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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Statement from President Dennis L. Hefner …………………………………………………………………………… 1
Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
SUNY Fredonia’s Climate Commitment ………………………………………………………………………………….. 7
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Strategies …………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Education, Research and Public Engagement ………………………………………………………………………. 12
Additional Sustainability Efforts……………………………………………………………………………………………. 19
Barriers and Solutions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20
Implementation and Tracking ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 22
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 23
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A STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT DENNIS L. HEFNER
As part of SUNY Fredonia’s commitment to sustainability and education, I am
pleased to present our first Climate Action Plan. This ambitious document
represents our continuing efforts to be forward-looking and truly innovative in
the fields of environmental and economic stewardship, and social justice. It
encourages faculty, staff, and students alike to take on new challenges and
opportunities and to imagine new directions and innovative solutions to
sustainability issues. Utilizing the expertise and creativity of SUNY Fredonia’s
campus community, this action plan takes a close look at the unique role that
higher education plays in addressing sustainability issues and educating students
in a way that they leave our campus fully prepared to approach the world in an
environmentally equitable way.
I am grateful for the many members of the campus Sustainability Committee who
participated in the drafting of this plan, and who spearhead the efforts to carry
out its ambitious goals.
Dennis L. Hefner
President
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A sincere thank you goes to each of the individuals who put forth a tireless effort to push SUNY
Fredonia toward the ever-expanding goal of sustainability.
Current Sustainability Committee Members include:
Dennis L. Hefner, University President
Tracy Bennett, Vice President for Administration
Michael Barone, Director of Public Relations
Kevin Cloos, Director of Facilities Services
Committee Chair
Mark Delcamp, Assistant Director of Facilities Services
Kathy Forster, Associate Director of Residence Life
Sue Freitas, Head Janitor, Facilities Services
Christina Jarvis, Associate Professor, English
Markus Kessler, Director of Facilities Planning
David Kinkela, Assistant Professor, History
Sarah Laurie, Environmental Health and Safety Staff
Assistant
Bob Lawson, Assistant Director of Facilities Services
Adam Malchoff, Student
Tracy Marafiote, Assistant Professor, Communication
Sherri Mason, Associate Professor, Chemistry
Chair, Green Landscaping and Recycling
Subcommittees
Chair, Green Cleaning Subcommittee
Co-Chair, Academics and Earth Week
Subcommittees
Chair, Green Building Subcommittee
Chair, Public Relations Subcommittee and
ACUPCC Liaison
Chair, Energy Subcommittee
Chair, Department of Environmental Affairs
Subcommittee
Co-Chair, Academics and Earth Week
Subcommittees
Chair, Purchasing Subcommittee
Shari Miller, Director of Purchasing
Becky Nalepa, Interim Committee Secretary
Anne Podolak, Director of Environmental Health & Safety
Chair, Transportation Subcommittee
Mike Proffer, Director of Dining Services, Faculty Student
Chair, Food Subcommittee
Association
Robyn Reger, Committee Secretary
Peter Reinelt, Assistant Professor, Economics
Alex Staunch, Student
Mark Suida, Assistant Director of Campus Life
Chair, Student Activities Subcommittee
Terry Tzitzis, Director of University Services
Mike Wygant, Assistant Director of Facilities Services
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Past Sustainability Committee members include:
Brian Bishop, Student
Lisa Eikenburg, Interim Director of Public Relations
Robin Hoepfinger, Student
Catherine Konieczny, Student
Susan Kornacki, Student
Joe McGrath, Student
Jason Mellen, Student
Jim Pepe, Director of Facilities Management
Bruce Tomlinson, Associate Professor, Biology
Ben Weidman, Student
Scott Wright, Student
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Greenhouse gas emissions from human economic activities alter the solar radiation flows
within the Earth’s atmosphere, causing global average temperatures to increase. While the
impacts of this temperature increase are inexactly known, scientific and economic modeling
indicate significant impacts to multiple climate characteristics, ecosystems and the human
economy around the globe. Since greenhouse gases mix rather quickly throughout the
atmosphere, climate change is a truly global issue. While global reduction of emissions is
necessary to alter the course of climate change, real action must begin at each emission source.
SUNY Fredonia is committed to demonstrating our global responsibility by reducing greenhouse
gas emissions from campus sources, as well as off-campus sources connected to campus
operations.
During Earth Week 2008, President Dennis L. Hefner signed the American College and
University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), thereby beginning a long journey
toward carbon neutrality for the State University of New York at Fredonia. Shortly thereafter,
the Sustainability Committee was formed to drive campus efforts.
President Dennis L. Hefner signing the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment
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As a first step, SUNY Fredonia selected four tangible actions to show its commitment to the
goals of the ACUPCC.
1. Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building
Council's LEED™ Silver standard or equivalent.
2. Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR
certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.
3. Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and
visitors at our institution.
4. Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and
adopt three or more associated measures to reduce waste.
In May 2009, SUNY Fredonia submitted its first greenhouse gas audit. This audit was done
using the Clean Air Cool Planet campus carbon calculator as recommended by the ACUPCC. The
audit consisted of scopes 1 and 2, with scope 3 calculations still ongoing. This audit identified
some of SUNY Fredonia’s largest sources of CO2 emissions.
As shown in the graph below, stationary combustion sources and purchased electricity are the
two largest sources of CO2 emissions measured on the SUNY Fredonia campus. The graph also
indicates that recent efforts are beginning to reduce SUNY Fredonia’s overall emissions and,
coupled with future efforts, emissions are projected to further decline.
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Total Emissions by Sector (Metric Tons eCO2)
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SUNY FREDONIA’S CLIMATE COMMITMENT
SUNY Fredonia has committed to fulfill the goal of carbon neutrality as outlined in the American
College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. The Sustainability Committee has
adopted a mission statement to guide this process.
Our mission is to integrate sustainability into all aspects of campus life by:
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Educating students, faculty, staff, and the community about environmental, social, and economic
issues;
Promoting environmental awareness and responsibility in personal and institutional choices; and
Inspiring innovative environmental solutions, behavioral changes, and ethical stewardship of the
natural world.
To accomplish these goals, we have adopted the Natural Step framework for achieving sustainability.
President Hefner, pictured with two
SUNY Fredonia students, ready to
hand out new recycling totes to each
and every student room, office, and
classroom on campus.
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GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION STRATEGIES
As background, SUNY Fredonia’s largest emission source derives from heating/cooling and
electricity usage in its buildings. Both building design and the design of campus infrastructure
contribute to building energy performance. Once the construction of a building is complete
along with commissioning, its performance is influenced by the occupants, maintenance and
future renovations.
New York State Governor George E. Pataki signed Executive Order No. 111 for “Green and
Clean” State Buildings and Vehicles on June 10, 2001. The State University Construction Fund
and State University of New York are required to comply with Executive Order No. 111. The
Construction Fund and SUNY require the following steps:
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In the design, construction, operation and maintenance of new buildings the fund and
SUNY shall follow guidelines for the construction of “Green Buildings” including
guidelines set by the U.S. Green Buildings Council’s LEED™ Rating System.
Achieve a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency performance for new buildings
and 10 percent improvement for substantial renovations.
Selection of energy efficient products when acquiring new or replacing energy-using
equipment.
All new buildings affected by the Executive Order must comply with the criteria from the
Green Building Tax Credit, Indoor Air Quality Testing, and Indoor Air Quality
Management Plan during construction and commissioning.
All new buildings include LEED Accredited Professionals and Commissioning agents in the
design and construction process. The design consultant and SUNY Fredonia conduct LEED
Charrettes and review the LEED checklist. It should be noted that not every design is wellmatched to perfectly achieve every green building goal. However, SUNY Fredonia is committed
to integrating the most valuable green characteristics into each project within the parameters
of the project budget.
SUNY Fredonia bases its plans on the life cycle of the building. While initial construction
materials are very important, flooring, furnishings, millwork and equipment are replaced again
and again over the life of the building. With a goal of increasing the life of various products, we
use carpet tiles that allow sections to be replaced as needed and use modular furnishings that
can be moved and redesigned as the needs of the building change.
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Future Goals and Objectives include:
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Develop sustainable building guidelines for new and renovated facilities that provide a
clear understanding throughout the campus and provide the design consultants with
required directives.
Utilize energy modeling to attain performance goals in the schematic design phase of
projects.
Consider location and orientation of future buildings to maximize sustainable
opportunities such as solar and wind energy.
Continue with building envelope upgrades that include energy efficient window
replacement projects and roof replacement projects.
When feasible, install or replace roofs with light color roofing material or provide a
green roof (grass or other plantings).
Require all new construction projects to meet or exceed a LEED™ Silver rating.
Establish processes for integrated and sustainable design during the schematic design
phase of the project.
Continue in the next 10 years with aggressive upgrades in existing buildings such as
envelop rehabs, mechanical replacements and electrical upgrades.
Design new building systems to promote such items as thermal comfort, natural
ventilation, natural light, chilled beams, radiant heating, and user controls.
Continue to design new systems that enhance efficiency such as condensing boilers,
variable speed drive chillers and provide controls that work directly with the campus
energy management system.
Commission all new construction and re-commission all older buildings.
Minimize emissions impact of construction materials by using green and locally available
building material.
Develop a project budget process that will ensure project budgets are sufficient to meet
needs and employ sustainable building design.
Consider introducing rain gardens into new construction projects.
Labs 21: Currently SUNY Fredonia is in the design phase of a new Science Center. The
consultant and various campus project team members are versed in Lab 21. The project
team is reviewing best practice guidelines to see which of these apply to the project,
such as chilled beams, optimizing ventilation and manifolding lab exhaust systems, to
name a few.
The possibility of incorporating the Architecture 2030 Challenge into the plan, which
requires all new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030.
New York State Executive Order No. 24, dated Aug 6, 2009 requires the state to reduce its
energy consumption and improve energy efficiency by 35 percent in its buildings by 2015. Our
role in achieving this objective is to adhere to energy guidelines issued by the state. In addition,
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these guidelines will help in achieving SUNY Fredonia’s commitment to the American College
and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).
University Temperature Guidelines – To maintain reasonable comfort and reduce energy
consumption, the university has established the following standards for comfort heating and
cooling. Summer thermostat settings (air conditioning) are to be 74° to 78°F. Winter settings
(heating) are to be 68°-72°F.
Seasonal Changes
One of the most challenging times of the year for Facilities Services is the switchover from
heating to cooling or vice versa, cooling to heating. Systems need to be drained and refilled.
There is no preset date that systems are changed over. Generally, the heating season is from
early October to mid-May and the cooling season is from the end of May to early October.
When determining the exact switchover date for each building, Facilities Services considers
prevailing weather patterns, the building's HVAC system, the system controls, and building
usage. Switchover is approximately a two-week process that is not readily reversible. In the
spring and autumn, outside temperatures can be extremely variable. Statistics show that there
are a couple of isolated days in the heating season that actually require cooling. The same is
true for heat required in the cooling season. During these unpredictable days in the
"intermediate" season, indoor temperatures might drift beyond the comfort guidelines in many
buildings and little can be done other than to endure the event. In the event of a severe cold
spell, all heating services will be turned on as quickly as possible.
Holiday Periods – Holiday periods are a great opportunity for the university to reduce energy
usage. Heat and air conditioning will be reduced to most buildings. The exception to this are
buildings that are officially open or buildings that have sensitive equipment or experiments
ongoing.
Space Heaters – The use of space heaters is only permitted under special circumstances and
must be approved for use by Facilities Services. Two issues affect the use of space heaters in
campus buildings – fire safety and energy efficiency. Electric space heaters are a very costly
means of heating. If a member of the campus community feels that a space heater is necessary
for adequate warmth, this may be an indication that the central heating system is in need of
repair or adjustment.
Window Air Conditioning Units – The use of window air conditioning is discouraged except
under special circumstances and must be approved for use by Facilities Services. Units cause
damage to the buildings and have high life cycle cost (energy and maintenance).
Future Goals and Objectives
The Energy Conservation Subcommittee highly recommends the following actions be taken by
the campus community to help reduce energy consumption:
 Enable sleep function on all computers.
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Turn off computers and all office equipment at the end of the day.
Turn off lights when leaving a room (don’t assume someone else will).
Use stairs rather than elevators.
Keep doors and windows closed during the heating and air conditioning seasons.
