SUNY ONEONTA, WHAT IS YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT? An Ecological Footprint Assessment Survey of SUNY Oneonta Residential Students

Student Author: Emilie Richard, Faculty Advisors: T.Y. McPherson and P. Sirianni Biology Department, SUNY Oneonta

                                                                                                                                                                                 

Introduc*on   It is important to measure the impacts of humanity on the Earth in order to manage our resources in a sustainable way. This was the motivation for the development of the “Ecological Footprint” by Wackernagel and Rees (1996). Ecological footprints are generally area-based indicators of human resource consumption and waste production in relation to regional biocapactiy (Wackernagel and Rees, 1996). Though the concept was originally developed to measure the environmental impact of nations and large population, the goal in this project is to apply the concept on a much smaller scale. We aim to assess the environmental impact of individuals living in a college community. University serves as formative years where behaviors are learned and environmental consciousness can be awakened. Student perception of their environmental impact can be assessed and environmentally beneficial behaviors proposed. There are currently no existing ecological footprint assessments that allow for the assessment of university students. This project could develop future methods for assessing the environmental impact of students within college communities and promote sustainable practices at a time when students are open to it. We hope to address whether or not it is possible to accurately assess student’s ecological footprints in regard to electricity consumption and garbage production. If we are successful, then we should determine if students are aware of the ecological implications of their daily habits, and whether that awareness would in-fact generate a sense of environmental responsibility

Abstract   The objective of ecological footprint assessments is to measure the environmental impact of the actions of individuals. While surveys exist that allow homeowners and non-students to assess their ecological impact, a survey tool that allows for an assessment of University students has not been developed. Student perception of their impact on the environment can be assessed and environmentally beneficial behaviors proposed. We report on the development of a student centric ecological footprint assessment for State University of New York at Oneonta (SUNY Oneonta). The objective of the footprint assessment was to measure the environmental impact of each student. In addition, the survey sought to validate and utilize the results from a previously conducted commuter survey, which measured the campus population’s “willingness-to-pay” to offset the carbon emissions of their commute. Average student electricity usage and garbage production was used as a benchmark to compare with assessed usage and production. Preliminary results suggest that many students are unaware of their environmental impact.

Methodology   Data and calculations: Monthly garbage production and electricity usage data for the time period August 2013 - June 2014 were compiled. The following equations were used to obtain monthly averages for each student in each dorm. Avg. Garbage = (Total garbage (lbs) per month)

# students in dorm Avg. Electricity = (Total electricity (kW) per month) ($0.065*)

# students in dorm * $0.065 SUCO cost per kW To make these values more relatable, average electricity was converted to the number of days in a month a 60 watt light bulb would be left on. We wanted to assess student electricity consumption and compare this to the dorm average. Students were asked to indicate the number of hours select appliances were plugged weekly. Questions on garbage and electricity were only asked to on-campus students. The Survey: The survey was designed using SUNY Oneonta’s survey tool on selectsurvey.net through aristotle.oneonta.edu. All respondents provided demographic data and answered questions on knowledge of global warming. The survey consists of two tracks: Transportation: Administration, Faculty, Staff, and off-campus students Residential: On-campus students The transportation track builds on a transportation survey that conducted by Oneonta graduate Zach VanEarden and Dr. Philip Sirianni in the spring of 2012.

Launching the Survey: The survey was launched Monday, March 16th, 2015 and closed on April 6th, 2015. It was posted on the student announcements portion of the portal and sent out via email to the enrolled students listserv, faculty listserv, and staff and administration to ensure accessibility to the entire SUNY Oneonta community. Incentive prizes for respondents ranged from $10-100 dragon dollars were offered to participants.

Results  Results •  We received 800 responses in total. After removing incomplete responses,

279 of the remaining responses were from on campus students, 199 were off campus students and 156 were from administration, faculty and staff. (Fig. 1) •  Our analysis only utilized the 279 responses from on campus students. (Fig. 2)

On Campus Student Results •  We received respondents from all dorms and all academic standings. Garbage (Fig. 3, 5) •  37 % of the students indicated that packaging materials make up the bulk of

their garbage. •  25 % indicated that food waste made up the bulk of their garbage. •  87 % indicated they produce less than the average student in their dorm, while 13% indicated they produce more.

Electricity (Fig. 4, 5) •  Dorms with the highest electricity usage included Golding, Grant, Littel, and

Wilber. Average monthly electricity usage for Golding, Grant, and Littel, was >$20 per month per student. •  Three of the four largest electricity-consuming dorms were freshman dorms. •  Dorms with the smallest assessed energy consumption were Curtis, Ford, and Sherman. •  The assessed cost per student per month was higher than anticipated. •  62% of on campus students indicated that the survey changed their opinion/perspective on climate change. •  76% of students indicated that the information provided based on their electricity consumption and garbage production would affect their behavior.

Off Campus Students

29%

Admin./Faculty/Staff 26%

O.C. Graduate Students

0%

On Campus (O.C.)

Freshmen 14%

O.C. Sophomores

14%

O.C. Juniors 12%

O.C. Seniors 5%

Demographics Of Respondents

Figure  2  

Food Waste 25%

Packaging Materials

(wrappers, etc.) 37% Other

(napkins, tissues,

etc.) 2%

Paper 21%

Plastics 15%

What Makes Up The Bulk Of Your Garbage?

Figure  3  

Affilia*on  with  SUNY  Oneonta  

Students  

On  Campus  

Residen*al  Survey  

Off  Campus  

Transporta*on  Survey  

Administra*on,  Faculty,  Staff  

Map  courtesy  of  D.  Vogler,  Dept.  of  Biology  

Acknowledgements

•  Funding for the project was provided by the Sustainability Fund courtesy of Oneonta Auxiliary Services (OAS) Endowment for Student Development and Campus Enrichment. •  Valuable technical assistance was provided by Instructional Design Technician, Diana Moseman. •  Data on electricity consumption and garbage production were provided by Sustainability Coordinator Hannah Morgan. •  Data regarding electricity and waste disposal costs were provided by Budget Director, Julie Roseboom. •  Thank you to Elaine Lowe, Lisa Miller, and Susan Clemmons for distributing the survey to the entire campus community

References

•  "Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use." Energy.gov. U.S. Department of Energy, accessed 5 Nov. 2014. •  "Energy Use of Common Dorm Room Appliances." www.pomona.edu, accessed 3 Dec. 2014. •  Rees, William, and Mathis Wackernagel. "Urban Ecological Footprints: Why Cities Cannot Be Sustainable—And Why They Are a Key to Sustainability." Environmental Impact Assessment Review 16.4-6 (1996): 223-48.

Conclusions Surveys such as this provide valuable insight to students about how their daily activities utilize a great amount of energy and produce a lot of waste over longer periods of time. By bringing these concepts of individual environmental impact to students attention, we are encouraging sustainability and social responsibility. Our method of assessing electricity usage did not differentiate between appliances plugged in and appliances actually engaged. This lead to potentially inflated values of electricity and was therefore unsuccessful in assessing student’s environmental impact. Also, there were a number of respondents who did not complete the survey due to slow load times or other technical issues. This decreased the amount of usable data we were able to work with. However, the results did demonstrate that most students are unaware of how much electricity they consume and garbage they produce. The majority of on campus students indicated that the information provided in the survey changed their opinion/perspective on climate change and would affect their behavior in the future. These results suggest that awareness of environmental impact can influence behavior and resource use. This shows that students are willing to reduce their environmental impact and resource use. The next step in making SUNY Oneonta more sustainable would be the creation of a resource that allows students to easily assess their individual impact, and ultimately reduce their ecological footprint.

Survey Tracks

Figure  1  

Map  Of  SUNY  Oneonta  Campus  

0

5

10

15

20

25

Mon

thly

Cos

t Of E

lect

ricity

($)

Electricity Usage By Dorm

Calculated Avg. Cost/Student/Month Respondent Avg. Cost/Student/Month Figure  4  

Figure  5