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US F
a i n a b i
USF Ofce of Sustainability What it takes to be a green university
Interview with Exide Distinguished Lecturer on Ethics and Sustainability, Dr. Sharon HannaWest.

What is sustainability? What does it really mean to go green, and why should we start getting involved. Page 4

USF students in the community

How the University of South Florida is inuencing the involvement of its students in their community.

The universitys headquarters for sustainable development in the campus community. Page 6

Page 7

Page 14

THE GREEN INITIATIVE

The global population is increasing day by day, and the resources available to our advancing societies are decreasing even faster.
Sustainable development is no longer an option. Any business or institution that plans to exist in the future must understand that the limitations of the environment need to be respected, for they would not exist at all without the resources provided by the planet. As a population, we are consuming and producing waste at a rate far beyond what our ecosystem can keep up with, and changes need to be made. Institutions around the world have recognized the need to address the problem of environmental management, and have committed to going green. Efforts in the movement are now seen everywhere. From reusable shopping bags to recycled paper products, and from solar panels to hybrid cars, initiative is finally being taken. The University of South Florida has begun a transformation of its campus community, and is undergoing changes in areas of environmental policy and practice. The goal is to become a Green University. Many developments, innovations, and renovations are currently underway at USF, and a sustainability plan for the future has been decided.

Team Ecomaniacs
Jenifer Donaldson
Researcher, Writer, Editor

Erica Dunayer
Interviewer, Researcher, Writer

Alyson Lozicki
Researcher, Writer, Editor

Haele McCann
Researcher, Writer, Editor

Professional Writing ENC 3250 Professor Tobienne Summer A 2011

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TA BLE O F C O NTENTS
3 Executive Summary 4 Background
What is sustainability? Where does USF stand on sustainability? Its Time for an Intervention

11 Education and Research 12 Student Involvement

USFSP Green Group Every Drop Counts Interview with Dr. E. Christian Wells Engineers for a Sustainable World Student Green Fee

5 History of USF Sustainability 6 Ofce of Sustainability

USF Pledge Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee USF STARS Gold Ranking Interview with Dr. Sharon Hanna-West

14 USF In The Community

Environmental Economics Series Clean Energy Research Center Quantum Sphere, Inc. AEESP 2011 Conference

8 Current Operations
Grounds Water Energy Dining Services Building Emerging Green Builders Transportation Recycling & Waste Management

15 Works Cited 16 Annotated Bibliography

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EXEC UTIV E S UMMA RY

As the world continues to advance in areas of technology and industry, it is becoming very clear that improvements also need to be made in our populations treatment of the environment. In order for any institution to sustain itself on this planet, environmental consciousness and management must always be an integral part of business practices and policies. Sustainability is aptly dened as continuous existence, and no institution will continue to exist if current environmental regulations, or lack thereof, remain in place; the global population is exceeding our ecosystems resource and absorbance capacity by approximately 30 percent. Many businesses have realized that it is imperative to develop and improve efforts in environmental management, and have become directly involved in the movement. The University of South Florida recently committed to maintaining a neutral campus climate with the Presidents signing of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment in 2008, and has since then implemented sustainable practices and policies in nearly every facet of its campus community. The USF Ofce of Sustainability was established in 2009, and operates under the direction of the ofces advisory committee, the Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee. Through the efforts of the Ofce of Sustainability and the students, USF has implemented many new policies, made several building renovations and upgrades, and developed a sustainability plan for the future in the way of overhauling operations in grounds management, water usage, energy, transportation, recycling and waste management, dining, and green building. The university has also integrated sustainability principles into the curriculum of its College of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, College of the Arts, and College of Engineering, and opened the USF School of Global Sustainability in 2010. An M.A. in Global Sustainability may now be earned through the school. In conjunction with initiatives in campus design and education, the USF Ofce of Sustainability funds four programs that are designed to give outstanding students an opportunity to become directly involved in research and receive training for professional positions in sustainable development. Students at USF have also become directly involved, and there are many university-sponsored student organizations working toward a sustainable campus community, including the USF Emerging Green Builders, the USFSP Green Group at the St. Pete campus, Engineers for a Sustainable World, and several others. The university has reached beyond its campus boundaries as well, and is working collaboratively with companies, such as QuantamSphere Inc. and the Clean Energy Research Center, on projects in the Tampa community.

