The Cushman Clan’s Romp Across the Earth

This semester in the introductory environmental history course I teach (HIST/EVRN 103), we examined the ecological foundations of human civilization over the long term—including our own industrial civilization.  Whenever I can, I try to place myself and my ancestors into this history.  I encourage the rest of the class to do so, as well, by writing a weekly journal focused on current events and participatory activities in the world surrounding us.  This blog and the comments that follow is intended to provide a *public forum* for reflecting on our ecological history and our prospects as a species—and for sharing some modest suggestions about how we will *act* on this knowledge.

On my father’s side of my family, my forefathers and foremothers left a path of environmental destruction from sea to shining sea.  After depleting the soils, pastures, and forests of Massachusetts, where they attended the mythic first Thanksgiving, the Cushman clan migrated west with swarms of Anglo colonists, causing drastic ecological changes wherever they tarried.  Barnabas, his son Silas, and his son Elmer proceeded from the clear-cut forests of Vermont, to the once fertile shores of Lake Erie, to the lead mining district of Wisconsin, to a sod house in the heavily indigenous Dakota Territory, to a health-reform mission in central Chicago, to a chicken ranch on the U.S.-Mexico border, to a suburban house in smoggy Los Angeles—all in the course of three lives lasting from 1787-1927.

It is humbling to realize that they usually did so in the belief that they would improve the new lands where they settled.  The founder of the Cushman family in America, Robert Cushman, gave what is now considered a notorious sermon on the environmental ethics of colonialism before he set sail from England in 1621: “What right have I to go live in the heathen’s country?” he asked.  “Their land is spacious and void, and there are few, and do but run over the grass, as do also the foxes and wild beasts.  They are not industrious, neither have art, science, skill or faculty to use either the land or the commodities of it; but all spoils, rots, and is marred for want of manuring, gathering, ordering, &c.”  He believed it was his God-given duty to take the land from Native Americans like Tisquantum in order to make the continent a better, more righteous place.

As a manmade, undersea volcano of petroleum pollutes the Gulf of Mexico and the unrelenting forces of plate tectonics spew volcanic ash into the jet ways of the North Atlantic, I am again humbled by our capacity to disrupt the natural world, as well as by nature’s capacity to “bite back” and stand in the way of our aspirations.  I am still living off the debts my ancestors borrowed from the land, sea, atmosphere, peoples, and creatures they pushed aside in accomplishing their dreams.  It is tempting to simply throw up my hands and selfishly go about my business—until I stop to think that Camilo, Andrés, and Olivia Cushman Cabrera will inherit this world, as will the children of billions of human families just like mine and quadrillions of other creatures with families of their own.  My children will have to repay this national debt—first and foremost by watching one of our favorite places in the world, Everglades National Park, disappear beneath the rising sea, urban sprawl, and fertilizer run-off.  Their children will probably see their great-grandmothers’ suburban home, right next door, follow the Everglades to watery oblivion.  My parents and grandparents have already destroyed the glorious flocks of birds that once inhabited this fragile wilderness.

In my life, my family has chosen an area of emphasis to reduce our ecological impact.  We bought a house close enough to walk to work, school, the supermarket, the liquor store, and other necessities of life, and we try (although not hard enough) to use the most natural form of transportation—our legs and feet.  The President complains about the obesity epidemic in our country.  But from living without an automobile in Hungary and Peru and eating much the same (even at McDonalds in those locales), we learned that walking largely determined whether we put pounds on, or took pounds off, whether our children bounced off the walls, or were ready to live within them once we returned home, whether we went to bed tired (and slept well), or tossed, turned, and ached from unused muscle energy.  When we travel we use public transportation available to us—even when it slows down the journey to the conference hotel in Houston by an hour (leaving an extra $50 in my pocket).  We always carpool by necessity—there’s only one car for us to share.

It will take a lot more than this to change the world.  These actions only make up infinitesimally for our kind’s contribution to the oiling of the ocean, to the soiling of the stratosphere, and to the changes of the land.  But in the meantime, our lives are changed for the better, and there’s one less exhaust pipe firing at our lungs.  We’d love to hear your comments.

Gregory T. Cushman
Lawrence, Kansas, 11 May 2010

Agriculture’s Role in Climate Change

According to this New York Times blog post, the cattle feed provided for the 1.5 million cows located in the Central Valley of California has been linked to the considerably poor air quality that settles over the area. I was a student in the Central Valley for 4 years before coming to the University of Kansas and experienced this pollution first hand. Who would have thought that tail-pipe emissions are not as detrimental to local air quality as are the chemicals released by cattle feed?

