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Washington University Focuses on Sustainability
Over the past several years,
Washington University in St. Louis has embarked on many initiatives to
create a more sustainable campus life, as well as begun important
collaborations to explore ways to create a more sustainable world.
From student-led efforts to
install solar panels and plant gardens, to the creation of I-CARES
(International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability) and
the commitment to construct green buildings, the University is
working—locally, regionally, and internationally—to create new knowledge to
achieve a sustainable future.
The University’s sustainability
efforts focus in four areas: Research, Education, Operations, and Community
Engagement and Outreach.
Research
International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy
and Sustainability
In Spring 2007, Washington
University in St. Louis announced the creation of a new International Center
for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES) to
encourage and coordinate University-wide and external collaborative research
in the areas of renewable energy and sustainability. The University will
invest more than $55 million to foster institutional, regional, and
international research on the development and production of biofuels from
plant and microbial systems and the exploration of sustainable alternative
energy and environmental systems and practices.
Tyson Research Center
Jonathan M. Chase, associate
professor of biology in Arts & Sciences, is the director of Tyson Research
Center, just 25 minutes from the Danforth Campus on I-44 at Beaumont and
Antire Road. Chase studies how current habitat degradation and restoration
activities influence patterns of biodiversity. Chase, along with other
Washington University colleagues, is planning to implement a large-scale
ecological experiment at Tyson that will address fundamental questions in
environmental biology and provide collaborative research opportunities for
undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty from WUSTL and elsewhere.
Education
Educational
opportunities
Washington University provides
our students with a range of educational opportunities to study energy, the
environment, and sustainability issues.
The newly created Department of
Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering in the School of Engineering
focuses on environmental engineering, energy systems, and chemical
engineering.
In Arts & Sciences, the
Environmental Studies Program offers students the opportunity to undertake a
major or minor in environmental sciences or in societal issues associated
with the environment.
Other environmental programs
and course work are offered at the University in the Olin Business School,
the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, the School of Medicine, and the
law school.
Operations
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Sustainability
In July 2007, Matt Malten was
appointed assistant vice chancellor for campus sustainability at Washington
University in St. Louis. His appointment marks the first time that the
University has given a person the responsibility for campus sustainability.
As assistant vice chancellor
for campus sustainability, Malten provides the vision, organizational
strategy, and focus for advancing the University’s sustainability efforts.
Malten’s work coordinates and
enhances current programs related to energy and resource conservation,
environmental stewardship, waste reduction, and recycling, and
sustainability at the University. Central to this effort will be the
creation of the University’s sustainability strategic plan.
Another of Malten’s
responsibilities is to develop the University’s greenhouse gas emissions
inventory to understand its impact on global climate change and to begin to
identify ways to reduce them. This process is sometimes referred to as
establishing a “carbon footprint.”
LEED
Certification
The U.S. Green Building Council
has established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Green Building Rating System, a nationally accepted benchmark for the
design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Washington University in St. Louis has committed that all new construction
will meet LEED standards. Currently, WUSTL has one certified building, eight
registered for certifications, and an additional two that are planned to be
certified. The University will also implement the LEED Existing Building
program, to enhance operations and maintenance of existing buildings.
Promoting Public Transit Use
With the opening of the Cross
County Metro Link extension in 2006, the University has purchased Metro
Link/ Metro bus passes from Metro and offers these passes (the U-Pass) free
of charge to all full-time students, benefits-eligible faculty and staff,
and some contract employees. Over 17,000 of the 25,000 eligible participants
have enrolled in the U-Pass program, easing traffic congestion and reducing
the need for additional campus parking. Newly designed Metro bus routes
eliminated the need for the University to run a shuttle service. The U-Pass
program resulted in close to 2 million bus and train rides during the
2006-2007 school year.
Bicycle Master Plan
The University is conducting a
comprehensive study of bicycle facilities on and around the Danforth Campus.
The study will indicate the best routes for cyclists to use and will address
bicycle facilities (such as bike racks and changing rooms) as well as
bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Car Share
In January 2008, the University
began a car sharing program for the Danforth Campus. As a part of this
program, six hybrid vehicles can be borrowed for an affordable hourly rate
by any member of the campus community. This program addresses the concerns
of many who would like to use public transportation but need access to a car
to attend a meeting or get home quickly in case of an emergency.
Community Engagement
and Outreach
Environmental Clinic
The Interdisciplinary
Environmental Clinic housed at the law school provides pro bono legal and
technical services to environmental and community organizations in the
greater St. Louis area.
The clinic includes
students from several schools of the University in advocacy representation
of clients. They offer legal and technical assistance on environmental and
community health problems to individuals and organizations that cannot
afford to pay for such services. Clinic teams work on issues relating to air
and water quality, lead poisoning, environmental justice, habitat
destruction, and wetlands.
Volunteers for Environmental Restoration,
Development, and Education (V.E.R.D.E)
Organized by the Campus Y,
WUSTL students work with students at Brittany Woods Middle School, Flynn
Park Elementary School, and Bethel Lutheran School to help foster a greater
awareness about environmental issues in bi-weekly environmental education
classes on topics including recycling, endangered species, global warming,
forest fires, and pollution. Over 25 WUSTL students worked through the
school year to provide these educational opportunities to more than 75
students.
Students from V.E.R.D.E.
teach local children about environmental issues such as recycling and
pollution.
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