Purchase Energy Star listed products whenever possible Energy Star products include
computers, copiers, fax machines, printers, refrigerators, televisions, and many more
products. Additional Energy Star listed products can be viewed at
http://www.energystar.gov.
Faculty Student Association Mitigation Strategies
The Faculty Student Association (FSA) is the food service company on the SUNY Fredonia
campus.
In order to assist in the overall reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, it is the goal of FSA to
put statements regarding emissions and carbon footprint reductions in current Primary Vendor
Proposal bids. FSA also strives to identify Energy Star qualified equipment for future purchases
and to develop on/off schedules for all equipment in order to reduce energy usage.
Transportation
It is the goal of the Transportation Subcommittee to develop and strengthen partnerships with
the surrounding community. Through these relationships, it is hoped that increased public
transportation and biking options can be achieved.
The Transportation Subcommittee has also participated in a long-term capital plan for SUNY
Fredonia, providing input on new and existing campus infrastructure and usages that will
minimize excessive driving and vehicle idling on campus.
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EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
SUNY Fredonia has made a number of significant strides in recent years to address the broad
topic of sustainability within the areas of Education, Research and Public Engagement. Central
to our efforts has been the creation of an internal infrastructure to form the foundation for our
growth.
Initially started as a voice for the Sustainability Committee, as well as an educational tool for
the campus as a whole, the Earth Week series of events was initiated in April 2008. Earth Week
has become one of the largest and most well attended annual events on the SUNY Fredonia
campus, blossoming to over 40 events occurring over 11 days, with overall attendance of
around 2500 people in 2010. Branching out from its roots, a significant number of events were
held within the community-at-large, thanks to collaborative efforts with the newly created
SUNY Fredonia Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center. The FACE Center started in
Fall 2009 to serve as a bridge between the campus and the community-at-large with regard to
the independent but interconnected areas of civic engagement, sustainability, service learning
and community-based research.
The establishment of these three associations (the Sustainability Committee, Earth Week and
the FACE Center) is representative of the infrastructure that has been built within SUNY
Fredonia to address the topic of sustainability within the realm of Education, Research and
Public Engagement. Each group is independent of one another and yet together they form the
pillars which support our overall efforts. In the following subsections we discuss our efforts with
regard to each of the three areas of Education, Research and Public Engagement separately
with the understanding that, like our own infrastructure, while independent of each other, they
are also interconnected. For example, in order for an institution to engage and to encourage
the public to become carbon neutral, the institution itself must be taking the steps to do so,
which must come in part through the education of the faculty, staff and students because each
is part of the campus community. Furthermore, teaching students about global climate change
generally requires faculty who are engaged and aware of the topic, possibly through their own
research. Thus, while these three areas are separate from each other, they emerge from a
common source and rely upon each other.
Future Educational Goals
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Environmental Studies Program – As a complement to our Environmental Sciences
program, the Academics Subcommittee has developed an Environmental Studies
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program. Distinct from the Environmental Sciences program, the Environmental
Studies program is intentionally focused upon the social science and humanities
aspects of environmental issues and concerns. Drawing from the same core
program, the Environmental Studies program (as currently proposed) entails three
possible tracks for the degree. One of the tracks is a Social Science-based program,
while the second is a Humanities-based program. The third option is a self-design
track. This program will be submitted to the University Senate in Fall 2010 for
approval with an anticipated starting date of Fall 2011.
Sustainability Certification Program – Working with the Office of Student Affairs,
the Academics Subcommittee plans to develop a Sustainability Certification Program
that would be open to all students on the SUNY Fredonia campus. With the
certification program, all students, regardless of their major, could earn a
Sustainability Certificate to complement their degree by taking a specified number
of sustainability (“green”) courses. This program would be modeled after the
Leadership Program already in existence. Such programs allow our campus unique
(albeit voluntary) graduation requirements without SUNY-wide system
modifications.