I come from a farming background (revealed in greater detail here) and my family runs a Western Nebraska farm corporation. I share this example because while the agricultural industry is not often considered a significant polluter, farming communities will have a huge stake in the upcoming climate change legislation debate. According to the EPA’s U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report in 2008, the agricultural sector was responsible for emissions of 427.5 teragrams of CO2 equivalents (Tg CO2 Eq.), or 6 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

The fact that cattle feed is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions has a major impact on the State of Kansas.  At the beginning of 2006, Kansas was ranked second behind Texas in total cattle numbers with 6.6 million total head of cattle. Sixteen of the 25 largest cattle feeders in the U.S. have facilities in Kansas and represent a major market for Kansas feed grains. The financial well-being of Kansas citizens is critically dependent upon the profitability and growth of the beef cattle industry.

However, one should not overlook the many positive environmental benefits of agriculture. For example, agricultural practices that conserve soil and improve soil quality also increase the amount of carbon-rich organic matter in soils, thereby providing a global depository for carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere by growing plants. The same farming practices that promote soil conservation also decrease the amount of carbon dioxide accumulating in the atmosphere and threatening global warming.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Research Center, if federal and state governments create incentives for lowering greenhouse gas emissions farmers in the State of Kansas will be uniquely positioned to take advantage of these by: 

1)   Sequestering carbon in agricultural soils by reducing tillage,  
2)   Reducing nitrous oxide emissions through more efficient use of nitrogen fertilizer,  
3)   Developing viable technologies for creating ammonia (nitrogen fertilizer) from feedstocks other than natural gas.  
4)   Capturing methane emissions from anaerobic manure handling facilities,  
5)   Substituting renewable fuels for gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas used on the farm,  
6)   Increasing the generation of electricity from wind and other renewable sources,  
7)   Expanding the use of practices like managed shelterbelts and forested riparian zones, 
8)   Other changes not yet thought of.  

Kansans need to be prepared for climate change regulations. Agricultural communities need to start exploring the above opportunities more seriously in order to reduce their own impacts, help others mitigate theirs, and develop new sectors of the economy supported by agriculture. Organizations like the Kansas Rural Center and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition are committed to economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially sustainable rural culture. In addition, here is an excellent and simple explanation from the American Farmland Trust for agriculture’s role in the cap-and-trade system.

-Joshua Foster

Who will pay for Cap-and-Trade?

The politics of the Cap-and-Trade system and climate legislation were on full display this week as Senator Lindsey Graham pulled his support for the Senate climate bill that has been sitting on the shelf for almost a year now. Senator Graham, along with Senators Kerry and Lieberman, began writing the Senate version of the climate bill to match the house version passed in June of 2009 – the American Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act (H.R. 2454).

This legislation, otherwise known as the Waxman-Markey bill passed last year, set up the framework for a cap-and-trade system to combat the greenhouse gas emissions billowing from the smoke stacks of US industry giants. But more recently, even before Senator Graham pulled his support, senate legislation was foundering as opponents labeled it as a form of “cap-and-tax”.  If the US government auctions off the pollution permits then they are, in a sense, collecting a tax while limiting GHG emissions. However, a provision within ACES provides the permits to US industries for free before auctioning off the permits in later years. This allows the regulated industries to earn windfall profits from the sale of the excess permits. A provision like this that eases the transition for firms makes passing climate legislation more feasible amid the significant lobbying and special interest forces that push and pull in Washington.

When thinking about climate legislation, one must first ask the question that while we can agree that air pollution can be detrimental to human health and our surrounding environment who is left to pay for cleaning it up? Pollution is a negative externality. Through the consumption of energy and materials, driving instead of walking or turning up the heat when a wearing a sweater would suffice, the general public, not just US industries, emit greenhouse gases without directly assuming the costs inflicted on third parties. The goal of legislation as a way of changing consumer behavior is to put a price on emissions that gets incorporated into everything we purchase in order to properly reflect the costs on the environment. Rather than making US industries assume all the cost (which, if one has studied economics, we know will eventually be passed on to the consumer) we must all share the cost of cleaning up our country, if not only for the fact that we have all contributed to its dirtification.