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BA C KG RO U N D
What is sustainability, and why do we care?
As defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the term sustainability is representative of the relationship and interconnectivity between an institution and its environment. From a public policy and environmental management standpoint, it is the incorporation of environmental and social values into policies and regulations. However, in its simplest form, sustainability is continuos existence, and as it relates to the human population, it is the continuance of society and of social, economic, and technological progression. It carries with it two implications: maintaining the appropriate conditions for sustainable development under constantly changing circumstances, and directing this development toward the satisfaction of human needs and goals. Thus, the characteristics and state of the environment are a determining, and limiting, factor. The state of our global ecosystem adheres to a set of natural and logical laws that simply cannot be broken. Ecological health places several constraints on the economic growth and development of our population in the ways of available resources and carrying capacity, not only of human beings, but of waste as well. Permanent damage to the environment results from the progression of society and technology, and the waste that is left in its wake, and results in even more limitations on societal advancements. Hence, sustainability is a lost cause if we fail to respect the restrictions dictated by our natural

Its Time For An Intervention

The global population is presently overshooting this planets ecological capacity by roughly 30%. We are using the equivalent of 1.3 earths to maintain the amount of resources that we consume and absorb the amount of waste we produce. Our global economy is only looking to move forward, and the size of our world population and its life expectancy continues to increase all the while. According to the UNs Department of Economic and Social Affairs, within just the next 50 years we can expect to see the population climb from 6.1 to 8.9 billion. With the global rate of consumption predicted to triple by the year 2050, it is clear that changes need to be made.

So where does USF stand?

According to the universitys Office of Sustainability, initiatives encompass the process of improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of

supporting ecosystems...human, societal, environmental, material, and economic activities are fundamentally integrated dimensions that are mutually reinforcing. In essence, USF defines sustainability as a balancing of social, environmental, and economic needs and goals. Its mission is outlined in the Strategic Plan, which embodies the strengthening of interdisciplinary research, maintenance of a sustainable campus environment, release of up-to-date information regarding projects and involvement, student support, and the creation of a sustainable community that encourages engagement of all members.

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H IS TO RY O F S US TA INA BILITY A T US F
The University of South Florida began looking into sustainability efforts in 1995, but it wasnt until 2006 that the College of Business published the universitys rst sustainability report.That year USF also hosted the COBA Sustainability Symposium with guest speaker Ray Anderson, chairman of Interface, Inc. In an attempt to bring together the disjointed sustainability efforts of the colleges, departments, students and programs, the USF Sustainability Partners was formed, and by the end of 2007 plans were set in motion for a sustainability expo. However, at this point in the development of the program all work was voluntary and virtually no funding was available. Over the next year, student involvement in USFs green initiatives really took off, and student organizations, such as the Emerging Green Builders and Student Environmental Association, started making an impact. In April of 2008, following the weeklong campus Sustain-A-Bull campaign, the University of South Florida joined forces with the Hillsborough City/County Planning Commission to host the USF Going Green Tampa Bay Expo. Amidst the student research presentations and participation from green companies in Tampa, the most signicant accomplishment of the expo was the signing of the Climate Commitment, to pledge USFs dedication to maintaining a neutral campus climate, and to continue its research and education efforts in sustainability. April 2008 marked the signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) by USF President Judy Genshaft. With the signing of the commitment, the University of South Florida agreed to implement major sustainability efforts, including the completion of a greenhouse gas inventory for the Tampa campus, and the incorporation of the schools green principles into its academic programs. The university also committed to spreading sustainability awareness and making available to the community all of its current initiatives and plans for future development. In 2008 the formalization of sustainability at USF truly took hold. The Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee was founded that year, and in 2009 the Ofce of Sustainability was formed to direct and oversee USFs initiatives. In the years that followed, the university has revamped its landscape and planted over 2,000 trees around campus, and created a free shuttle system, operating both on and off campus, that is powered by biofuel technology. USF has also become a huge advocate of alternative transportation, increasing and improving the sidewalks and bike lanes on campus. Although recycling efforts began in 1990, in recent years USF has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of waste recycled, with mixed-material recycling bins placed all over the campus and the commitment of every department to the cause. Energy use has also been greatly reduced, roughly 3% over the past 6 years, despite the schools increasing student population. The University of South Floridas most recent accomplishment has been the creation of School of Global Sustainability in 2010.The school focuses on establishing and supporting academic programs that are centered on environmental efforts, andnow offers a Master of Arts degree in Global Sustainability.The program is designed to address sustainability issues in diverse cultural, demographic, and geographical areas.

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O F F I C E O F S U S TA I N A B I L I TY
A Cleaner, Greener USF...
The USF Ofce of Sustainability is essentially the Green Headquarters of the University of South Florida. Fairly new to the sustainability scene at USF, the ofce was created in 2009, but has been working diligently toward the schools goal of becoming a Green University. The Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee is the advisory committee to the Ofce of Sustainability. It is broken down by specialization, in order to address and tend to the different areas of development at USF, and each member of the executive committee is the chair of a sub-committee.
100% recycled paper for promotional materials recycle all paper waste reduce paper usage through electronic communication Energy Star rated electronics uorescent lighting power off all lights and appliances when not in use reusable bottles low ow toilet xtures recycle all plastic and aluminum waste proper disposal of electronics and other hazardous waste recycle ink cartridges biodegradable dishes and utensils for all catered events

Dr. E. Christian Wells

Director of the Ofce of Sustainability

Sustainability is a value about how you live your life. You can either choose to help create sustainable, healthy communities that are kind to the planet and the people who inhabit it, or you can choose to go about doing 'business as usual' and expect the next generation to pay the price. For me, that is no choice at all. Sustainability is common sense.

Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee

Academics Transportation Students

Designed Environment Green Building

Water

Recycling & Management Ex-Of=icio

Energy

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O F F I C E O F S U S TA I N A B I L I TY
Sharon Hann-West J.D.
Exide Distinguished Lecturer on Ethics and Sustainability Department of Management College of Business A key proponent in the formalization of sustainability initiatives at the University of South Florida, Dr. Sharon Hanna-West is a member of the executive Steering Committee, and sub-committee chair for Recycling & Waste Management. She was also the driving force behind USFs rst sustainability assessment, directing 21 of her MBS students in the research and publication of the Sustainability Analysis of USF Advocating the Creation of a USF Ofce of Sustainability in 2006. This report would set the stage for sustainable development to come. In an interview with Dr. HannaWest, she spoke of the importance of universities making the effort to go green, and the hard work and drive that it took to really get sustainability at USF off the ground. According to Dr. Hanna-West, if the environment cant support an institution, its existence will be short term. Sustainable development at the university should be thought of as a three legged stool, where environmental management plays a very important role in supporting the institution. Sustainability efforts must not only benet the environment, but they must also be somewhat nancially protable, and heed the values and concerns of the community. It isnt as simple as creating a neutral campus environment either, Dr. Hanna-West explained, USF has a unique situation with such a large commuter student population. We need to work toward not just reducing the carbon footprint of the school, but of everyone that commutes to campus. As for the accomplishments that the University of South Florida has made in the way of sustainability, Dr. Hanna-West enthusiastically expressed, what is unique about USF is the focus and commitment to the mission, and the passion behind it. People want to see things happen, and when they want it that bad they really work for it; thats how things have moved so quickly. Its a true grass roots effort.

The University of South Florida is the only school in the South East region of the United States to receive a gold ranking for the Sustainability tracking, Assessment and Ranking System (STARS) of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and with its rst submission to the program. USFs highest scores were seen in innovation and activities, as well as in its commitment to academic research. While it certainly showcases the universitys sustainability efforts, and the impact USF has made in such a short amount of time, the report also points out the areas that are still in need of improvement. In addition to receiving the STARS gold ranking, USF is also among the few to make the Princeton Reviews list of Green Colleges, with a score of 92 out of 99. Colleges and universities are evaluated based on their environmentally-related policies, practices, and academics.

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C U RREN T O P ERA TI O N S
Grounds
Digital Control Systems to control to use of air conditioning units. Out of the 815 acres that makes Headed by Dr. Yogi Goswami, the up the USF Tampa campus, the Clean Energy Research Team, at the Grounds Department manages 332 USF College of Engineering, has acres of grass and shrubbery. developed the rst 20,000 watt solarLandscaping improvements have been electric charging station for electric made all over the campus in an effort vehicle that our country has seen. Plans to reduce the universitys carbon are also in the making for a solar power footprint. Drought-tolerant and native Aggregated storm water plant and thermal storage system at the greenery, that requires little fertilization retention Tampa campus, with the hopes of or chemicals, has been integrated into Rain censored irrigation controls making solar energy available 24 hours the landscape to curb water usage, and Vegetated roof over the College a day, and at a much more reasonable are only treated on an as-needed of Business (to aide in storm price. The project will be funded by a basis according to the EPAs four-tiered water management) grant from the state through the approach. Land area consumption has Porous paving outside the Florida Energy Systems Consortium, been reduced with the recent Marshall Student Center, MSC and a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. construction of building at least four Department of Energy. parking lot, and the library stories or greater, and roadway, bicycle, Stone swales to channel USF is also participating alongside and pedestrian improvements are rainwater the University of Florida, Florida State underway. Water level metering in all University, and the University of USF has also incorporated into its buildings, excluding residence Central Florida in the 2011U.S. campus several public spaces that Department of Energy Solar halls facilitate a more intimate relationship Water usage adjusted to Decathlon. Team Florida will be between the community and its weather working on building the ideal zero environment. The Ecological Research energy house - FLeX House - for a Area spans 500 acres of wetland and Energy hypothetical couple living on a sandhill habitat, and houses several The USF Physical Plant has taken moderate budget. endangered species of plants and measures to ensure maximum energy Continued on page 9 animals. It is also utilized for onsite conservation. Involved with the Green research and teaching. Among the Lights Program, the Tampa campus others included are the USF Botanical made the switch to higher efciency Gardens, MLK Plaza, and Forestry electronic ballasts and energy Reserve. conserving uorescent lighting. The campus now saves an average of $1 Water million and 11 million kilowatt-hours The University of South Florida is each academic year. Solar-efcient a strict adherent to the Florida roong systems have been Department of Environmental implemented, and many of the Protection regulations and electroCOATL electric car parked under University of South buildings have upgraded to Direct Florida's solar charging station in Tampa requirements for water pollution and conservation. It has developed and implemented a plan which is designed to eliminate the runoff of pollutants into the storm sewer system, and increase the usage of recycled water collected in on-campus retention ponds. The following are currently integrated features of USFs campus design:

