!

COMMITMENTS

2015 - UVM grandfathered signatory into the Carbon Commitment, part of Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitments.

2013 – President Sullivan commits UVM to the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), sponsored by AASHE.

2012 – Interim President Bramley signs the Real Food Campus Commitment, supported by student leaders and faculty in the Food Systems Spire Goal: 20% reliance on Real Food by 2020

2012 – UVM Trustees established a $13M Energy Revolving Fund as part of UVM’s commitments to the Sustainable Endowment Institute’s Billion Dollar Green Challenge

2010 – Climate Action Plan approved with ambitious targets Goal: Climate neutral by 2025 & address sustainability education through curriculum integration 2007 – Green Building

policy includes minimum of LEED Silver or higher, striving for Gold, for new construction and renovations.

2007 – President Fogel signs UVM on as a Charter member of American College & University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)

2006 – President Fogel commits UVM to active membership in AASHE. Participate in the national dialogue and advance systematic improvement

2006 – UVM Energy Policy revised with recommendations and support from the Environmental Council.

1990 – UVM establishes an Energy Policy

2005 – President Fogel commits UVM to a new construction policy adhering to practices defined by the US Green Building Council, and requiring formal commissioning.

!

SUSTAINABLE UVM University Treasurer in fulfilling his/her responsibility as liaison to the Investment Subcommittee of the Board of Trustees. The Council considers taking on issues based on ethical, moral, and socially responsible criteria using the University's "Our Common Ground" as guidance.

EDUCATION & RESEARCH

The University of Vermont has made great strides in improving sustainability education opportunities over the past few years. On March 9, 2015, the Faculty Senate at UVM approved the General Education requirement in Sustainability. As of Fall 2015, all newly matriculated undergraduate students are required to take a course that satisfies this requirement (for a list of the sustainability courses offered at UVM, go here.) Due to this requirement, the number of sustainability-related courses will increase over time. ENVS 187: Campus Sustainability is a service-learning course that has been offered at UVM since 2005. In 2011, the ENVS 187 students piloted the documentation of the Operations section for AASHE STARS, presenting their findings to senior leaders at the University. This work went on to support UVM’s decision to sign on to AASHE STARS and submit its first report in 2014.

PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION

The University’s commitment to sustainability began with the Environmental Council in 1994, proposed by Environmental Studies faculty member, Stephanie Kaza. Over the next few years, the Environmental Council under the coordination of Gioia Thompson worked with various environmental programs to create a baseline review of the environmental impacts in campus operations. The Council worked on various projects including: the implementation of a campus environmental internship program, publishing Greening UVM followed by Tracking UVM (reports focused on the environmental performance of UVM’s campus operations), and hosted the first Vermont Campus Sustainability Network conference. In 2007, President Fogel signed on to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, and in 2008 the Environmental Council dissolved with the establishment of the Office of Sustainability. The Office of Sustainability’s mission is to foster sustainable development and promote environmental responsibility at the University of Vermont by strategically bridging the academic activities of teaching, research, and outreach with the operations of the University.

Since 2008, the Office has worked to educate and involve the campus community and public on sustainability issues, track UVM’s campus-wide sustainability performance, support organizational strategic planning for the “Environmental University,” and facilitate the implementation of sustainability related projects and initiatives. In 2013, the Socially Responsible Investing Working Group was dissolved with the Socially Responsible Investing Advisory Council (SRIAC) taking its place. SRIAC supports the Vice President for Finance and

!

!

The Real Food Working group, in collaboration with UVM Dining, is responsible for coordinating the implementation of this commitment. They identify the opportunities to incorporate new products that will UVM accomplish its Real Food goals. The most recent data available shows that as of Spring 2013, UVM is at 12% real food (see Figure 2). Learn more about the breakdown of real food at UVM over the years. !

