OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR To: American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment Colleagues As a campus of the University of Washington, the UW Tacoma has worked collaboratively with the Seattle and Bothell campuses to develop the attached Climate Action Plan (CAP). As noted by President Emmert, this plan to plan provides an important roadmap for the Tacoma campus as we strive to achieve our climate goals while meeting the higher educational needs of the South Puget Sound region.
September 2, 2009 Dear American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment Colleagues, The University of Washington Climate Action Plan (Plan) signed by the President of the University of Washington and the Chancellors of UW Bothell and UW Tacoma is a first step toward setting and achieving greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and setting strategies for academic engagement in climate change as required by the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Table of Contents Glossary ...........................................................................................................1 1 Introduction...............................................................................................2 1.1 The UW Climate Action Plan 1.2 Climate Action and the UW Vision 1.3 History of Climate Action at the University of Washington 2 Strategies for Academic Engagement in Climate Change ..........................11 2.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan List of Figures Figure 1 Climate Action History at UW………..6 Figure 7 Per‐capita emissions by campus ..25 Sea!le 2,700 Department of Meteorology 1947 kg CO2 equivalent Division of Health Services 1947 Established by Professor Phil E. Church with a focus on climatology.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Glossary CO2 carbon dioxide CO2‐equivalent the equivalent mass of CO2 required to have the same global warming effect as an identified mass of any other greenhouse gas CO2e CO2‐equivalent ESAC University of Washington Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee GHG greenhouse gas – the two that are most abundant in the UW inventory are CO2 and methane; 1 unit of methane has the global warming potential of 21 units of CO2 LEED Leadership in Energy and
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 1 1.1 Introduction The UW Climate Action Plan The UW Climate Action Plan describes commitments being made by the Univer‐ sity of Washington (the University, UW) to meet its obligations under the Ameri‐ can College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Those ob‐ ligations include intent to achieve a climate‐neutral university having no net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Reducing University Emissions, details some of the strategies that will lead our community in mitigating GHG emissions. The UW will reduce GHG emissions to meet or exceed the goals passed by the Washington State Legislature in April of 2009, requiring Washington state agen‐ cies to reduce emissions 15% below 2005 levels by 2020, and 36% below 2005 levels by 2035. Climate neutrality is not specified in the state mandate.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 2. Attract and retain an outstanding and diverse faculty and staff to enhance educational quality, research strength and prominent leadership. The Cli‐ mate Action Plan boldly places the UW in a leadership position within many research fields and academic disciplines, and should attract visionary faculty and staff. The Plan explicitly calls for supporting new, interdisciplinary fac‐ ulty positions. 3.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Figure 1 ‐ Climate Action History at the UW Department of Meteorology 1947 Established by Professor Phil E. Church with a focus on climatology.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Climate Impacts Group 1992 Program on Climate Change 2000 Institute for Environmental Studies 1973 Program on the Environment 1997 Atmospheric Administration, the Climate Impacts Group focusing on climate im‐ pacts in the Pacific Northwest and the Program on Climate Change (PCC).
