usf sustainability team ecomaniacs

8/6/2019 USF Sustainability Team Ecomaniacs

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t e a m e c o m a n i a c s t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f s o u t h f l o r i d a T a m p a , f l 3 3 6 2 0

USFS u s t a i n a b i l i t y

What is sustainability?

What does it really mean to go

green, and why should we

start getting involved.

Page 4

USF Office of

Sustainability

The universitys headquarters

for sustainable development in

the campus community.

Page 6

What it takes to be a

green university

Interview with Exide Distinguished

Lecturer on Ethics and

Sustainability, Dr. Sharon Hanna-

West.

Page 7

USF students in the

community

How the University of South

Florida is influencing the

involvement of its students in their

community.

Page 14

THE GREENINITIATIVE

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.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 Executive Summary

4 Background

What is sustainability?Where does USF stand on sustainability?

Its Time for an Intervention

5 History of USF Sustainability

6 Office of Sustainability

USF Pledge

Sustainability Initiative Steering CommitteeUSF STARS Gold Ranking

Interview with Dr. Sharon Hanna-West

8 Current Operations

Grounds

Water

Energy

Dining ServicesBuildingEmerging Green Builders

Transportation

Recycling & Waste Management

11 Education and Research

12 Student InvolvementUSFSP Green Group

Every Drop Counts

Interview with Dr. E. Christian Wells

Engineers for a Sustainable World

Student Green Fee

14 USF In The Community

Environmental Economics Series

Clean Energy Research Center

Quantum Sphere, Inc.

AEESP 2011 Conference

15 Works Cited

16 Annotated Bibliography


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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 defined 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 Office of

Sustainability was established in 2009, and operates under the direction of the offices advisory committee, the

Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee. Through the efforts of the Office 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 Office 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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BACKGROUND

What is sustainability, and why dowe 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

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.

Its Time For An

InterventionThe 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 ourworld

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 thepopulation 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.


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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 first

sustainability report.That year USF also hosted theCOBA 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

significant

accomplishment of

the expo was the

signing of the

Climate

Commitment, to

pledge USFsdedication 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 Office 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 onestablishing and supporting academic programs that are

centered on environmental efforts, andnow offers a

Master of Arts degree in Global Sustainability.Theprogram is designed

to address

sustainability issues

in diverse cultural,

demographic, and

geographical areas.

HISTORY OF SUSTAINABILITY AT USF


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A Cleaner,Greener

USF...The USF Office of Sustainability is

essentially the Green Headquarters of the

University of South Florida. Fairly new to the

sustainability scene at USF, the office 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 Office 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.

Dr. E. Christian WellsDirector of the Office 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 youcan 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.

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability Initiative Steering Committee


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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 first 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

Office of Sustainability in 2006. This report would set the stage for

sustainable development to come. In an interview with Dr. Hanna-

West, she spoke of the importance of universities making the effor

to go green, and the hard work and drive that it took to really ge

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 benefit the environment, but they must also be

somewhat financially profitable, 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 schoo

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.

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY


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CURRENT OPERATIONS

GroundsOut of the 815 acres that makes

up the USF Tampa campus, the

Grounds Department manages 332

acres of grass and shrubbery.

Landscaping improvements have been

made all over the campus in an effort

to reduce the universitys carbon

footprint. Drought-tolerant and native

greenery, that requires little fertilization

or chemicals, has been integrated into

the landscape to curb water usage, and

are only treated on an as-neededbasis according to the EPAs four-tiered

approach. Land area consumption has

been reduced with the recent

construction of building at least four

stories or greater, and roadway, bicycle,

and pedestrian improvements are

underway.

USF has also incorporated into its

campus several public spaces that

facilitate a more intimate relationshipbetween the community and its

environment. The Ecological Research

Area spans 500 acres of wetland and

sandhill habitat, and houses several

endangered species of plants and

animals. It is also utilized for onsite

research and teaching. Among the

others included are the USF Botanical

Gardens, MLK Plaza, and Forestry

Reserve.

WaterThe University of South Florida is

a strict adherent to the Florida

Department of Environmental

Protection regulations and

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:

Aggregated storm water

retention

Rain censored irrigation controls

Vegetated roof over the College

of Business (to aide in storm

water management)

Porous paving outside the

Marshall Student Center, MSC

parking lot, and the library

Stone swales to channel

rainwater

Water level metering in all

buildings, excluding residence

hallsWater usage adjusted to

weather

EnergyThe USF Physical Plant has taken

measures to ensure maximum energy

conservation. Involved with the Green

Lights Program, the Tampa campus

made the switch to higher efficiency

electronic ballasts and energy

conserving fluorescent lighting. The

campus now saves an average of $1

million and 11 million kilowatt-hours

each academic year. Solar-efficient

roofing systems have been

implemented, and many of the

buildings have upgraded to Direct

Digital Control Systems to control to

use of air conditioning units.

