EAT LOCAL Duke’s Sustainability Strategic Plan 2014 PROGRESS REPORT
Introduction Duke Campus Farm: FY2014
2,391
80
Communitysupported agriculture subscriptions for box shares of produce from the Duke Campus Farm
Hours worked by volunteers of all ages during open community work days
9
Class visits to the Duke Campus Farm for hands-on learning and lectures
As Duke continues its leadership in campus sustainability, fiscal year 2014 (FY14) has provided many opportunities to engage the campus community and expand efforts. The focus for the Campus Sustainability Committee (CSC) this past year was on defining and developing goals around increasing “sustainable food� at Duke. A Food subcommittee was charged to review and recommend appropriate definitions for preferred characteristics that Duke strives to incorporate into food service, as well as provide recommendations on feasible goals and targets for Duke Dining Services regarding sustainable food procurement. Underpinning this work was a Nicholas School of the Environment Master’s project focused on assessment of current internal efforts around sustainable food and best practices from peer institutions. Although work is ongoing, a draft definition of sustainable food has been developed along with overarching recommendations and strategies for aligning food on campus with this definition. Duke has focused on a broad definition with an emphasis on health and the local economy. As the CSC moves forward with this effort to hopefully determine quantifiable goals around sustainable food procurement it will be increasingly important to collaborate with campus stakeholders and local growers to be innovative in mitigating potential cost increases and demands on staff time. Duke will also emphasize communication of these efforts through educational labeling of products and incorporating sustainable food into coursework and research on campus. Supporting and enhancing this institutional focus on sustainable food is the Duke Campus Farm (DCF) with a mission to inspire and empower the Duke community to catalyze positive change in the food system. What started as a student feasibility study four years ago has grown into a vibrant working farm offering programs, services, events and activities that educate and inspire the Duke community about sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship and access to good food for all. Duke also continues to implement the campus Climate Action Plan (CAP) to reach carbon neutrality by 2024. The FY14 greenhouse gas inventory shows significant progress towards this goal with a 21% reduction of overall GHG emissions from a 2007 baseline. While the these achievements are laudable, it is important to note that Duke is increasingly reliant on individual behavior change to continue to meet institutional sustainability goals. Creating opportunities to engage the campus community and showcasing institutional leadership around sustainability priorities will be imperative to maintain this success moving forward.
2014 OVERVIEW
3
Emissions & Carbon Offsets 2007
338,828 MTCO2e*
2014
268,307 MTCO2e* (21% reduction from 2007 baseline)
* Metric Tons Carbon Dioxide Equivalent
Total Emissions 338,828 268,307
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012 Completed transition off coal in campus steam plants.
2013
2014
Goals ● A ggressively pursue on-campus efforts to reach established milestones for emission reductions for carbon neutrality by 2024. Duke expects to be at 45% reduction on campus by 2024 and will fulfill the remainder of the emissions reduction with local offsets. ● I dentify high-integrity local carbon offsets through partnerships, purchases, and the development of innovative projects in fulfillment of Duke’s 2024 carbon neutrality commitment and current demand from the internal Duke community.
Progress ● R educed overall GHG emissions by 21% from a 2007 baseline. Energy emissions are down 32%, while transportation emissions, including air travel and employee commuting, have proved harder to impact, increasing 20% compared to baseline. ● C reated a five-year retrospective report on the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative (DCOI) and recommendations for moving forward. With 10 years left before 2024, continued exploration of local offset opportunities, financial planning for these projects and leveraging of Duke’s ability to influence local carbon offsets development is essential.
● D COI completed evaluation of a pre-pilot energy efficiency program and found that participating houses reduced energy use by an average of 13%. Pre-pilot experience has informed a new Employee Energy Efficiency Pilot program that will assist employees in completing energy saving retrofits on their homes and assess the offset potential of these efforts. ● D COI continued to collaborate with the City and County of Durham to develop an Urban Forest Carbon Offsets Program where Duke would fund local planting projects through the purchase of carbon offsets.
Looking Forward ● C ontinue implementation of the on-campus reduction strategies of the CAP with a focus on changing the trend in transportation emissions. ● C reate a system for analyzing offset quality, prioritizing co-benefits, and recommending acquisitions that will provide flexibility in the future. ● I ncrease existing engagement with faculty and students by participating in additional academic research projects on greenhouse gas reduction related topics. Opportunities include: Bass Connections, group Master’s projects, in-class research projects, and more.