Thomas L. Friedman, an Op-Ed columnist with the New York Times, wrote about how a failure to complete climate change legislation is not an option. He says it best (and this is in part why he has millions of weekly readers, including myself) when he suggests what he thinks President Obama should say to Congress –

[He]’d love to see the president come out, guns blazing with this message:

“Yes, if we pass this energy legislation, a small price on carbon will likely show up on your gasoline or electricity bill. I’m not going to lie. But it is an investment that will pay off in so many ways. It will spur innovation in energy efficiency that will actually lower the total amount you pay for driving, heating or cooling. It will reduce carbon pollution in the air we breathe and make us healthier as a country. It will reduce the money we are sending to nations that crush democracy and promote intolerance. It will strengthen the dollar. It will make us more energy secure, environmentally secure and strategically secure. Sure, our opponents will scream ‘carbon tax!’ Well, what do you think you’re paying now to OPEC? The only difference between me and my opponents is that I want to keep any revenue we generate here to build American schools, American highways, American high-speed rail, American research labs and American economic strength. It’s just a little tick I have: I like to see our spending build our country. They don’t care. They are perfectly happy to see all the money you spend to fill your tank or heat your home go overseas, so we end up funding both sides in the war on terrorism — our military and their extremists.”

A fitting display of all the reasons we should enact guidelines to fight against climate change, pulling at the core ideals of conservative ideology by making such legislation seem patriotic. However, Friedman does state directly that, yes, we will all have to assume the cost of reduced emissions through the higher cost of gasoline and electricity – which will also increase the price of food and other goods – to achieve any potential positive net benefit. We cannot assume that a problem as large and important as climate change will fix itself for free. There will be a cost to US citizens but we will receive a series of benefits in return.

Today, we stand at an impasse where the political atmosphere, both highly charged and hardly moving, may not allow for a concrete discussion about climate legislation. If the US Senate were to vote today on whether to enact a bill curbing emissions, such legislation would almost certainly fail. It will take strong political will and steadfast contributions from both political parties to come up with a compromise that achieves significant GHG reductions through strict regulation while not slowing the down the economy. I believe this is possible and I am willing to pay my fare share of the cost.

-Joshua Foster

What is ‘Cap-and-Trade’?

For “KU EARTH WEEK” I wanted to explore an idea central to sustainability and the environment. The following post is a brief introduction to the Cap-and-Trade system for reducing the GHG emissions that contribute to global warming. Each week through the end of this semester I will explore further the theory, possible future legislation, and the positives and negatives of this controversial idea.

‘Cap-and-Trade’, also known as emissions trading, is a system under which a controlling body (usually the government) sets a “cap” on emissions that limits the total amount of air pollution for an entire country (or the world). Under this system, all green house gas emitters are allocated permits to pollute either on the basis of past emission levels or by auctioning the permits off to the highest bidder.

Of course, given that Cap-and-Trade  is a free-market based system, it would allow the market, and not the government, to decide the most cost-effective solutions. Each permit is fully transferable; they can be bought and sold. Firms that pollute beyond the level allowed by the number of  permits they own can purchase more from firms that have reduced their emission level and have excess permits for sale. 

Although polluters under this policy will have an incentive to reduce emissions in exchange for cold hard cash, the cost of reducing emissions should be less than or equal to the cost of a permit for the market to work properly.  If the firm cannot install emission reducing technology at a reasonable price, then it is forced to purchase additional permits. It is through this pricing mechanism that Cap-and-Trade would promote the lowest cost opportunities for reducing GHG emissions.

The government regulator issues exactly the number of permits that would produce the desired level of air pollution. As a consequence for emitting beyond the pollution level allowed by the permits acquired by a firm, the government regulator would issue severe monetary sanctions above the cost of an allowance — thus providing a strong incentive to comply with the regulation. Governments may calculate the cap level by assigning a target for the reduction of today’s emissions levels. Or for example, a government can call for a provisional greenhouse gas emissions target — like the US recently did for the year 2020 in which reductions would be “in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels.”

-Joshua Foster

Earth Week Events at KU

ALL of these events can also be found at http://conserveku.com or http://www.sustainability.ku.edu/calendar.shtml!

Lecture: Drop City

Date: Tue, 04/13/2010 – 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Lecture by Gene Bernofsky: Drop City was founded in 1965 near Trinidad, Colorado, but it was largely conceived in Lawrence by KU students and graduates.  Known as an artist community and the first rural “hippie commune,” Drop City received much media attention in its day, largely because of its unconventional architecture.  Most buildings were homemade domes covered in a patchwork of metal car tops in a profusion of colors.  Co-founder Gene Bernofsky will speak about the project.

7:00- 8:00 p.m. in the Big 12 Room of the Kansas Union

Sponsored by KU’s School of the Arts, Department of Religious Studies, Humanities and Western Civilization Program and American Studies Program.

Gene Bernofsky Films

Date: Wed, 04/14/2010 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Gene Bernofsky, co-founder of Drop City, has recently produced independent films exposing the damaging effects of industrial projects.  He will be showing and discussing some of his environmental films as well as some of his earlier experimental films.

7:00- 9:00 p.m. in 108 Smith Hall

Sponsored by KU’s School of the Arts, Department of Religious Studies, Humanities and Western Civilization Program and American Studies Program.

Lecture: Robert Cervero on Transportation Investments, Place Making and Economic Development

Date: Thu, 04/15/2010 – 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Robert Cervero, PhD, professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkely works in the area of sustainable transportation policy and planning, focusing on the nexus between urban transportation and land-use systems.  His current research is on the intersection between infrastructure, place-making, and economic development as well as urban transformations and their impacts on travel behavior.

6:00- 8:00 p.m. in the Hancock Ballroom of the Oread

» Read more

Critical Earth Bike Ride

Date: Fri, 04/16/2010 – 5:30pm – 7:00pm

Show your support for the earth by bicycling around town for the evening with friends who appreciate the most environmentally-friendly means of transportation.  Whether you bike is big or small, old or new, you will be accepted and immersed by the mass.  This ride is about having fun, enjoying the weather and promoting bicycle awareness in a legal manner.

5:30 p.m. beginning at Wescoe Beach

Sponsored by KU Environs

10th Annual Earth Day Parade & Celebration

Date: Sat, 04/17/2010 – 11:00am – 4:00pm

The day begins with a parade down Massachusetts Street at 11:00 a.m. from Seventh Street to South Park.  The Celebration in the park includes live music, children’s activities and food vendors.  Attendees are invited to learn from exhibits about waste reduction, recycling, composting, alternative fuels and vehicles, energy conservation, land preservation, and wildlife and habitat preservation.

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Look, Listen, and Share Education Fair

Date: Sat, 04/17/2010 – 11:20pm

Scientists, Environmental Activists, KU Faculty, local bands, and Local Business Owners gather to celebrate and discuss sustainability in Lawrence.

3:00- 6:00 p.m. at the Barrel House

Sponsored by Blue Sky Green Earth

Generations of Resistance Workshop and Concert

Date: Sun, 04/18/2010 – 4:00pm – 8:00pm

The event kicks off with a workshop covering a variety of issues, including community organizing, climate justice, women/labor issues.  There will be an hour-long break from 5:30- 6:30 p.m. for food, drinks, and further discussions.  The event will finish with a concert by Evan Greer and Anne Feeney from 6:30- 8:00 p.m.  Evan Greer is a queer singer/songwriter, community organizer, and popular educator based in Boston.  A member of the artist run Riot-Folk!

»Read more

Climate Justice Week 2010: Live Sketching Contest

Date: Mon, 04/19/2010 – 11:00am – 2:00pm

Artists will be asked to represent a climate justice theme through a medium of their choice, and will have approximately an hour to complete their work on Wescoe Beach.  Passing students can vote on which work they like best.

11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. on Wescoe Beach

Sponsored by Oxfam and KU Engineers Without Borders

Lecture: Farm to Plate

Date: Mon, 04/19/2010 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Dan Nagengast, Director of Kansas Rural Center and Phil Pisciotta, Owner of Fresh Food Express LLC will speak about the local food and transportation.  There will also be an interactive poster competition for students to highlight the role that transportation plays in the delivery of food and possible impacts on the environment.  First place prize is an Amazon Kindle.  Free food will also be provided Local Burger and the Merc.

7:00- 9:00 p.m. in Alderson Auditorium at the Kansas Union

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FLOW: The Film That Will Make You Change The Way You Think About Water

Date: Tue, 04/20/2010 – 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Flow: For Love of Water is a 2008 documentary that concentrates on the big business privatization of water infrastructure that prioritizes profits over the availability of clean water for people and the environment.

The Film Showing is sponsored by Environs, the Environmental Stewardship Program, the Center for Sustainability, the Environmental Studies Program, the Geography Department, and Campus Progress.

7:00- 9:00 p.m in Alderson Auditorium of the Kansas Union

Climate Justice Week 2010: Stand Up-Economist Yoram Bauman

Date: Wed, 04/21/2010 – 8:00pm – 9:00pm

Yoram Bauman, self described as “the world’s first stand-up economist,” has a PhD in Economics from the University of Washington and currently works as an environmental economist for the University of Washington’s award-winning Program on the Environment.  By night, he performs comedy at colleges, comedy clubs, and corporate events around the world.

Sponsored by Oxfam and KU Engineers Without Borders

8:00- 9:00 p.m. in Alderson Auditorium of the Kansas Union

Wescoe’s Waste

Date: Thu, 04/22/2010 – 10:00am – 3:00pm

KU Recycling will be conducting a waste audit (Wescoe’s waste) for capstone on the Stauffer-Flint lawn.  The event will be accompanied by educating people about junk mail reduction and promoting the new printer cartridge recycling service.

Sponsored by KU Recycling

10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. on Stauffer-Flint Lawn

Earth Day Field Day

Date: Thu, 04/22/2010 – 11:00am – 1:00pm

Take a break from your long day of class with SUA’s Earth Day Field Day.  There will be yard games, an environmental organization information fair, free popcorn, and wildflowers to take home!

Sponsored by Student Union Activities

11:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. at the Kansas Union Plaza

Greek Housing Black Out

Date: Thu, 04/22/2010 – 4:00pm – 5:00pm

From 4:00- 5:00 p.m. all the chapter houses involved in Greeks Going Green will participate in an all house Black Out.  During this time there will be no electrical use of any kind.

Sponsored by Greeks Going Green

Rock Chalk Greenhawk

Date: Thu, 04/22/2010 – 4:30pm – 7:30pm

KU Dining Services will be featuring some local menu items at all three residential dining centers.  Local farmers, door prizes, and informational displays of sustainability initiatives will accompany the local food.

Sponsored by KU Dining Services

4:30- 7:30 p.m. at all residential dining locations

Climate Justice Week 2010: Trivia Night

Date: Thu, 04/22/2010 – 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Trivia Night is co-sponsored by the Honors Program Student Council, Oxfam, and KU Engineers Without Borders

7:00- 8:30 p.m. in the Traditions Lobby of the Kansas Union

Lecture: 40th Anniversary of Earth Day- the Struggle for a Healthy Environment: the Legacies of Rachel Carson and Earth Day

Date: Thu, 04/22/2010 – 7:30pm – 8:30pm

We are ecstatic to have Nancy Langston, Professor of Environmental Studies and Forestry & Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as our Earth Day Lecturer.

Sponsored by the Environmental Studies Program, KU Environs, Student Senate and the Center for Sustainability

7:30- 8:30 p.m. in the Big 12 Room of the KS Union

Potter Passion Pit: Workday at Potter’s Lake

Date: Sat, 04/24/2010 – 10:30am – 1:00pm

The day starts at 10:30 a.m. on the northern shore of Potter’s Lake by the bridge.  We will divide up into smaller work groups to rake the northern bank, plant in the Dance Pavilion flower bed, and to clean the grill pits and surrounding area.  Everyone is welcome to switch tasks at their leisure and to bring frisbees and footballs for breaks.  Following the work will be a mid-day grilling of hot dogs, burgers, etc.

This event is sponsored by Potter’s Lake Project

10:30 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. at Potter’s Lake

Climate Justice Week 2010: Azacilo Olympics

Date: Sat, 04/24/2010 – 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Azacilo Olympics is a relay race to symbolize and raise awareness of the difficulties of living in Azacilo, Bolivia, the city KU Engineers Without Borders travels to annually to assist with engineering problems.  Teams of two can enter and compete to win gift cards to local stores.

Sponsored by Oxfam and KU Engineers Without Borders

12:00- 2:00 p.m. at the Memorial Campanile

Sustaining the Campus

Note: This is the 2nd post in a series on the role of sustainability in higher education.

When we think about the word campus, we may think of the faculty, students and staff that form a community based around academics and service or even the culture of student life that flourishes at these places.  Some think about the various structures including buildings, roads, and other components of infrastructure lying below the surface that many don’t even know exist.  But all of these aspects are an important part of making a campus whole and creating the living, breathing organism that is a college or university campus.

The problem is, those organisms consume a considerable amount of resources, and put out a considerable amount of waste. That creates a challenge in figuring out how to provide a valuable service without exceeding our carrying capacity so to speak.  But it also provides us with the opportunity to examine our operations through the lens of sustainability to not only reduce those impacts, but also demonstrate strategies for more sustainable operations to those in the campus community and beyond.

Institutions of higher education are an important part of community conversations and our actions capture attention both locally and regionally.  We therefore serve as a model for other communities to follow and have a responsibility to our funders and communities to maximize our efficiency, to operate in a way that not only helps sustain our own campuses but also the communities we are a part of.

