ten things we did in five years UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS CENTER FOR SUSTAINABILITY
2012–2017
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR In the fall of 2009, faculty, staff, and students representing over 40 campus departments and organizations across campus worked together to articulate a vision for a more sustainable KU. Through the leadership of Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little these collective efforts became the foundation for our first campus sustainability plan, Building Sustainable Traditions. Released nearly 2 years after those initial discussions, this plan captures the efforts of over 150 members of the campus community to create a campus empowered to make decisions that protect our natural ecosystems, create economic prosperity, and treat all people with equality and respect. Like the plan itself, the progress made since it was published represents the efforts of individuals, departments, and organizations throughout campus working together to create change. And although the accomplishments outlined here, and in the 2016 update to Building Sustainable Traditions, highlight just some of the milestones reached in the past 5 years, they reflect over a decade of work by students, faculty, and staff to advance sustainability at KU. As we reflect on these past 5 years, I am grateful for the many Jayhawks who have contributed to sustainability initiatives at KU. And, I look forward to continuing to work together to create a more just and sustainable future for our campus. Sincerely,
Jeff Severin, Director Center for Sustainability
0
01
SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING Since 2014, KU has offered single stream recycling. One bin, all recyclables!
eliminating the guesswork of sorting has helped us recycle over
600
tons each year
02 KU ATHLETICS + RECYCLING
In Fall 2013, KU Athletics joined forces with KU Recycling to bring recycling AND composting to games at Memorial Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse.
This helps us divert
35% of material from
memorial stadium and nearly
50% at allen fieldhouse
SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATE In spring 2016, KU launched its undergraduate Sustainability Certificate, making it possible for students from any major to participate in experiential learning in sustainability.
OREAD PROJECT
In May 2013, KU held its first faculty workshop focused on developing sustainability curriculum. As of fall 2016, 2100 students have taken one of more than 40 classes influenced by the Oread Project.
05
CROPS TO CAMPUS
5
The University launched Crops to Campus, a workplace CSA, in spring 2015. The program promotes employee wellness and working with local vendors, not to mention sustainable agriculture.
06
LED LIGHTING
building retrofits
By retrofitting lighting in
classrooms, auditoriums, & buildings,
the total estimated annual energy saving is almost
9 8 3 ,0 0 0 kWh and $72 ,0 0 0
BUILDINGS INCLUDE: Ambler Recreational Center Summerfield Hall Joseph R. Pearson Hall
Budig Hall Dole Institute of Politics Mississippi Parking Garage Allen Fieldhouse Parking Garage
replacement program Replacing burnt out bulbs with LEDs.
As of the beginning of
2017 there have been
6,900 LED lamps installed across
campus. The annual savings on both energy and maintenance is over
419,0 0 0 kWh and $ 87, 50 0
07 HVAC
WHAT IS HVAC? Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is used to provide heating and cooling services to buildings. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. HVAC systems regulate safe and healthy building conditions with respect to temperature and humidity using fresh air from outdoors
48 HVAC schedules in
buildings were adjusted in
2016
to save energy during
unoccupied holidays + breaks saving a total of 54 ,000 hours of operation.
08
GROWING TRADITIONS
replant Since spring 2012, this new tradition has brought more than 130 new trees to the campus landscape, supported by donors and planted by campus and community volunteers.
marvin grove Students planted more than 300 trees on this site in 1878. With the Marvin Grove Management Plan established in 2016, the Grove will be a lasting tradition.
prairie acre Its dedication in 1932 saved this native plot from ever being developed. The Prairie Acre Restoration Project, launched in 2015, will ensure a thriving ecosystem for years to come.
marvin grove
09 BIKING
Biking was a big deal in 2016. KU was named a Bronze Bike Friendly University just before releasing the Campus Bike Plan, a comprehensive proposal for a more bike-able KU.
light colored pavement
10
stormwater filtration & mgmt
groundwater recharge
JAYHAWK BLVD. KU has continually sought opportunities to incorporate sustainable design into the campus built environment. Lot 54, which was reconstructed in 2013, and phase II of the Jayhawk Blvd. renovation in 2015 incorporate several of these measures.
permeable pavement
AND
LOT 54
light colored pavement reduces head island effect
rain garden
drought resistant shade trees
The Center for Sustainability promotes a culture of sustainability at the University of Kansas, empowering students, faculty, and staff to make decisions that help protect natural ecosystems, create economic prosperity and treat all people with equality and respect. Through campus and community partnerships, we strive to integrate sustainability into education, research, campus operations and campus life. sustain.ku.edu
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and are the Title IX coordinators for their respective campuses: Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity & Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 West Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY