December 2, 2009 at 1:29 pm (Education, Energy, Generally Green, Green at Work, Research, Sustainability at KU, Sustainable Solutions)
Based on information provided by KU Purchasing Services for FY2006 and FY2007, The University of Kansas purchases an estimated $315,000 of copy paper per year. The most effective way to reduce the cost associated with paper use is to buy and consume less. Although copy paper is necessary to the daily operations of the University, there are options to reduce consumption without compromising productivity. The University of Kansas should pursue drafting a campus-wide printing policy that includes the implementation of a double-sided (duplex) default setting for all printers on campus. Duplex printing is defined as the ability to print on both sides of the paper. Duplexing would reduce paper use and cost for the user. In addition, reducing the amount of paper purchased would mitigate some of the harmful environmental effects associated with the paper consumption and disposal.
Easan Selvan, a systems specialist for the Student Success Technology Services Office, put forth an incredible amount of work in creating and implementing the Student Success Technology Conservation Policy. Included in the policy is the recommendation that printers be set to duplex automatically. But that is only a small part of this policy that seeks to curb the waste of valuable resources. In fact, Easan’s work was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency. At current electricity costs, this new policy will save $29,050.20 in electricity annually. Easan was recognized at the Sustainability Leadership Awards for his efforts.
In a recent experiment, the Student Success Technology Services office recorded the page count on 3 printers between the 24th of February and the 25th of March, 2009. On every Monday during this time period, the default setting on each printer was changed to automatically duplex. During the following week, the user could choose single sided printing (even as a default if they wish) but the printer would revert to duplex by default on the subsequent Monday.
| TABLE 1 – Paper use: Student Success Technology Services Office |
| |
Images Printed |
Pages Saved |
% Saved |
| Printer 1: Students |
2478 |
985 |
39.75% |
| Printer 2: Staff |
695 |
272 |
39.14% |
| Printer 3: Personal |
791 |
212 |
26.80% |
| Total |
3964 |
1469 |
37.06% |
Considering the information displayed in TABLE 1, the number of images printed without duplexing capabilities would be equal to the total number of pages printed. On average, with the use of an automatic duplexing policy, the number of pieces of paper used fell by 37% over traditional one sided printing. This result corresponds to a 37% reduction in cost associated with printing. A reduction of that magnitude would save the university approximately $115,000 per year!
In addition, the conservation policy has led to greatly reduced energy consumption across the entire Student Success unit and is being used as a model for other departments campus-wide. The KU Center for Sustainability would like to encourage the implementation of this policy across the entire university.
-Josh Foster
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November 30, 2009 at 11:10 am (Education, Generally Green, Social Responsibility)
This was originally posted on the “Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education — Campus Sustainability Perspectives Blog“. I am RE-POSTING the entry on our blog for the education of our readers. The information provided below is unchanged. -Joshua Foster
Time Magazine recently released their list of the “10 Best College Presidents”. As I was reading through the Presidents selected for this list a common theme emerged: these are also leaders who take the challenges of sustainability seriously. Of the Presidents selected by Time, 7 of the 10 are signatories to the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) including Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University who also serves as Co-Chair to the commitment. In addition, all of the campuses represented by these presidents are also doing great work to advance sustainability in other realms as well. One example is New York University who was this years AASHE Campus Sustainability Leadership Award winner. President Scott Cowen, representing Tulane University was a campus award winner in their category in 2008, and Middlebury College won its category in 2007. The activities these institutions are doing to advance sustainability are numerous and cover areas as diverse as education and research initiatives, campus operations and planning and administration. All ten of the campuses just happen to be AASHE members as well.
The list of presidents selected by Time Magazine is below:
Ohio State – Gordan Gee
New York University – John Sexton
University of Michigan Ann Arbor- Mary Sue Coleman
Arizona State University – Michael Crow
Tulane University – Scott Cowen
Middlebury College – Ronald Liebowitz
University of Maryland, Baltimore County – Freeman Hrabowski
Miami Dade College – Eduardo Padron
University of Texas at Brownsville – Juliet Garcia
University of California – Mark Yudof
Is your college president deserving of being part of a “best Presidents list”? I would be interested in success stories you have had working with your campus leadership to advance sustainability.
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November 29, 2009 at 10:13 pm (Education, Energy, Generally Green, Research)
The University of Kansas frequently competes for research grants. As highlighted in the October 12, 2009 KU News Release: KU continues to rise in national research rankings — nationwide, federal funding for science and engineering research is a leading indicator of a university’s overall reputation. KU has seen an upward trend in the amount of federal grant dollars invested in research at the University.
How does this relate to sustainability?
I came across an article about Clemson University’s recent landing of a $45 million research grant from the US Department of Energy to build a wind turbine testing center. Such a grant will propel Clemson into the forefront of alternative energy research. The University of Kansas should take note of this event and plan for the future as environmentally conscious research dollars become more prevalent.
In the current economic and political climate, especially with President Obama pledging a provisional target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the United States for the international climate meetings in Copenhagen next month, research in sustainability related fields is garnering more support. I believe that KU could better enrich the lives of students and research faculty alike by encouraging more sustainbility related research.
I would like to highlight some of the current sustainability related research originating with KU faculty. The University has a significant number of research faculty conducting studies related to sustainability ranging from African and African-American Studies to Urban Planning.
If you know of any research that is not listed on the Center for Sustainability website, please forward the information by email to sustainability@ku.edu
-Joshua Foster
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November 19, 2008 at 11:12 am (Education, Energy, Green Building, LC)
Lately, it’s all about green, green, green; the color? No! The environment, obviously. But is that all there is? Maybe it is time to combine the two. Can’t we be “green” with pinks, yellows and oranges? FIDER knows what’s up. They are making it a requirement for all interior design students to learn and have a good understanding of what sustainability means. Though they are not making sustainability a mandatory aspect of design, at least the students are being educated about it. I’m sure you’ll agree when I say: this is a small step in the right direction.
Luckily, design students are not the only college goers with sustainability awareness. Oberlin College conducted a huge experiment proving that if students know their levels of energy use, they are more likely to cut it down; granted it was made into a contest for motivational purposes, but it’s still legit. Now, you may say, “So what? If it was a contest, it means nothing, anyone will do something for a prize”, but that’s simply not the underlying point.
A little knowledge goes a long way. People will care for the environment when taught about its importance and needs. If everyone knew all the simple, little things we can do to help sustain our resources, small gestures of sustainability would have a huge impact. Prove to me otherwise, and then we can talk. It’s about those that are making a difference, not those that are not. So, take a look around. Need a new color scheme? Is it time for you to call a knowledgeable interior designer? I mean… green isn’t all bad…
- Monica
Editor’s Note: This post is one in a series published by students in the Sustainability Learning Community at KU. Additional posts from this series can be found under “LC” on the Categories list.
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