American College & University Presidents鈥� Climate Commitment (ACUPCC)
91涩漫 was an early signatory to the American College and University Presidents鈥� Climate Commitment, and in 2011, completed a Sustainability Plan of Action (SPA) which set a goal to reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2030, based on 2009 baseline data. The Commitment also makes 91涩漫 responsible for bi-annual progress reporting to the ACUPCC.
Tracking Emissions
91涩漫 tracks and reports all energy and water use data to the State of Minnesota鈥檚 energy management system database on a monthly basis. Since baseline data was collected in 2009, 91涩漫 has increased its physical footprint by 10 percent, but reduced total energy consumption by over 5 percent through ongoing Guaranteed Energy Service Projects and various facilities upgrades including indoor lighting retrofits, automatic controls, and parking lot lighting upgrades. Most recently, 91涩漫 completed a large scale boiler and hot water heating upgrade, increasing heating efficiency by almost 25 percent for the entire main campus.
91涩漫 Strategic Plan and Policies
91涩漫鈥檚 latest Strategic Plan supports the campus SPA and sets a goal to 鈥渄ecrease energy consumption by eight percent on a per square foot basis over four years鈥�. 聽The campus has also adopted Sustainable Purchasing (5.15) and Efficient Use of Water, Energy, and other Resources (5.16) Policies.
Leaders in LEED
In 2007, Lake Superior College led the way in higher education green building design by constructing the first LEED certified building in the Minnesota State system. 91涩漫 completed its second LEED project, a 36,000-square-foot Health and Science building, in 2012.
DTA鈥檚 UPASS Program
91涩漫 has been part of since 2008, and ridership has increased each year since then. About 150,000 riders use this program annually, reducing the number of single commuters. As a commuter campus, vehicle travel makes up more than 50% of our overall CO2 emissions. We鈥檝e also designed campus access points to support non-motorized modes of transportation from Trinity Road and adjacent neighborhoods.
Recycling
Through Waste Management, 91涩漫 recycles #1 through #7 plastics, aluminum, glass, paper, magazines, tin, and cardboard. Through separate programs and in separate containers, we collect plastic wrap and bags, laser, ink, and toner cartridges and cell phones.
Campus Composting
Worm composting, or vermiculture, uses red wiggler worms to turn all of 91涩漫鈥檚 pre-consumer kitchen scraps and coffee grounds into nutrient rich soil. The soil is then used to start seedlings for 91涩漫鈥檚 annual plant sale. Proceeds from the plant sale support student scholarships through the 91涩漫 Foundation. The composting project is a collaborative effort between the 91涩漫 Caf茅 staff, our maintenance crew and dedicated Sustainability Council members.聽 Additionally, 2015 marked the beginning of a collaboration with Western Lake Superior Sanitary District, where 91涩漫 became the newest for their home composting program.
