University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

In 2004, the Board of Regents adopted the policy Sustainability and Energy Efficiency, which established guiding principles in the areas of Leadership, Modeling, Operational Improvements, Energy Efficiency, Research, and Education & Outreach. A Systemwide Sustainability Committee then produced a report in 2009 entitled University of Minnesota Systemwide Sustainability: Goals, Outcomes, Measures, Process. This report set out specific goals and measures to accomplish the Regent’s principles.

To further support the goals of the Regents and the committee, President Bruininks signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. He then charged a committee of faculty, staff, and students with creating a Climate Action Plan for the campus. The UMTC Sustainability Committee completed Version 1.0 of the Climate Action Plan in 2010, with plans to revise it every two years.

The University not only hosts an institutional structure intertwined with sustainability; it also hosts a variety of innovative sustainability initiatives on campus. Some of these include:

·Institute on the Environment (IonE) - IonE works to solve some of the most important environmental issues through cutting-edge research, partnerships and leadership development. The Institute hosts campus-wide events to incorporate the University community in the discussion through a weekly Frontiers on the Environment lecture series and a new event series, Momentum. The Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, a project within IonE, focuses on finding renewable energy solutions for the University and the state of Minnesota. (www.environment.umn.edu)

·Sustainability Studies Minor - The University’s Sustainability Studies Minor began in 2006, hosting students and faculty from 7 different colleges. Student coursework ranges from natural, physical, applied, and social sciences. The minor courses encourage students to explore and solve the challenges of the 21st century through integrative, collaborative learning. (http://sustainabilitystudies.umn.edu/)

·Student Group Involvement - The University of Minnesota Twin Cities hosts 16+ student groups focused on sustainability issues. Some of these student groups include Active Energy Club, EcoWatch, Greenlight, GreenBiz, Campus Beyond Coal, Engineers Without Borders, and the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group. These groups have been involved in planning numerous campus events and educational opportunities, encouraging an active discussion around sustainability on campus. (http://sua.umn.edu/groups/directory/index.php?group_by=category#Environmental_Sustainability)

·It All Adds Up - It All Adds Up is an innovative sustainability campaign at the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities Campus. The program is a combined partnership of University employees, student groups, utilities, and external vendors that initially focused on energy conservation and has since expanded into recycling and transportation. As a result of the campaign the campus set an energy conservation goal that was achieved in 2010 saving the University $2.25 million in annual utility costs and reducing energy related carbon emissions by more than 25,000 tons per year. In 2011, new energy conservation goals and a recycling goal were established. (http://www1.umn.edu/italladdsup/index.php)

·Housing and Residential Life Sustainability Committee - Housing & Residential Life is dedicated to providing a sustainable environment for its many residents. The Housing & Residential Life Sustainability Committee (founded in March 2007) has implemented many programs focused on sustainability education and lifestyles, including environmentally-friendly renovation to the residence halls, such as replacing all light bulbs with compact-fluorescent light bulbs. Housing & Residential Life also has a student sustainability education coordinator (now in the 3rd year of that program) who works on expanding the message of sustainability throughout the residence halls. The student sustainability education coordinator also leads a group of sustainability advocates, who are individuals from each hall that engage in peer-to-peer mentoring around the subject of sustainability. (http://www.housing.umn.edu)

·University Printing Services - Printing Services currently follows environmentally friendly printing practices. These practices include purchasing recycled paper, maintaining certification as a Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody Company, reducing chemical usage through technological improvements, and donating worn-out materials to be reused or recycled. (http://www.printing.umn.edu/Sustainable.htm)

·UMN Recycling Program - The Recycling program began in 1984 and shifted to its current Quad system in 1991. The Quad system facilitated behavior change around campus recycling, leading to waste diversion rates above 40%. Currently, the recycling program has a goal to increase recycling rates an additional 5% by the end of 2012 through the It All Adds Up Campaign. (http://www1.umn.edu/recycle/)

·UMN Reuse Center - The Reuse Center collects materials that are no longer needed and redistributes them either within the University community or resells them to the public. The Reuse Center also works with construction projects to divert the amount of materials sent to a landfill. (http://www1.umn.edu/reuse/)

·University Dining Services - University Dining Services strives to incorporate sustainability into everyday operations and purchases. Dining purchases cage free eggs, sustainable coffee, and local and organic foods. In addition, UDS reduces waste through a composting program, reusable to-go containers, biodegradable packaging, and fryer oil recycling. They have developed a “Green Team” Internship Program for U students to assist in research and customer engagement in these efforts, providing education about organic composting, recycling and other UDS sustainability efforts for students, faculty, and staff on campus. (http://www.dining.umn.edu/Sustainability.aspx)

·Parking and Transportation Services - Parking and Transportation hosts a variety of initiatives to promote more sustainable transportation options. Zipcar is a car sharing program that gives students and staff an alternative to bringing their own vehicles to campus. Zimride is an online social network site for carpooling. Campus shuttles transport people for free between the St. Paul and Minneapolis campus. Discounted city bus passes are also offered. PTS hosts many bike racks and lockers throughout campus, while continually improving and expanding University bike paths on campus. In addition, PTS has partnered with Nice Ride MN to provide a bike sharing program and opened a bike center in fall 2011. (http://www1.umn.edu/pts/mission/sustainability.htm)

·Green Buildings - The University of Minnesota follows the state’s rigorous B3 benchmarking standards for major construction or renovations. These standards focus on energy efficiency and conservation, material costs, operating costs, building occupant well-being and productivity, and the quality of the natural environment. In addition, the University’s new TCF Bank Stadium earned LEED Silver Certification, becoming the first football facility in the country to do so, and LEED Gold was awarded to the Science Teaching and Student Services Building. (http://www.cppm.umn.edu/sustainability/index.htm)