University Times

Cutting utility costs, paper usage and food waste are just a few of the green initiatives being undertaken at the University, according to a panel of faculty, staff and administrators at an April 12 student sustainability symposium.

In a discussion moderated by Brenna Sweetman of environmental studies, Pitt sustainability coordinator Dan Marcinko of Facilities Management; Patrick Heffley of Housing; Kit Ayars of Computing Services and Systems Development (CSSD); Sodexo regional district manager Susan Fukushima, and University Senate plant utilization and planning  (PUP) committee co-chair Pat Weiss of the Health Sciences Library System gave updates on sustainability in their areas.

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Weiss said she is impressed with the number of people on campus involved in sustainability efforts. “This is really something that is part of the way we operate now, and that represents real progress,” she said.

She elaborated on the decision to reabsorb the Senate PUP committee’s sustainability subcommittee into PUP and form a campus-wide working group for issues such as business practices, housing and food services, that are not within the committee’s purview. (See Feb. 7 University Times.)

The working group would include faculty, staff and students, Weiss said, adding: “We’re pleased about it because I think while these changes are never without struggle, it also represents the point that tremendous progress has been made in sustainability on this campus.”

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Marcinko focused his comments on efforts to reduce utility costs and boost recycling.

Green practices are taken into consideration when constructing or renovating campus buildings, he said, adding that the Chevron Science Center and the Biomedical Science Tower 12th floor renovation are the most recent of five LEED gold buildings on campus. The University is pursuing various levels of LEED designation for its Salk Hall addition, Benedum Hall phase II-A, the new Nordenberg Hall dorm, the GSPH addition and renovation, mid-campus complex renovations, and the Clapp Hall renovation as well as for a new sustainable office and classroom building at Pitt-Greensburg and a new nursing building at Pitt-Johnstown.

The Nordenberg Hall dormitory is on track to earn a LEED silver designation, Marcinko said, adding, “We are integrating as many sustainable practices into that construction as we can.”

He noted that although the University is striving to get additional points toward LEED designation, “We’re happy to get silver,” adding that cost needs to be considered in the equation. “You really need to weigh what makes sense when you’re going after points,” Marcinko said.

Marcinko said that cutting utility costs is among the major emphases on campus. “We believe energy conservation is one of our big points when it comes to renovating and upgrading,” he said. “It’s better to not use the energy in the first place. That’s the greenest thing we can do.” Features such as lighting sensors and low-flow plumbing fixtures are integrated into Pitt’s design standards.

Marcinko said that a greenhouse-gas inventory and a sustainability report are underway. Both will be posted on Pitt’s revamped sustainability web page, he said.

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Ayars highlighted three CSSD sustainability focuses: saving power and energy; conserving paper, and partnering with others on campus. Careful heating and cooling management and virtualization of servers at the Network Operations Center (NOC), where enterprise system servers are housed, are among the ways CSSD aims to conserve energy.

In addition, workstations in student computer labs now power down after 30 minutes and are turned off at night to save energy.

Increased self-service printing has resulted in the saving of more than 1 million pieces of paper that might have been wasted, she said. Given the option to print, “Many people decide ‘I really don’t need that on paper,’” she said. Printing in computing labs and on self-service printers is down 3 percent, she said. “Kudos to the students,” she said. “That’s a real difference students are making.”

Ayars said an effort is underway to consolidate fax, printing and copying equipment into one machine with an eye toward self-service printing for faculty and staff as well.

Partnering with the student green fund, which supports student-initiated sustainability projects, resulted in the creation of a digital sustainability handbook for students that is delivered on a USB drive as part of student welcome kits.

In addition, students received reusable shopping bags through a partnership with Housing and Dining Services, Ayars said.

“Read Green,” an opt-in service in which bulk mailings to employees are delivered electronically rather than on paper, is gaining in popularity, Ayars said. She commended Pitt-Greensburg faculty and staff for their nearly universal use of Read Green.

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Heffley, superintendent of upper campus housing, said sustainability efforts in housing include the addition of more motion sensors to control lighting, more hydration stations for refilling reusable water bottles and more energy-efficient lighting fixtures.

In addition, new outdoor recycling containers will be tested, starting at Sutherland Hall, in an effort to increase recycling.

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Fukushima said sustainability is among Sodexo’s core values at Pitt and beyond, adding that the company operates in some 80 countries. The company is focused on reducing its overall carbon footprint by cutting water use and by purchasing locally grown, sustainable and seasonal products as often as possible.

In addition, Sodexo’s “better tomorrow” plan focuses on health and wellness in recognition that sustainability goes beyond caring for the environment. Part of the company’s plan addresses healthier eating by reducing the amount of salt and sugar in food Sodexo serves. Socially responsible purchasing includes using fair-trade products, supporting sustainable seafood harvesting, seeking out energy-efficient equipment and insisting that Sodexo’s vendors adhere to a global sustainable supply chain code of conduct.

Fukushima said Sodexo recently joined in the Real Food Challenge, a campaign to increase procurement of real food (sourced from sustainable, local and fair sources) on college and university campuses, with a goal of 20 percent real food on campuses nationwide by 2020.

Other sustainable practices include recycling fryer grease for biofuels, introducing trayless dining to save water and reduce food waste, offering discounts at some beverage locations for customers who bring reusable cups and composting food waste.

—Kimberly K. Barlow