottle. 25 public-facing stations were included for the count, with over 40 total stations located throughout all campus buildings.
● Green cleaning: Cleaning products in all E&G buildings use environmentally safe chemicals and utilize refill stations to eliminate the use of excess bottle waste.
Graphs and Data
Zero Waste Football Statistics by Game
Green2Go Statistics
Grounds Initiatives:
● Electric grounds equipment: Through the Redekop Family Endowment, electric equipment purchased includes 1 push mower, 1 riding mower, and 20 hand-held equipment, including electric blowers and weed wackers.
● Landscape debris composting: The grounds department separates leaves and branches to deliver to the Remote Operations Center in Newport News for composting, with approximately 8 tons sent over the year. An additional 30 tons of compost have also been sent to a facility in Williamsburg for the year.
● MS4 Stormwater Plan: Updated the campus stormwater plan in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
Water initiatives:
● Water competitions: Although a competition was not conducted this year, previous competitions were conducted in March 2023 and 2024 within the main campus residence halls to encourage reduction, with plans to revise the campaign to occur in the fall.
● Water usage: Overall average water usage per month has increased last year, and we are in the process of analyzing trends and developing new programs to reduce this.
Next Steps
The Waste, Grounds, and Water Working Group will continue to maintain, enhance, and create new initiatives, including:
● Bin infrastructure improvements: Bin replacements proposed for the Freeman Center Arena and Concourse, and a separate project for the bins in the DSU first floor and Crow’s Nest. Discussions with departments and potential sponsors are expected over the summer for bin infrastructure enhancement projects.
● Recycling gamification: Included in the Freeman proposal to Coke includes an AI app and AI TV screen from Data Company One to educate individuals on proper recycling. An individual uses the app to take a picture of an item and the AI technology directs them to the proper bin. Points are earned and can be redeemed for digital gift cards by recycling correctly.
● Signage: Signage to be hung in McMurran, Torggler, Christopher Newport Hall, CNU Administration Building, and Ratcliffe. An analysis of outdoor bins will also be conducted.
● Cardboard separation: Source separation of cardboard in back-of-house operations to to processors for potential profit or rebates.
● Compost: Analysis of potential grant opportunities for an in-vessel composting system.
● STARS: Review of credits to determine feasible areas for improvement for a 2nd submission anticipated in October 2027 to pursue a Silver or Gold rating. Collaboration with departments to create Standard Operating Procedures.
3. Education, Research, Campus Culture
The Education, Research, and Campus Culture Working Group has made significant progress in supporting Christopher Newport University’s commitment to achieving a net-zero future. With a mission focused on expanding sustainability literacy, fostering research opportunities, and embedding environmental awareness into campus culture, the group has advanced several cross-cutting initiatives that connect academic inquiry, community engagement, and daily life at CNU.
Key Accomplishments in AY 2024-2025
1. Campus Events and Engagement
The group organized a range of events in partnership with the Center for Sustainability in Education (CSE), aimed at educating and involving students, staff, and faculty in sustainability practices:
● Instagram Messaging: The CSE’s Instagram account (@sustaincnu) has over 1,000 followers and posts at least three times a week. Regular campaigns include Stormwater Monday (educated the community about best practices–116 likes/views), Feature Friday (highlighted team member achievements–485 likes/views), and Sustainability Sunday (raised awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)–445 likes/views).
Involvement Fair: CSE staff connected with 50+ students for employment by the Center, involvement in events, and additions to our monthly newsletter.
FallFest: Promoted upcycling by converting t-shirts into tote bags for 70+ students
Plant Yourself Up 4 Success: Co-hosted with SGA to promote mental and environmental health by teaching about propagating plants (150+ students participated).
Newport News Green Foundation Nature Clean Ups: Promoted and participated in 6 NNGF-led green space clean-ups in the community.
Climate Jeopardy at the Wason Center Captain’s Vote event: Combined civic engagement and environmental education for students and community visitors.
Coffee with the CSE: Increased informal access to sustainability dialogue by hosting a weekly coffee hour in the Einstein conference room. The CSE staff was visited by 20+ students interested in learning more about sustainability.
