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USFSP: Bringing Green to the CityUSF Saint Petersburg

Professional WritingDr. Francis Tobienne

April 6, 2012

Team Green LeafElie Rouhana

Natalie CustodeMichael Fulmore

Ahmad MusaRyan AtwoodNicole Young


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Table of Contents

Executive Summary............................................................................................... 3

Background

Colleges Going Green...................................................................................4 USF............................................................................................................... 5 USF St. Petersburg Campus.........................................................................6

Need

Define The Problem.....................................................................................6 Significance Of The Need............................................................................7

USFSP Implementation of Green Movement

Time-line of the Project..................................................................................8

Future Potential Projects.................................................................................9

Benefits and Cons

New and Revolutionary thought to the issue.................................................9 Solution Benefit the University, State, Nation, World..................................10

Evaluation and Conclusion

Evaluation, Validation the Success or Failure of the Project.......................10-11

Work Cited ....12

Annotated Bibliography .13


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Background

The Going Green movement has beenadopted by households for several decades aspeople have sought ways to make less of an

impact on the world around them. Recently,businesses and institutions have joined in themovement as they too look to improve theirpractices to create a more sustainable future.Colleges and Universities have been at theforefront of leading the way to a more greenbusiness practice. Looking around the nation,more colleges and universities are adapting theGo green movement. Schools, health carefacilities and living communities are shiftingtoward recycling, efficient energy uses andenvironmental green buildings.

Other Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities spend $14billion annually on energy, including $2 billionevery year on electricity alone (Well Home,2012). It is obvious that universities are lookingfor ways to reduce energy use and save money.Some small measures taken to save energyinclude installing infrared light switches inclassrooms that automatically turn off the lights

when no one else is in the room. Other schoolshave replaced inefficient light bulbs with moreefficient compact-fluorescent or LED lights.

On the other hand, more complex stepsuniversities have taken in Going Green comewith a heavy price tag, for instance, TheUniversity of Kentucky is spending $25 millionto make its campus more energy efficient. Thisincludes upgrading its lighting, replace theheating, ventilation, and cooling (HVAC)system and install solar panels. Officials expectto save $2.4 million in energy costs each yearbecause of the new measures.

Most college students are known forbringing home a few weeks worth of laundryhome when visiting their parents on breaks, butchances are they still wash a fair amount ofclothes in the dormitories. The laundry room is a

big user in both energy and water, and it is oneplace where colleges are trying to becomegreener. At the University of California atBerkeley, a group of students are promoting theEnd the Cycle campaign; their goal is toeducate students living in the dorm about how to

make their laundry habits as sustainable aspossible. They show students how to use thecold wash cycles on dormitory washers andinform them how much energy they save byusing cold instead of hot water (Berkeley).

The cafeteria is another place whereuniversities are going green. The cafeteria atAdelphi University, in Garden City, New York,has implemented several initiatives to make theircafeteria more environmentally friendly. For

example, the use of biodegradable containersand cups, unbleached napkins, fair trade coffee,and cup discounts for people who bring in theirown reusable beverage mugs (AdelphiUniversity). The dining administration has alsobanned the use of the cafeteria trays onTuesdays, in effort to reduce the amount of foodthat is wasted by students, whose eyes are oftenbigger than their stomachs. In addition, BrownUniversitys dining system works with localfarmers to provide students with fresh, localfood products that in addition to supporting the

regional economy, also reduce the systemscarbon footprint (Brown University).

The University Of South Florida


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In 1995, USF adopted a program calledUSFTampa Campus Master Plan, which itupdates on a continuous basis. As part of theplan the University created Smart Growth as away to develop the campus. The Smart Growthplan has promoted using infill development,

increased density, and parking lots asdevelopment sites in order to reduce sprawl,traffic, utility extensions, off-campus lightpollution, and minimize increases in imperviousareas while preserving undeveloped land. Inaddition, a 125-acre cross-campus greenway wascreated to protect wildlife, link habitat islands,provide for passive recreation, and aggregatestorm water ponds. (USF, Office ofSustainability).

The University has works on aconsistent basis to create a campus that isgreener. They have planted over 2,000 trees,created new bike pathways and initiated a shuttleto transport students from one part of thecampus to another. Energy consumption hasdecreased over the past 6 years by 3%, evenwhile the University has continued to expand.The Office of Sustainability has four StrategicGoals (USF, Office of Sustainability) :

1. Strengthening and supporting integratedand synergistic interdisciplinaryresearch across disciplinary,departmental, college and campusboundaries

2. Building a sustainable campusenvironment at USF

3. Constructing an up-to-dateclearinghouse of information about allthe sustainability engagement activitiescurrently occurring at USF andencouraging and rewarding faculty,staff, and student engagement insustainability initiatives

4. Creating a sustainable environment thatsupports an expanded and improvedteaching and research mission, a moreengaged residential community, and auniversity-based global village