Highlighted “Green” Courses within Course Offerings – Working with the Office of
the Registrar, the Academics Subcommittee is looking to differentiate sustainability
(i.e., “green”) courses within course offerings. All registration and course offerings
are now only available through online sources. By assigning courses a sustainability
attribute, they could easily be identified within this online system (e.g., they could
be listed with a green, rather than black, ink color). This attribute could easily be
assigned to our current listing of sustainability courses, but the Academics
Subcommittee needs to determine a list of standards for assigning this course
distinction. Part of the intent in creating this differentiation is to encourage more
professors to integrate sustainability into their curriculum. Instructors would
complete a request form (to be reviewed by the Academics Subcommittee) to have
their course designated a “green” course. This process would be modeled after the
College Core Curriculum course designation program already in existence on our
campus.
Sustainability Resource Center – Over the past few years, largely owing to the Earth
Week series of events, SUNY Fredonia has acquired a significant number of
resources with a focus upon sustainability, such as environmental films with
public/institutional viewing rights. The Academics Subcommittee plans to work with
the Director of Library Services to create a separate archive of materials focused on
sustainability. This Sustainability Resource Center would highlight the importance of
sustainability, as well as the campus’ commitment to it.
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Student/Course Executed Campus Green House Gas (GHG) Inventory – In order to
fulfill our Campus Climate Commitment, as well as to monitor our own progress with
regard to our sustainability goals, there is a need to continually monitor and track
our greenhouse gas emissions. The Academics Subcommittee views this need as
possessing huge potential with regard to student learning outcomes. We intend to
investigate this idea further, hopefully being able to identify a course within which a
yearly greenhouse gas audit would be integrated into the curriculum. Such a
merging of monitoring with campus course offerings could prove to be a model for
additional associations.
Student Lifestyle Education – It is the goal of the Student Activities Subcommittee to
educate new SUNY Fredonia students on campus sustainability efforts and their
involvement. This education may include providing students with information
during orientation and incorporating sustainability into Resident Assistant programs
in the residence halls.
Educational Research
SUNY Fredonia is a primarily undergraduate institution with a focus on teaching. Thus, research
endeavors are not the top priority of our faculty. Nonetheless, significant research does occur
on the SUNY Fredonia campus and we currently employ a number of (natural science) faculty
members whose research is environmentally focused. Some topics of ongoing environmental
research include:
• Invasive Plant Species
• Invasive Aquatic Species
• Land Use Changes
• Impacts of Land Use on Water Quality
• Atmospheric Chemical Reaction Mechanisms and Modeling; and
• Environmental Monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants.
As implied from this listing, while the SUNY Fredonia campus employs a number of faculty
whose work is environmentally focused (including many in areas outside of the natural
sciences, such as Economics, History, Visual Arts, English, Communication, and Political Science)
there are few, if any, research efforts in the area of climate neutrality (specifically) and
sustainability (in general).
One promising avenue for awareness with regard to ongoing or emerging research within these
areas is the newly created Fredonia Academic Community Engagement (FACE) Center. The FACE
Center’s mission is to serve as a bridge between the campus and the community at-large with
regard to the topics of civic engagement, sustainability, and community-based research through
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such methods as service learning. With the creation and emergence of the FACE Center
throughout the 2009–2010 Academic Year, SUNY Fredonia is laying the foundation to
encourage and promote research within the area of sustainability. Currently the priority of the
FACE Center is to determine a baseline with regard to four independent yet interconnected
areas: Civic Engagement, Service Learning, Sustainability and Community-Based Research. This,
in essence, entails deriving a cohesive database structure that summarizes our institution’s
efforts in these four categories, all of which are related to the Education, Research and Public
Engagement section of this Climate Action Plan. Thus through the work that will proceed as
part of the mission of the FACE Center, we provide better insight into the Education, Research
and Public Engagement efforts on the SUNY Fredonia campus as a whole, but most specifically
within the area of research. We propose as part of our Climate Action Plan to create a “view” of
this database specifically focused upon climate neutrality and sustainability. This “view” would
additionally serve as a dissemination point of said research and efforts into the local
community. In addition to the above, the FACE Center, in conjunction with our Office of
Sponsored Programs, acts to encourage sustainability research through the dissemination and
assistance with various grant opportunities.
Recent Public Engagement Efforts Include:
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“Shake The Habit of Plastic Bags” Community-Wide Event – As part of the Earth
Week 2010 series, all retailers in the Dunkirk/Fredonia area were asked to go one
day (April 22, 2010; the 40th anniversary of Earth Day) without using plastic bags.