The Loyd Ray Farms Innovative Waste Management System, one of Duke’s first local offset projects, allows this N.C. hog farm to meet stringent environmental performance requirements in addition to generating renewable energy and carbon offsets.
Emissions & Carbon Offsets
5
Infrastructure 393,543 plastic bottles saved through use of refilling stations
49
water bottle refilling stations in non-residential campus buildings
590,314 gallons of water saved by not manufacturing these plastic water bottles
Normalized Campus Potable Water Use 50 47.9
Gallons/GSF
40
43% reduction from 2006-2014
45.6
30
32.8
30.1
32.3
34.2 29.0
26.5
20
27.2
10 0
FY06
FY07
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
Goals ● A chieve a 15% reduction in energy in existing buildings by 2030. ● E nsure all new construction and major renovations are certified with a goal of LEEDTM Silver and meet Duke’s green building guidelines for energy and water efficiency. ● F ocus water-reduction strategies on the top 20 buildings that account for 70% of the water use at Duke. ● E nsure that buildings, landscapes and natural areas are developed and sustained to create a campus community that conserves natural resources, restores environmental quality and protects biodiversity.
Progress Energy: ● Overall energy greenhouse gas emissions are down 32% from a 2007 baseline. Existing building energy use is down 8% from 2007, and Duke continues to increase campus energy efficiency through projects such as replacing outdoor site lighting and athletic facilities with LED technology. ● I mplemented School of Medicine energy efficiency measures such as reduction of building air changes, fume hood velocity and LED lighting upgrades. These conservation measures produced $2 million in savings in FY14.
Duke Environment Hall, the new home of the Nicholas School of the Environment, opened spring 2014 with sustainable features ranging from rooftop solar panels and innovative water systems, to an organic orchard and sustainably designed landscaping.
e fficiently than the existing building stock, and to exceed the current code requirements. ● Duke currently has 29 LEED™ certified buildings and 9 buildings registered for future certification; this represents 27% of Duke University’s total square footage. Water: ● O verall 43% reduction in potable water usage since 2006.
● C ontinued building retro-commissioning projects in several key lab buildings at Duke.
● W ater efficiency retrofits have been completed in 15 campus buildings over the past two years. For both phases of the project, Duke expects savings to total 15 million gallons per year.
Buildings: ● Finalized a Duke green building guideline that focuses on energy and water efficiency. The intent of this program is to guide design and construction teams in the development of new buildings that operate more
● C onstruction continued on the campus water reclamation pond, scheduled to be completed in early 2015. In addition to helping reduce Duke’s reliance on potable water by 100 million gallons, the 5.5 acre pond will provide important new habitat areas to the campus and improve water quality downstream.
Looking Forward ● C ontinue to think creatively about opportunities to reduce the University's reliance on Duke Energy's electricity emission factor through feasibility assessments of on-campus renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. ● C reate a framework for evaluating relative health and importance of all campus landscapes, prioritizing landscape and hardscape improvements, and planning future development that ensures Duke maintains its “campus in the forest.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
7
Campus Operations Carpool
9% Bus
9% Drive Alone
Bike
70%
5%
Walk
4%
Telecommute
3%
Commuting Percent of University (including Schools of Medicine/Nursing) employees driving alone to work at Duke.*
85%
2004
85%
2005
85%
2006
77%
2007
72%
69%
69%
2008
2009
2010
73%
74%
72%
70%
2011
2012
2013
2014
* Duke's 2024 carbon neutrality goal excludes health system GHG emissions, but TDM goals encompass the entire Duke system.
Goals ● A chieve a 5% reduction in single occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips by all Duke employees by 2018 from 2013 baseline. The University remains committed to the long-term mode share goal set in the CAP to decrease the campus drive alone rate to 45% by 2050. ● C reate meaningful targets for waste diversion and reduce the overall campus waste stream. ● F inalize definition of sustainable food at Duke, assess baseline efforts and develop targets for sustainable food procurement in campus dining facilities. ● R evise Duke’s current environmentally preferable purchasing policy to make it more accessible and useful for campus purchasers while exploring opportunities to further green Duke’s supply chain.
