University Challenge Appendix I: Action Plan

From Common Energy UVic

The appendices will be part of the University Challenge Draft Document and the Final Document. The actions in this appendix are intended to provide examples and inspiration for the teams of Champions during MILESTONE 4

Contents 1 Beyond Climate-Neutral Initiatives 1.1 Green Ideas for the University 1.2 Integrating Teaching and Learning 1.3 Community Engagement 2 Climate-Neutral Action List 3 Transportation 3.1 Measuring GHG emissions from transportation 3.2 Cars 3.3 Transit 3.4 Flights 3.5 Biking/walking 4 Buildings 4.1 Measuring GHG emissions from Buildings 4.2 Electricity 4.3 Heating 4.4 Waste Management 4.5 Paper 4.6 Water Conservation

[edit] Beyond Climate-Neutral Initiatives

Beyond climate-neutral initiatives use the capacities and creativity of the organization to answer this question: "How can we do more to solve the problems of climate change?"

To get things started we have separated beyond climate-neutral actions into the following three sections. However, beyond climate-neutral is all about creativity and we know that new ways of answering that question will emerge over the years.

[edit] Green Ideas for the University

What are green ideas for the university? Think innovative, think big and think small, create ideas that would help the university move beyond climate-neutral. (e.g. how can we use our resources to create projects that reduce emissions locally instead of buying offsets that mono-crop trees in Bangladesh?) For example, as Climate Action Teams assess their organization's impacts they will find barriers to action from limited knowledge and limited authority. Green ideas can be proposals to overcome those barriers. The goal of this is to create many feedback loops to guide climate change and sustainability policy and action of the university as a whole.

[edit] Integrating Teaching and Learning

How can our research and teaching contribute to climate change solutions? The capacity at the university for learning and teaching give it the potential to be the most important climate change problem solver in society. We need insight and knowledge from all disciplines if we are going to avoid catastrophic climate change and create a future with vibrant

Integrating Teaching and Learning is one Common Energy's major projects to move UVic beyond climate-neutral. We will work with you to develop problem-based and service-learning curricula that integrate our teaching and learning with the challenges faced by people working on climate change issues in the region. Responding effectively to climate change is a practical and inherently interdisciplinary challenge and faculties undertaking the University Challenge are encouraged to work

[edit] Community Engagement

The final main category of beyond climate-neutral focuses on the organization's efforts to engage people and participate in the University Challenge.

• Campus Community
  • Participating in collaborative meetings between faculties
  • Collaborating with other institutions to spread the University Challenge
  • Marketing success stories

• Regional Community
  • Public education and awareness raising
  • Participation in civic engagement projects
  • Collaboration with local groups working on climate change issues

[edit] Climate-Neutral Action List

The following actions provide a practical approach to reducing the ecological footprint of a unit on campus. They are intended to be improved and developed by the different units that undertake the Challenge - and once a unit commits to a selection of actions they should be posted online and publicly posted in the office.

[edit] Transportation

Although we do not yet have hard numbers on GHG emissions at UVic, we know that the transportation sector at UVic accounts for more emissions than any other.

[edit] Measuring GHG emissions from transportation

• We will create calculator and survey for all units taking the Challenge. We can directly measure GHG emissions from transportation. The calculator will consider transportation from personal vehicles, public transit, and plane travel. Creating a GHG inventory for transportation will require participants in the unit to complete a survey that will be fed into the calculator.

*After establishing a GHG inventory for the unit's transportation the unit can commit to reducing a certain percentage of GHGs emitted by transportation. A selection of the following actions will achieve those reductions.

[edit] Cars

• Facilitate car-pooling and group bike commuting through boards in offices and through a website. The Jack Bell Foundation has a website rideshare.com that is very user friendly and has a number of Victoria based participants.

[edit] Transit

• When traveling off campus, use public transit and taxis for transportation needs rather than rental cars or personal vehicles.
• Set up charge back account for UVic taxi partners through Purchasing Department, so that employees can charge approved travel rather than having to spend their own money and then get reimbursed.
• Provide personal advise to members of the unit on their transit options and allow people to be somewhat late in the mornings on occasion as a result of a late or full bus.

[edit] Flights

• Air travel is the most carbon-intensive travel method. Keep a journal of plane travel frequency and distance. Above all, reduce the number of trips that are undertaken, commit to a unit-wide percentage reduction in plane travel frequency and distance.
  • Explore alternatives to plan trips. Consider traveling by train when possible, and organize multi-purpose trips.
  • Use facilities available for telephone, video, and web conferencing. Purchase cheap video and web-conferencing technologies such as web-cams that can be used with free services like MSN Messenger and Skype.

