Valdosta State University
Sustainability and
Climate Commitment Plan
April 2013
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INTRODUCTION
Valdosta State University, as a regional university for Georgia, recognizes that it plays a pivotal
leadership role for the community and VSU’s influence reaches beyond the University’s academic
enterprise. To be a leader in stewardship of resources, VSU must adopt policies and practices that will
contribute to a more sustainable planet. Consistent with the need to exhibit leadership in this critical
direction, VSU announced in 2009 that it would develop a climate commitment plan to reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions and energy used per square foot of building. The goal of becoming more
sustainable, meaning to meet present needs without diminishing the resources of future generations
need, remains a consistently valid leadership principle. For VSU, to resources allocated to the University
as wisely as possible the University must establish and execute sustainability goals and action plans.
VSU’s efforts in support of this ambition have included incorporating sustainability issues into the existing
Faculty Senate Committee on Environmental Issues. The Physical Plant Department of VSU has
consistently implemented sustainability initiatives over the past 20 years including creating a recycling
program, re-lamping light fixtures with lower wattage bulbs, and replacing mechanical systems with more
energy efficient systems. VSU remains committed to becoming a campus sustainability leader, both
locally and regionally.
Beginning in the summer of 2009, a score of individuals worked together to develop a sustainability
framework. In 2010 the University documented the carbon footprint of the campus to measure progress
toward sustainability. These efforts have been refined in 2012 into goals and targets designed to
advance VSU’s efforts during the next three years.
Creating a sustainable campus is a multifaceted, interdisciplinary endeavor that requires the imaginative
collaboration and perseverance of students, staff, faculty, and administrators. The VSU campus serves
as a workplace, a learning environment, a home, a center for cultural entertainment, research enterprise,
business support, and more. It is both a small community unto itself and at the same time a part of the
larger community where it resides. Success requires the flexibility to enable innovative strategies and
seek new solutions over time. The targets have implications for all operational divisions throughout the
University and require engagement by every member of the community to create a sustainable
community. This plan deliberately focuses on campus and administrative systems in an effort to
strengthen the foundation of the sustainability commitment.
In the past five years, VSU has increased enrollment by almost 2,000 students and increased square
footage on campus by almost 400,000 square feet. As VSU grows the challenge to be more sustainable
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increases. Additional students require additional space; new space entails additional utility use, water
consumption, waste disposal, and other resource use–related challenges. At the same time the university
has achieved record growth, it has also experienced record funding cuts from state resources. As VSU
builds academically, it is very clear to the faculty, staff and students that the challenge of becoming more
sustainable comes at the same time as the challenge to balance the budget with reduced resources and
the challenge to meet the needs of the regional community. Success in this endeavor depends upon
leadership at the individual, unit, and institutional levels. For example, success in reducing waste and
increasing recycling requires the Facilities Department to improve how our waste is collected, but it also
requires all members of the community to rethink what we need to purchase, how much we need, and
how we choose to dispose of a product or packaging. Reducing waste across campus decreases VSUs
impact on the earth’s resources and it also must reduce the financial resources devoted to disposal.
To become sustainable requires a long-term commitment that leads to both short- and long-term benefits.
VSU embraces its commitment to sustainability as a strategic opportunity for resource use reduction,
improved efficiency, and increased collaboration between systems. This strategic plan is an evolving
document, and the Physical Plant Director will apprise the community annually of the progress made
toward achieving established goals.
The recommendations are presented with a brief overview of the institutional challenge in each area and
the opportunities to advance sustainability.
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Campus Planning, Building Design and Construction
Challenge: Valdosta State University (VSU) supports a full time student enrollment of 13,000
and a faculty and staff of 1,677. There are 80 buildings with 2.5 million square feet of space,
owned and leased, spreading across a 1,088-acre campus. VSU has generated extensive
growth in the past five years, 2007 to 2012, building approximately 400,000 square feet.
VSU has been significantly impacted by the economic downturn, 2008-2012, but continues
construction as funds are available to meet the increase in student enrollment. The Governor
of Georgia, Georgia State Legislature, and the University System Board of Regents have
been supportive of educational construction and VSU is slated to receive a 144,000 square
foot building on the North Campus for Nursing, College of Business and allied health
departments. The University is prepared to construct additional academic and student
services facilities in the future to meet the needs of increasing enrollment. New buildings add
to the physical footprint of the University and inevitably increase energy use.
Opportunity: Incorporate sustainability initiatives into the VSU design guidelines. The State
of Georgia has design standards for all state construction that focus on energy savings and
water conservation. VSU has incorporated those standards, but needs to commit to specific
design standards that integrate land use, landscape, water use, water runoff, transportation,
and utilities infrastructure. The standards need to incorporate materials and practices that
reduce the consumption of raw materials and/or have lower life cycle impacts. Choices
should reduce impact on resources for future generations, but also reduce the life cycle
maintenance costs.
VSU has committed to making sustainability a focus for new construction and renovation
projects. With regard to design, specific changes need to be documented that reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and construction and demolition debris. These
considerations must be weighed against the initial cost and full life cycle cost to make the
most efficient use of resources.
Goals
1. Facilities Planning Section of Physical Plant will develop and maintain Building Sustainable
Design Standards for VSU as a part of the existing design standards.
2. All construction and renovation projects will achieve the goals set forth in other sections of
this plan for water management, energy conservation, environmental health, waste
management, transportation, procurement, and land management.
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Waste Management and Recycling
Challenge: VSU discards approximately 700 tons of waste annually at a cost of
approximately $20,000. At 14,700 students and staff, this equates to 95 pounds of waste per
capita. This does not include waste produced from renovations, construction, the waste
generated from the dining halls, or landscape and grounds waste. The waste stream consists
of many recyclable materials that that could be captured in separate collection methods.
Opportunity: VSU can reduce consumption, increase recycling, and focus on re-purposing
materials that typically go into the municipal solid waste stream. VSU recycles cardboard,
mixed paper, cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles and scrap metal. VSU also recycles
electronic waste. Because of the way the recycling is collected by the City of Valdosta, the
tonnage of recyclables is not captured.
Tons of Waste to Landfill Per Year
800
700
Tons of Waste
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2010
2011
Goals
1. Decrease VSUs measurable solid waste by 5% by June 30, 2015.
Project: Establish a Waste Management and Recycling group to oversee and
streamline pickup processes.
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Project: Expand upon currently successful “Spring Salvage,” in which items from
departing students are collected, sorted, and donated to local not-for-profit and
charitable organizations.
2. Increase VSU’s recycling performance by June 30, 2015.
Project: Target recyclables that are not being captured in the current waste
disposal procedures. For example, capture more of the cardboard that goes into
the waste stream. Develop incentives for custodial staff, administrative staff and
students to participate in recycling efforts.
Project: Develop and implement a comprehensive recycling outreach campaign
focusing on targets to reach.
Transportation
Challenge: VSU has 2,500 students living in residence halls. All other students commute to
the campus either by foot, bicycle, or motor vehicle. There is no public transportation in
Valdosta. Once on campus, students who drive motor vehicles can easily walk, bike or take
the VSU shuttle service to most campus locations. To reduce the impact VSU has on the
environment, VSU can encourage students and faculty to walk, bicycle, and carpool to
reduce the number of vehicles traveling to campus. VSU also maintains a fleet of almost 160
vehicles. Those vehicles are needed to transport students to events, transport sports teams
to games, and to perform routine maintenance around campus.
Opportunity: Reduce the impact VSU has on the environment caused by commuter and
university owned vehicles.
Project: Measure the number of commuters and the estimate the commute
distance to the university by June 30, 2015. Identify the number of students,
faculty, and staff and the estimate the likely commute. This information can then
be used as part of the VSU green house gas inventory, and also as a baseline to
reduce transportation impacts.
Project: VSU should look at ways to reduce the number of vehicles that use
fossil fuels, and where it would be feasible and cost effective to change to
another form of fuel.
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On Campus Dining Services
VSU contracts with Chartwells, Inc, to provide food service at venues on campus. V-State
Dining Services is committed to fostering and promoting sustainable business principles in
the Valdosta community.
V-State Dining Services seeks to lead by example and has several initiatives to minimize the
impact on the environment. They also have several sustainable programs that include the
necessary information to encourage informed choices on both the foods consumed, and how
a V State Dining service interacts with the natural environment.
Local Flavor: Dining Services collaborates with local producers to provide fresh food options
whenever possible. The food choices play a significant impact on health, environment and
community. The “Buy Local” campaign has been created to celebrate this fast-growing,
dynamic movement and educate customers on the benefits of buying local, fresh produce.
Dining Services defines “local” as within a 150 mile radius from the producing facility.
Project Clean Plate: Each year on college campuses, students throw away hundreds of tons
of food. This large volume of solid waste only adds to the environmental impact of a
community's landfill. Project Clean Plate encourages students to reduce food waste by only
taking the amount of food they will eat. Through setting goals, giving rewards and making
charitable contributions, Project Clean Plate helps raise social awareness on campus and has
been implemented at all the locations where the food waste is weighed daily. Even behind
the scenes, dining is working to minimize waste through a program similar to Project Clean
Plate called Trim Trax, which educates our employees on correct production methods.
Ocean Friendly Seafood: Dining Services assures that all seafood served complies with strict
sustainability requirements. Many species have been over fished, threatening current
populations’ popular species such as Blue fin Tuna, Atlantic Halibut and Orange Roughy.
Dining Services no longer purchases these threatened species and instead use the Best
Choices and Good Alternatives as recommended, including Pacific Cod and Pollock.
Zero-Trans Fat Oils: All oils used in our kitchens throughout campus have been transitioned
to Zero Trans-Fat oils. Zero trans fat is defined by the FDA as containing less than 0.5 grams
of trans fat per serving. Additionally, fry oil is filtered extensively to add life to the oil
and reduce waste oil produced weekly.
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Energy
Challenge: VSU completed green house gas emissions inventories for FY2007 and 2009.
VSU emitted approximately 36,402 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e), due
to heating, cooling, and electricity demands. This did not include green house gases due to
mobile sources (vehicles). As America’s reliance upon technology increases, so does its
demand for electricity. For example, there are an estimated 3,500 desktop and laptop
computers in use, with a growing number of servers (200+) on VSU campus.
Opportunity: The University continues to upgrade technologies when possible, but there is
now a concerted effort to encourage behavior among students, faculty, and staff to reduce
the overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Goals
1. Based on the 2011 building gross square footage benchmark, reduce energy consumption
5% by 2018.
Project: Install appropriate occupancy sensor lighting in all buildings.
Project: Target several buildings where energy consumption is greater than
acceptable benchmarks (kW/sq. ft., Btu/sq. ft., etc.). Develop systematic method
for improving those facilities.
Project: Maintenance staff will monitor energy consumption by building and
annually identify buildings with persistent substandard performance.
Project: Establish an aggressive outreach program to raise awareness and
promote energy conservation via educational programming and building specific
training programs. Develop access to real-time energy performance data.
Explore behavior change strategies and energy-use feedback systems to
enhance energy reduction.
2. Increase the supply of energy from renewable sources.
Project: Create test sites for the possible the use of ground-source heat pumps,
solar power, fuel cell technology, and other emerging technologies with long-term
potential and evaluate the payback
Project: Evaluate potential for solar hot water systems installation by June 2015.
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Campus Gross Floor Area
(Square Feet)
2,600,000
2,500,000
2,400,000
2,300,000
2,200,000
2,100,000
2,000,000
1,900,000
1,800,000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
FY = Fiscal Year; the fiscal year for Georgia State Agencies is July 1 to June 30
Total Energy Use Intensity Btu/ft2
92,000
90,000
88,000
86,000
84,000
82,000
80,000
78,000
76,000
74,000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
BTU = British Thermal Unit
Water Use
Challenge: VSU consumes over 115 million gallons of potable water annually. The cost of
water and sewer service from the City of Valdosta is almost $550,000 each year. Sewer cost
is calculated based on the water use. Reducing potable water usage benefits the entire
community and saves not only the water, but also the energy needed to produce the water
and treat the sewage.
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To track water usage, the University installed water meters at each building in 2011 and is
collecting data so that it can evaluate demands on campus. Typically power plant cooling
towers, sanitation, residence halls, and food preparation are the biggest uses. Most
landscape irrigation is provided by wells and does not use potable water.
Opportunity: Focus on the internal water uses and develop strategies to reduce.
Goal
Based on the 2012 benchmark, reduce water consumption 5% by 2018.
Project: Develop procedures for reading water meters and accurately monitoring
the water used by building. Develop a list of buildings and opportunities for each
building. Physical Plant will track and measure data on an annual basis by
June 2013.
Project: Develop procedures to evaluate each building and ensure all bathroom faucets have
water economizing aerators and residence hall showers have water economizing heads.
VSU Gallons of Water Used
140,000,000
120,000,000
Gallons
100,000,000
80,000,000
60,000,000
40,000,000
20,000,000
0
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY13
FY14
FY15
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Cleaning and Maintenance
Challenge: VSU employs 65 custodial staff to clean 2.5 million square feet of campus
buildings. Traditional cleaning processes expose students, faculty, staff, and visitors to
chemical pollutants, impact the natural environment through the use of hazardous chemicals,
consume energy and water, and contribute to the waste stream.
Opportunity: A green cleaning program incorporates environmentally benign cleaning
products with appropriate equipment, tools, and procedures that limit environmental and
human health impacts. A successful green cleaning program embraces the cleaning process
and includes an emphasis on education and training of workers.
Project: Develop Green cleaning standards for VSU so that only green cleaning products are
used. Reduce to the extent possible the use of chemicals in the cleaning maintenance
process.
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