Overall, 60 percent of area businesses, including those with the largest customerbases such as Wal-Mart, Tops Supermarkets, JC Penny, and Home Depot, took part
in this completely voluntary effort impacting a combined total of 13,000 customers.
Many businesses provided their own reusable bags for free or at a reduced rate on
the day of the event. In addition, as a service-learning opportunity, some SUNY
Fredonia students were placed at key locations throughout the Dunkirk/Fredonia
area and distributed 3,300 corporate-sponsored free reusable bags while discussing
the need to make the change from disposable to reusable bags.
Chautauqua County Green Expo – Teaming up with the Rotary Annual Home and
Garden Show, the FACE Center and the Sustainability Committee hosted the firstever Chautauqua County Green Expo as part of the Earth Week series on Saturday,
April 24, 2010. The exposition featured 19 businesses and organizations with
"green" products, services, or concepts, with the intent to provide information to
local residents on sustainable alternatives to fundamental household and consumer
needs. The vast majority of these businesses were local, which not only helps the
planet, but also helps the economic revitalization of our area. Several of the
exhibitors were focused upon methods to reduce one’s carbon footprint, such as
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local installers of residential solar and wind energy systems, as well as geothermal
heating and cooling systems.
CFL Give Away — Going on concurrently with the green expo, the FACE Center, in
collaboration with EarthWorks, a social action/environmental group of the Unitarian
Universalist Congregation of Northern Chautauqua, distributed free compact
fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to promote energy conservation. Financial support for
this event was provided by the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo. In
addition to the 1,350 CFL bulbs given out by SUNY Fredonia students and
EarthWorks members at the event, 500 CFL bulbs were distributed through the
Chautauqua County Rural Ministry’s Food Pantry in May 2010. The collective savings
in energy bills over the lifetime of the bulbs will be $87,048. The total CO2 emissions
saved by replacing 1,350 incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs is 897,264 lbs (407
tons!) More than 2,000 additional CFL bulbs will be distributed through the FACE
Center and the Sustainability Committee during the 2010-2011 Academic Year.
Campus and Community Household Electronic Recycling Events — Partnering with
Cornell University Cooperative Extension, SUNY Fredonia has sponsored an annual
electronics recycling event during each of the Earth Week series of events (April
2008-1010). Each has provided an enormously successful e-waste collection effort.
In April 2009, more than 330 vehicles dropped off approximately 30,000 pounds of
electronics and in April 2010 more than 500 vehicles dropped off enough electronics
to fill 89 pallets and five tractor trailers (exact weights were not available at the time
of writing)
Each year SUNY Fredonia, as part of
Earth Week, hosts a Community
Electronics Recycling day, allowing
community members to drop off
electronics that otherwise might end
up in a landfill.
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“Connections” Duathlon – Some of the most outspoken advocates for
environmental awareness are athletes, such as surfers, who witness first-hand the
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degradation our current socio-economic system has upon our planet. For that
reason, as part of the Earth Week series of events, the Sustainability Committee and
the FACE Center jointly sponsored the “Connections” Duathlon event, intended to
not only connect people to their environment, but also to bridge the sister
communities of Dunkirk and Fredonia. Sustainability was considered within every
aspect of the event from the reusable timing chips, to the functional awards (organic
t-shirts, reusable water bottles, and backpacks), to the water on the course (paper
cups rather than bottled water because of the environmental impact).
Beach Clean-Ups — On Sep 19, 2009, the FACE Center brought together SUNY
Fredonia students and members of EarthWorks, a social action/environmental group
of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northern Chautauqua, to participate in
the 2009 International Coastal Cleanup. More than 46 people participated in the
event and ultimately picked up 379.3 pounds of garbage. A second joint FACE
Center/EarthWorks beach cleanup held on April 25, 2010, involved more than 50
people and collected 321 pounds of garbage along the shores of Lake Erie in Point
Gratiot Park.
Environmental Film Screenings — EarthWorks and the FACE Center partnered in
October 2009 for a community screening of the film, “Addicted to Plastic”, and postscreening discussion of the International Coastal Cleanup (September 2009 - see
above) results that garnered an audience of approximately 130 people. Additionally
with funding provided by the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo, as part of
the Earth Week 2010 series of events, there was a free community environmental
film festival at the 1891 Opera House in Fredonia on April 16, 2010. Designed to
educate community members about important energy, water, food and other
sustainability issues, the film festival, which attracted nearly 300 viewers, was
another FACE Center-sponsored event.