In addition to this, the Universitys Office ofSustainability has created several initiativesincluding (USF, Office of SustainabilityInitiatives):

Initiative Examples

Students Students in FreeEnterprise, EmergingGreen Builders,Engineers for aSustainable World

Designed

Environment

GreenwayExpansion,IntegratedLandscape,Xeriscape

DevelopmentAcademics Patel Center for

Global Solutions,Clean EnergyResearch Center,Power Center forUtility Explorations

Transportation Pedestrian andBicycle Commuting,Bus System,Education aboutTransportation

Water Weather-InformedIrrigation, BuildingWater Metering,StormwaterManagement

Energy Monitoring,Conservation,Renewable

Recycling, Waste

Management

Procurement, Paper,ElectronicEquipmentRecycling

Green Building Reuse, Renovate andRetrofit, RenewableMaterial


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In addition, USF is one of a few universitiesnationwide to achieve a Gold rating from theAssociation for the Advancement ofSustainability in Higher Education.

USF St. Petersburg

While achievements at the Tampacampus have been recognizable, greenachievements at the USF St. Petersburg campuswere lacking until recently. USF President Judy

Genshaft signed the American College and

University Presidents Climate Commitment forthe Tampa campus in 2008. It has yet to besigned for the St. Petersburg campus despite agrowing push for it. The USFSP StudentGovernment showed its support for the idea ofSt. Petersburg signing the commitment through

a vote at a recent Senate meeting. ThePresidents Climate Commitment was started bySecond Nature and the Association for theAdvancement of Sustainability in HigherEducation, organizations that aim to helpcolleges focus on being sustainable. To date, 647college and university presidents have signed it,and 434 have submitted climate action plansdetailing how the schools plan to go, and stay,green (The Crows Nest, January 25, 2012)

However, USF St. Petersburg begantaking steps toward greening up the campus. TheScience and Technology Building, completed in2010, was the USF systems first LEED-certified building, classifying it as a greenbuilding (WUSF). The campus has also createda Student Green Energy Fund to finance futureprojects. In fact, in 2011 the Campus namedCreative Contractors, who specialize in green

building and also built the campus Science andTechnology Building, as the builders for theCampus new green Student Center.

Need

Define the Problem:

The world we live in today is beingdrastically affected by everyday consumption.

Due to all the carbon monoxide being releasedinto the atmosphere and all the pollutionthroughout the world, our ozone layer isdeteriorating. Carbon monoxide causes achemical reaction i Deforestation is lowering ouroxygen supply, and automobiles, until recently,have been exposing the atmosphere to excessiveamounts of smog. Consumption, as a whole, byhuman beings today has been killing us.

Pollution in our environment is happening inmany ways, so it is no wonder that the society

today is starting to push for a more eco-friendlyway of living.Certain instances of personal overconsumption, such as cigarette smoking amongother things, not only lead to the detriment of theenvironment, but also to the detriment of thebody. Littering is still among one of the biggesttopics of deterioration of the environment. Forinstance, 141 million lbs of filters (188 millionliters) were dumped into the US environment in


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USFSP

Implementation of

Green Movement

Time Line:

This is a chronological list of steps that theUSF St. Pete campus has taken towards theircommitment of the green movement.

In 2008 USFSP began a recyclingprogram for paper, plastic, and

aluminum. Portions of the recycledgoods that were collected by RecyclingManagement Solutions were donated todifferent local charities.

2008 USFSP unveils a new technologythat provides renewable energy.

2008, Student EnvironmentalAwareness Society (S.E.A.S.) isfounded. (seas, 2008)

July 2009, Office of Sustainability wasfounded.

August 2011, Science and technology

building of USFP is opened. The newbuilding was constructed by CreativeContractors inc. and received the GoldLEED certification standard.

Fall 2011, Green fee is introduced aspart of tuition. This fee was voted on byover 70% of students attending the St.Pete campus. Money collected goes intothe Student Green Energy fund. (CrowsNest, 2012)

January 2012, USFSP campus wentcompletely tobacco and smoke free.

January 18, 2012 Senators voted infavor of signing the climate commitmentact before the end of the springsemester. (Crows nest, 2012)

2011-Present, Green cleaning isbecoming the standard on all USFcampuses. Environmentally friendlycleaning supplies and energy efficient

floor strippers are just some of thechanges being made for the movement.

Future Projects:

In January of 2012 senators on the

USFSP council voted to sign the climate

commitment before the end of the spring

semester. This is a commitment proposed that

was signed by Judy Genshaft in 2008. By

agreeing to sign this act the university will

undergo a series of inspections that will take

place two years after the document is signed to

make sure the campus meets the necessary

standards. The ultimate goal of this

commitment is to reduce our carbon footprint

by 80% in the year 2050. The student green fee

was also a huge success, raising nearly 54,000

dollars in just one semester. A council has beenput in place with a select few such as Zack

Westmark and former USF student David ONeil

that will ultimately decide where those dollars

will go. Excitement has grown with the

anticipated opening of the new multipurpose

student center in August of 2012. Creative

Contractors Inc. is constructing this building

across from the parking garage on the USFSP

campus and is expected to receive the same

gold LEED certification as the science and

technology building has.


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Benefits and

DetrimentsChanges that have been made at USFSP have

influenced the students. In November of 2010,

the recycling program in the schools residence

hall was shut down due to lack of student

participation. The reason for cutting the program

off was that students were mixing in their

everyday garbage with recyclables. The bins

where materials can be placed for recycling were

inconveniently only located on the first and

second floors of the seven-story residence hall.

After a petition started by Student Environment

Awareness Society (SEAS), the recycling

program returned and bins provided by Waste

Services, Inc (WSI), were placed on each floor.

Having separate bins to place glass, cardboard

and even plastic can help contribute to the

campus wide initiative to going green by

reducing the amount of recyclables that are

dumped into landfills each year. Though not all

residents wanted the recycling program, someuse it just out of convenience. Small efforts of

the many combine to make a large solution to a

pandemic that many universities are working

towards reversing.

As of January 1, 2012 there is no moresmoking or tobacco use permitted on the USFSPcampus. The infiltrations of toxic cigarettechemicals into the air that are emitted throughsecond-hand smoke are harmful to humans andthe environment. By ousting the use of these

products on campus, the carbon footprint left bystudents and the university as a whole can bereduced. Some students may even give uptobacco use due to the hassle of having to vacatethe universities premises just to have a cigarette.Going green is contagious and the efforts putforth by USFSP havent gone unnoticed. As ofMarch 20, 2012 USF Tampa has limitedsmoking to specific areas on campus. Themeasure is not as drastic as USFSP, but it is astart.

Working towards sustainability has alsoprovided new funds for USFSP. On a detailedtuition statement, one can see that there is aStudent Green Energy Fund.The moneycollected through this fund is allocated tohelping strive for sustainability. The list ofcriteria that a proposal for the allocation of fundsmust follow is:

Proposals must address energy savingsand/or renewable energy technologiesthat demonstrably lower energy

consumption on the USF Tampacampus,

Proposals must include an educationalcomponent that informs the USFcommunity about the results of theproject,

All relevant university paperwork (e.g.,Space Impact Request, Event Request,etc.) must be completed and approved,


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All proposed projects must haveimmediate application (i.e., should notbe "pure" research),

Budgets cannot include salaries orstipends for USF employees but caninclude stipends for undergraduate

students and salaries (but not tuition) forgraduate assistants,

Proposals must demonstrate that fundingalternatives (such as fees, grants, etc.)are not available/applicable, and

All proposals and benefiting units mustcomply with the reporting requirementsof theAmerican College and UniversityPresidents' Climate Commitmentandthe Sustainability Tracking, Assessment,and Rating System. (O. o. Staff)

With the money that comes from this fee, new

strides are being taken at USFSP to work

towards a greener campus.

The disadvantages of a greenercampus typically deal with the start up costs.The cost basis of energy efficient machines andfixtures tend to be higher than those of theircounterparts which have a lower original cost. Inthe long run, the energy efficient products will

save consumers, and in this case the university,money with lower utility bills. Another con togoing green is all of the uncertainty behind it.Some consumers hesitate to embrace greentechnology because so little is known about itslong term risks and benefits. (Beach) But,without taking these risks, the benefits cannot beassessed.

The negative side of the Student GreenEnergy Fund is that, even though students werein favor of having this fee added to their tuition,it is still more money that they have to pay foran education. A great education isnt cheap tocome by, so adding another fee that could be

regarded as unnecessary may anger students.Just as the start up costs for an energy efficientmaterials, the improvements made via the fundsallocated through the SGEF will benefit theentire campus. Buildings, such as the Scienceand Technology Building and the new Multi-Purpose Student Center, will add to theexperience of students.

Upon reading about USFSPs efforts togo green other schools may become inspiredto renovate their campuses to obtain LEEDCertification. If all colleges and universities in

the nation put forth the effort for sustainability,the carbon footprint and overall emissions ofgreenhouse gases could be reduced. Othercountries of the world will look at what theschools in the United Stateshave done and catchthe fire to work towards a renewable and cleanertomorrow.

Evaluation AndConclusion

In this country, the wave of conservativehas splashed onto the shores of commercial and

consumer markets. The thought that ourconsumption based society may possibly deplete
http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/https://stars.aashe.org/https://stars.aashe.org/https://stars.aashe.org/https://stars.aashe.org/https://stars.aashe.org/https://stars.aashe.org/http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/


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all of our nonrenewable resource whilesimultaneously destroying the ever- shrinkingecosystem in which we live, leaves room forconcern. Although commercial and consumergreen products just recently have becomeprevalent at the turn of the century,

Environmentalism in American society can betraced back to Roosevelts presidency and hisbook,Maine Woods; his acts to preserve andprotect the innocence of forest lands through thedeclaration of national forest. As a society, morespecifically, as a university, the USFs has takensteps in order to utilizing existing technologiesto become more efficient with the resources thatwe have today.

To date, USFSP has one of the only sixgold certified buildings in the state universitysystem (USFSP: Changing the Future byBecoming LEED Now) and is in possession ofthe new technology, SEEDS, which permits theuniversity to capture and store solar energy for

later use: the ability to efficiently store energyseparate from the power grid leaves open thepossibility for energy independence. Regardlessof an individuals perspective of theconservative movement, it is evident that thelong term effects of utilizing improvingtechnologies and techniques to conserveresources, justify the money and efforts investedin going green.


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Works Cited

Air toxics and indoor air quality in Australia.Environment Australia, 2001. Web. 31 March 2012.

Beach, Emily. Cons of Going Green. 29 April 2011. 23 March 2012.

Breaking down building energy use. Jetson Green, 2009. Web. 4 April 2012.

Cigarette Butt Pollution Project. Cigarette Waste, 2007. Web. 5 April 2012.

"Dining Services Goes Green." Dining Goes Green. 20 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2012..

"End the Cycle- Sustainable Laundry Campaign." |UC Berkeley Environment & Sustainability Portal. Web.28 Mar. 2012..

"Farmer Partnerships." Brown Dining -. Web. 28 Mar. 2012..

Michalsky, Joseph. Personal interview. 27 March 2012. E-mail:[email protected]

Petzholt, Tara. USF Should Continue Certifying Buildings for LEED.The Oracle University of South Florida

Newspaper. Web. 4 March 2012.

Why it Matters. Guide to Cigarette Little Prevention, 2008. Web. 4 April 2012.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.usforacle.com/opinion/usf-should-continue-certifying-buildings-for-leed-1.2710955#.T3KFguxOg68http://www.usforacle.com/opinion/usf-should-continue-certifying-buildings-for-leed-1.2710955#.T3KFguxOg68http://www.usforacle.com/opinion/usf-should-continue-certifying-buildings-for-leed-1.2710955#.T3KFguxOg68http://www.usforacle.com/opinion/usf-should-continue-certifying-buildings-for-leed-1.2710955#.T3KFguxOg68mailto:[email protected]


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Annotated Bibliography

Buddingh, Rebecca. Go, Green! How Colleges Across the Country are Becoming More Sustainable.

Her Campus. 5 Nov. 2011: .

This source provides insight to how colleges and universities are going green and are becomingmore sustainable. With examples of current university project.

"LEED Certification Requirements." Eagle Mat. 22 Sept 2010: .

This source explains the requirements a building must meet to have LEED certification. Thisinformation will be helpful because of the Science and Technology Building located at the St.Petersburg campus of USF has LEED certification. The requirements for certification help facilitieswork towards sustainability, thus embodying the "green movement." The list of requirements willprovide an understanding of what working towards sustainability entails.

University of South Florida. USF Office of Sustainability. 1995 23 Mar. 2012:.

The USF Office of Sustainability highlights the Mission and Initiatives of USFs Going Green

policies. It is an excellent resource for all of the strategic plans, goals and initiatives offered by the

University.

University of South Florida Achieves GoldSustainability Ranking.WindWaterEnergys. 16 Mar 2011:.

An article highlighting USFs Gold sustainability ranking and the tracking program used that helpedthe University achieve the ranking.

USF Should Sign Commitment to Go Green. Editorial. The Crows Nest 25 Jan. 2012:

An editorial highlighting the benefits of the American College and University Presidents Climate

Commitment. The Tampa Campus signed the Commitment in 2008 but the St. Petersburg

Campus has yet to do so.
http://www.hercampus.com/life/go-green-how-colleges-across-%20country-are-becoming-more-sustainablehttp://www.hercampus.com/life/go-green-how-colleges-across-%20country-are-becoming-more-sustainablehttp://www.hercampus.com/life/go-green-how-colleges-across-%20country-are-becoming-more-sustainablehttp://www.eaglemat.com/blog/leed-certification-an-introduction-to-sustainable-building/http://www.eaglemat.com/blog/leed-certification-an-introduction-to-sustainable-building/http://www.eaglemat.com/blog/leed-certification-an-introduction-to-sustainable-building/http://www.hercampus.com/life/go-green-how-colleges-across-%20country-are-becoming-more-sustainablehttp://www.hercampus.com/life/go-green-how-colleges-across-%20country-are-becoming-more-sustainable

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