Headed by Dr. Yogi Goswami, the

Clean Energy Research Team, at the

USF College of Engineering, has

developed the first 20,000 watt solar-

electric charging station for electric

vehicle that our country has seen. Plans

are also in the making for a solar power

plant and thermal storage system at the

Tampa campus, with the hopes of

making solar energy available 24 hours

a day, and at a much more reasonable

price. The project will be funded by a

grant from the state through the

Florida Energy Systems Consortium,

and a $3.9 million grant from the U.S.

Department of Energy.

USF is also participating alongside

the University of Florida, Florida State

University, and the University of

Central Florida in the 2011U.S.

Department of Energy Solar

Decathlon. Team Florida will be

working on building the ideal zero

energy house - FLeX House - for a

hypothetical couple living on a

moderate budget.

Continued on page 9

electroCOATL electric car parked under University of So

Florida's solar charging station in Tampa


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CURRENT OPERATIONS

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 Certified, 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.

BuildingGreen building efforts at USF have focused on more

than just the new facilities under construction. Manyrenovations 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 certified buildings are to be expected

in the coming years. Among those under construction are

the Patel Center For Global Solutions and theInterdisciplinary 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 fixtures

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 campaignalongside Physical Plant and USF

Sustainability Initiative, and are

currently working toward LEED

certification of the Florida

Aquarium in Tampa.


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CURRENT OPERATIONS


Transportation

The University of SouthFlorida 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 USFID carriers - and strongly

encourages carpooling, as well as

the use of emission-less

transportation.

USF Bull Runneris a

university-run shuttle system offering free

transportation to anywhere on campus, as well as

designated locations off campus, to all students,

faculty, and staff with their USFCard.

USF Zimride operates much like a match.com for

the universitys carpooling community. Provided for by

the Center for Urban Transportation, Zimride allows

participants to coordinate rides, from commutes to

road trips, cutting individual travel expenses by at

least 50%.

USF Carpool Policyprovides discounted parking

permits and preferred reserved spaces to those who

carpool at least 4 times a week.

Borrow Our Bikes Green Program is a service

managed by Outdoor Recreation that allows students

the opportunity to check out bikes free of charge. The

program also provides repair services for bike,

skateboard, and longboard owners.

Waste

ManagementThis previous

performance year, USF

recycled roughly 1500

tons of waste, and only

460 tons were disposed

of in solid waste

landfills. 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

aluminum waste. There are presently 2,000 paper recycling

binds on campus, and 350 mixed material bins were

recently added. The university also coordinates with

licensed contractors, adhering to EPA guidelines, to remove

all electronic waste for recycling and proper disposal. The

Division of Environmental Health and Safety has created a

strategic plan for hazardous waste reduction, and the

Hazardous Inventory Tracking System (HITS) aides

university labs in the reduction of chemical waste and

inventory control.

Alongside efforts toward recycling and waste disposal,

USF has also implemented policies to reduce the overall

waste production, and conserve its resources. The Marshall

Student Center places a limit on free printing for students at40 black and white pages per day, and all office printers are

set to print on both sides of a page. Electronic

communication is employed whenever possible, and all

courses default not to print course catalogues, schedules, or

directories.

In August 2002, the University ofSouth Florida proudly introduced

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 asvegetable oil and grease

trap oil, and USF Dining

Services has been a major

contributor.

FLEET


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EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

A multitude of sustainability

related courses, across several colleges,

are offered at USF. The College of the

Arts, the College of Business, the

College of Arts and Sciences, and the

College of Engineering have all joined

forces in the movement, and

have integrated the schools

green principles into their

curriculum and co-curricular

activities. In addition to those

courses completely centered on

environmental science and

sustainable development, many

departments have adapted coursework

to fit an eco-friendly theme;

designating sustainability and

environmental health as writing

prompts and research projects. There

are also programs within the Office of

Sustainability that serve to foster

students involvement, on campus and

in the community, as well as provide

them with the resources, training, and

support needed to assume

sustainability leadership positions

within USF, or pursue a career in

environmental sciences.

The Sustainability Scholars

Program, working in conjunction with

the Office of Undergraduate Research,

is a service-learning program that

allows students the opportunity to

expand their knowledge on the

construction and implementation of

formal research design, train in

research ethics and data analysis, and

apply that knowledge to USF campus

sustainability projects. Through the

Scholars Program, students are directly

involved in the on-going research to

make the University of South Florida a

Green University.

