SUNY Oneonta
Climate Action Plan
2011
Introduction
In July 2008, SUNY Oneonta welcomed a new College President, Dr. Nancy
Kleniewski. Expressed as one of her four “key architectural elements”, Dr.
Kleniewski committed to strive toward a more sustainable future through learning,
construction, how we acquire and use resources, and maintenance of college
property.
One of the most serious environmental problems today involves the effects of
the emissions fossil fuel combustion and other forms of carbon release. As a higher
education institution, SUNY Oneonta is an important part of the community, both
economically and in serving as a role model for surrounding businesses and
institutions. Understanding the responsibility the college has toward the
community is essential and serves as an impetus for writing the SUNY-Oneonta
Climate Action Plan.
Over the last three semesters, SUNY-Oneonta student interns have been
actively collecting emissions data from a variety of sources. With the aid of the
Clean-Air Cool-Planet® Campus Carbon Calculator, the interns were able to convert
their data into metric tons of eCO2. Inventories for years 2000 and 2008 have been
completed at this time.
To ensure that all aspects of campus carbon sources are addressed in this
plan, the college has decided to approach emission reductions by separating campus
operations into three general categories. Each category will target specific
emissions sources that fall within the activities of the particular practice, but they
will also identify basic sustainability efforts that may be covered by the other two
categories. Although the title of this document indicates that its purpose is to
reduce carbon emissions, SUNY-Oneonta feels that we can use the Climate Action
Plan to instill the importance of sustainability into our students, so they may take
this knowledge with them in their further pursuits. Therefore, the SUNY-Oneonta
Climate Action Plan will primarily focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions but
may also address other forms of sustainability.
The three campus operations categories include:
Facilities: The College has dedicated resources to the improvement of campus
buildings and infrastructure. These improvements include projects designed to
increase the water, HVAC, electrical and thermal efficiency of residence, academic,
and administrative buildings. The eventual goal is to attain a 20% GHG reduction by
2020. The college has also invested in energy saving projects at the central heating
facility which will greatly increase energy efficiency and reduce the college’s overall
carbon footprint.
Education: Although the college offers majors that focus on sustainability and the
environment, the majority of academic majors offered do not. During the time that
the greenhouse gas inventories were being conducted, an academically diverse
group of faculty, staff, and students called The Sustainability Task Force was asked
to produce a report that would identify ways of incorporating sustainability into the
college curriculum. The report written by The Sustainability Task Force will be the
primary reference for the emission reductions addressed in this section.
Cultural: In reducing carbon emissions, it is essential to reach members of the
campus community on a non-academic and individual level. Other than educational
opportunities, the campus provides room and board. Several efforts have been
made in the residence and dining halls to raise sustainability awareness and to
reduce emissions. Some of these student services fall under the responsibilities of a
non-for-profit organization, The Oneonta Auxiliary Service (OAS). OAS is actively
involved in The Sustainability Task Force and is continuously working toward more
efficient ways to provide these supplementary services.
Through all of these aspects, it is our goal to reduce current emissions 10%
by 2015, and by an additional 10% every ten years following. To keep track of our
carbon footprint, we will continue to have interns conduct greenhouse gas
inventories. Every five years we will use the new data to improve and customize the
Climate Action Plan.
Background
Before beginning the Climate Action Plan, we wanted to compile a data set
that would enable us to target specific areas of especially high emissions. Student
interns collected data for years 2000 and 2008 from a variety of campus and
community sources. The Clean-Air Cool-Planet® Campus Carbon Calculator uses
raw, collected data and converts it to metric tons of CO2 emissions. The calculator is
divided into three scopes:
Scope 1 – all direct sources of emissions that are owned or controlled by SUNYOneonta. This includes university fleet and heating with natural gas & residual oil.
Scope 2 – emissions from purchased electricity, heat or steam.
Scope 3 – emissions from the activity of the institution from outside sources owned
or controlled by another company. This includes campus community
transportation, waste and paper purchased.