[edit] Biking/walking

• Provide time allowances for those who commute by bike to arrive a few minutes late to the office.
• Encourage travel on campus by foot or bike by committing to no more driving to meetings across campus.
• Support and install end-of-trip facilities such as showers, bike racks, and lockers.
• Participate in the bike to work week.
• Identify people that travel by bicycle and walking and have them coach others that would like to begin bicycling and walking.

[edit] Buildings

[edit] Measuring GHG emissions from Buildings

• We will work with the University's GHG emissions inventory to provide this data with as much detail as possible

**However, due to the difficulty in separating data between units (on electricity and heating) goals must focus on actions instead of the end result emissions reductions. For that reason, this section is based on committing to the following actions but does not have a percentage reduction component.

• We will estimate the benefits of these actions.
  • Initial action - support having individual electrical, natural gas and water consumption building meters installed. This could be expensive up front but is likely to save money in the long run by being able to effectively target high use buildings and providing feedback to users.

[edit] Electricity

• Office equipment and electronics use energy even when idle or on stand-by. To save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at work, always activate the power management features on your computer and monitor, unplug laptop power cords when not in use and turn off equipment at the end of the day. Use a power strip that can be turned off when you're done using your computers, printers, wireless routers and other electronics.
• Turn lights off when offices and meeting rooms are empty. Installing motion sensors is the most effective way of achieving this goal.
• Have FMGT install motion sensor activated lights in bathrooms, boardrooms and coffee rooms
• Turn off department photocopiers at night.
• Purchase energy star kitchen appliances for coffee rooms (such as coffee makers, washing machines etc).
• Set personal computers for automatic shutoff.
• Shut off lights when leaving the office rather than waiting for janitorial to do it.
• Utilize natural light in office and do not use the lights unless they are necessary.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact flourescents in all personal lamps in the department (many folks have desk side lamps in offices; often halogen or incandescent).
• Purchase energy-saving models of office appliances and equipment, such as EnergyStar-approved computers, LCD monitors, printers and photocopiers.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. You'll save electricity and get some exercise!
• Design for lighting intensity of 1.0 watts per square foot or less. Over-lighting wastes energy and produces glare.

[edit] Heating

• Commit to keeping the office at a reduced temperature. Support a campus heat reduction policy -- essentially a policy where FMGT keeps the office temperature at an agreed level, and can turn down campus heating systems at night and on weekends. Currently a number of academics have put up arguments that they work late into the night and on the weekend and they need heat.
• Provide space for employees to have extra clothing on hand so that they can change into lighter/heavier clothes during the day
• If purchasing space heaters or fans ensure that they are EnergyStar approved.
• Close the windows that are not in use. The cool air may cause the heater to come on automatically.

[edit] Waste Management

* Commit to reducing waste by a certain percentage per year and achieve that reduction through the following actions:

• Ensure all office recycling bins are labeled. Note that individual office blue bins are for mixed paper only. Centralized recycling stations are being added to each floor of campus buildings, but they are expensive, so state that your unit wants one of them.
• Participate in the office compost program through FMGT. This requires one or two additional champions but can make a huge difference in waste generation.
• Participate in the specialty plastics recycling program through FMGT. This requires some effort but can reduce the amount of styrofoam chips and other rigid plastics that end up in the garbage.
• Purchase reusable mugs for all employees -- make your office a "take out cup free zone."
  • Provide space for reusable mugs, plates, utensils and other dishes in the coffee room.
  • When hosting a campus event, be sure to ask for reusable plates and cups from HFCS. Currently this option is more expensive than take out cups (which is crazy!) so support a change to their accounting which takes into consideration the cost of the garbage.
• Check with UVic Purchasing about surplus office furniture rather than purchasing new furniture.
• Replace individual servings of coffee, tea, sugar and cream with large packages for everyone's use.
• Choose "draft" quality when printing for jobs that do not require flawless print quality to reduce the amount of ink used, and therefore ink cartridges in landfills.
• For your old electronics, investigate leasing programs to ensure reuse and recycling or donate used equipment to schools or other organizations.
• Pass items you no longer need on to co–workers who can make use of them. Create a place for these items.
• Save and re–use binders, file folders, envelopes, paper clips, elastics, etc.

