SUSTAINABILITY AT STANFORD A Year In Review 2011–12 Universities like Stanford have an obligation to educate the sustainability leaders of tomorrow. So we must bring the rigor of academic research to the important Sustainability at Stanford choices humanity must make and teach our students to do the same. We also must lead by example and pursue A Year in Review sustainability on our campus. — John Etchemendy Provost Stanford University 2011–12 Welcome The Office of Sustainability and our campus partners are pleased to present the 2011–12 edition of “Sustainability at Stanford: A Year in Review,” which showcases the strides made in campus sustainability during the academic year. This publication summarizes operational, academic, and programmatic highlights, presents metrics and trends, and provides an in-depth review of featured topics. Sustainability is a core value at Stanford. Integrated into academics, campus operations, communications, and events, sustainability practices are reducing the university’s environmental impact, saving resources, and engaging the campus community. This year we are particularly excited to highlight ongoing academic initiatives in sustainability, showing their remarkable breadth and contribution to Stanford as a living laboratory. Innovation and efficiency drive Stanford’s sustainability mission and its implementation, showing consistent improvement in performance despite campus growth. The first half of this report presents featured topics, demonstrating Stanford’s commitment to strategic planning and to achieving measureable results. The second half of this report takes a chronological approach, where snapshot stories complement the featured topics and indicate the steady pulse of sustainability at Stanford. Some initiatives are bold and ambitious, while others are grassroots. However, all are strategic and collaborative parts of Stanford’s integrated and flourishing culture of sustainability. Over thirty-five departments and groups from the entire campus community contributed content to this annual report. Together we celebrate our success, and look forward to the journey ahead, with gratitude for all your engagement and goodwill. Sincerely, Fahmida Ahmed Office of Sustainability Sustainability & Energy Management; Land, Buildings & Real Estate Table of Contents Welcome iii Featured Topics 1 Sustainability in Campus Operations 5 Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) Begins 9 Further Strides in Energy Efficiency 15 Strong Performance in Water Efficiency and Conservation 21 Excellence in Building Design, Construction & Renovations 25 New and Improved Offerings in Transportation 29 Minimizing Stanford’s Waste 33 Enriched Sustainable Food and Housing Programs 37 Sustainability in Academia 41 Academic Initiative Creates Foundation and Momentum 45 Innovative Interdisciplinary Solutions 49 Student Leadership and Activities 55 Office of Sustainability Programs 61 Evaluations & Assessment—A Solid Gold Rating 65 Behavior Matters—Individual and Institutional 69 Communications & Publications 75 Sustainability Training 79 Collaborative Governance at the Core 85 Recognition & Awards 89 Snapshots Stories—September 2011 to August 2012 97 Acknowledgements 192 Photo Credits 193 Topic Guide Infrastructure Education & Choices Climate & Energy Interdisciplinary Sustainability at Stanford Research A Year in Review New Buildings & Student Leadership & 2011–12 Renovations Activities Featured Topics Assessment & Energy Efficiency Evaluations Behavior-Based Water Conservation Programs Communications & Transportation Outreach Waste Minimization Training & Education Collaborative Food and Housing Governance 2 3 Introduction to Featured Topics Sustainability is not a spectator sport but an opportunity for collective engagement at Stanford. Stanford’s sustainability initiatives, like its other initiatives, follow the principle that actions speak louder than goals. This chapter discusses each major topic in terms of key accomplishments, results and trends, academic integration, and offers some insight into the work ahead. Sustainability is a core value at Stanford, and the campus continues to make significant investments in and strides toward sustainability at the operational, Here are some of the most significant and unique accomplishments featured in academic, and programmatic levels. “Sustainability at Stanford: A Year in Review, 2011–12”. Central to the academic endeavor has been the Initiative on the Environment v Stanford continues to produce leading interdisciplinary research to develop and Sustainability, which boosted interdisciplinary research and teaching in all solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Woods, seven of Stanford’s schools, as well as in interdisciplinary institutes, centers, PIE, and others awarded more than $14 million in 2011–12 to innovative new and associated programs across campus, in recognition of the fact that solutions research projects. to complex challenges demand collaboration across multiple fields. The School v Stanford received a gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Earth Sciences, the School of Engineering, the Graduate School of Business of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) under its Sustainability (GSB), and the School of Medicine (SOM) are leaders in sustainability research Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS). STARS is the first and teaching. Leading institutes such as the Stanford Woods Institute for the comprehensive sustainability performance assessment and national rating Environment (Woods, founded in 2006) and the Precourt Institute for Energy system developed by and for leaders in higher education sustainability. Of (PIE, founded in 2009) serve as the academic integration points and coordination over 1,100 AASHE members, Stanford became one of just 35 to earn a gold platforms for interdisciplinary research and programs. rating, the highest level awarded to date. Today, all seven schools offer a wide range of environmental and sustainability- v Stanford has committed to transforming its energy system through related courses and research opportunities. Over 130 faculty members from Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI), which will reduce greenhouse 40 departments teach more than 750 courses in this arena, including courses gas (GHG) emissions by 50% and total campus potable water use by 18%. designed by or affiliated with Woods and PIE. The Board of Trustees approved this $438 million program in December The Department of Sustainability and Energy Management (SEM) within 2011, and implementation started in summer 2012. Land, Buildings & Real Estate (LBRE) leads initiatives on campus physical v Stanford reduced domestic water use on campus 21% in 2012 from a 2000 infrastructure and programs in energy and climate, water, transportation, baseline, despite adding more than one million gross square feet (GSF) to building operations, and information systems. The Office of Sustainability the building portfolio. (founded in 2008) connects campus departments and entities and works collaboratively with them to steer sustainability-specific initiatives. The Office v The GSB’s Knight Management Center received formal LEED for New works on long-range sustainability analysis and planning, evaluation and Construction Platinum certification, the highest rating level awarded by reporting, communication and outreach, academic integration, behavior-based the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The 360,000-square-foot facility programs, and governance coordination. integrates sustainability into every aspect of its design and operations. v Critical sustainability partners include Residential & Dining Enterprises The employee drive-alone rate dropped to 47%, down from 72% in 2002 (R&DE), which houses its own sustainable food and student housing programs; at the inception of the formal Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Stanford Recycling Center (run by Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc., PSSI); program. Commute-related emissions remain below 1990 levels. The University Communications; Government and Community Relations; the Alumni Commute Club celebrated its 10-year anniversary and now includes 8,000 Association; and over 20 student organizations. members, compared to just 3,600 when the program started. 4 5 v The award-winning Arrillaga Family Dining Commons opened—the first Sustainability in Campus Operations new campus dining hall in nearly two decades. Besides winning first place in the Montague Suite Dreams Design Challenge, the state-of-the-art dining hall is on the cutting edge with initiatives such as Performance Dining and a learning kitchen designed to bring students closer to their food through curriculum enhancements. v Stanford’s waste and recycling program (run by PSSI) doubled the number The first set of featured topics focuses on the operational milestones and of food-waste bins located in graduate housing to make home composting performance achievements during academic year 2011–12. more convenient. A pilot office composting program now includes more than 27 collection points and has diverted more than 750 pounds of food Since 2000, Stanford has maintained detailed performance records in the key waste per month from the landfill. operational areas of energy, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, transportation, v Students continued to galvanize the campus community around waste, and water. As the table below shows, the campus has either maintained or environmental issues by organizing a number of different