On the unusually cold morning of April 10, the campus smelled distinctly of fresh mulch.
Students and community members had risen early to help plant flowers and mulch campus grounds as part of AU's annual Campus Beautification Day. At the end of the day, the campus seemed ready for spring. Even baby green plants began to poke through the soil.
Campus Beautification Day is only one part of a green revolution that has taken hold at AU. From the sustainability coordinator, who makes her own biodiesel and runs her car on vegetable oil, to plans for a green School of International Service building with a living roof, passionate faculty, students and staff have committed themselves to transforming AU's campus - with the environment in mind.
April 22 marked the 37th annual Earth Day celebration, originally founded to "spark a revolution against environmental abuses," according to the Earth Day Network Web site. In light of this celebration, The Eagle has examined AU's own environmental revolution.
Eco-Sense
Eco-Sense President Claire Roby, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, insists that her club is "not just a bunch of crazy hippies."
The group focuses on promoting the well being of students through environmental education and change, Roby said. For example, the group has worked to fuel the AU shuttles on biodiesel, to create a fleet of electric campus vehicles and to run the campus on clean energy.
"We're not just saving the spotted owl," she said. "We're focused on justice and human health."
Roby has led the movement of making AU's campus more carbon neutral. This means that AU would cut as much carbon emission as possible and offset what it can't cut by investing in forests or wind energy.
This year, Eco-Sense focused on making AU's transportation more environmentally friendly, according to Roby. Working closely with the Student Government and Transportation and Facilities Management, their multi-faceted "Bikes and Biodiesel" campaign has already helped transform AU vehicles into a "green fleet." The campaign outlines steps the university can take to make transportation more environmentally friendly, such as encouraging alternative ways of commuting and making fuel efficiency a priority when purchasing new vehicles, Roby said.
Switching the shuttle fuel to biodiesel, a key part of the campaign, will also take place over the next few weeks, Roby said. Running the shuttles on biodiesel, which uses plant oils instead of petroleum, will cut carbon emissions and save the university 8 cents per gallon.
"Eco-Sense is moving toward making AU carbon neutral inch by inch," Roby said.
More bike racks will also be installed on campus to encourage more environmentally friendly commuting, Roby said.
The "Bikes and Biodiesel" campaign was the next step Eco-Sense took after they helped pass the Clean Energy Referendum with 70 percent of the vote in SG elections last year. Supported by several other student groups, the referendum requires the campus to run on 60 percent clean energy by 2012 and allowed for a $10 increase in annual student fees to make it possible.
Peter Drummond, a senior in the Kogod School of Business, said Eco-Sense needs to communicate better with students about the long-term results of their initiatives.
"Where did that $10 go?" he said.
In addition to changing campus policy, the club also strives to educate students about environmental issues, Roby said.
Awareness is key for creating a greener campus, said Meg Imholt, vice president of Eco-Sense and a sophomore in CAS and the School of Public Affairs.
"Half the problem is just realizing that there is a problem," she said.
To spread their message, Eco-Sense leads numerous demonstrations, educational activities, social events and high visibility activities on the quad, according to Imholt. These range from last semester's event in the Davenport, where students parodied popular songs with global warming lyrics, to Campus Beautification Day held April 10.
Stephanie McDaniel, a sophomore in SPA, said she appreciates Eco-Sense's efforts.
"It's good to have a group to organize and make it easier for students to participate," she said.
Shilpa Joshi, Eco-Sense's demonstrations coordinator and a sophomore in SIS, said Eco-Sense works for greater visibility.
"We really try to keep up the level of involvement of the student body," she said.
However, Eco-Sense needs more publicity to get its message across, McDaniel said.
"The only reason I know about it is because I have a friend who is involved with it," McDaniel said.
Transportation
In an effort to reduce emissions, Facilities Management and Eco-Sense are working to implement a new biodiesel fuel called B-20 into all of the campus's diesel-powered vehicles within the next two months, according to Mark Feist, assistant director of facilities management.
"Environmentally, it is the right thing to do based on the fact that B-20 will significantly reduce our emissions from shuttle buses," Feist said. "There is an additional benefit of not producing the typical black 'smoke cloud' that is often seen coming from diesel powered vehicles."
B-20 is composed of 20 percent soy and 80 percent diesel, Feist said. It will reduce unburned hydrocarbon emissions, the main components of natural gas, by 20 percent. It will also reduce carbon emissions by 12 percent and the amount of aerosols produced by the burning of fossil fuels by 12 percent, according to Feist.
The university will save $5,850 a year because of the new fuel purchase decision. The university will save an additional $1,330 in travel costs because vehicles will be refueled on-site rather than traveling to refuel them at a gas station, Feist said. He went on to say that the average crew of seven drivers spends approximately 30 minutes each day refueling their vehicles.
From a university standpoint, the focus of implementing any program should be the cost, McDaniel said.
"If it cuts down costs and helps the environment, I'm all for it," McDaniel said.
Green SIS Building
The new SIS Building, which seeks to bring environmental issues to the forefront, is in its final stages of design, according to SIS Dean Louis Goodman.
City planners still need to approve the design and the college must still raise funds, but excavation is slated to begin in August or September, Goodman said.
Goodman said SIS will be able occupy the new building by fall of 2009.
The university decided SIS needed a new facility three years ago, since SIS students and faculty were scattered all around campus. A building committee of students, faculty and staff conceptualized a building that would enhance learning and act as a paradigm for sustainability, said Paul Wapner, an SIS professor who served on the committee. The building committee began working with the green architectural firm McDonough and Partners to design a building that produces more energy than it consumes, according to Wapner.
The goal is for the building to achieve a gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, Goodman said. LEED defines what green architecture means. Points are awarded for environmentally friendly features, like bike racks.
Green features of the new building will include solar panels on the roof, a living roof with a habitat and rain collectors to recycle rainwater and use it to flush the toilets.
Special sun-shades on the windows emphasize the use of natural light and materials that don't give off toxins will be selected for the furniture and carpet, according to Goodman.
Even an image of the world will be projected onto the outside of the building, and a screen in the atrium of the building will read how much energy is currently being consumed and produced.
"The environmental message will just be there," Goodman said.
Wapner said the building shows SIS's commitment to world issues.
"We face significant environmental challenges, like climate change," he said. "This demonstrates that we can address these problems in responsible ways."
Simon Nicholson, an SIS student in the Ph.D. program who has served on the building committee, said the building reflects the main mission behind SIS.
"We have imagined a building that will serve as an embodiment of the values of the university - a commitment to environmental and social responsibility, to peace and to the eradication of poverty and to action and service in support of those goals," he said in an e-mail. "It will also serve as an inspiration to all who teach, learn and interact within its walls."
Wapner has already incorporated the building into his teaching. Students in his classes have made recommendations to the building committee and analyzed how the architect's ideas contributed to sustainability.
"The building is more than a set of walls," Wapner said. "It's a pedagogical tool to teach."
Michele White, a senior in SIS, and Meghan Hynes, a sophomore in CAS, both take Wapner's International Environmental Politics class. Each picked an aspect of the new building and examined how it contributed to the environment and social justice.
White said she learned how feasible it is to create environmentally friendly architecture by bringing natural elements inside.
Making the building green is necessary because there is a strong desire from faculty and students, Hynes said.
They both said they hope many of the environmentally friendly features will be incorporated into other buildings on campus, such as the use of green cleaning products.
As long as the building doesn't increase student costs it will help give SIS students more hands-on learning experience like students in SPA receive, McDaniel said.
"They can introduce this in classes and it will help make issues more real," she said. "It will be less theory and more practicality."
Ultimately, Goodman said the building would send a positive message about SIS.
"AU is a very high quality institution with terrific programs," he said. "Its buildings should show that."
Beyond sending a message, Wapner said the building tests whether environmental issues can be addressed.
"If we can't embrace efforts for sustainability here, then I don't have much hope for the planet," he said. "If it can't be done in one of the wealthiest suburbs, where can it be done?"
Student Government
Student Government has created a new Environmental Policy liaison cabinet position because the environment is one of its top priorities, said SG President Joe Vidulich, a junior in SPA.
Roby will fill the cabinet position and will report directly to Vidulich.
"We're starting to put more 'oomph' behind environmental issues," Vidulich said. "We want to be an example to fellow universities."
Vidulich said he was enthusiastic about plans to fuel the shuttles with biodiesel, an initiative spearheaded by Eco-Sense under Roby's leadership. He said it managed to be both environmentally friendly and cheaper for the university.
Under the leadership of David Teslicko, SG comptroller, former AUTO president and a sophomore in SIS and SPA, the SG will also be implementing a Web-based bike rental pilot program this upcoming week. It will be incorporated into the current AUTO system and checked by the SG, Teslicko said.
Four bikes are available to rent as part of the pilot program, and AU will be donating any bikes left on campus over the summer to the program in the fall, according to Teslicko.
"It's an important initiative because we're providing eco-friendly alternatives," he said.
To encourage carpooling, a plan to let students share the cost of a single parking pass is also in the works, Vidulich said.
Drummond said the SG and the residence halls should provide more incentives to encourage environmentally friendly behavior.
"What if students decreased the amount of electricity they used and got a stipend from the dorm?" he said.
Vidulich said the SG plays an important role in creating a campus community committed to the environment.
In the past, Facilities Management has come to the SG with environmental concerns, Vidulich said.
"But the SG needs to start putting a voice to these issues," he said. "Environmental issues are long term. They aren't for seniors and they aren't even for the incoming freshman. We're starting the process for students five to 10 years from now."
Amanda Fuentes, a junior in Kogod, said AU needed to focus even more on improving the environment.
"If students are given the opportunity to unite, someone could make a difference," she said.
Campus Beautification
The 14th-annual Campus Beautification Day brought together 573 people from the school community, possibly the largest turnout in history, to help with campus planting projects and learn about the environment on April 10, Feist said. The goals of the day include uniting the campus community, sending an educational message about the environment and planting and mulching to beautify the grounds, Feist said.
Interim President Neil Kerwin also signed the Talloires Declaration that day to demonstrate AU's goal of environmental sustainability. Colleges nationwide who have committed to sustainability have signed the declaration, which advises broad steps universities can take to create campus sustainability.
Kerwin committed AU to a nationwide movement for sustainability by signing the Talloires Declaration, said Lindsay Madeira, the sustainability coordinator.
Under the declaration, universities can create sustainability, such as through changes in the curriculum or facilities management.
The declaration, however, does not have a timeline for when the environmental goals should be accomplished, which allows a lot of schools to sign the declaration and not actually change, Madeira said.
She said AU is different because it has already made strides toward sustainability.
"We're already doing a lot of these things, but we could be doing more," Madeira said. "This gives us more leverage."
Feist said the day's main goal was to unite the campus community. Students, faculty, neighbors, representatives from Greek life and athletic teams planted annuals, planted trees and mulched.
"We don't normally in our day-to-day routines become closer as a community," he said.
Eighteen planting projects took place throughout the day on the main campus and Tenley campus. Volunteers also planted 101 trees at the Katzen Arts Center.
Eco-Sense members played games with kids from a nearby elementary school and a Clean Transportation Fair on the quad highlighted AU's "green fleet," or environmentally friendly vehicles.
"It's a very exciting day," Feist said. "It allows people to get their hands dirty."
Katherine Kirlin, a member of AU's Special Events office, said the day was very successful.
"The campus looks beautiful," she said.
Feist said the tree planting at Katzen also helped AU's role as a National Arboretum by introducing new and greater varieties of trees on campus.
To qualify as a National Arboretum, AU has to identify and keep a complete inventory of trees. They also have to have educational opportunities and be open to public tours, Feist said.