In a comparison of emissions by scope for 2000 and 2008, SUNY-Oneonta
increased emissions by 21.3% in scope1 and 10.7% in scope 3. However, in scope 2
SUNY-Oneonta decreased emissions by 44.8%. Overall, the college decreased
emissions by 12.5%. This is probably due to a conversion from electric to natural
gas for cooking and baking.
Figure 1. Comparison by scope in MT eCO2
When compared to other institutions, SUNY-Oneonta’s emissions per 1000
ft2 are relatively low. As far as the size of the institutions, Oneonta is most
comparable to Ithaca College.
Figure 2. Metric tons CO2 emissions per 1000 SF
The Carbon Calculator specified what data was needed to perform a
greenhouse gas emissions inventory. By examining the categories provided by the
calculator, we can conclude that the following sources of emissions that are
highlighted in yellow should be of particular focus.
Table 1
Scope 1
Other on campus
Stationary
Direct Transportation
Refrigerants and
Chemicals
Agriculture
2000
2008
13,235
17,043.7
429.7
330.8
408.7
330.8
4.1
12.3
13,286.4
7,332.9
2,596.4
2,904.4
2,022.2
2,167.6
228.8
729
Scope 2
Purchased Electricity
Scope 3
Faculty and Staff
Commuter
Student Commuter
Directly Financed
Transportation
Air Travel
Other Directly Financed
Travel (Rental Car and
Train)
Study Abroad
Solid Waste
Wastewater
Paper Purchased
17.5
30.3
419.3
1,192.7
20.1
18.3
677.2
1,485
14.7
31.3
Facilities
The State University College at Oneonta has planned facility improvement
projects for every building on campus including all residence, administrative, and
academic buildings. The facilities improvement projects will increase the efficiency
of HVAC, sewer/water, Electricity, and thermal components of each of the buildings.
These improvement projects have been scheduled for completion between
2010 and 2020. The projects will facilitate major reductions in total campus GHG
emissions as the college moves toward a goal of 20% emissions decrease by 2020.
Some of the projects have a significant upfront cost, however many of the projects
also have a short pay back and the efficiency improvements will generate
considerable future savings that can be re-invested.
The college recently implemented a series of Energy Conservation Measures
(ECMs) that will increase the total energy efficiency of campus. These measures
include:
 ECM 1: Installing lighting controls in offices, classrooms, & various
other spaces.
 ECM 2: Replacing old inefficient lighting fixtures with new energy
efficient fixtures in a number of spaces
 ECM 3: Converting the large electric baking oven in the services
building to a gas fired operation
They ECM’s will reduce energy usage as well as utility costs which will generate
considerable annual savings for the college. In addition, these projects will facilitate
a considerable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These include reductions in
total CO2, SO2, and NOx; harmful greenhouse gases which contribute to global
climate change.
There are various methods available to reduce GHG emissions through
infrastructure planning. Significant reductions and concomitant costs savings can
be achieved through capital construction. The four main categories of projects aim
to enhance the energy efficiency of the campus systems.
The college facilities office intends to perform two major different types of
improvement projects to campus buildings.
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General rehabilitations: Although more expensive, aside from the obvious
benefits to classroom, faculty and student benefits, these large projects
achieve results at many different levels, including thermal, electrical, and
water.
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Commissioning: Requiring commissioning and retro-commissioning
achieves maximum efficiencies of all systems.
There are several different types of improvements that will improve the
electrical efficiency of the campus facilities. These improvements include:
o Motor and pump replacements: Replacing old motors and pumps with
newer, more efficient units have a very high “payback” with regard to
electrical efficiencies.
o HVAC Upgrades: Original HVAC systems can be upgraded to improve both
reliability and efficiency.
o Electrical Metering Upgrade: While not directly improving efficiency, this
project will replace old meters and better our ability to monitor and manage
electrical loads.