Coal Ash Panel — On March 2, 2010, the FACE Center sponsored a special panel,
“Talking about Coal Ash and Emissions Reductions at NRG,” which featured
presentations by local activist Diane Hofner of the Concerned Residents of Portland
and People Like Us (CROP Plus) and NRG representatives Carson Leikam and Robert
Brombos (both of NRG Power in Dunkirk). This provided a forum for students and
community members to learn about and discuss local coal issues, and created some
exciting common ground for dialogue on coal ash use and disposal issues.
Town Hall Forum on Energy Issues — As part of the Focus the Nation’s national
campaign, in April 2009 the campus hosted a town hall meeting where Western New
York residents and SUNY Fredonia students jointly shared their concerns about
proposed energy projects with elected officials and their representatives. The event
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built on Congressman Brian Higgins’ Earth Week 2008 visit to campus, where he
discussed local environmental issues.
Earth Week 2009 “Locavore” Events — As part of their senior capstone project,
American Studies 400 students Alyssa Brooke-Gay and Heidi Frame brought famed
Buffalo food activists Lisa Tucker (Edible Buffalo) and Christa Glennie Seychew (Feed
Your Soul Buffalo) to campus to present, “How Eating Like a Locavore Impacts Your
Community.” The talk was immediately followed by a food tasting event, featuring
the products of local farmers and vendors, and a presentation on the politics and
nutritional value of organic and local food by the students at the Earth Day Teach-In.
2008 Bicentennial Tree Project — Under the leadership of Dr. Sherri Mason,
Department of Environmental Affairs and Biology Club students partnered with the
Town of Pomfret and community volunteers to plant more than 200 native trees.
The locations of the bicentennial trees were mapped by students in Dr. Ann Deakin’s
Geographic Information Systems 301 class, which created commemorative maps for
the Darwin Barker Historical Museum.
West Valley Coalition Collection — SUNY Fredonia’s Archives and Special Collections
at Reed Library is currently working with the Coalition on West Valley Nuclear
Wastes to catalog and process 90 cubic feet of primary documents pertaining to the
West Valley Nuclear Demonstration Project.
Waste Wipe Out Initiative — Thanks to a collective effort by the residence halls,
SUNY Fredonia’s Sustainability Committee and Chautauqua County Rural Ministry, in
May 2009, 8,500 pounds of clothing, 800 pounds of food, 300 pounds of personal
care items, and assorted electronic, household and sporting goods, were collected
from students as they left campus and donated to local families.
Future Public Engagement Efforts
The above list not only highlights the variety of recent community engagement and educational
outreach activities related to sustainability issues, but also provides insight into the
extensiveness of these efforts. We plan to not only continue our Earth Week series of events,
but also to integrate sustainability events, forums and speakers throughout the academic year.
This is a very critical next step in our growth as our awareness and efforts toward sustainability
must come throughout the year and not just during one week in April. A significant number of
the community outreach events that were initiated during Earth Week 2010 are intended to
become annual community events, namely the green expo, the duathlon and “Shake the
Habit,” to join other annual Earth Week events, such as the Campus and Community Household
Electronics Recycling event. Our primary goal is simply to continue current community outreach
events while infusing new events throughout the year.
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ADDITIONAL SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
In addition to lowering our greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainability related
education and research, and engaging our surrounding community, SUNY Fredonia pursues
some additional goals.
Using Sustainable Vendors – SUNY Fredonia’s Purchasing Department is committed to
educating campus faculty and staff about identifying vendors committed to sustainability.
When choosing a vendor, the Purchasing Department looks at how a company is run, the types
of products they sell, the location of the company and distance to campus, and even the
packaging they use. By educating faculty and staff, the Purchasing Department is not only
promoting the use of environmentally responsible products, but also supporting businesses
with similar ideals. The Food Subcommittee has begun to look at using vendors committed to
sustainability with a goal of increasing money spent by a minimum of 1 percent annually.