Progress Transportation: ● Continued to reduce SOV trips by employees in the University (including Schools of Medicine/Nursing) by 4% since 2012. Although, an overall increase in employee population that is living farther away from campus has made it harder for Duke to meet GHG emissions targets for commuting. ● C reated targeted transportation reports for individual schools at Duke to provide personalized outreach and alternative commute planning. ● H ired a part-time Transportation Demand Management Outreach Coordinator to assist with marketing and promotion of sustainable transportation programs at Duke. Food & Dining: ● Developed a draft definition of sustainable food for Duke in six product categories through assessment of current internal efforts and best practices from peer institutions.
Duke continues to pilot mixed recycling and postconsumer composting in several locations across campus to encourage smarter waste management by students and employees.
● D eveloped broad guidelines for “best practices” in setting and maintaining sustainable sourcing goals in dining services at Duke. ● W hile hosting over 2,000 volunteer hours and many campus engagement opportunities such as Project Build and Alternative Spring Break, the Duke Campus Farm developed a 5-year strategic plan encompassing visions and goals related to both production and education. Waste & Recycling: ● T he recycling rate for the University, School of Medicine and Health System increased 8.5% from the 2012 baseline to 37% in FY14. ● C ontinued to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of several pilot waste reduction programs including post-consumer composting, mixed recycling, mini-trash bins and standardized waste stations in buildings.
Looking Forward ● I nitiate a transit planning study with local and regional partners to identify service gaps and opportunities to improve level of service for Duke commuters. Improve targeted marketing and personal commute coaching to reach unique employee cohorts. ● D evelop future roll-out options for expanding campus recycling and composting efforts. Expand Zero Waste efforts to campus athletic events. ● Develop targets for sustainable food procurement in campus dining facilities.
CAMPUS OPERATIONS
9
Education & Engagement Green Labs:
lace: Green Workp
64
49
certifie d workspaces
certified labs
(1,450 staff)
Green Event Certification :
Green Classro o m:
29
94
certifie d events
certifie d co urses
(4,100 attend ees)
(2, 100 stu dents)
Total Sustainability Courses 215 180
156
143
Spring 2011
211
180
144
Fall 2010
203
Fall 2011
Spring 2012
Fall 2012
Spring 2013
Fall 2013
Spring 2014
Goals ● I ncorporate sustainability into the depth and breadth of every student’s experience by including core concepts of sustainability in every applicable field and research opportunity and by using the campus as a living laboratory for sustainability. ● E nhance understanding and foster changes in behavior among members of the Duke community that reduce greenhouse gas emissions at Duke.
Progress Education: ● Continued development of an undergraduate, experiential certificate in Sustainability Engagement that includes 450 hours of experiential learning outside the classroom. ● I nitiated pilot of an international Sustainability Literacy Test on campus to assess changes in undergraduate sustainability literacy and skill development at the beginning and end of their Duke careers. ● O ver 400 courses with sustainability-related content were offered to students in academic year 2013-14. ● C ontinued to train faculty to integrate sustainability into their courses with the Trillium Program. As of FY14, 9 external participants and 54 Duke Trillium Fellows have completed the workshop. Communication: ● Completed successful third year of the campus Green Devil Smackdown competition with 923 participants. ● T he sustainability-focused, Battle of the Schools competition between Nicholas, Pratt and Trinity resulted in a 390% increase in certified green laboratories at Duke (from 10 to 49).
Student and employee teams battled for the championship in the 2014 Green Devil Smackdown sustainability competition.
● D eveloped an updated Sustainability Communications Plan to build on previous success, make progress more visible and continue to influence positive behavior changes across campus.
Looking Forward ● Offer 5th Trillium Workshop in January 2015 and deepen sustainability education in classes taught by current Fellows. ● H ost the new Unpark Yourself Challenge alternative transportation competition for employees and graduate students in spring 2015. ● E xpand the Learning & Organizational Development sustainability workshop series for employees to specialized topics such as alternative transportation and carbon offsets.
EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT
11
CARPOOL
The images on the front and back cover were provided by Shayan Asadi for an ad campaign called “Living Sustainably is Easier than You Think” created by Students for Sustainable Living, a student internship program dedicated to greening Duke’s campus culture through education and outreach with the ultimate goal of reducing the University’s environmental footprint.
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Presented by Sustainable Duke, Office of the Executive Vice President
sustainability.duke.edu
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