Download Office of Sustainability Newsletter University of Vermont

News from the University of Vermont Office of Sustainability
September 2009
Office of Sustainability Newsletter
University of Vermont
In This Issue
Thank You Deac
Meed the New Graduate
Fellows
UVM Office of
Sustainability Receives
Grant from the Rocky
Mountain Institute
Mapping Renewable
Energy Opportunities at
UVM
Environmental Forum
Update
Announcements
Quick Links
Office of Sustainability
Website
Email us
The Office of Sustainability has moved its office from 284
East Avenue to the fourth floor of Billings Center, next to the
Community-University Partnerships in Service Learning
(CUPS) Office. See past newsletters on the Office of Sustainability website
under "email archives".
Thank You, Deac!
The Office of Sustainability would like to thank Katherine "Deac"
Decarreau for her hard work and dedication to campus greening at the
University of Vermont. As director of Transportation and Parking
Services at UVM, Deac has played a key role in in the past few years in
changing the university's emphasis on "parking" to "transportation
demand management" --reducing the need for cars around campus.
This summer Deac accepted the challenging position of City Manager in
Winooski, Vermont, her beloved hometown.
Deac has been a remarkable leader as campus transportation manager.
With her help we have natural gas-fueled buses, carsharing,
restructured parking permits that help carpoolers, and free rides on
local buses with a UVM ID. We have fewer people wanting parking
spaces. As interim custodial services director, she also helped create
the path for successful student efforts to change custodial products.
In addition to her "day job," Deac made many more unique
contributions to the University, in particular to the Office of
Sustainability and the Environmental Forum. From 2006-2008 Deac
served as the staff co-chair of the Environmental Council, supervising
Gioia Thompson who was then the coordinator for the Council. With her
hard work and mentoring, the Council became the Office of
Sustainability, and Council meetings became the Environmental Forum.
She was pivotal in the creation of UVM's Clean Energy Fund, and she
helped launch the first Vermont Campus Sustainability Network's biannual meeting as meeting chair. She worked effectively with class
projects, interns, and thesis writers, making it a formal part of her job
description. She participated in a multitude of other projects on
campus, becoming a go-to person for addressing organizational
challenges.
We will really miss her, and we wish her well!
.
Meet the New Graduate Fellows
This year, we are sadly saying goodbye to Nell Campbell who made
amazing strides in updating UVM's Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Nell
graduated with an MS in Natural Resources and will be working as a
consultant, turning her thesis research on farm-based biofuels into a
tool that can be used by farmers. Tatiana Abatemarco and Christina
Erickson will be continuing their graduate fellowships in the Office of
Sustainability. They will be joined by two new fellows: Anna Mika and
Stephen Posner. Anna Mika is a PhD student in the Rubenstein
School of Environment and Natural Resources at
the University of Vermont, studying the effects
of managing biomass on carbon sequestration at
various spatial scales. Anna completed a
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News from the University of Vermont Office of Sustainability
Bachelor
of
Science
and
Masters
in
Environmental Biology at the University of
Guelph in Guelph, Ontario. Her Master's thesis
was on the uncertainties in modeling potential
future distributions of agricultural pests with
climate change.
Anna was born in Poland and moved to Canada
with her family when she was 8 years old. She
has traveled around Canada and the US and
been back to Poland. She has also been to the
Amazonian forest in Peru and Bolivia for a field
course during my Masters to study insects. Her
primary academic interests involve investigating
how human activities can exacerbate or mitigate
climate change. In her spare time, Anna enjoys
reading classic fiction, running, biking, traveling, and spending time
with family and friends.
Stephen Posner is a graduate student in
natural
resources
and
ecological
economics. His graduate research focuses
on
applying
ecological
economic
indicators, measuring the impacts of
growing economies on the environment
and human well-being, and evaluating
institutional climate change policies and
programs. Prior to joining the Gund Institute,
Stephen has worked in several positions
including with the ecological research
institute Hudsonia, as a junior college assistant math instructor, and as
a member of a local government's Environmental Conservation
Commission. He has a B.S. in physics and astronomy from Haverford
College and studied at Stanford University in the Graduate School of
Education, where he also co-directed the Roosevelt Institute's
Committee on the Environment and Energy.
Stephen enjoys spending his time outside work with his wife Abby and
their two children, Lily and Eli. His website is online at
www.uvm.edu/~sposner
UVM Office of Sustainability Receives $38k as part of Rocky
Mountain Institute project
The Office of Sustainability has been awarded a $38,000 gift for
campus energy education as part of the Rocky Mountain Institute a
project called Accelerating Campus Climate Change Initiatives. The
project aims to develop tools and methods to inform institutional
decision-making and individual behavior in support of greenhouse gas
reductions through a multi-faceted campus energy education project at
a our small, decentralized, comprehensive research university.