USFs Office of Sustainability also

sponsors the Sustainability Teaching

Grants Program. As a course

development program, the mission of

the program is to carry out fundinginitiatives to support faculty in their

design and implementation of

sustainability research-based and

service-learning courses.

The Student Sustainability

Educators Program works alongside

the Sustainability Fellows Program,

through the Office of Sustainability, to

provide training for the chief

sustainability position within the

Student Environmental Association.

With this position fellows would

assume the responsibility of organizing

USFs engagements in RecycleMania,

and take up residence in the Green

Living and Learning

Community on the Tampa

campus. Among the other

programs serving the interests o

the students are the

Sustainability Champions

Program, and the Sustainability

Mentors Program; both of

which are geared toward

undergraduate involvement.

Many co-curricular activities also

play an integral role in the progress of

green initiatives. The Student

Sustainability Outreach Campaign and

the Conserve-A-Bull Campaign have

put forth multiple efforts, with the help

of other student organizations, in waste

reduction and resource conservation at

USF. There are also several outreach

publications designed to spread

awareness and encourage student

involvement. Among these are the

Clean Energy research Center

newsletter, and the Sustain-A-Bull

website under the office of the Provost

and Executive Vice President.


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STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

USFSP Green GroupThe Green Group operates at

the USF St. Petersburg campus withthe goal of promoting the

conservation of energy.Meetings areheld once every semester, and are

open to nonmembers looking to get

involved. Ten university facultymembers 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 GreenGroup 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

The University ofSouth Florida

partnered with the

Southwest Florida

Water Management

District

this past semester to

create the Every Drop

Counts campaign. The

mission of the

campaign is to raise

water conservation awareness, and

encourage students and other

members of the USF community to

pledge their commitment to

conserving water.

In February of this year, Every

Drop Counts helped to install a new

work of art in the Marshall Student

Center at the Tampa campus. The

piece is comprised of 111 empty

gallon-sized jugs,

representing the amount

of water consumed daily

by an average individual

in Tampa, and it is

making quite an impact

already. One student

passing through the

Marshall Center was

asked to share their

thoughts regarding the

structure, and replied, I

cant believe the amount of water I

use, or waste. I am definitely going to

be more aware. The university first

became active in the way of water

conservation in 2007, but the Every

Drop Counts campaign has certainly

made the biggest impact.

Engineers for aSustainable World

The Engineers for a Sustainable

World organization at USF was

founded to raise awareness, and to

engage students and faculty at the

university in reducing poverty in the

Tampa community, by improving

environmental, social, and economic

sustainability worldwide. They have

been involved with projects such as

assessing the

efficiency of

water use of

campus, andreducing the

amount of

pollution in

the campus

retention

ponds.

Continued on page 13


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STUDENT INVOLVEMENT


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 flood

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

filled areas that are affected by natural

disasters. This organization focuses

part of their efforts on helping people

that cant help themselves.

Student Green FeeThe students of the University of

South Florida recently voted in favor oa 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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USF IN THE COMMUNITY

Environmental Economics SeriesThe 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 localwater issues, sustainable seafood and fisheries, the business

case for sustainability, and the effects of carbon emissions.

USF and its affiliates 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.

Clean Energy Research CenterThe 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 landfill gas at the

Hillsborough Heights Landfill in Tampa, and the

development of USFs, and the nations first, 20,000 watt

solar and electric charging station for vehicles. Under

Stefanakos direction, CERC has also achieved a world

record solar cell efficiency level of 15.8 percent.

QuantumSphere, Inc.QuantumSphere Incorporated is a chemical

manufacturer and developer of portable power and clean

tech applications, and an affiliate 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 storagebecause 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.

AEESP 2011Conference

The University of South

Florida is the proud host ofthe Education and Research2011 Conference for the

Association of the Environmental Engineeringand Science Professors (AEESP). The goal of

the conference is to stress the importance ofincorporating global sustainability principlesinto education and research. There will be

three keynote speakers, and manypresentations and activities centered on

sustainability. Sustain-A-Bull USF, alongsidethe USF College of Engineering, will behosting the event in the Marshall Student

Center of the Tampa campus this July 2011.