!Figure 2: Real Food Percentages by Semester !UVM has shown leadership in higher education with its early adoption of green building on campus, including: the development and implementation of a comprehensive Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste and Recycling Management System, and its Green Building policy, which follows the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED). President Fogel committed UVM to a new green construction policy in 2005, which by 2007 included all new buildings meeting a minimum of LEED Silver or higher. LEED guidelines address the use of water, materials, energy, and land use, as well as the quality of indoor air in the built environment. UVM currently has 12 LEED-certified buildings on campus, including research laboratories, dormitories, and the Dudley H. Davis Student Center, the first LEED Gold certified student center in the U.S. (see Figure 3). !

!!!!!

OPERATIONS The student initiated Clean Energy Fund (started in 2008) created co-curricular and academic opportunities around renewable energy, including the Climate Action Seminar and Energy Action Seminar lecture series. In 2012, the CEF funded the Comprehensive Campus Renewable Energy Feasibility Study. This feasibility study identified potential areas for renewable energy installations on campus and how energy generated from renewables could play a role in UVM’s carbon neutrality goals.

Figure 1: UVM’s Central Heat Plant with new solar array installed The study concluded that solar photovoltaic systems are the best and optimal opportunity for energy generation from renewable energy technologies. In addition to the study and other feasibility studies funded by the CEF, three solar PV systems were installed on UVM properties including: seventeen 4 kW solar PV trackers, a 32kW static electric grid-tied photovoltaic system on the Equine Center at the Miller Research Farm, and the upgrade & optimization of a solar array on UVM’s Central Heat Plant. The CEF has awarded funds to over 40 projects since 2008; check out the projects portfolio.

In 2009, a student sustainability intern began tracking Real Food using the Real Food Calculator, which was a tool developed by the Real Food Challenge. Interim President Bramley signed the Real Food Campus Commitment in 2012, committing UVM to purchasing 20% real food by 2020 within its dining services. !

!

!

Figure 3: Dudley H. Davis Student Center UVM seeks to reduce the environmental impact from transportation and has partnered with the Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association (CATMA) to provide employees and students at UVM with access to a comprehensive commuter plan, offering many car/bike reward programs as well as carpool programs through UVM’s Transportation and Parking Services. UVM is recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly University. Both hybrid electric and compressed natural gas-powered buses are used for UVM’s fleet. Two Toyota Prius vehicles are also available on campus through a partnership with CarShare Vermont. Along with the incentives offered through the University and the continuous planning to make campus more pedestrian and bike-friendly, UVM’s Transportation & Research Center (TRC) offers interesting educational opportunities and solutions to reducing the environmental impact of transportation in Vermont.

In 2012, the University of Vermont became the thirty-fourth college in the U.S. to commit to the Sustainable Endowment Institute’s Billion Dollar Green Challenge with the creation of a $13 million dollar Energy Revolving Fund. The fund was earmarked to finance energy efficiency improvements on campus. At the time, it was the largest fund among the signatories participating in the challenge.

ENGAGEMENT

Student activism and engagement has been the key driving force behind the commitments UVM participates in. A few examples of these include signing of the Real Food Campus Commitment, AASHE STARS, the creation of the Clean Energy Fund, and ending the sale of bottled water on campus. UVM has a large number of clubs and organizations that are actively engaged on campus and with the surrounding communities.

grown into a community of undergraduate student leaders who foster environmental responsibility on campus. Throughout the academic year, they host a number of events on-campus and in the residence halls, distribute information regarding issues of sustainability, and educate students on the philosophy that by making simple changes in our lifestyles we can improve our relationship with the environment. Other student clubs on campus with a strong emphasis on environmental issues include the Vermont Student Environmental Program (VSTEP), Student Environmental Educators Doing Service (SEEDS), the Renewable Energy Network (REN), and the Bike Users Group (BUG). Learn more about student clubs engaged in sustainability on-campus.

The Eco-Reps Program is the second oldest college peer-to-peer education program in the U.S. Beginning in 2004 as a pilot project through the UVM Recycling Office, the program has