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C U RREN T O P ERA TI O N S
Continued from page 8

USF Dining (Aramark)

The University of South Floridas dining services has played an important role in sustainability efforts, not only in areas of resource conservation and waste reduction, but in providing the means for nutritional awareness and for students to maintain a healthy diet, as well as supporting local food and service providers. There is a nutritional information kiosk located in Fresh Foods Company, and info up on usfdining.com, that allows students to evaluate nutritional values and their food options for all products available on campus. There are also USDA Organic Certied, vegan and vegetarian options at all dining areas. With the utilization of locally sourced food and service options, USF is able to help stimulate our local economy by putting money back into the community. Flowers Baking Company, TG Lee Dairy, and R.G.E. Distributing are among the many local businesses supported by the university.

Building
Green building efforts at USF have focused on more than just the new facilities under construction. Many renovations have been made to buildings all through out the Tampa Campus, including plumbing and water metering systems, and the use of recycled and renewable building materials is increasing with each new project. There are currently three LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professionals on the schools Facilities Planning and Construction staff, and several LEED certied buildings are to be expected in the coming years. Among those under construction are the Patel Center For Global Solutions and the Interdisciplinary Sciences building, both of which are on the Tampa campus, and the Science & Technology building at the St. Petersburg campus. The USF Polytechnic Phase I (Lakeland campus) and the Wellness and Nutrition Center (Tampa campus) are still making their way through the design process. Continued on page 10

Did you know...

With the switch to tray-less dining USF saves 32,992 gallons of water per academic year Thawing foods in the refrigerator instead of under running water saves USF 9,600 gallons of water each year After replacing all light xtures with lower wattage bulbs USF saves 1,689 kilowatt hours per academic year Dining Services recycles all cardboard and tin through Frito-Lay and Republic Waste Services Filtafry recycles fryer grease to be used it for bio diesel Post-consumer food waste is composted by the USF Grounds Department

The Emerging Green Builders at USF is a student organization working toward helping the University of South Florida, and the Tampa community, become leaders in green building and environmental & social sustainability. They co-hosted the 2009 ConservaBull campaign alongside Physical Plant and USF Sustainability Initiative, and are currently working toward LEED certication of the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

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C U RREN T O P ERA TI O N S
Continued from page 9

Transportation
The University of South Florida is an major advocate of alternative transportation. In order to reduce the percentage of students and faculty who drive individually to and from campus, thus decreasing the amount of emissions pollutants released into the Tampa atmosphere, USF provides means of public transportation - free of cost to USF ID carriers - and strongly encourages carpooling, as well as the use of emission-less transportation.

This previous performance year, USF recycled roughly 1500 tons of waste, and only 460 tons were disposed of in solid waste landlls. An active recycling program, overseen and operated by Physical Plant, has been in place since 1990, and is responsible for the recycling of all paper, plastic, glass, and USF Bull Runner is a aluminum waste. There are presently 2,000 paper recycling university-run shuttle system offering free binds on campus, and 350 mixed material bins were transportation to anywhere on campus, as well as recently added. The university also coordinates with designated locations off campus, to all students, licensed contractors, adhering to EPA guidelines, to remove faculty, and staff with their USFCard. all electronic waste for recycling and proper disposal. The Division of Environmental Health and Safety has created a USF Zimride operates much like a match.com for strategic plan for hazardous waste reduction, and the the universitys carpooling community. Provided for by Hazardous Inventory Tracking System (HITS) aides the Center for Urban Transportation, Zimride allows university labs in the reduction of chemical waste and participants to coordinate rides, from commutes to inventory control. road trips, cutting individual travel expenses by at Alongside efforts toward recycling and waste disposal, least 50%. USF has also implemented policies to reduce the overall waste production, and conserve its resources. The Marshall USF Carpool Policy provides discounted parking Student Center places a limit on free printing for students at permits and preferred reserved spaces to those who 40 black and white pages per day, and all ofce printers are carpool at least 4 times a week. set to print on both sides of a page. Electronic communication is employed whenever possible, and all Borrow Our Bikes Green Program is a service courses default not to print course catalogues, schedules, or managed by Outdoor Recreation that allows students directories.
the opportunity to check out bikes free of charge. The program also provides repair services for bike, skateboard, and longboard owners.