University of Washington Climate Action Plan agement and pollution control. All these entities coalesced into our current De‐ partment of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) in 1966.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan cent examples include the 2009 Focus the Nation climate change teach‐in, What is Sustainability? An Exploratory Symposium at UW Bothell in 2009 and the 2009 South Sound Sustainability Summit at UW Tacoma. Reaching beyond its own walls, the University of Washington works together with governments, corporations, nonprofits and other academic institutions in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Figure 2 – Emissions and building size phased out coal as a fuel 107,020 installed more efficient boiler installed 2nd more efficient boiler lowered building temperatures 13,000,000 89,432 metric tons GHGs square feet served by power plant 9,800,000 0 0 2000 2001-2 1980 1986-7 1994 2007 Since the 1980s the UW has managed to keep GHG emissions from the Seattle campus’ central utility plant in check on a per‐square‐foot basis, thanks to efficiency measures
University of Washington Climate Action Plan operation and cooling, avoiding 95 tons of carbon production per year. At the completion of their rebuild project, nearly 80% energy savings will be achieved, avoiding 475 tons of carbon production per year. Our students, staff and faculty are enabled to choose energy‐efficient commut‐ ing modes by our award winning U‐PASS program created in 1991.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan cation. At the same time, we recognize that many functions of long distance travel (e.g. field research, face‐to‐face meetings at conferences, recruitment vis‐ its for prospective students and faculty) cannot be replaced by videoconferenc‐ ing and will therefore have to be addressed via carbon offsets.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan other departments and individual faculty members, hires its first permanent dean and opens internal discussion about its mission and strategic plans. Expert and thoughtful planning for climate research in the sciences and technology will emerge from leadership within the College of the Environment by the end of 2010; this Climate Action Plan considers only complementary issues. 2.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan ing scholarship in the core sciences and technologies present within the UW, with academic disciplines such as business, economics, law, ethics, political sci‐ ence, public policy, built environments and public health and with administrative areas such as Facilities Services, Environmental Health and Safety and UW Tech‐ nology.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 2.1.2 Strategy: Support Junior Faculty in New Areas of Environmental Scholar‐ ship Profound change occurs across generations. Hence junior faculty are essential for building new research foci across each campus. They are also the key to es‐ tablishing UW’s national reputation in environmental scholarship.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan The Evans School of Public Affairs is ranked in the top five environmental and resource policy and management programs in the U.S. It has already taken sig‐ nificant steps through concurrent degree programs with the School of Forest Re‐ sources and other schools, through hiring of new faculty with environmental ex‐ pertise and through its 40‐year focus on Environmental Policy and Management.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan the Environment, connecting the College to biology, statistics, and policy studies at UW Bothell and nearly 30 other departments and programs across the tri‐ campus system. The member units will retain their innovative disciplinary teaching programs while new interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate degree programs are created to foster understanding.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 2.2.2 Strategy: Enhance Interdisciplinary Environmental Instruction The College of the Environment plans to create two new units focused on human dimensions and technology and engineering to provide opportunities for faculty members from diverse disciplines, such as social science, law, public policy and engineering, to come together to create interdisciplinary environmental courses and academic programs.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan • Websites for UW Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Office, relevant academic programs (e.g.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan strategy will need to build toward: Awareness, Positive Attitude and Positive Ac‐ tion. = awareness 2.3.1 Strategy: Awareness Success of the Climate Action Plan is dependent in part on creating a broader understanding of the science and policy behind the goals of ACUPCC, as well as the actions being taken by UW. The information must be transparent, easily ac‐ cessible and specifically geared toward a variety of audiences.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan and lacks urgency. There is a significant gap between the percentage of people with an awareness of climate change and those taking action to solve the prob‐ lem, and it is principally due to the ineffectiveness of typical climate change communication strategies. The intent is to foster an attitude that motivates people and helps people participate in the University’s commitment to the Cli‐ mate Action Plan.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan spond and guidelines for participation); showcase personal stories and provide information on GHG reduction and other metrics. 3 University Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Emission Targets The University of Washington has been tracking annual GHG emissions since 2005. The UW has also calculated emissions for its GHG management baseline year, 2000. The UW GHG inventory accounts emissions from all equipment and property owned by the University of Washington.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Figure 5 – Emission history by source. Emissions from major sources at the University of Washington, 2000 through 2008. Emissions from each source are shown separately, and the sources are labeled with their GHG Protocol Scopes. Actual inventories have been conducted for the years 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. The inventories for the years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 are estimates interpolated between the years 2000 and 2005.