Thermal quality improvements will significantly increase the heating efficiency
of the campus buildings. Thermal deficiency strongly decreases the efficiency of a
building. Thermal improvements to the campus buildings will help to mitigate or
completely prevent unnecessary heat and energy losses from that contribute to total
GHG emissions. The types of thermal improvement projects that will be completed
at SUNY Oneonta include:
o Steam Trap Upgrades: Routine, steady repair and or rebuilding of steam
traps is one of the most effective, low-cost ways to improve thermal
efficiencies.
o Roof Replacements: Modern, highly insulated and watertight roofs greatly
enhance thermal proficiency and occupant comfort.
o Window Replacements: Although a very high initial capital cost item, huge
building envelope savings (as well as occupant comfort) can be achieved by
these projects.
o Central Heating Plant Upgrades: Improving boiler efficiency and installing
stack economizer packages will significantly enhance thermal proficiency.
o Fuel Conversion: The conversion of the college’s backup fuel from “#6” to
“#2” fuel, aside from the obvious reduction in GHG emissions from using the
#2 fuel, will render unnecessary the need to heat a fuel oil “tracer” line for
the backup fuel supply.
o Steam and Hot Water Line Replacement: This is a continuance of an
ongoing project to upgrade thermal efficiency through replacement of old
lines with new, insulated lines protected from ground water.
o Domestic Hot Water Upgrades: Replacement of original domestic hot water
systems will greatly enhance thermal efficiency.
The campus water facilities will receive considerable improvements to increase
the efficiency of water usage on campus. SUNY Oneonta recognizes that water is a
valuable resource and must be managed efficiently.
o Restroom Retrofits: Significant water savings can be affected via
toilet/restroom retrofits.
o Water Line Replacements: A proactive replacement of sections of
underground water lines will reduce the likelihood of future underground
leaks.
Academic & Administrative Improvement Projects
The academic and administrative buildings on campus will be undergoing
numerous improvements within the next five years, which will increase the overall
efficiency of these buildings.
Drain mitigation improvements have already been completed that will improve
the storm water runoff collection of the campus sewage system.
Additionally, thermal improvements have been completed at the Biological Field
Station in Cooperstown, NY.
Residence Hall Improvement Projects
The campus residence buildings will be undergoing numerous improvements
within the next five years, which will increase the overall utilities efficiency of these
buildings.
The college will be replacing the roofs on several residence, academic and
administrative buildings. The residence buildings Blodgett, MacDuff, and Hulbert
will be receiving roof restoration and replacements between 2011 and 2018. In
addition, Hulbert dining hall, Wilsbach dining hall, and the Fine Arts building will all
be receiving roof replacements between 2011 and 2013. Older roof insulation will
be replaced by new rigid insulation, which will increase the thermal efficiency of
these buildings.
The college facilities team is currently involved in major renovation
improvements to several of the freshman residency buildings. In 2006 the college
collaborated with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to
produce a plan for rehabilitating the freshman residency buildings including, Tobey
Hall, Wilber Hall, Golding Hall, and Littell Hall. The objective was to increase the
sustainability and energy efficiency of the buildings while increasing occupancy of
the buildings. The scheduled rehabilitation started with Tobey and Wilbur, which
finished completion in 2009 and 2010 respectively. The renovation of Golding Hall
will be complete by 2011. The renovation of Littell Hall will complete construction
in July, 2012.
The aim of the residency hall renovations was to earn a silver certification
through the LEED program on all the new freshman halls. There were a number of
sustainable strategies that were designed to meet this end. These included:
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Building reuse
Water efficient landscaping
Water use reduction
Optimized energy performance
Refrigerant management
Recycled content materials
Low emitting materials
Construction waste management
Regional materials
Rapidly renewable material
FSC certified wood
Indoor chemical and pollutant source control
These design strategies increased the sustainability of both the buildings
and the construction processes used to build them.