In August 2002, the University of South Florida proudly introduced FLEET the 100% Green Fleet. Thirty buses and shuttles, fueled by a 50/50 mixture of biodiesel and petroleum earned USF Parking and Transportation Services a Green Fleet award from the Clean Air Partnership Tampa Bay that November. Biofuel is an environmentally friendly renewable source of energy, and can be made from any fatty acid, such as vegetable oil and grease trap oil, and USF Dining Services has been a major contributor.

Waste Management

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ED UC A TIO N A ND RES EA RC H
A multitude of sustainability allows students the opportunity to sustainability position within the related courses, across several colleges, expand their knowledge on the Student Environmental Association. are offered at USF. The College of the construction and implementation of With this position fellows would Arts, the College of Business, the formal research design, train in assume the responsibility of organizing College of Arts and Sciences, and the research ethics and data analysis, and USFs engagements in RecycleMania, College of Engineering have all joined apply that knowledge to USF campus and take up residence in the Green forces in the movement, and Living and Learning Partnered with the USF have integrated the schools Community on the Tampa Ofce of Sustainability, green principles into their campus. Among the other the Dr. Kiran V. Patel curriculum and co-curricular programs serving the interests of Center For Global activities. In addition to those Solutions was created to promote the research and the students are the courses completely centered on application of knowledge regarding sustainable Sustainability Champions solutions for our community. environmental science and Program, and the Sustainability sustainable development, many Mentors Program; both of sustainability projects. Through the departments have adapted coursework which are geared toward Scholars Program, students are directly to t an eco-friendly theme; undergraduate involvement. involved in the on-going research to designating sustainability and Many co-curricular activities also make the University of South Florida a environmental health as writing play an integral role in the progress of Green University. prompts and research projects. There green initiatives. The Student USFs Ofce of Sustainability also are also programs within the Ofce of Sustainability Outreach Campaign and sponsors the Sustainability Teaching Sustainability that serve to foster the Conserve-A-Bull Campaign have Grants Program. As a course students involvement, on campus and put forth multiple efforts, with the help development program, the mission of in the community, as well as provide of other student organizations, in waste the program is to carry out funding them with the resources, training, and reduction and resource conservation at initiatives to support faculty in their support needed to assume USF. There are also several outreach design and implementation of sustainability leadership positions publications designed to spread sustainability research-based and within USF, or pursue a career in awareness and encourage student service-learning courses. environmental sciences. involvement. Among these are the The Student Sustainability The Sustainability Scholars Clean Energy research Center Educators Program works alongside Program, working in conjunction with newsletter, and the Sustain-A-Bull the Sustainability Fellows Program, the Ofce of Undergraduate Research, website under the ofce of the Provost through the Ofce of Sustainability, to is a service-learning program that and Executive Vice President. provide training for the chief

104 sustainability-focused courses 280 sustainability- related courses 791 graduates covered by the
sustainability learning outcomes

USF Offers...
M.A. Global Sustainability B.S. Environmental Science and Policy B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering Ph.D. Geography and Environmental Science and Policy M.S. Environmental Science and Policy

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S TUD EN T IN V O LV EM EN T
USFSP Green Group
The Green Group operates at the USF St. Petersburg campus with the goal of promoting the conservation of energy.Meetings are held once every semester, and are open to nonmembers looking to get involved. Ten university faculty members and three student representatives, whose mission is clearly stated as the goal to conceptualize and promote environment-friendly ideas and processes relating to recycling, energy management, waste reduction and conservation, run the student organization. The Green Group has participated in many projects and events, including the USFSP Recycling Program, the Earth Week Alternative Transportation Challenge, Green Cleaning, SEEDS Technology, the Science & Technology Building, and the Central Lawn Project. The Recycling Program was founded in July 2008 at the St. Pete campus that year all proceeds from the program went to the Ronald McDonald House of Tampa Bay and the Green Cleaning project began as a move toward using more environmentally friendly cleaning products, alongside increasing recycling efforts on campus.

Every Drop Counts

Dr. Christian Wells on Water Conservation at USF

The University of "Because of the size of our institution (USF), South Florida it's imperative we become more mindful of partnered with the our behavior towards the environment, Southwest Florida especially with regards to water Water Management consumption. We have done a tremendous District amount to become a sustainable campus. this past semester to create the Every Drop Water conservation is one area that we Counts campaign. The need to work on a lot." mission of the campaign is to raise conservation in 2007, but the Every water conservation awareness, and Drop Counts campaign has certainly encourage students and other made the biggest impact. members of the USF community to pledge their commitment to Engineers for a conserving water. Sustainable World In February of this year, Every Drop Counts helped to install a new The Engineers for a Sustainable work of art in the Marshall Student World organization at USF was Center at the Tampa campus. The founded to raise awareness, and to piece is comprised of 111 empty engage students and faculty at the gallon-sized jugs, university in reducing poverty in the representing the amount Tampa community, by improving of water consumed daily environmental, social, and economic by an average individual sustainability worldwide. They have in Tampa, and it is been involved with projects such as making quite an impact assessing the already. One student efciency of passing through the water use of Marshall Center was campus, and asked to share their reducing the thoughts regarding the amount of structure, and replied, I pollution in cant believe the amount of water I the campus use, or waste. I am denitely going to retention be more aware. The university rst ponds. became active in the way of water Continued on page 13