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Figure 5 shows that within each scope, different categories of sources show dif‐ ferent trends in their emissions from 2005 through 2008, and relative to 2000. For example, Scope 1 emissions from the central utility plant dropped below their baseline levels after 2000, but have been climbing since 2005. Scope 2 emissions dropped steeply after 2000, driven primarily by policy changes at Seat‐ tle City Light, the electricity supplier for the Seattle Campus.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Figure 7 – Per‐capita emissions by campus. The area of each pie chart is equal to the campus emissions divided by the total number of students, staff and faculty affiliated with the campus. Not to be confused with total emissions, for which the Seattle campus would dwarf the other two. Numbers printed on each wedge indicate the area of the wedge, in kilograms of CO2‐equivalent. All values are rounded to two significant digits.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan size, we can compare them only by generating estimates of per‐capita emissions, dividing the gross campus emissions by the total number of students, staff and faculty associated with that campus. Figure 7 shows that employees and stu‐ dents on the Seattle campus are associated with the largest GHG “footprint,” and Tacoma with the smallest.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan With this Climate Action Plan, the University of Washington adopts, as a mini‐ mum, these reduction targets legislated for state government. In addition, the University of Washington hereby states its intention to achieve zero GHG emis‐ sions by, or as soon after 2050 as technology will allow.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 3. Computing strategies address demand for energy from data centers and from distributed computing resources; informa!on technology 4. Commuting strategies address emissions associated with student’s, faculty’s and staff’s daily commutes to UW campuses and facilities; included in our scope of responsibility and commu!ng 5.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Within each of the five emission categories, it is our intent to achieve the great‐ est amount of reduction possible through the behavioral approach first. How‐ ever, each category has a different amount of room for cost‐effective change through behavior, and what cannot be achieved through that approach will be attacked with technology instead.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.1.1 Strategy: Central Utility Plant Efficiency Generating steam by combusting natural gas in the Seattle campus’ central util‐ ity plant is the University’s largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions. The steam, as well as chilled water, is delivered to the various buildings on cam‐ pus through a distribution network including more than ten miles of steam pipes in underground utility tunnels.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.1.2 Strategy: Discourage Non‐Electric Interconnections fewer non-electric interconnec!ons Unless a major technology shift occurs at the central utility plant (Section 4.1.4), creating a new connection to the plant induces additional combustion of GHG‐ intensive fossil fuels. When new or renovated buildings are heated electrically, the associated GHG emissions will be much lower than if heated with a steam interconnection.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan chilled water consumed over time, together with corresponding estimates of greenhouse gases generated. The database could be used for setting building‐ by‐building energy use goals driving behavioral changes and targeting buildings in need of additional, technology‐based approaches.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan • Conversion of central heating system from steam to hot water. The central plant currently produces high pressure, high temperature steam for distribu‐ tion to the campus. This approach allows more energy to be delivered per pound of water, thereby reducing the size of piping needed in the steam dis‐ tribution system.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan • Solar thermal or solar photovoltaic opportunities exist on all of the UW cam‐ puses, with the opportunity varying from building to building depending on architecture and site geography. The integrated design techniques that will be used for new projects (Section 4.2.2) will enable these technologies more fully.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan But in addition to the new (and old) technologies realized with efficient building design, reducing campus energy demand is equally a behavioral measure, requir‐ ing development of new policies, well‐organized implementation, incentives and building occupant training. 4.2.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Proposed Actions: Select and require high performance energy efficiency re‐ quirements for all capital projects, and establish a timeline for penetration of the standard throughout the UW campus. engineers code officials users others integrated design 4.2.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan (ROI) for building systems. Like integrated design, LCCA benefits from systems thinking in which changes to one system may reduce demands on another. For example, insulation added to the building envelope means mechanical systems can be smaller. Thus, LCCA is best applied to bundled systems to maximize syn‐ ergy. Currently, the State of Washington only requires an LCCA of building energy sys‐ tems for state‐funded projects over 25,000 square feet.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan identifies a host of potential conservation projects, and it could serve as an inspi‐ ration for the other two campuses. The University owns seven downtown Seattle buildings on the former site of its original campus, the “Metropolitan Tract,” that are included in our GHG inven‐ tory. The buildings serve no academic function, but are leased and managed by Unico Properties.