[edit] Paper

(this is a special one that will be included here to begin teaching about embodied impacts)

* Commit to a percentage reduction in paper use, the use of only post-consumer waste recycled paper, and reduce impact of unit publications. Achieve the percentage reduction through the following actions:

• Put one-sided paper bins in printing/office spaces to be re-used.
• Send PDF files instead of paper notices when possible.
• Develop a scrap paper note pad bin for your department. Printing services can make up little pads of non confidential paper.
• Contact mail room services and ask for a limited number of campus memos to be distributed to your department (rather than each employee receiving one; perhaps every manager etc).
• Make double siding a requirement in all office operations
• Purchase a higher recycled content paper for office operations (campus minimum is 30% PCRC)
• Reduce junk mail: choose not to accept flyers at your office, or request pdf copies.
• For office supplies not intended to be used for writing or for printing of text (e.g., file folders, envelopes), choose unbleached paper. "Manila" folders and envelopes bleached and then dyed to achieve their distinctive color. Look for unbleached alternatives.
• Choose papers that are the lightest weight possible. (i.e., weight in pounds per carton of 5,000 8.5" x 11" sheets)
• For bleached paper, ask your vendor if TCF (totally chlorine-free) bleached paper is available.

If TCF is not available, ask if ECF (elemental chlorine-free) is available (this is a good second alternative to TCF).

• Scan your letterhead into the computer to produce an electronic copy that can be used as a template for those documents you want to appear on letterhead. This can allow you to e-mail, rather than always have to print and snail-mail or fax, letters and other documents that you want to appear on your stationery. It also allows these documents to be printed (with the letterhead displayed) on paper that is lighter weight than most stationery.
• Get software that allows you to send and receive faxes via your computer, rather than having to print them out before sending or upon receiving. When faxing to or receiving faxes from other parties who have such capability, paper is saved on both ends.
• Avoid papers dyed using neon and other deep colors (e.g., red, goldenrod); they interfere with recycling because of the difficulty in removing such dyes during the recycling process. Pastel colors are generally acceptable for recycling. However, any colored paper is produced using various dyes or pigments, the production of which creates environmental impacts. Avoid use of such papers whenever you can.

• For Larger Scale External Printing and Publications:
  • Choose printers and specify your print jobs to ensure that the printer uses a fountain solution that does not contain isopropyl alcohol or ethylene glycol ethers, and contains less than 2% volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as applied to the press
  • Avoid any and all inks that contain added arsenic, antimony, cadmium, chromium, lead or mercury (these can be present especially in imported inks). Avoid as much as possible metallic or neon inks, which can contain toxic metals
  • Choose inks that do not contain chlorinated organic compounds, and look for inks that contain the highest possible percentage of waste inks (also known as "reblended" inks).
  • Use water-based, non-chlorinated glues, or non-adhesive bindings.
  • Ask for cleaner, greener printing. Tell your printers you want a product with minimal environmental impact and work with them to design it.
  • Don't overprint: Take care to calculate how many copies you really need, and consider print-on-demand services, which can more readily print and reprint in small batches. This simple precaution will save a lot of energy and material, not to mention money.

[edit] Water Conservation

* Commit to percentage reductions in water use and achieve them through a water efficiency plan composed of the following actions:

• Always turn taps off tightly so they don't drip. Watch for and report drips or leaks to the building manager. Be sure someone repairs them promptly.
• If you notice a leak from toilet tanks into toilet bowls, at the base of toilets, or around urinals, report them promptly to the building manager.
• Install meters at points of significant water use. Monitor the meters regularly and record the results. Also read the meters when the facility is shut down to detect possible leaks.
• Consult with Building Maintenance:
  1. Check water supply system for leaks
  2. Turn off any unnecessary flows
  3. Repair leaky faucets, running or leaky toilets, or other leaky fixtures, equipment, and appliances promptly.
  4. Shut off cooling units when not needed.
  5. Shut off water supply to equipment rooms, washrooms, or kitchens that are no longer in use.
  6. Know manufacturers' recommendations for equipment operation and safely minimize water use within the standards.
  7. If surfaces must be sprayed clean, use high pressure, low volume hoses with automatic shut-off valves to boost cleaning power without using as much water.
  8. Use steam cleaners where appropriate, rather than running or spraying water.
  9. Clean carpets with a dry system, rather than a steam-cleaning system.
  10. Wash windows only when necessary, rather than on a rigid schedule.
• Leak Detection
  1. Check regularly for visible and hidden leaks at all water-using connections, processes, equipment, appliances, and plumbing fixtures.
  2. Be aware that facilities and equipment that use high water pressures tend to have more leaks than those that use lower pressures.
  3. Monitor water meters for changes or water consumption when no water is being used.
  4. Periodically use leak detection equipment to check for hidden leaks.
  5. Investigate lines and connections reported to be closed, including meter bypasses.
  6. Regularly check boilers and steam systems for leaks in steam traps, relief valves, and condensate return pumps and piping.
  7. Regularly inspect cooling systems for leaks in cooling towers, bleed-off and make-up connections and tanks, and related connections.
  8. Post signs to inform co-workers about leak detection and reporting.

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