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BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS
With every idea, plan, and goal, obstructions to its execution exist. SUNY Fredonia does not
ignore these barriers. Instead, we have outlined below some of the anticipated obstacles to our
goals, as well as possible solutions. For planning in a rapidly evolving area where new ideas and
solutions continually arise, flexibility and adaptability are important plan characteristics.
Financing – Unlike many campuses that utilize dollar savings from reduced energy costs, the
State University of New York is subject to the budgetary changes of New York State. As such,
internal funding must be made available to complete the projects and programs the campus
intends to develop. Often, more environmentally responsible products and materials have a
higher cost. This makes purchasing sustainable items more challenging for an already strained
budget. One possible solution to this issue is the development of a “green fee.” Students would
pay this small fee on an annual basis and the money would then be distributed by a board
possessing oversight of the account. Funding from other budgetary lines may also be available.
For example, funding to purchase and install high efficiency boiler systems would come from a
construction budget while the money to purchase recycled paper would come from each
individual department’s office supply budget.
Campus Growth – In the recent capital plan, both the student population and the number of
campus buildings are projected to grow. Furthermore, it is possible that the campus will see an
unprecedented spike in growth. This will make it increasingly difficult to develop buildings
exceeding the minimum Silver LEED rating. Campus transportation will also become an issue as
building continues to crowd streets, and the number of vehicles on campus increases.
Additionally, information technology (IT) and electricity demand will continue to rise as the
campus population grows. The best possible solution to this issue is to anticipate continued
growth, and to plan ahead in the development of sustainable infrastructure that can handle the
anticipated increase in load without increasing the greenhouse gas emissions of the campus.
This will necessitate the research and acquisition of the best possible equipment and resources
available in the sustainable market.
Adequate Measurements – Without individually metered buildings, it can be difficult to show
energy and cost savings associated with a single project or program. Methods to estimate
energy usage and the cost of metering existing buildings should be explored. Future buildings
must include metering in construction designs.
Additionally, transportation data for all individuals who arrive on campus is difficult to obtain.
Therefore, a statistical survey of individuals is needed to estimate transportation emissions
associated with campus activities.
Consumer Attitudes – Some programs and projects may be seen by faculty or students as
inconvenient. One example of the struggle against the status quo is “Trayless Tuesday” in
which there are no trays in the buffet-style dining facilities on campus for a single Tuesday each
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semester. While going trayless has been proven to save on both food waste and detergent
usage, many customers of the dining facilities feel they have the right as a paying customer to
have the tray they accustomed to using to carry their food. Educating faculty students and staff
is a significant obstacle in overcoming the daily habits that can so negatively impact our campus
and our world.
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IMPLEMENTATION AND TRACKING
The Sustainability Committee meets once each month during the academic year to update the
Vice President for Administration, also the chair of the committee, on each subcommittee’s
efforts. Currently, each subcommittee develops its own goals and visions and implements
projects and programs to carry out those goals. All of the subcommittee’s goals are
represented in this Climate Action Plan. As such, the implementation of this plan has already
begun on the SUNY Fredonia campus. Each year, subcommittee chairs will review the Climate
Action Plan and update their respective sections based on the progress made, and update their
future goals. Efforts will be made to monitor the campus greenhouse gas emissions on an
annual basis, and both the greenhouse gas audit report and Climate Action Plan will be updated
based on those findings.
It is the goal of SUNY Fredonia to designate a Sustainability Director to further organize and
enhance the current sustainability program on campus. This director will have oversight of
each of the subcommittees and will assist in directing their efforts so that each of the 14
subcommittees may have one cohesive effort and impact on campus sustainability goals.
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CONCLUSION
It is the goal and vision of SUNY Fredonia to become a leader in campus sustainability. The
greenhouse gas audits and Climate Action Plan are intended to inform the campus community
of where the campus stands currently, and also to paint a picture of where the campus should
be in the future. The road to sustainability is long, and at times ill-defined, but with the efforts
of the many faculty, students and staff involved in the program, we anticipate great outcomes.
It is our intention to be forward-thinking and proactive by implementing sustainable
approaches to every aspect of our campus environment. We thank those who have supported
our efforts thus far, and anticipate exciting new adventures ahead.
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