2019-2020
Sustainability Report
sustainNU Mission sustainNU is a University-wide program that engages students, faculty, and staff in reducing Northwestern’s impact on the environment, leading the way toward a more sustainable future. The program supports the execution of the University’s Strategic Sustainability Plan and commitment to cultivating an ecologically sound, socially just, and economically sustainable culture at Northwestern.
Message from Greg Kozak, Director of Sustainability I am delighted to share sustainNU’s 2019-2020 Sustainability Report. As one of the world’s leading academic institutions, Northwestern strives to be exemplary in addressing sustainability, climate change, and the opportunities and challenges they pose. The University is dedicated to creating a greener campus by reducing waste, conserving water and energy, and promoting sustainable modes of transportation, among others. Our efforts are guided by Northwestern’s 2017 inaugural Strategic Sustainability Plan, which outlines our sustainability commitments across five program areas. The Plan identifies targets for reducing the University’s greenhouse gas emissions and waste; outlines strategies for increasing efficiency in energy, water, and resource use; offers measures for incorporating sustainability into University purchasing and operational practices; and sets goals for encouraging the participation of academic and operational stakeholders in the University community. Four years into the Plan, we’re proud of our progress in advancing sustainability. In FY20 alone, we announced a partnership with Clearway Energy to bring clean, renewable energy to Illinois, enabling the development and construction of 16 solar projects and supporting Illinois’ transition to a greener economy. Northwestern University also received the second highest rating (STARS Gold) for collegiate sustainability from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Also in FY20, the University received the EPA’s highest honor recognizing institutions and businesses committed to excellence in energy efficiency - the prestigious ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award. Despite reduced campus operations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our achievements in 2020 are encouraging and recognitions like these are a testament to the hard work of our students, faculty, staff, and campus partners. As we move into 2021, we are setting our sights on the future. Our inaugural fiveyear Strategic Sustainability Plan will wrap up in 2021, and we are developing an even more ambitious agenda for the coming years, to ensure that sustainability is integrated into our operations, educational engagement activities, and community service endeavors. I’m encouraged by our progress, but understand there is more to be done to carry out our mission and ensure the environment remains a priority. And in doing so, together, we can sustainNU.
2020 Accomplishments Northwestern University made strides in long-term sustainability commitments to improve both the infrastructure and the stewardship of the community.
Partnership with Clearway Community Solar Northwestern’s long-term 15-year commitment will enable the development and construction of 16 community solar projects in Illinois across 7 counties and bring green jobs to the Chicagoland area. Once completed, the power generated from Clearway’s project portfolio will be the equivalent to removing 12,000 cars from the road each year. These projects will not only make the Illinois electrical grid greener, but will create more than 70 jobs during construction as well as permanent green jobs once in operation. Additionally, Northwestern students will have access to project data and physical access to the sites to observe and study those systems.
New Employee Orientation Sustainability Module Northwestern also integrated sustainability training into the University’s new hire orientation process. This training equips new hires to be a leader and learn how they can do their part to reduce the University’s impact on the environment and incorporate sustainability into their workplace and daily habits.
Launched Conversations with sustainNU Podcast Conversations with sustainNU is a podcast series with Northwestern leadership on all things sustainability. In each episode, Northwestern’s Director of Sustainability, Greg Kozak, sits down for a conversation with an expert in an area of environmental sustainability. The initial episodes focus on environmental justice and the differentiated impacts of COVID-19 on underserved communities.
Awards and Recognition ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Northwestern became the first University to receive the EPA’s highest honor for leadership in energy efficiency— the prestigious ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence award. Several stakeholder engagement and energy management activities led to Northwestern achieving this award, including energy use reduction through LED lighting upgrades, residence hall engagement programs resulting in decreased electricity and water consumption, and a Green Office Certification program engaging more than 12 offices and 900 employees around energy and resource conservation.
AASHE STARS Gold Rating Northwestern received the second highest rating (STARS Gold) for collegiate sustainability from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). Colleges and universities use AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) to measure their sustainability performance. STARS data is open access and several publications and organizations utilize it in ranking schools from a sustainability perspective. The STARS Gold Rating marks an improvement from Northwestern’s 2017 Silver Rating.
2019 – 2020 Sustainability Report
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Built Environment Northwestern is committed to identifying innovative solutions to advance energy conservation and reduce the institution’s carbon footprint. Northwestern has two main U.S. campuses: a 240-acre campus in Evanston, Illinois, and a 25-acre campus in Chicago, Illinois. The University owns and operates 220 buildings, totaling over 16 million square feet, in the City of Evanston and the City of Chicago. Northwestern’s buildings and facilities—which accommodate the activities of thousands of students, researchers, faculty, staff, and visitors each year—account for ~99 percent of the University’s carbon footprint¹. Working to identify and implement ambitious energy conservation initiatives, we aim to reduce energy use intensity by 20 percent by the end of fiscal year 2020 compared to a 2010 baseline and reduce our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to a 2012 baseline. The University’s Built Environment strategy focuses on energy and water efficiency in existing buildings and grounds, renewable energy use, sustainability in new construction and building renovations, and sustainability awareness and outreach. The University’s 2020 GHG emissions data can be found here.
MAKING PROGRESS Northwestern has achieved significant improvements in energy efficiency in recent years, including a 24.9% reduction in building energy use intensity² from a 2010 baseline and achieving a 15.4% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2012.
TOTAL ANNUAL EMISSIONS SINCE BASELINE metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE)* 213,292 198,707
202,237 182,664
2012
2013
2014
2015
174,335
2016**
187,367
2017
200,312
199,457 180,355
2018
2019
2020
* Scope 1 and 2 emissions only ** The reductions in 2015 and 2016 can be attributed to higher than normal Renewable Energy Certificate purchases in those years. Northwestern typically purchases 100,000 MWh of RECs annually.
¹Excluding Scope 3 GHG emissions ²While a portion of this improvement can be attributed to COVID, Northwestern’s energy use intensity (EUI) at the time of the shutdown was 173 kBtu/ft2 (or a 20% reduction from our 2010 baseline) putting Northwestern on target to surpass the 20% goal irrespective of the pandemic shutdown. Additionally, Northwestern had several large, energy efficient facilities come online in 2019, which would explain—to a degree—the impressive EUI improvement over the previous year.
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Northwestern University
Spotlight: Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center Earns LEED Gold In 2020, we added our 21st LEED certified campus building when the Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center was awarded LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility, which opened in June 2019, is the largest biomedical academic research building in U.S. The modern 629,000 square foot, nine-story building is part of the Feinberg School of Medicine, and new home for innovative and groundbreaking biomedical research on Northwestern University’s Chicago campus.
KEY SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES X A chilled-beam cooling system,
which uses water as the primary cooling method versus the less efficient use of air X Green roof landscaping—featured
on over 50% of the roof X A double-skin south-facing facade
to offset heat gain and reduce glare at perimeter workspaces
As a result of the many sustainability features,
X Integrated cavity blinds and window
Simpson Querrey’s total annual energy savings
shades deployed automatically
are estimated to be ~$800k or 15.5 million kWh,
based on light conditions
equivalent to removing more than 2,300 cars from the road each year.
X Energy recovery wheels in laboratory
exhaust 2019 – 2020 Sustainability Report
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Resource Conservation With a targeted 50% landfill diversion rate, Northwestern takes a comprehensive approach to conserving resources as well as reducing and managing waste. Our 2017 waste audit, detailed in the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, demonstrated that 30% of what we send to the landfill can be recycled in our current collections. Current strategies focus on expanded education including working with our Green Office teams to increase recycling awareness and waste reduction opportunities. sustainNU’s Green Office Program engages faculty and staff in the process of adopting environmental best practices in the workplace. As a new educational effort, sustainNU offered a Waste Matters webinar to provide insight into Northwestern’s waste stream, sharing tips for how to keep items out of the landfill through recycling and reduction efforts. The recording is available through our website. Northwestern procurement contracts also prioritize environmentally preferable products. NU’s Preferred Vendors website highlights those companies with sustainable business practices and offerings using a green leaf, and vendor profiles feature their initiatives. We are working to increase sustainable purchasing practices across campus. This year, 18% of the paper products purchased contain 30% or greater postconsumer recycled content.
WASTE GENERATED
50%
8000 7000
TONS
5000
28%
32%
35%
31%
36%
42% 40%
39% 40%
25%
4000 3000 2000 1000
LANDFILLED
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
RECYCLED & COMPOSTED
DIVERSION RATE
6000
37%
0%
FISCAL YEAR
MAKING PROGRESS Northwestern achieved a 40% landfill diversion rate of total waste in FY 2020. Of the 4,529 tons generated, more than 700 tons were composted; 25 tons of electronics were recycled; and nearly 1,200 tons of mixed recycling were diverted. 4
Spotlight: Partnership with Northwestern Dining Our partnership with Northwestern Dining supports campus sustainability efforts, including locally and sustainably sourced food, waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and food waste composting. Some of Dining’s key 2020 efforts to increase partnerships with local vendors, decrease waste, and address food insecurity included: X Increased sourcing of local and real food from 19 vendors to 90. X Added hydroponic indoor gardening in Allison Hall with greens grown and served on-site. X Introduced the Plant Forward Challenge. Over 21 days 300 students reduced their carbon
footprint by 5,770 pounds CO2 equivalent by prioritizing plant-based meals. X Expanded Zero Waste Dining Hall efforts including 100% reusable service wares and dispensing
condiments, milk, sweeteners, etc. in bulk. X Piloted customer-facing food waste compost collections at Norris University Center, diverting
79% of collected waste. X Led a Budget Friendly Teaching Kitchen series aimed at teaching students how to make a meal
within a budget.
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Transportation The daily transportation and travel choices made by members of the University community to and from campus has an impact on Northwestern’s indirect carbon emissions. Northwestern aims to reduce the environmental impact of student, faculty, staff, and visitor travel by encouraging and supporting environmentally efficient modes of transportation. The University’s Sustainable Transportation strategy focuses on improved access to public transportation, pedestrian- and bike-friendly roads and walkways, providing resources and facilities supporting bicycle and electric vehicle use, and reducing campus fleet emissions.
MAKING PROGRESS Northwestern’s 8 electric vehicle charging stations dispensed more than 50,000 kWh of electricity allowing drivers to travel ~152,000 miles . Greenhouse gas savings associated with avoided vehicle fuel combustion in 2020 were equivalent to 17 metric tons of CO2, the amount of CO2 sequestered by 32 acres of U.S. forests in one year .
Spotlight: Encouraging Cycling Through Education, Engagement, and Incentives Education—sustainNU offered bicycling education on safety, local resources, and maintenance. In addition to web resources, sustainNU hosted a Safety 101 webinar from a certified League of American Bicyclist Cycling Instructor (LCI) and an “Ask An Expert” panel featuring a certified LCI, the General Manager from Evanston’s Wheel & Sprocket, and seasoned NU bike commuter. Recordings of the virtual events are accessible online. Bike to Work Challenge—Northwestern won its category (Education with 5,000+ employees) and placed second overall out of 141 participating teams. Team Northwestern Wildcat Riders had 115 participants who collectively rode over 8,000 miles and logged more than 1,200 trips. Divvy Bike Share—In 2020, Northwestern’s partnership with Divvy supported more than 1,300 trips across campus and in the community.
³Calculated using an estimated 3 miles per kWh for the electric vehicles ⁴Assumes an average fuel economy of 22.3 miles per gallon
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Communications and Engagement sustainNU leverages our communications channels and programming efforts to encourage greater awareness of the environmental impact of our actions and the adoption of more sustainable practices.
Our engagement efforts went virtual following the move to remote work and learning. Conversations with sustainNU, a new podcast series featuring Director of Sustainability Greg Kozak was launched in 2020 and features interviews with environmental experts and their work. Also new this year, sustainNU partnered with Northwestern Human Resources’ Well-being office on a Green Movement Scavenger Hunt. This weeklong program encouraged the Northwestern community to discover sustainability features in their own neighborhoods. Participants and their families identified sustainable transportation, waste, water, and energy features. Another partnership with Well-being, Pause and Notice Nature, offered a month of exploration with ideas for experiencing the natural world. Participants were encouraged to discover which species of trees grow on their street, notice different bird types, or just take the time to watch the sun set, creating a new appreciation for the natural world. Our Green Office Certifications may have paused with remote work, however 47 offices are certified or in progress. These offices have continued to engage through virtual programming and a dedicated Green Office newsletter sent to the 118 green team leaders supporting office certifications.
MAKING PROGRESS New Employee Training—All new University employees must complete an online orientation course upon hire. This year, a Sustainability module was added to the campus culture section. The module walks employees through University commitments and accomplishment and provides an overview of how individuals can incorporate sustainability into their workplace.
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Off-Campus Living Sustainably Fair The first Off-Campus Living Sustainably Fair was hosted in October 2019. sustainNU provided resources for those living off campus, connecting over 130 Northwestern students, faculty, and staff to local organizations that support sustainable living practices.
Spotlight: Virtual Earth Month When the campus moved to a remote environment, we quickly transformed our planned Earth Day Fair into a month-long virtual celebration with weekly messaging to the community. In April, social media posts had 30,000 impressions, our newsletters had nearly 6,000 opens, and over 150 people attended our virtual events.
ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS X Earth Month Trivia Night X Weekly Newsletter X Campus Eco-challenge X Earth Month Gallery X Reading List X Citizen Science Project
Spotlights X Waste Matters: Webinar
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Experiential Learning Northwestern strives to support hands-on experiential learning that enables students to engage with the physical environment, address global environmental issues, and grow as leaders in sustainability. We are committed to providing experiences that not only educate our students about sustainability, but also empower them to be sustainability leaders equipped to solve critical environmental and social challenges. sustainNU worked with several student interns in summer 2020 to further the University’s sustainability mission and planning efforts. Internships focused on three distinct areas: X Benchmarking of Northwestern’s sustainability program relative to peer institutions X Bike management program best practices related to policy, facility design, metrics,
and non-infrastructure programs X Student sustainability literacy assessment development
Classroom Spotlight: Quantitative Methods in Life Cycle Analysis with Prof. Dunn In 2020, sustainNU partnered with Chemical and Biological Engineering Research Associate Professor, Jennifer B. Dunn, whose students evaluated the life cycle environmental impacts of several products to help illustrate the potential impacts and benefits for University purchasing and operational considerations⁵. The analysis was performed as part of Dunn’s Quantitative Methods in Life Cycle Analysis (MECH_ENG/ CHEM_ENG 367) course. Products evaluated included: X Four different campus shuttle bus options—hybrid, battery electric, biodiesel,
and conventional diesel X Plastic versus reusable aluminum stadium cups X Paper towel dispensers versus hand dryers X Plant-based versus meat-based dining options ⁵Impacts evaluated included product life cycle GHG emissions and energy and water consumption
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Northwestern University
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Looking Ahe Building on the successes of 2020, sustainNU and the University have
Infrastructure Master Plan for the Evanston Campus Northwestern is completing an Infrastructure Master Plan. This study will involve the identification and assessment of potential solutions to make Northwestern’s Evanston campus more environmentally sustainable including: X Modernization or replacement of the Central Utility Plant X Upgrades to campus electrical systems—electrical service, distribution,
cogeneration of heat and power— to improve reliability and energy resilience X Consideration of renewable energy generation and storage technologies (where
feasible) to reduce reliance on fossil fuel and electrical energy demand X Improvements to existing storm water and irrigation systems
Shoreline Protection Assessment In response to significant erosion caused by record breaking Lake Michigan water levels, Northwestern has initiated a multi-phased, multi-year shoreline protection assessment and implementation plan. The project will evaluate shoreline resilience and involve an assessment of alternative shoreline improvement concepts including the potential to incorporate specific sustainable design features.
Energy Demand Management Exploring 3rd party financing options to accelerate infrastructure investments in building systems and technology to lower energy utilization and greenhouse gas emissions.
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ead to 2021 committed to establishing several new sustainability initiatives in 2021.
Green Labs Program sustainNU intends to establish a Green Labs program to complement our existing Green Office and Green Home certification programs. Laboratories can use 5 to 10 times the amount of energy and water compared to office buildings and also generate large amounts of chemical and hazardous waste as a result of laboratory practices. The Green Labs program aims to catalyze lab users to implement sustainable operations and practices to reduce the environmental impact of laboratory spaces.
Midwest Climate Summit Northwestern is partnering with 20 other leading Midwestern higher education institutions, nonprofits, and local governments to develop a coordinated Midwestern response to climate change. With the support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, this group is hosting the Midwest Climate Summit, which will take place in two parts— Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.
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Northwestern University
Acknowledgements We sincerely thank the students, faculty, and staff who support the sustainability efforts of Northwestern University. No achievements are accomplished alone, and the entire Northwestern community has a role to play in reaching the goals outlined in our Strategic Sustainability Plan.
sustainNU Staff GREG KOZAK Director of Sustainability
JULIE CAHILLANE Assitant Director of Sustainability
SARAH TULGA
MAGGIE OLSON
Program Assistant
Communications & Engagement Assistant
SAM LIU Communications & Engagement Assistant
STAY CONNECTED sustainNU@northwestern.edu northwestern.edu/sustainability @sustainNU
together, we will sustainNU northwestern.edu/sustainability