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S TUD EN T IN V O LV EM EN T
Continued from page 12 The biggest problem, according to this organization, is the general lack of awareness regarding issues connected to the community, including natural disasters, water resource quality, improper waste disposal, and ood control. Overall the organization is concerned with how things in our environment affect our well-being and quality of life. The engineers believe that if they can increase peoples awareness of how our environment is being neglected, then they can empower people to take an active role in conserving it. The more people that are involved, the better. One of the most important things to this organization is helping poverty lled areas that are affected by natural disasters. This organization focuses part of their efforts on helping people that cant help themselves.

Student Green Fee

The students of the University of South Florida recently voted in favor of a new Green Fee, that will be imposed on students, that will be put toward funding green energy initiatives at USF. The Green Fee has just passed in Tallahassee, and will soon be implemented at the university.

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US F IN TH E COMMUNITY
Environmental Economics Series
The Sarasota-Manatee campus at the University of South Florida recently hosted the third annual Environmental Economics Series. Tampa Bays Maddux Report, an online bureau for the Tampa Bay Business Community, detailed the 2010 series hosted in conjunction with Pinellas County Economic Development, the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, and the Sustainable Entrepreneurship and Innovation Alliance. This series was prompted by recent environmental changes, and addresses the challenges that local governments and businesses may face. Topics discussed included alternative energy, regional and local water issues, sustainable seafood and sheries, the business case for sustainability, and the effects of carbon emissions. USF and its afliates formed this discussion series in order to instill awareness and knowledge within the community, and encourage its members to get involved with the political process.

QuantumSphere, Inc.
QuantumSphere Incorporated is a chemical manufacturer and developer of portable power and cleantech applications, and an afliate of the University of South Florida in energy management and conservation. A press release in 2009 announced the successful efforts between QuantumSphere and USFs Clean Energy Research Center in exceeding the 2010 Department of Energys goals for solid state hydrogen storage. What is so important about this accomplishment? Hydrogen has three times the energy per pound than gasoline and is a much more attainable resource, but presents issues in handling, packaging, safety, and storage because of its gaseous state. Collaboration between these two institutions has permitted safe and lightweight storage of hydrogen in a solid state; an innovation that could allow a cheaper, cleaner alternative energy solution in the transportation domain.

Clean Energy Research Center

The Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) is a research institution run and supported by the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. Within the University, CERC is associated with Electrical, Chemical, Biomedical, Mechanical, Computer, and Materials Science Engineering. The operations of CERC involve the current investigation of environmentally clean energy sources and systems, technical development, infrastructure development, and information transfer. CERC predominately contributes to the transportation and electric power sectors. Director Lee Stefanakos, Ph.D., P.E. Professor of Electrical Engineering, has administered and overseen several projects including the construction of a microturbine power plant fueled by landll gas at the Hillsborough Heights Landll in Tampa, and the development of USFs, and the nations rst, 20,000 watt solar and electric charging station for vehicles. Under Stefanakos direction, CERC has also achieved a world record solar cell efciency level of 15.8 percent.

AEESP 2011 Conference

The University of South Florida is the proud host of the Education and Research 2011 Conference for the Association of the Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP). The goal of the conference is to stress the importance of incorporating global sustainability principles into education and research. There will be three keynote speakers, and many presentations and activities centered on sustainability. Sustain-A-Bull USF, alongside the USF College of Engineering, will be hosting the event in the Marshall Student Center of the Tampa campus this July 2011.