The completed renovations to Tobey and Wilber hall have increased the
thermal and electrical efficiency of these buildings. For instance, Tobey Hall
reduced energy usage by 41% while increasing occupancy by 20%. Wilber reduced
energy and water usage by 40%. In addition 78% of the waste generated during
construction was collected and recycled to avoid its unnecessary placement in a
landfill.
Improvements are also underway to the central heating facility on campus.
The campus receives all of it heating from this central facility which utilizes five
large boilers to produce energy for heating and hot water in all of the residence,
academic, and administrative buildings. Currently, the heating facility burns liquid
petroleum # 6 which is reducing the efficiency of the plant. The college intends to
improve this efficiency by replacing the current oil with natural gas in the summer
of 2011. The new lighter oil is more energy efficient and has greatly reduced
emissions which make it less harmful to the environment. Important equipment
such as boiler tubes and hydraulic pumps are being replaced as well in order to
maximize the efficiency of the facility. In addition, traditional boiler cleaning
chemicals, which may be corrosive to the boiler, have been replaced with a polymer
cleaner. This will increase the life of the boilers as well as reduce maintenance
costs.
Each of these facilities improvements is designed to move the college
towards a goal of 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
Education
At SUNY-Oneonta, we feel that it is important to integrate sustainability into
the curricula of all disciplines. The students at SUNY Oneonta will have the
opportunity to practice sustainability during their time here and will leave with the
ability to carry this knowledge to future endeavors. For the past several years,
SUNY-Oneonta has been building a team of faculty and staff from various fields who
are committed to sustainability. The Sustainability Task Force includes members
from the sciences, arts, and humanities who have joined together to write a plan
outlining the ways in which SUNY-Oneonta intends to integrate sustainability into
education. The educational plan, Greening the Educational Experience – SUNY
College at Oneonta, is in its final stages of development. It starts with general goals
it hopes to accomplish through a series of more specific actions.
The general goals established in the educational plan are as follows:
1. To integrate sustainability at all educational levels of our campus, including into
class curriculum and encourage all departments to consider incorporating
sustainability concepts into their programs.
2. To build an interdisciplinary approach to issues and problems in sustainability
within courses, and foster innovative sustainability teaching approaches in the
classroom and through experiential curricular and co-curricular activities.
3. To increase support for existing interdisciplinary environmental programs and
foster interdisciplinary environmental program development and programs that
contribute directly to various levels of sustainability.
4. To develop place-based attachments among faculty and students and develop
awareness of their ecological footprints, living practices, and attitudes in ways
that shape their behavior.
5. To promote cross-disciplinary faculty engagement and interdisciplinary faculty
communities in sustainability education endeavors.
6. To develop an outreach and educational partnerships with the local
communities to address sustainability issues and promote sustainable actions,
public awareness, and civic engagements.
7. To encourage and support sustainability research among faculty.
Following these general goals are more specific proposals that could enhance
educational efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and to live more sustainably.
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Introduce a new faculty position – Sustainability Coordinator
- As of now, SUNY-Oneonta has been allocating sustainability efforts to
students, faculty and staff across the campus community. A sustainability
coordinator could aid in unifying projects for higher efficiency and would
also be able to focus on how the college can reduce carbon emissions and
waste.
Create new environmentally based majors and classes as well as strengthening
existing ones.
- This proposal introduces the recommendation of a sustainability general
education requirement, new courses that would target specific majors,
support for future and current environmental majors and
implementation of sustainability into orientation and honors programs.
Promote environmental responsibility in co-curricular activities.
- SUNY-Oneonta would like to see students work toward greening their
campus outside the classroom. This includes working with the
community, starting a sustainability fund, appointing “green floors” in the
residence halls, and working with sustainable study abroad
organizations.
Demonstrate ways to lower carbon footprints through daily experiences.
- This proposal includes installation of a solar-powered LED sign to display
environmental events on campus, a power docking station in the center of
campus that receives energy through sustainable sources, and a low
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impact trail in place of paved surfaces that passes through a “learning
garden”.