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WORKS CITED

"Basic Information, Sustainability, US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. .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. .Engineers for a Sustainable World at the University of South Florida. University of South Florida, 2006. Web. 10 June 2011. .Environmental Science, Policy, & Geography. USFSP College of Arts and Sciences. University of South Florida, 2003. Web. 12 June 2011. ."Every Drop Counts!" Southwest Florida Water Management District. 2011. Web. 13 June 2011. .Ferrara, Enzo. Human Footprints on the Global Environment.Electronic Green Journal1.31 (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. .Green USFSP. University of South Florida Saint Petersburg, 22 April 2009. Web. 13 June 2011. Hanna-West, Sharon J.D. Personal interview. 15 June 2011.

Office of Sustainability. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 13 June 2011.

"Physical Plant Sustainability and Energy Conservation."USF Physical Plant. University of South Florida, 2009. Web. 11 June 2011. .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 file.Strategic Initiatives. Office of the Provost. University of South Florida, 2011.Web. 10 June 2011. .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-florida-fl/report/ 2011-01-28/>.U.S. Green Building Council. 2011. Web. 18 June 2011.

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 file.
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-http://www.acad.usf.edu/http://www.pplant.usf.edu/http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htmhttp://aeesp2011.com/http://aeesp2011.com/venue/index.htmhttp://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://www.eswusf.org/index.htmlhttp://www.eswusf.org/index.htmlhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-http://www.acad.usf.edu/http://www.acad.usf.edu/http://www.pplant.usf.edu/http://www.pplant.usf.edu/http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htmhttp://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htmhttp://aeesp2011.com/http://aeesp2011.com/http://aeesp2011.com/venue/index.htmhttp://aeesp2011.com/venue/index.htmhttp://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/http://www.eswusf.org/index.htmlhttp://www.eswusf.org/index.htmlhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htmhttp://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm


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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Basic Information, Sustainability, US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. .This website was very helpful in determining the definition of sustainability as it is defined by the EPA, for they oversee man

of the regulations and policies that USF abides by. It also detailed efforts that the agency is making on a national level. Theinformation 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 definition 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 insigh

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.

.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 affiliates 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. .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 writ

the student involvementsection 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. .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 theEducation and Research sectio

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. .This source is the official 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 th

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 Involvementsection of the white paper, and served as a topic for interviews with students

and Dr. Christian Wells.Continued on page 1
http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/http://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/conservation/everydropcounts/http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/http://stpete.usf.edu/coas/espg/http://www.eswusf.org/index.htmlhttp://www.eswusf.org/index.htmlhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://cerc.eng.usf.edu/presentations/CERC%20june%2009.pdfhttp://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htmhttp://epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm


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Ferrara, Enzo. Human Footprints on the Global Environment.Electronic Green Journal1.31 (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 definition 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. .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 yearsexpo, 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. 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

Supportsection 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 specifically, in order to showcase the growing influence 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 first 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 Office of Sustainability, and the passion and drive of the students

and faculty that has fueled USFs green mission.

Office of Sustainability. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 13 June 2011.

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.Continued on page 1
http://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htmhttp://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://usfweb2.usf.edu/Sustainability/initiative_building.aspxhttp://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htmhttp://stpete.usf.edu/green/index.htmhttp://aeesp2011.com/http://aeesp2011.com/http://aeesp2011.com/venue/index.htmhttp://aeesp2011.com/venue/index.htmhttp://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6zv3p127


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"Physical Plant Sustainability and Energy Conservation." USF Physical Plant. University of South Florida, 2009. Web. 11 June 2011. .The website details the many renovations, restorations, and plans for the future of the USF Physical Plant. An extensive list

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 file. This source is a PDF file 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 affiliates of USF and the schools involvement in projectswith outside corporations.

Strategic Initiatives. Office of the Provost. University of South Florida, 2011. Web. 10 June 2011. .The website details the past and present projects and efforts of the USF Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President.

More specifically, it provides information regarding USF Sustain-A-Bull campaign. The white paper will incorporate the

information from the website into theResearch 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-florida-fl/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.

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 certified and this website gave a basic understanding in what is meant by the

certification.

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 tha

sustainability is important.

Continued on page 1
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-http://www.acad.usf.edu/http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-south-florida-http://www.acad.usf.edu/http://www.acad.usf.edu/http://www.pplant.usf.edu/http://www.pplant.usf.edu/


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Wells, E. Christian Ph. D. Personal interview. 21 June 2011.

The interview with the Director of the Office of Sustainability provided insight into the principles and attitude of the officewhich are reflective 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

Office of Sustainability.

Whiteford, Linda. University of South Florida Sustainability Initiative Report. Sustainability Steering Committee (2010): 1-24. PDF file.The report offers specific 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 plan

for the future. The information provided, regarding sustainable building and a summary of USF Green Builders, was helpfu

in highlighting the schools management of land conservation and efficiency. 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.

usf sustainability team ecomaniacs

Documents