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WO RKS C ITED
"Basic Information, Sustainability, US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm>. Bossel, Hartmut. Sustainability. Encyclopedia of Environmetrics 15 Sept. 2006. Wiley Online Library. Web. 10 June 2011. Clean Energy Research Center. University of South Florida. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdf>. Engineers for a Sustainable World at the University of South Florida. University of South Florida, 2006. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.eswusf.org/index.html>. Environmental Science, Policy, & Geography. USFSP College of Arts and Sciences. University of South Florida, 2003. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/>. "Every Drop Counts!" Southwest Florida Water Management District. 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.swfwmd.state..us/conservation/everydropcounts/>. Ferrara, Enzo. Human Footprints on the Global Environment. Electronic Green Journal 1.31 (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 June 2011. < http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127>. Global Sustainability and Environmental Engineering & Science: Implications for Research, Education, and Practice. AEESP 2011.University of South Florida, 2010. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://aeesp2011.com/>. Green USFSP. University of South Florida Saint Petersburg, 22 April 2009. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htm> Hanna-West, Sharon J.D. Personal interview. 15 June 2011. Ofce of Sustainability. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspx> "Physical Plant Sustainability and Energy Conservation." USF Physical Plant. University of South Florida, 2009. Web. 11 June 2011. <http://www.pplant.usf.edu>. Quantum Sphere Inc,QuantumSphere and University of South Florida Achieve Critical Milestone in Solid State Hydrogen Storage.Clean Energy Research Center (2009): n. pag. PDF le. Strategic Initiatives. Ofce of the Provost. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.acad.usf.edu/>. Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System. V1.0. Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2010. Web. 9 June 2011. < https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-orida-/report/ 2011-01-28/>. U.S. Green Building Council. 2011. Web. 18 June 2011. <http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspxCMSPageID=1988> United Nations Press Release. UN Department of Public Information, 2010. PDF. Wells, E. Christian Ph. D. Personal interview. 21 June 2011. Whiteford, Linda. University of South Florida Sustainability Initiative Report. Sustainability Steering Committee (2010): 1-24. PDF le.
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"Basic Information, Sustainability, US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm>. This website was very helpful in determining the denition of sustainability as it is dened by the EPA, for they oversee many of the regulations and policies that USF abides by. It also detailed efforts that the agency is making on a national level. The information was used to determine a focus and direction for the white paper, and to compare the initiatives of USF to national efforts. Bossel, Hartmut. Sustainability. Encyclopedia of Environmetrics 15 Sept. 2006. Wiley Online Library. Web. 10 June 2011. This article provided an explicit denition of the term sustainability and all aspects of a business that are encompassed by it. It thoroughly explained the conditions that must be met in order for sustainability to be possible, as well as provided insight into the interworking of human society and how it affects the dynamics of the environment. The article proved to be most helpful in writing the introductory and background information, and in evaluating the information in other sources. Clean Energy Research Center. University of South Florida. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdf>. The brochure summarizes the mission of the institution, the contributing USF programs, projects the center has undertaken, and the individual directors and researchers employed by them. The texts that were pulled from this brochure include a summary of their mission and a bulleted list of research concentrations. This information will be used in the portion of the report detailing USFs afliates and projects in conjunction with outside corporations. Engineers for a Sustainable World at the University of South Florida. University of South Florida, 2006. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.eswusf.org/index.html>. This source provided information regarding the USF chapter of Engineer For A Sustainable World. It detailed projects, both past and present, of the organization and plans for the future. The site was also helpful in determining exactly how the organization has contributed to the schools sustainability efforts. The information obtained from the site will be used to write the student involvement section of the white paper, and will help to highlight key points in the current operations section of the report. Environmental Science, Policy, & Geography. USFSP College of Arts and Sciences. University of South Florida, 2003. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/>. The universitys website was used to research programs offered by the university that support environmental initiatives. The site offers information on the Bachelor of Science programs and course requirements, as well as Masters of Science programs and requirements. The site also lists frequently asked questions, helpful to prospective students, and information regarding thesis requirements. The information provided by the site will be helpful in writing the Education and Research section of the white paper, as it details the integration of sustainability into USFs curriculum. "Every Drop Counts!" Southwest Florida Water Management District. 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://www.swfwmd.state..us/conservation/everydropcounts/>. This source is the ofcial website for the Every Drop Counts campaign that USF is currently engaged in, and working in collaboration with the South West Florida Water Management District. It provided information regarding the mission of the campaign, as well as a copy of the pledge that it is encouraging students and community members to take. This information will be incorporated into the Student Involvement section of the white paper, and served as a topic for interviews with students and Dr. Christian Wells.

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Continued from page 16 Ferrara, Enzo. Human Footprints on the Global Environment. Electronic Green Journal 1.31 (2011): n. pag. Web. 10 June 2011. < http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127>. This article assesses the relationship between the human population and the environment, and explains the severity of the threat to society posed by environmental abuse. It also goes on to explain the rationale behind sustainability efforts, stressing the importance of preserving the planet, and propose an effective approach to the matter. The information provided in this article will be incorporated into the white papers denition of the problem, and support the initiatives of USF that will be mentioned. Global Sustainability and Environmental Engineering & Science: Implications for Research, Education, and Practice. AEESP 2011.University of South Florida, 2010. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://aeesp2011.com/>. This website provided extensive information regarding the AEESP 2011 expo that USF will be hosting this year. This is a landmark in sustainability efforts at the school, and the website provided a list of those student and faculty members organizing the expo, as well as their contact information. The website also gave great detail regarding the focus of this years expo, and the guest speakers that will be present. This information will be included in the USF In The Community section of the white paper, to highlight the schools involvement in the sustainability initiatives of a national organization. Green USFSP. University of South Florida Saint Petersburg, 22 April 2009. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htm> The site offers information regarding the Green Organization located at USF St Petersburg campus. Tips and incentives for recycling efforts are listed, as well as the sustainability initiatives of the St. Pete campus. The members of the organization and their contact information are also provided. Information obtained from this site will be incorporated into the Student Support section of the white paper. It is important to note that USFSP functions very much as an entity separate from the Tampa campus, and the contacts listed on this website were helpful in corresponding with those involved with USFSP green initiatives specically, in order to showcase the growing inuence and efforts of the university as a whole. Hanna-West, Sharon J.D. Personal interview. 15 June 2011. This interview proved to be very helpful in learning about the history and formalization of sustainability initiatives at USF from an insiders perspective. A professor of ethics and sustainability and heading the department of management, Dr. Hanna-West has been actively involved in several areas of development and outreach, and shared with the team a copy of the schools rst sustainability report and a PowerPoint presentation outlining the formalization and goals of USF sustainability. She was also able to provide several links to websites that will be helpful, as well as the names of colleagues whom she believes are important to contact. Along with this information, Dr. Hanna-West gave great insight into the functioning of the sub-committees working through the Ofce of Sustainability, and the passion and drive of the students and faculty that has fueled USFs green mission. Ofce of Sustainability. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspx> The site offers extensive information on sustainability efforts at the University of Florida. Among those elements of greatest contribution to the white paper were the breakdown of sub-committees and respective accomplishments to date, an explanation of the ultimate goals of the department, and a list of contacts for the department head and sub-committee chairs. The website functioned mainly as a resource for determining the list of clients to interview. The explication of USFs mission, and overview of its strategic plan, were also found to be very useful in writing the introductory section of the white paper.