The first step is developing web-based displays of energy use and
generation on campus, to demonstrate the relative carbon reduction
and cost avoidance potential of conservation behaviors, efficient
technologies, and renewable energy. The campus Eco-Reps Program
will test residential students' responses to the displays and incorporate
the content into the Eco-Reps' campus-wide educational events. A
graduate Fellow, Steve Posner, will work with the project team to
define the most cost-effective and culturally acceptable ways to reduce
energy use in the research buildings, and to test the effectiveness of an
educational energy campaign in one or more buildings.
The expected outcomes include transferable educational tools and a
report based on analysis of stakeholders' comments.On our campus
this project will facilitate energy competitions among buildings and
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News from the University of Vermont Office of Sustainability
other awareness raising activities to encourage conservation and
efficiency. It will also begin to bridge the disconnection between
campus sustainability activities and the research community.
The tools we develop and lessons we learn are likely to be useful on
many other campuses. We will be building on our success in this
regard: we have heard from a number of campuses that our web-based
display of energy and water use at the Davis Center, our LEED Gold
student center (which earned us LEED innovation points), has served as
a model for other institutions. Mapping Renewable Energy Opportunities at
UVM
As an intern for the Office of Sustainability I worked on two projects
this summer. One project involved mapping different potential
locations for installing solar panels. The other project also employed
maps using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Maps of campus
buildings were created to express data relevant for ongoing and future
environmental management programs.
The map is intended to help UVM students, faculty and staff envision
envision what our renewable energy future could look like. I created
diagrams of several potential solar panel installation sites, with
calculations of the number of panels that could be placed at each
particular site. Those findings can then be used to estimate cost,
payback periods and overall energy savings. For another project, existing maps of campus buildings were linked to
data that various University departments collect. This connection
allows for the graphic display of key environmental performance data
such as electricity use. Several departments already collect data relevant for future Office of
Sustainability programs. Now that data can be analyzed in its spatial
context, and can more easily be shared with the wider campus
community, it will be easier to document opportunities for improved
environmental management and unlock the potential for future research
and educational opportunities. Maps can help us see UVM as it is today, ultimately helping us to
realize the world we wish to see tomorrow. -Dexter Locke, '09
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News from the University of Vermont Office of Sustainability
Environmental Forum: Fall 2009/Spring 2010
The Environmental Forum is a monthly meeting hosted by the UVM
Office of Sustainability. Open to all faculty, staff, and students, Forum
meetings are a chance to learn about and participate in efforts to green
the UVM campus. Our first meeting of the year will be 2-4pm, Wednesday, Sept
23 in the Jost Foundation Room in the Davis Center. There will
be a presentation on UVM's Climate Action Plan, as well as an
opportunity for individuals to provide feedback. Come and be a part of
making UVM a climate-neutral campus!
The Environmental Forum is a great place to report on work that
relates to environmental sustainability, pose challenging questions, and
start conversations. We welcome all members of the UVM community
as presenters and audience members. If you are interested in
presenting at an Environmental Forum meeting, please contact
[email protected]. Environmental Forum Schedule: Fall 2009/Spring 2010
All meetings are on Wednesdays from 2-4pm
Sept 23- Jost Foundation Room, Davis Center
October 21- John Dewey Lounge, Old Mill
November 18- John Dewey Lounge, Old Mill
January 27- Jost Foundation Room, Davis Center
February 17- Jost Foundation Room, Davis Center
March 24- Jost Foundation Room, Davis Center
April 21- Jost Foundation Room, Davis Center
Announcements
UVM Sustaianbility Faculty Fellow Program now accepting
applications The deadline is fast approaching. Faculty- please consider applying. Students- please
encourage your professors to apply!
The goals of the program are to:
1. Create a community of faculty committed to integrating
interdisciplinary approaches
to environmental sustainability into the UVM curriculum
2. Enhance the understanding of environmental sustainability concepts
among faculty and
students, particularly those not trained in environmental fields
Fellows will receive a $400 development stipend
Applications are due *September 30*
For more information and to apply go to http://www.uvm.edu/ctl/?
Page=sffp/index.php
Beyond Today's Capitalism: Searching for a New Political
Economy
James Gustave Speth
Former Dean, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies,
Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, Chair of
the UN Development Group, Founder and President of the World
Resources Institute, and Cofounder, Natural Resources Defense Council.
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 15th at 5:30PM
Location: 103 Rowell Building, UVM
The mission of the Office of Sustainability is to foster
sustainable development and promote environmental
responsibility at the University by strategically bridging the
academic activities of teaching, research, and outreach with
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News from the University of Vermont Office of Sustainability
the operations of the University.
Questions? Comments? Anything else you would like to see
in here?
Office of Sustainability
The University of Vermont
401 Billings Center
48 University Place
phone: (802) 656-0906 fax: (802) 656-1075
email: [email protected]
Email Marketing by
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