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.3.1 Strategy: Buy Green more efficient equipment The environmental impact of computing equipment is primarily (though not only) associated with its energy consumption during use. Hence, purchasing policies for computing equipment should include the costs and implications for energy use as important criteria. In some cases, favoring particular technologies can have a significant impact.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan keley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC). Distributed comput‐ ing for science introduces an energy efficiency dilemma that has not yet been resolved; setting future UW policy will require a deeper understanding of appro‐ priate computing infrastructures and their energy demands. Proposed Actions: Activate automatic sleep and hibernation on workstation computers.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Proposed Actions: Examine the costs and benefits of replacing non‐rated server equipment with Energy Star equipment. Conduct research projects to identify best practices. Install HVAC economizer equipment and controls. Study oppor‐ tunities for waste energy recovery. Install building management and inventory control systems to monitor, track and trend energy use by all equipment and match demand accordingly.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.3.5 Strategy: Utilize Cloud Computing In cloud computing, commodity IT services (e.g., email, document processing), which are customarily provided at desktop computers or in local data centers, are delivered over the internet instead. Cloud computing offers the same bene‐ fits of virtualization described above, but on an even larger scale.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan portation, including transit. Both the Bothell and the Seattle campus are served by the Burke‐Gilman Trail, a bicycle artery for the greater Seattle area.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Commute trip reduction has been expanded to students for the first time this academic year and a Student Transportation Coordinator was hired for this work. Figure 6 dramatizes the payoff the UW has gained at the Seattle campus from its long history of commuting management and the gains still to be made at the Ta‐ coma and Bothell campuses.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Other strategies to support bicycling and walking include building design policies to provide bicycle‐friendly infrastructure, showers and clothes locker facilities. Beyond the optimization of on‐campus facilities, partnerships and investments are needed to improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in the neighbor‐ hoods surrounding the campus.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan safety and quality of life in the neighborhoods surrounding the University are all important factors in increasing the number of staff, faculty and students living near the University. Proposed Actions: Explore how to attract faculty and staff to live near campus and advance the construction of new student residence halls that are energy ef‐ ficient. 4.4.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.4.5 Strategy: Increase Vehicle Fuel‐Efficiency decrease emissions of vehicles There will always be some portion of the campus population that commutes us‐ ing motorized transportation. Promoting transit and ridesharing over single‐ occupant vehicle travel will help reduce emissions. For example, UW Bothell is making progress in increasing carpool permits and U‐PASS sales.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.5 professional travel Professional Travel Professional travel is associated with administrative business, scholarly research, conferences, visitors and speakers, intercollegiate athletics and recruitment of graduate students, faculty and staff. UW faculty, students and staff travel using a combination of modes, with the vast bulk of emissions arising from retail air tickets and a smaller portion associated with rented and UW fleet road vehicles.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Many of these functions would be difficult or impossible to achieve with video‐ conferencing – the most viable alternative to air travel. Nevertheless, videocon‐ ferencing is already being used at UW to replace some of the functions of long‐ distance travel and, as the technology improves and cultural practices evolve to make use of them, it is reasonable to expect that it will become a strong substi‐ tute for travel.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Proposed Actions: Sample and calculate cost‐of‐mileage annually. Enhance UW eTravel system to calculate travel mileage from the entry of coded destination information. 4.5.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 4.5.3 Strategy: Favor Alternate‐Fuel Vehicles in UW Fleet Services UW encourage use of efficient UW vehicles UW Fleet Services has an automated UCAR car share program that provides the UW community various models of alternative fuel fleet vehicles at several loca‐ tions throughout the campuses. University employees and students are able to rent, pick up and drop off Fleet Services vehicles 24/7 via an online web reserva‐ tion and automated key manager system.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan of products and waste streams can avoid significant GHG emissions induced by product manufacture and disposal. 5.1 campus ecology Land Use We strive to envision the whole campus landscape as an ecologically sustainable urban system that satisfies University functions while promoting healthy aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Landscape should be viewed as more than an aes‐ thetic amenity.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan ness model for residential dining facilities. Milk, eggs, bread and bakery, coffee, potato products, soups and the majority of Food Services' freshly packaged sandwiches, salads, sushi and other fresh packaged meals are produced locally. Food Services currently provides meatless alternatives to customers and will in‐ crease these options based on student demand.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan extensive fiber recycling program (paper, cardboard); mixed containers recycling program (cans & bottles, tubs/jars/jugs, single‐stream); construction and demoli‐ tion recycling (construction debris, concrete, and asphalt); and special waste re‐ cycling (electronics, florescent lighting, electronic media). The Seattle campus diverted more than 54 percent of its waste steam from landfill from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2009, with a goal to divert 60% by 2012.