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Continued from page 17 "Physical Plant Sustainability and Energy Conservation." USF Physical Plant. University of South Florida, 2009. Web. 11 June 2011. <http://www.pplant.usf.edu>. The website details the many renovations, restorations, and plans for the future of the USF Physical Plant. An extensive list of energy saving efforts and statistics is available on the site. The information obtained from this source was incorporated into the energy sub-section of the Current Operations element of the white paper. Quantum Sphere Inc,QuantumSphere and University of South Florida Achieve Critical Milestone in Solid State Hydrogen Storage.Clean Energy Research Center (2009): n. pag. PDF le. This source is a PDF le published by Quantum Sphere, Inc. and posted by the Clean Energy Research Center at cerc.eng.usf.edu. This document is a press release on the recent success of a collaborative project between the Center and Quantum Sphere. They revolutionized the storage and transportation of hydrogen, a liquid with more power and potential than gasoline. The press release was directly quoted in order to explain the project and Quantum Sphere as a corporation. This information will be used in the portion of the report detailing afliates of USF and the schools involvement in projects with outside corporations. Strategic Initiatives. Ofce of the Provost. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. <http://www.acad.usf.edu/>. The website details the past and present projects and efforts of the USF Ofce of the Provost and Executive Vice President. More specically, it provides information regarding USF Sustain-A-Bull campaign. The white paper will incorporate the information from the website into the Research and Education section, as well as Student Involvement. Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System. V1.0. Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, 2010. Web. 9 June 2011. < https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-orida-/report/2011-01-28/>. The website provides the criteria and evaluations for each school that applied for the STARS gold award of the AASHE. It also provided, in great detail, a list of all initiatives and statistics that were submitted in USFs report. The report covered the following categories: education and research, operations, planning, and innovation. Information obtained from this website proved to be of incomparable value to the composition of the current initiatives section of the white paper, and was utilized in summarizing each sub-section (i.e. energy, water, waste etc.). U.S. Green Building Council. 2011. Web. 18 June 2011. <http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988> LEED is discussed on the site more in depth. I focused on discovering what the program is and its goal pertaining to USF. USF is striving to become more LEED certied and this website gave a basic understanding in what is meant by the certication. United Nations Press Release. UN Department of Public Information, 2010. PDF. The document provides a detailed list of information regarding the 2010 version United Nations projections for the global population. Various charts and graphs were also provided to further highlight the information. In addition to the global populations, projections were also made for the fertility and life expectancy growth rates of the world. This information proved to be very helpful in writing the introductory information of the white paper, and providing support for the claim that sustainability is important.
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Continued from page 18 Wells, E. Christian Ph. D. Personal interview. 21 June 2011. The interview with the Director of the Ofce of Sustainability provided insight into the principles and attitude of the ofce, which are reective of the views of Dr. Wells. He expressed his true commitment to sustainability and the importance of going green to USF. The information he shared was incorporated into the section of this white paper concerning the Ofce of Sustainability. Whiteford, Linda. University of South Florida Sustainability Initiative Report. Sustainability Steering Committee (2010): 1-24. PDF le. The report offers specic information regarding sustainability initiatives the University of South Florida has been heading. The source provides a brief history of sustainability at the university, a summary of current operations, and a look into plans for the future. The information provided, regarding sustainable building and a summary of USF Green Builders, was helpful in highlighting the schools management of land conservation and efciency. The source was also held in comparison to the information collected from the AASHE web source to ensure the accuracy of the data included in the white paper.

team ecomaniacs the university of south florida

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