Panhellenic Clothing Swap: Engaged with 7 Greek organizations to connect the UN SDGs with their philanthropies.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Mixer: The CSE connected with one of the D9 sororities for a terracotta pot-painting event, as sustainability is one of their core values.
APO Project Snoopy: Collaborative service project to promote sustainability and volunteerism. 60 students upcycled t-shirts into 100+ dog toys for the local SPCA.
Reiff Center Speaker Event: Environmental anthropologist Hilda Llorenz of the University of Delaware spoke to over 100 students about her research on the effects of climate change.
Art(S)cience Festival: In three evenings of storytelling, performance, and dialogue, the festival showcased how creative and scientific practices can inspire advocacy, action, and meaningful change.
PLP “Leadershop” Event: Collaborated with PLP to host a sustainability simulation, where 25 PLP students learned how to lead and work together to make eco-conscious business decisions.
● 2nd Annual Earth Day Festival: A campus-wide collaborative sustainability event with campus and Hampton Roads community partners.
Sustainability Pageant: Collaborated with CAB to host a pageant centered around sustainable fashion and the UN SDGs. 80+ students attended the event and many organizations participated.
2. Sustainability Fellows Research and Other Projects and Internships
The CSE supported undergraduate research fellows addressing environmental and social intersections. Their research was presented at Paideia:
● Emily Griffin: Studied sustainable, storm-resistant housing in response to climate-exacerbated weather risks (Dr. Johnny Finn, Faculty Mentor).
● Abbie Domingue: Led outreach events in partnership with the City of Newport News and supported the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Initiative (Ms. Jennifer Privette, City of Newport News Sustainability Manager, Community Partner).
Rotation interns completed tangible, applied sustainability projects:
● Megan Mumford: Created GIS and ArcGIS story maps for campus and partner schools.
● Charlie Smallshaw: Researched and scoped a campus bike-share program.
● Sarah Thomas: Designed a mental health and sustainability program for fall finals week.
● Laura Jamborsky: Led the SDG “Sustainability Sunday” social media campaign.
● Zachary Summer: Coordinated zero-waste football games, promoting sustainable event practices.
● Connor McClung: Continued work on redesigning the CNU Community Garden.
3. Sustainability Research & Collaboration
Led by Dr. Rob Atkinson, CNU continued its public science research initiative, Fear to Hope, and expanded partnerships with academic programs, city government, and the CSE SustainabiliTEAM, a student leadership network spanning marketing, data, and peer education roles.
● Fear to Hope: An interdisciplinary public science initiative that brings together middle and high school students, teachers, and CNU mentors to conduct real-world environmental research. Originally focused on studying salt tolerance in Atlantic White Cedars, the program has expanded in Year 4 to include a new shoreline restoration research component at Ragged Island, focusing on marsh grass resilience and habitat protection.
● Wide Reach: 28 schools participated this year, including 12 Virginia schools and 16 schools from out of state, ranging from Maine to Texas.
● Mentorship: 24 CNU student mentors supported classrooms, guided experiments, and provided scientific and peer mentoring throughout the academic year.
● Field Trips: Multiple class field trips to Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge were conducted, giving students direct exposure to wetland ecosystems and the impacts of climate change.
● Research Symposium: High school students presented their research posters to environmental professionals and CNU faculty.
● ORCA Passport to Research Event: Representatives from each college talked about how their research aligned with the UN SDGs, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability research.
● Ferguson Arts Garden: Researched ways to implement sustainability and native plants in a redesign of the Hillow Atrium.
4. Student Sustainability Commission Initiatives
● The Student Sustainability Commission (SSC) continues to collect soft plastic in the collection bins placed around campus. They are well over halfway to their goal of 1000 lbs of soft plastic, which will be recycled into a bench to be donated to our campus by the NexTrex collection company.
● In April, the SSC hosted a panel as part of the Hampton Roads Social Justice Conference. They brought together several activists and researchers who focus on the effects of climate change on the Hampton Roads homeless population. 60 people attended this panel.
● The SSC continues to monitor their previous projects, including: the specialty recycling bins in the Freeman Center, Trible Library, and DSU, and the free laundry detergent sheets program offered to students in main-campus residence halls.
Looking Ahead: Fall 2025 and Beyond
Building on its momentum, the Education, Research, and Campus Culture Working Group plans to:
● Launch the SCHEV-approved Undergraduate Certificate in Sustainability (Fall 2025).
● Work with Grounds to develop an urban forest planting at the former location of CNU North.
● Deploy a revised Sustainability Survey to gauge awareness and compare with previous years (AY 14-15, AY 21–22, AY 22–23, AY 24-25).
4. Alumni/Advancement/Outreach/Communication Highlights
● The newly minted CNU Strategic Compass highlights environmental sustainability in Priority IV - Build a Foundation to Thrive. “CNU will foster an environmentally sustainable campus and use its natural resources in an environmentally conscious way.”
● Going Greener ‘24 Website features regular updates on sustainability initiatives. $250,000 initial gift for the Going Greener initiative by the Redekop Family Endowment.
● Revolving Green Fund established in Fall 2024 (RGF projects discussed further in point 5 below). This is a 3-year, $3,000,000 gift from the Redekop Family Endowment for the Revolving Green Fund announced Fall 2024; the first $1,000,000 has been received and deployed.
● Over $1000 has been raised via CNU Day giving in 2024 and 2025.
● Sustainability Panel on Live at Lunch Alumni Podcast. Monday, April 21, 2025, Alumni House. Rachel Freeman, Dr. Linda Manning, Dr. Benjamin Redekop.
● LEED certification plaques installed on the Trible Library addition and Christopher Newport Hall.
● Bill Kelly Wednesday Walk for Sustainability, Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
● Numerous stories and ongoing coverage of Going Greener events and projects in various media by Jim Hanchett / OCPR.
5. Current Revolving Green Fund Projects
CNU administrative and accounting staff have created a working project payback system in which th cost savings from RGF-funded projects are credited back into the RGF over time until the total projec has been recaptured (minus a small administrative fee), for redeployment in the service of new proje This is a crucial component in the overall Going Greener initiative; many thanks to those involved.
David Student Union - Kitchen Hood Exhaust Control System
● Project cost: $113,000
● ROI: 5.9 years
● Energy reduction impact: 360,968 kWh per annum
● Greenhouse Gas reductions: 87 metric tons of CO2 per annum
● Direct projected savings: $19,000 / per annum
● Actual 1-year saving (including indirect savings): $56,960
York River Hall East and West - LED Lighting Project
● Project cost: $471,922
● ROI: 10.5 years
● Energy reduction projected savings: 499,371 kWh per annum
● Greenhouse Gas projected reductions: 298 metric tons of CO2
● Projected savings: $44,943 / per annum
Potomac River North and South - LED Lighting Project
● Project cost: $467,308
● ROI: 9.5 years
● Energy reduction projected savings: 546,337 kWh per annum
● Greenhouse Gas projected reductions: 326 metric tons of CO2 per annum
● Projected savings: $49,170 per annum
Ferguson Parking Garage - LED Lighting Project
● Project cost: $70,000
● ROI: 10.39 YEARS
● Energy reduction projected savings: 74,847 kWh per annum
● Greenhouse Gas projected reductions: 130 metric tons of CO2 per annum
● Projected savings: $6,736 per annum
6. Future Plans
The Strategic Compass' inclusion of sustainability goals will further enhance existing Going Greener efforts as Strategic Plan groups begin their work. The new “net-zero” Facilities Headquarters is in the planning phase. Plans are being made to expand the LED replacement program to other dorms and to assess the structural integrity of various sites for solar energy installations. CNU has yet to formally adopt a net-zero GG emissions target. It will be useful to consider setting this kind of goal. Finally, the Redekop Family Endowment is poised to donate the remaining $2,000,000 of its gift to the Revolving Green Fund, as suitable projects come online.