That means looking at the environmental, economic, and social impacts of what we bring in to the campus as resources, how we manage those resources, and what we send away as waste.

The resources we bring on to campus present opportunities to support local businesses so that the dollars we spend keep circulating in the community.  Considering sustainability in the procurement means purchasing goods that are environmentally responsible and are produced by companies that also consider sustainability, that provide safe, healthy working conditions and fair wages for their employees.

It also involves thinking about the 3 R’s to minimize the the resources that will eventually leave our campus as waste.  When making procurement decisions, we need to consider how we might be able to reuse and redistribute goods once we are through using them, and ensure that what remains can be recycled, composted, or otherwise disposed of in a responsible manner.

One simple example of this purchasing recycled-content office paper.  Although we have worked to reduce the price of recycled paper, it still costs about 12% more than virgin paper. That means we have to decrease paper use by 12% to break even.  Student Success Technology Services has proven this can be done by setting printers to default to duplex: initial results indicated a 37% decrease in paper use after implementing their conservation policy. In this case, recycled-content paper could be used, and savings could still be realized.  In a system where the goal is to pay the lowest cost, it is important to consider strategies like this to be able to purchase items that may cost more because they are currently in lesser demand, but have greater environmental or social benefits.

One a much larger scale, similar arguments can be made about green building practices.  Although initial costs for efficiency and less toxic materials may be higher, over the lifetime of the building we’ll see a reduction in the amount of money spent on energy and maintenance, and studies even indicate that the health of employees is better in green buildings, leading to fewer sick days and increased productivity.

By integrating sustainability into our operations, we begin to address our second major role in advancing sustainability: education.  Highlighting the efforts made in operations presents an opportunity to educate the campus community – students, staff, and faculty alike – about sustainability.  For example the Multicultural Resource Center has a brochure in their waiting area detailing their efforts to recycle and reduce resource use, and offers suggestions for how visitors can help reduce their impact.  It also includes a reminder to return or recycle the brochure when finished.

This is just one example of how operations and education are intertwined and further highlights the multiple benefits of operating more sustainably.  Although the economic advantages are the most sought after in our current economic climate, they come with some very positive side effects that can help sustain the campus organism while eliminating its negative impacts.

– Jeff Severin

More Sustainable Transportation?

The KU Center for Sustainability is in the process of writing a Sustainable Campus Transportation survey questionnaire. The purpose of the survey and anticipated use of the results are to gather information about commuting behaviors and specific modes of alternative transportation. This will be used to help us report campus-related greenhouse gas emissions and guide our decisions to pursue programs that will promote and encourage alternative modes of transportation. We will be able to separate student data for targeted study and therefore be able to address the unique needs of students by illustrating more cost-effective, environmentally responsible choices.

According to past surveys, the majority of students come to campus 5 days per week, live within 5 miles of campus, and own a personal vehicle that they drive alone to campus. The KU Center for Sustainability hopes to guide several discussions about changing the way we transport ourselves, ways we can reduce KU’s impact on the surrounding environment, and how to develop a deeper understanding of sustainability within the campus community.

The Center for Sustainability will gather this data to gauge student, faculty, and staff perspectives on each type of transportation mode (biking, using the bus, travelling by car, carpooling, riding a motorcycle/moped, and walking), the installation and use of a campus car-sharing program, and better ways to encourage alternative modes of transportation.

In addition, we will calculate a current sample average for each respondent group of students, faculty members, and staff. Using this average, we plan to calculate the most efficient mode of transportation for each group by taking into account the cost of parking, the cost of vehicle ownership, the average number of trips a person makes to campus, the average distance traveled, the value of a person’s time, and an approximate value of environmental damage (carbon emissions) for each mode choice.

Recently, in a joint course between the NSF funded C-CHANGE IGERT Program and the Urban Planning Graduate Program at the University of Kansas, a team of 12 graduate students completed a greenhouse gas inventory for the KU Lawrence campus, gathering data on our emissions from electricity and natural gas use, transportation, and other sources. The Center will use the data collected in this survey to supplement and/or verify the KU Climate Action Plan’s findings on greenhouse gas emissions from KU campus commutes.

If you receive this 10 minute survey in your e-mail inbox, answer all the questions so that KU can become more sustainable.

-Joshua Foster

Paper Use Reduction and Conservation II

A February 6, 2010 New York Times article about the Hawaii state senate’s effort to reduce wasteful spending through paper reduction showcases how sustainability can save money and help the environment. Hawaii’s state senate took a very hard-line to reduce its expenditures: “no more paper unless absolutely necessary.” While this decree may be easily applied to a 25 member state senate, a move to entirely remove paper from an institution of higher education would undoubtedly prove disastrous — Although, we can all learn a lesson from this kind of effort.

In a previous post, I wrote a brief analysis on how the University of Kansas could limit its environmental impact by reducing paper consumption and energy usage while simultaneously creating a culture of sustainability through the implementation of environmentally conscious guidelines. Although copy paper is necessary to the daily operations of the University, there are options to reduce consumption like the effort put forth in the Hawaiian government 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. This will reduce paper waste while encouraging students, faculty, and staff to reduce other wasteful practices.

I want to reiterate the potential for paper reduction outlined by the results within the Student Success Technology Services Office, which put forth an incredible amount of work in creating and implementing the Student Success Technology Conservation Policy. The findings (highlighted in the previous post) show that there was a 37% reduction in cost associated with printing after the implementation of the policy. If a reduction of that magnitude resulted from a similar university-wide policy implementation it would save approximately $115,000 per year!

Direct and concrete changes to KU policy could have a dramatic effect on how we conduct business at the University. A quote from the article says it best: “Doing it this way was so different and daunting at first,” said the [Hawaiian] Senate clerk, Carol Taniguchi. “Now it really seems to be a way of life.” Although there may be strong initial push-back to a revision of university policy, people will get used to the new rules, the new way of thinking, and change their habits for the benefit of their own office or department as well as the entire university and our environment.

-Joshua Foster

The Role of Sustainability in Higher Education

Despite the very broad nature of the term sustainability, I often find myself getting caught up in the details of the day.  For me, that means gathering data on campus operations, editing (and re-editing) reports, and even reviewing checklists for a more sustainable workplace.  That is after all how progress is made.

But it is also important to take a step back from time to time and ask, “Why?”  Why should an institution like KU strive for a more sustainable future?  On the heels of the 2010 Sustainability Conference at Kansas State University and a recent talk I gave at Baker University, I have spent some time reflecting on the role of sustainability in higher education.  So I thought it was time to come out of my blogging hibernation to post a few thoughts and see what others are thinking.  (And to give Josh a break from doing ALL the writing.)

This past December, a group of about 40 faculty, students and staff that are part of our sustainability ambassador program got together to discuss some of the bigger questions about sustainability at KU, working through an exercise to envision a more sustainable campus and prioritize actions that would help us get there.  It was clear that the group was thinking beyond just making our campus “green”.  Many of the comments that were made focused on the process of becoming a more sustainable future – things like developing a culture where the ideals of sustainability are the forefront of everything we do, making strong connections with the local community and supporting a local economy, and working collaboratively to come up with innovative solutions that will create a self-sustaining institution.

The list of ideals and actions that came out of this discussion supports the notion that sustainability is something that encompasses us all.   Examining challenges through the lens of sustainability requires input from a wide range of academic disciplines.  Overcoming those challenges requires participation from each and every one of us.  It can’t be done with just those who are interested in environmental issues or the natural sciences, or just those working on issues of social justice.  Each member of our community has an important role to play.

Colleges and Universities therefore have a unique contribution to make to the sustainability movement.  We are by our very nature small communities.   The University of Kansas is a community of around 30,000 – which is as large or larger than some communities in our state – made of up individuals studying a wide range of disciplines and carrying out a wide range of support functions.  The college campus, then, presents the perfect environment to not only to study our changing world, but to develop systems that promote responsible use of resources and help build  healthy, resilient communities.  And through outreach and service-learning we can accomplish this in a way that will help others advance towards a more sustainable future.

Campuses throughout the globe are taking on this challenge of leadership.  As of January 2010, over 400 institutions from 50 countries have signed the Talloires Declaration, an international commitment to sustainability that includes an action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities.

More prevalent in the news today is the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).  As of this writing 667 institutions of higher learning have signed the agreement, committing to complete a greenhouse gas inventory and develop a plan that will reduce emissions while creating a more engaged and sustainability-literate campus – all with the eventual goal of climate neutrality. Although focused specifically on climate change, the ACUPCC fosters a collaborative approach involving various sectors of campus, including integration into the curriculum.  And no matter what your personal stance on climate change is, I think we can all agree that the clean-energy solutions and other sustainable practices being developed in response to climate concerns will lead us toward a future with less pollution, less waste, improved public health, and increased collaboration.

The pursuit of sustainability therefore provides a mechanism to recognize numerous benefits, including cost savings and waste reductions through more efficient operations; new learning and research opportunities; and positive interactions between faculty, staff, students and the broader community.  Each of these is worthy of their own examination, so I will tackle these topics in future posts.  In the meantime, consider taking a break from the details of your day to let us know what YOU think our role as in institution is in advancing sustainability – on campus, in the community, and beyond.

– Jeff

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System

In the Fall of 2008, the KU Center for Sustainability participated in the the pilot version of the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). We were tasked with supplying information regarding three categories of sustainable efforts in different sectors of the University. Categories including education and research, operations, administration and finance, and an additional section on any innovative or path-breaking practices each comprised hundreds of quantitative and qualitative questions about KU.     

According to the overall scores of the 37 institutions that completed and submitted every question,  KU ranked 28th.   

KU scores:
Education and Research: 25.3
Operations: 12.7
Administration and Finance: 35.9
Innovation: 0    
Total 24.7    

Average Doctorate-Granting University Scores: 
Education and Research: 29.5
Operations: 30.9
Administration and Finance: 54.8
Innovation: 1.9    
Total 40.3   

 The full PDF version of the STARS Pilot Results Report can be found on the AASHE Website.The results of this survey should not be surprising. While KU has made significant strides over the past few years to encourage recycling, reduce energy consumption, and form a sustainability center, the University of Kansas is lagging behind other major universities. The effort to green our campus should come from all levels of our institution. In fact, Danny Anderson (the Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor) recently said in an email to faculty and staff that, “I am encouraged by the many examples of continuing engagement…  The task forces underway to address the Chancellor’s priorities, to promote sustainability initiatives, and to explore innovations in teaching and research are only a few examples.” KU will improve its sustainability score through the continued efforts of students, faculty, and staff with the endorsement of the top administration officials.    

The following  paragraphs explore how the STARS program could help us achieve our sustainability goals.    

After the results of STARS pilot program should The University of Kansas participate in the next STARS survey? The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) is an innovative, voluntary self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge progress toward sustainability and earn recognition for sustainability leadership. After three years of development, STARS 1.0 is the first version through which participants will be able to earn a rating.          

“STARS is designed to…

  

 (1) “…provide a guide for advancing sustainability in all sectors of higher education…” –         

 

• If KU participates in the STARS system, then we will have a framework for assessing the implications of sustainability on all sectors of the university. In addition, with the participation of other major universities, STARS will provide a defined standard of sustainability for institutions of higher education. If acting alone, KU may overlook important aspects of sustainability in operations by simply focusing all efforts on education and research, operations, and/or other sectors of the university. 

 (2) “…enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions by establishing a common standard of measurement for sustainability in higher education…” –              

• If KU participates in the STARS system, then we will be able to compare sustainability year-to-year. Last year, KU helped in the development of the STARS system through participating in the pilot program. We were able to identify aspects of the university for which we could encourage improvement. Through further participation in the STARS system the university will learn where it is deficient (whether it is in Education & Research, Operations, Administration, and/or Innovation) and move toward correcting these deficiencies, and then it will document an increasing (or decreasing) trend of sustainability.
• If KU participates in the STARS system, then we will be able to compare our progress to other universities. By participating in the STARS system, KU receives a score attributed to each section of the survey and, when added together and normalized with institutional characteristics, the scores are comparable to other universities. This would provide the university with an accurate ranking and measure of progress among comparable institutions.

 (3) “…create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability…” –              

• Similar to other third party certifications, the STARS system provides a recognized benchmark of achievement on which the University could base future decisions regarding each survey section of Education & Research, Operations, Administration, and Innovation. KU will find incentive to improve its ranking through the identification of needed improvements, the creation of an action plan for corrections of deficiencies, and the ability to set measureable goals.

 (4) “…facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance…” –              

• If KU participates in the STARS system, then we will be able to better share/access university advancements in sustainability.  As a research institution, KU benefits from the academic advances on which its researchers base new inquiries and provide new breakthroughs. In the interest of advancing sustainability, KU has an external incentive to provide any breakthrough in sustainability with the larger group. Likewise, it is in KU’s best interest to adopt and apply the successful practices of other universities to advance sustainability on campus.

 (5) “…build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.” –            

• If KU participates in the STARS system, then we will be part of a rising community of concerned universities whose main goals are to improve campus environments, cut costs through the implementation of sustainable practices, provide a growing base of sustainability research, and provide future generations with an understanding of sustainability and the need to reconcile environmental, social, and economic needs. 

– Joshua Foster