Break financial and institutional barriers.
- Innovations in learning can be enhanced with adequate funding and
instruction. This proposal includes funding dedicated to sustainability
research and scholarships for students focused on sustainability-related
studies. We would also like to enhance our instructors’ knowledge by
creating workshops geared toward lowering environmental impacts.
Currently, the Geography Department, chaired by Dr. Tracy Allen, is in the
process of updating the courses and majors that are offered. To comply with the
values stated by Dr. Kleniewski and the mission of the college, the Geography
Department proposes to change its title to the Department of Geography,
Sustainability, and Environmental Studies. In terms of changing the curricula, the
department is interested in offering a new major called Sustainability and
Environmental Studies, as well as specifically addressing sustainability in every
class offered. One if the steps already taken by the department was to actively seek
and hire a professor who focuses specifically on applying environmental issues to
Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Recognizing the growing demand for
careers relating to the environment and sustainability, the Geography Department
intends to work alongside the Environmental Sciences by developing a multidisciplinary approach to the issues focused around human activity and the
environment. The Department has received support from both students and faculty
regarding these changes.
Campus Culture
An important part of reducing emissions is making students aware of how
their individual actions influence greenhouse gas emissions. There are several
students on campus that would like to see changes in the way SUNY-Oneonta
functions. One of the big issues among students on campus is changing the printing
default to double sided instead of single sided as it is now. Throughout the
semester, students have the option of checking their resource consumption when
printing through a program called Papercut. We encourage conservation by
charging students money for each paper printed.
Another issue among students has been the availability of recycling
receptacles around campus. For the past several years, we have been responding to
these demands by adding recycling bins to every building with openings that only fit
appropriate items. We have just received several paper recycling bins and are in the
process of acquiring more bins for individual rooms across campus. However,
having recycling bins does not mean everyone is using them properly. Several
campus organizations encourage recycling and other environmental issues through
various events. The Protect Your Environment Club hosts movies, clean-ups and
participates in other sustainable actions taken on campus. Oneonta Auxiliary
Service celebrates Earth Week through Green Dragon Week. Throughout the week,
the college will have lecturers, movies, and activities relating to sustainability. The
Earth Day Expo is set up in the middle of campus and consists of local companies
and campus organizations working to lower their environmental impacts. Part of
Earth Week also involves a contest called “Do it in the Dark” where each residence
hall is encouraged to reduce energy consumption in exchange for a prize.
Also the Environmental Sciences club offers resources, encouragement and
support for students interested in the Environmental Sciences. As well as promotes
and organizes intellectual and social exchanges amongst students interested in the
Environmental Sciences. The club has performed clean up events on campus and in
the city of Oneonta as well as special events to raise awareness for particular local
and global environmental issues such as natural gas drilling and the environmental
impacts of food production and consumption. The club has been actively involved in
events like Earth Day and Green Dragon Week (SUNY Oneonta).
Although the college has recently purchased hybrid vehicles, they are small,
five passenger vehicles. Many classes on campus take field trips and need to use
large vans to accommodate the class size. We are interested in looking for ways to
make these vans more sustainable through different fuel options or different
vehicles entirely. As part of emission reduction through transportation methods, we
plan to designate parking spots to carpooling vehicles only, as well as eliminating
the number of parking passes available for vehicles that park on campus. Public
transportation is readily available to students and can be made more efficient
through installation of a GIS application for smartphones that shows real-time
location of the buses. Reduction through other means of transportation include air
mileage, which can be achieved by encouraging teleconferencing or attending more
local conferences.
In addition a number of students have expressed interest in composting the
food waste produced at the three dining halls on campus. This interest is relatively
new however, a number of meetings have taken place to coordinate the removal of
post-consumer food waste to a designated composting site on campus. Plans are
currently being developed for the construction of this site, which should provide
enough compost to fertilize a garden plot located at college camp. This garden
produces vegetables during summer for consumption at the dining halls.