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan procurement. Expand reuse marketing to the non‐profit sector and small busi‐ nesses. 6 6.1 Strategies for Financing the Climate Action Plan Funding Mechanisms Funding is a core challenge of realizing the Climate Action Plan goals, especially in today's financial climate. Fortunately, many GHG reduction strategies will pay back the investment costs over time.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan The model is simple: The Loan Fund provides the up‐front capital. Applicant units agree to repay the fund via savings achieved with project‐related reduc‐ tions in utility consumption, waste generation or operating costs. This formula allows units to upgrade the efficiency, comfort and functionality of their facilities without incurring any capital costs.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan PR GRA OP N OS T AL 6.1.4 Strategy: Pursue Grants that Reduce GHG Emissions in Building Projects $$$$$ $$$$$ GRANT FUNDS EMISSION REDUCTION PROJECT pursue grants At the UW, individuals pursue grant funding for their specific research with dem‐ onstrated success, but as an institution the UW has shown much less proclivity to pursue federal, state or other grants that fund sustainability or energy effi‐ ciency goals.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan to connect faculty and staff to the wider Climate Action Plan efforts is through Green Committees patterned after the University Health and Safety Committee or Diversity Council structure that would help identify options and drive behavior change in schools, colleges and administrative units. Proposed Actions: Create an internal donations strategy and process to collect and distribute funds for UW projects; create a UW Green Advisory Committee.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Proposed Actions: Improve UW green marketing and branding efforts. 6.1.9 Strategy: Pursue Short and Long‐Term Legislative Opportunities $$$$$ $$$$$ STATE FUNDS EMISSION REDUCTION PROJECT legisla!ve opportuni!es Since GHG mitigation is a growing national and state priority, government fund‐ ing of energy efficiency, alternative energy and other GHG‐reducing programs is expected to grow.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan • Answers the Plan’s financing needs with a single mechanism. The University would need to set year‐by‐year allowance quantities based on the GHG targets described in Chapter 3, set rules for allowance banking and trading and determine a fair method for distributing those allowances each year.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan The measurement of carbon sequestration and monetization of the associated GHG reduction are active research areas of the Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest. Preliminary research indicates that up to 142,000 metric tons of carbon could be sequestered in UW forests over the next 45 years if left un‐ harvested.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan tions. During the coming year we will nurture support from the academic, ad‐ ministrative and student communities and identify the most promising funding mechanisms (6). Priorities will need to be set, and reset, as new technologies emerge and the economy recovers. In this chapter we describe a flexible framework of guidelines for creating the priorities, policies and plans that will allow the Plan to unfold in a changing technological and economic environment.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan 7.2 Moving from Strategies to Actions Each strategy in this Climate Action Plan is an abstract idea that can only be real‐ ized once a set of prioritized actions make it concrete. In each strategy section the concluding Proposed Actions offer an intuitive glimpse into what those ac‐ tions might be, but the formal processes of identification followed by prioritiza‐ tion will occupy the coming year. 7.2.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Proposed Actions: Develop CAP implementation plan and reporting document. 7.3 Climate Action Plan Administration To coordinate CAP implementation; coordinate activities and participants from UW Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma; and support the governance structure, a well‐ established UWESS office will be needed. Regular communications, developing metrics and reporting tools and responding to the myriad of inquiries and re‐ quests is time intensive.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Proposed Action: Create a faculty/staff/student collaboration plan to improve the UW's climate impact. 7.4.2 General Office Guidelines and Policy office P O LIC Y The UW is committed to environmental stewardship in our offices, as well as in our business practices.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan By including sustainability criteria in purchasing decisions we will not only put climate awareness into this everyday activity, but we will also be affecting GHGs in the manufacturing and waste disposal chains, making good on our claim to look beyond the inventory. Proposed Action: Finalize purchasing guidelines and communicate them to UW community.
University of Washington Climate Action Plan • Qualitative metrics that will broadly cover opinions about UW’s efforts and progress (surveys, anecdotal information); • Metrics that show the progress in engaging our students and faculty in new and ongoing Climate Action Plan‐related programs; • Metrics that illustrate progress in interdisciplinary and shared administrative‐ academic projects; • Metrics showing outreach to local businesses and technical organizations, especially those that offer oppor
University of Washington Climate Action Plan Acknowledgements In January 2009, under the auspices of the UW Environmental Stewardship Advi‐ sory Committee (ESAC), a Climate Action Planning Oversight Team was formed to coordinate the drafting of a UW Climate Action Plan. This document is the first step toward achieving greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by the University of Washington and its community, as required by the American Col‐ lege & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment.