UW-Stout’s “Don’t Blow the Bulb” places third in energy competition
October 2, 2009
University
Housing at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie has won third
place in the 2009 Best Practices Awards competition held by the Central
Association of College and University Business Officers. University Housing was recognized for its “Don’t Blow the Bulb” Residence Hall Energy competition, which it held in March. The competition pitted hall residents against each other in finding the simplest and best ways to reduce energy consumption. The hall with the largest percentage decrease in electricity usage received a pizza party during finals week.
The competition was sponsored by Stout@Hand, which is a sub-committee of UW-Stout’s Inter-Residence Hall Association — a student organization dedicated to representing all the students who live in the residence halls. The committee discovered that simple changes in daily habits, such as turning off lights when rooms were unoccupied and unplugging appliances when not in use, had a large cumulative effect.
To kick off the competition, students invited representatives from the university’s Physical Plant to teach them about different types of energy such as electricity, water, waste and recycling materials. They also learned about the ways in which different types of energy are measured.
Since electricity usage is measured in kilowatts and is easy to convert to cost savings, the students had goals of reducing electricity usage as well as reducing costs. Overall, the residence halls reduced electricity usage during the contest month by almost 6 percent across the Residence Hall System, saving a total of 23,885 kilowatts or $2,329.
The award will be presented to a UW-Stout representative at an annual conference in Cincinnati Oct. 6. The third place award is a plaque and a check for $500.
This is the second time UW-Stout has won an award for best practices. In 2008, the Physical Plant also placed third for its Enhanced Safety Awareness Program.
UW-Stout Dining Services Goes Green with Compostable Packaging
November 6, 2009
UW-Stout’s University Dining Services started the 2009 fall semester by switching to commercially compostable packaging for all food and beverages served in disposable containers. Currently, 100% of the products used in Stout’s Residence Dining Halls for take-out food are compostable. In the University’s nine dining retail operations, over 80% of the packaging has been replaced with materials that are compostable. This includes cutlery, hot and cold cups and lids, plates, hot and cold bowls, straws, and clamshells (a type of packaging, often consisting of two parts attached by a hinge and that open and close like a clamshell.) The remaining 20% of packaging will be changed to compostable items just as soon as solutions can be discovered.
While the compostable products will be approximately twice the cost of petroleum-based Styrofoam and plastic, the production uses less energy than traditional counterparts and produces less CO2. Using a program developed by the primary supplier of compostable packaging, UW-Stout estimates savings of 2,755 gallons of gasoline and 27,146 pounds of greenhouse gases.
Stout’s University Dining Services has been making steady inroads into making their operations more sustainable. They recently determined that 37 percent of their $1.58 million annual food budget is spent on items from Wisconsin food-production companies, reducing the distance the food travels and reducing its environmental impact. They’ve also invested in energy efficient appliances and use green chemicals for manual and machine washing. The switch to compostable packaging came about after extensive research into the market of food packaging and included locating the right products to meet needs without sacrificing customer satisfaction.
The new materials are made of resources that are renewable and biodegradable. The materials being used in the new packaging are:
- PLA (polylactic acid) or “corn plastic” – made from corn starch or sugarcane
- Bagasse (sugarcane) - a reclaimed resource traditionally thrown away which is the stalk of sugar cane after sugar juice is extracted
- Other plant starches
In order to complete the composting cycle with packaging and department food waste entering the commercial composting waste stream, UW-Stout has begun searching for an outlet for food waste and commercially compostable packaging products. The department is currently working with Veolia, the campus waste hauler, to educate community foodservice professionals about the ability to begin compostable pick-ups at foodservice establishments in Menomonie. Such a service is already underway in Eau Claire foodservice establishments. Should this be secured for Menomonie, the cycle for these new products and departmental waste will be complete and benefits to the environment enhanced.
Dining Services Participates in Million Gallon Challenge
November 4, 2009
University Dining Services is participating in Eco-Products Million Gallon Challenge. By using earth friendly foodservice containers, the University has saved 2,755 gallons of gasoline and 27,146 pounds of greenhouse gases in the last year. This is the equivalent of driving a new car 33,796 miles, or having saved 81 trees.
The Eco-Products Million Gallon Challenge is a campaign demonstrating how customers help the environment and save energy when using food service items utilizing earth-friendly materials. The goal is to count energy savings up to one million gallons of gasoline.
UW-Stout to hold Recyclable Art Competition
November 2, 2009
Children and adults all over Dunn County will soon be able to turn their recyclables into artwork with the possibility of being rewarded for their efforts. The University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie is hosting the third annual Recyclable Art Competition from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center.
“This community-wide event has something for everyone: creative art, local entertainment and fun, interactive, educational games and activities,” Krista James, event organizer and UW-Stout biology lecturer, said.
Artwork will be judged in four age categories: elementary school students, middle school students, high school students and adults age 18 and older. Two prizes will be awarded for each category: Popular Choice and Judge’s Choice.
All art entries must be made from recyclable materials. All participants must deliver their artwork in person between 5:30-6 p.m., and must stay until 8 p.m., when winners are announced and photographs are taken.
The event is sponsored by Dunn County Solid Waste, Sustainable Dunn, Greater Menomonie Area Community Foundation, West Wisconsin Land Trust and UW-Stout organizations and programs including GreenSense, Stout Student Association, Inter-Residence Hall Association, University Honors Program, the Environmental Sustainability Office and the departments of biology, art and design, and recreation.
UW-Stout’s “Don’t Blow the Bulb” places third in energy competition
October 2, 2009
University Housing at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie has won third place in the 2009 Best Practices Awards competition held by the Central Association of College and University Business Officers.
University Housing was recognized for its “Don’t Blow the Bulb” Residence Hall Energy competition, which it held in March. The competition pitted hall residents against each other in finding the simplest and best ways to reduce energy consumption. The hall with the largest percentage decrease in electricity usage received a pizza party during finals week.
The competition was sponsored by Stout@Hand, which is a sub-committee of UW-Stout’s Inter-Residence Hall Association — a student organization dedicated to representing all the students who live in the residence halls. The committee discovered that simple changes in daily habits, such as turning off lights when rooms were unoccupied and unplugging appliances when not in use, had a large cumulative effect.
To kick off the competition, students invited representatives from the university’s Physical Plant to teach them about different types of energy such as electricity, water, waste and recycling materials. They also learned about the ways in which different types of energy are measured.
Since electricity usage is measured in kilowatts and is easy to convert to cost savings, the students had goals of reducing electricity usage as well as reducing costs. Overall, the residence halls reduced electricity usage during the contest month by almost 6 percent across the Residence Hall System, saving a total of 23,885 kilowatts or $2,329.
The award will be presented to a UW-Stout representative at an annual conference in Cincinnati Oct. 6. The third place award is a plaque and a check for $500.
This is the second time UW-Stout has won an award for best practices. In 2008, the Physical Plant also placed third for its Enhanced Safety Awareness Program.
UW-Stout to offer “green” graduation gowns made from plastic bottles
September 14, 2009
The traditional will meet the nontraditional during University of Wisconsin-Stout graduation ceremonies in December. Approximately 900 graduates from UW-Stout will don traditional regalia to receive their diplomas. This year for the first time, however, graduates will wear caps and gowns made from recycled plastic bottles.
The graduation attire may be “green,” but it looks and feels the same as the traditional black regalia.
The items are constructed from a newly created fabric called Renew, which is made entirely from post-consumer plastic bottles. The bottles are melted down and processed into Repreve yarn, which is woven into the fabric.
Valerie Espejo, the manager of the University Bookstore, will order the new product from the company Herff Jones. Herff Jones purchases the material and has the caps and gowns made at its factory in Acola, Ill.
According to the manufacturers of the Renew fabric, the material is certified as being 100 percent recycled. Manufacturers also say every pound of yarn produced to manufacture the Renew material saves a half-gallon of gasoline as compared to current methods and that there is 54.6 percent less carbon dioxide emissions released in the atmosphere as compared to the typical polyester manufacturing process.
The price of the “green” regalia will be approximately $3 to $5 higher per gown.
Students will be able to order from the University Bookstore in late October or early November, for the commencement ceremony in December.
Sustainable Management Online Degree
September XX, 2009
WAITING FOR PRESS RELEASE
Dining Services Buys Local
July 29, 2009
More than one-third of the food purchased by dining services at the University of Wisconsin-Stout comes from within the state.
A recent analysis of food purchasing by University Dining Service at the university determined that 37 percent of its $1.58 million annual food budget is spent on items from Wisconsin food-production companies. In addition, many more food items come from neighboring Minnesota and from cities within 200 miles of the campus.
“Buying products from Wisconsin companies not only reduces the distance the food travels, it also supports statewide businesses and encourages business growth in Wisconsin,” said Ann Thies, director of University Dining Service.
UW-Stout uses local producers and processors for its food purchases including McCain Foods, Swiss Miss and Silver Springs Garden. Annual purchases from Wisconsin companies include $211,628 for meat; $97,518 for dairy products; and $143,856 for general groceries.
“These local items help keep food miles to a minimum,” Thies said.
“Food miles” refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to consumers’ homes. It is one dimension used in assessing the environmental impact of food. For instance, if food has to be transported longer distances, this increases its environmental impact: uses more fossil fuel, which releases more carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants into the air that can contribute to global climate change, acid rain, smog, and air and sea pollution.
"Beyond purchasing, we continue to change and move toward more sustainable operations while maintaining our customer and fiscal responsibilities," Thies said.
2008
Grounds Maintenance: Green All Over
December 2, 2008
A successful Grounds Maintenance program has more about being “green” than just maintaining and establishing beautiful landscaping on campus. The program also has a philosophy of ‘do no harm’ to the environment. As part of their stormwater management activities, Grounds Maintenance recently reported having swept 15 tons of sand and debris from parking lots and sidewalks. This is the equivalent of removing 1,057,600 aluminum cans from our campus (Aluminum Cans Fun Facts), 15 Volkswagon Beetles, or three male African elephants.
Stormwater is of concern for two main issues: one related to the volume and timing of runoff water (flooding) and the other related to potential contaminants that the water is carrying, i.e. water pollution.
Stoutonia: New Sustainable Technology and Energy Center
Industry leaders and UW-Stout students unite for sustainable gains.
A new center at the University of Wisconsin-Stout aims to facilitate eco-industrial development between UW-Stout and leaders in regional businesses and the local community.
The Stout Sustainable Technology and Energy Center is currently uniting members of the UW-Stout biology, chemistry, business and design departments with local businesses such as Five Star Dairy of Elkmound, Wis. and the Gopher Resource Corporation of Eagan, Minn.
Read full Stoutonia article...
UW-Stout— number one in energy efficiency
Summer 2008UW-Stout will be at Menomonie’s first annual Sustainability Day to talk about the university’s environmental initiatives and its status as number one in energy efficiency.
Chart in BTU's per square feet. UW-Stout statistics featured on the bottom line, UW-River Falls on the second to bottom, and the UW Comprehensive Average on the top line.
Show me the numbers!
According to the “Energy Use in State-Owned Facilities” report released annually through Wisconsin’s Department of Administration, UW-Stout is the most energy efficient campus of all thirteen four-year campuses in the University of Wisconsin system. All UW campus’s energy consumption is monitored through monthly utility bills and fuel consumption reports and converted to units of energy, or BTUs, per square foot, per year. This calculation makes campuses of different sizes comparable.
In the last released report, UW-Stout was 30% more efficient than the UW system average and 12% more efficient than the runner up, UW-River Falls. UW-Stout has been the leader in energy efficiency for more than the past decade.
These statistics may surprise some who are looking for headline grabbing energy projects. However, like the three R’s in waste minimization (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), a sustainable energy regime begins with using less.
What makes UW-Stout #1?
There is something far from glamorous behind UW-Stout’s energy efficient status—an extraordinary commitment to maintenance and incremental energy reduction measures.
Would it excite you to know that each year the university’s chiller condenser and evaporator tubes are cleaned, or that all exterior door weather stripping is checked annually and replaced if necessary?
These measures, and much more, are basic maintenance standards for all institutions, but whether or not they are followed to a “T” depends on leadership and commitment by facilities management.
Ted Hendzel, UW-Stout’s Director of Physical Plant, attributes much of the energy conservation results to the maintenance workers responsible for fine tuning and operating the equipment and facilities. “The facilities workers at Stout took energy conservation seriously starting in the 80’s and it just got to be a way of operating. That has really driven our energy efficiency,” Hendzel said.
Administrative leadership has also supported measures to reduce the university’s consumption. This includes hiring a fulltime HVAC Specialist to operate the Energy Management System which remotely controls heating and cooling on campus.
Many universities have energy management systems, but what really counts is how much time is invested in monitoring and adjusting shut-off schedules and programming and reprogramming the system. UW-Stout’s HVAC specialist position is dedicated to constantly re-evaluating shut-off schedules based on classes and other types of building usage on campus.
New energy efficient design and construction has also benefited the university. In 2005, when the new Red Cedar Hall was complete, it actually reduced UW-Stout’s ratio of energy use per square foot. Besides the new building’s more energy efficient design it was outfitted with Energy Star certified appliances.
The sustainability effort at UW-Stout.
UW-Stout is working toward sustainability on three major fronts: taking steps toward carbon neutrality as a signatory of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment; meeting Governor Doyle’s executive order to reduce energy usage 20% by 2010 at all state facilities; and preventing pollution in accordance with the campus’s storm water management permit through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Efforts to become more environmentally sustainable can be seen in all administrative units. For example, University Dining Services recently made a major investment in a new Energy Star certified Hobart Dishmachine which reduces water use by 750,000 gallons a year and significantly reduces energy and cleaning chemical use.
Over the summer, a team of staff and students have been collecting data for a green house gas emissions inventory which will serve as an estimate of the campus’s carbon footprint. The inventory, due to be completed this fall, will provide a benchmark from which to measure future emission reductions programs.
Faculty, staff and students on UW-Stout’s Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee are working to draft a campus-wide sustainability action plan. “This is one of the few committees where everyone is eager to volunteer,” said Raina Clark, UW-Stout’s Environmental Sustainability Coordinator. “It shows that there is a lot of interest in sustainability at the grass roots level of the university and that can be a very powerful thing.”
The committee has kept a variety of sustainability activities going at the same time they are working on the action plan document, including the Spring Move-Out event, designed to keep reusable household goods out of the landfill, and participation in the national RecycleMania competition.
Covered also in the Association of Energy Service Professionals-Wisconsin blog, Aug. 4: http://aesp-wi.blogspot.com/2008/08/uw-stout-is-no-1-in-energy-efficiency.html
UW-Stout Carpooling
July 2008
A recent call for UW-Stout employees interested in carpooling created quite a response!
More than twenty employees from Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Colfax, Hudson and River Falls have expressed interest in setting up ride share groups. Volunteers are working to connect people based on location and schedule and to help them organize a successful carpool.
If you are interested in carpooling, contact Raina Clark, environmental sustainability coordinator, at clarkra@uwstout.edu. Provide your area of residence and work arrival and departure times.
Read the Eau Claire Leader Telegram article on responses to rising gas prices, including a mention of UW-Stout's carpooling initiative.
Spring Move-Out results
May 19, 2008
UW-Stout's first annual Spring Move-Out event was a success! Four vans filled with furniture, clothing, food and miscellaneous items went to Hope Gospel instead of being left on the curb or taken to the landfill.
The event was made possible by Hope Gospel, the Dunn County Solid Waste Division, the City of Menomonie, Veolia Environmental Services, Sustainable Dunn, American Edge Realty, UW-Stout faculty, staff and student volunteers, and the Sustainability Office.
On May 16 and 17, there were a total of 66 drops offs by students, parents and landlords including:
Spring Move-Out
Clothing 28 bags
Sofa/couch 22
Misc Kitchen 20 boxes
Food 17 boxes
Stuffed chairs 13
Desk chairs 11
Bed frame 10
Dressers 8
Dressers 8
Desks 6
End tables 6
Lawn/folding chairs 4
Futon 3
Dining chairs 2
TV 2
Stereos 2
Dining tables 1
Lamp 1
Gas range 1
Patio table 1
Gun cabinet 1
Snow fence 1
Plate glass 1
Ceiling fan 1
Recyclemania
April 28, 2008
For the second year, Stout has participated in RecycleMania, a friendly nationwide recycling competition among college campuses. A total of 400 colleges joined in the race this year and the 58.6 million pounds of material recycled during RecycleMania 2008 prevented greenhouse gas emissions of 25,342 metric tons of carbon equivalent from entering the atmosphere.
During the 10 weeks of competition — January 28 to April 5 — Mandy Mulder and Heidi Behnke, Stout RecycleMania student coordinators, worked cooperatively with more than 200 students enrolled in a class on science, society and the environment. In groups, the students completed recycling related projects around campus aimed at increasing recycling rates or reducing waste. Projects were varied and included attending athletic events, encouraging students to use china in dining areas and holding dorm competitions.
The campuswide effort was a great success. Nationally, Stout ranked in the top 50 percent for the Grand Champion, Gorilla Prize, Paper, and Bottles/Cans categories. A highlight of this year’s results was in the Waste Minimization category where Stout showed its ability to reduce waste better than its state competitors, like UW-Madison. Stout also ranked nationally in the Waste Minimization category coming in 12th out of 95 schools.
The coordinators would like to thank Lori Anda-Bowen, Linda Anderson, Mike Bessert, Charles Bomar, Raina Clark, Bob Dodge, Martin Fritz, Joe Harlan, Krista James, Amy McGovern, Lucy Nicolai and Anne Thies for their support during this year’s RecycleMania competition.
For more information about RecycleMania and a complete list of the contest winners visit the official RecycleMania Web site at www.recyclemaniacs.org.
Supermileage Challenge
April 19, 2008
In mid-April, Stout is hosted the Supermileage Challenge. High school and middle school students used their math, science and technology skills to build vehicles that can get up to 500 miles per gallon. Eighteen schools from three states will compete in the event.
Menomonie Approves Eelctrical Vehicles
March 18, 2008
The Menomonie city council unanimously approved an ordinance approving the driving of neighborhood electric vehicles on city streets. The ordinance is a direct response to an electric vehicle UW-Stout bought to help patrol parking lots. Read the WEAU.com story...
"Going for the Green"
March 6, 2008
Click here to read the Stoutonia article "Going for the Green: Stout takes steps towards an eco-friendly campus."
Week 4 of RecycleMania: UW-Stout reaching waste minimization target of the University Presidents Climate Commitment
March 2, 2008
Once again UW-Stout is leading the RecycleMania Waste Minimization category for all UW campuses, including UW-Madison. As of week four of the 10 week national college campus recycling competition, Stout is still in the top 11% of all campuses for this category.
This specific RecycleMania event involves a more advanced educational campaign, teaching the campus community to cut waste by placing less emphasis on recycling and more focus on reuse and reduction. Results are calculated by taking the volume of acceptable recyclables and adding it to the volume of trash and dividing this number with the population figure.
Participation in the Waste Minimization competition may be credited by a school as one of their two required "tangible actions" under the Presidents Climate Commitment. University of Wisconsin-Stout Chancellor Charles W. Sorensen signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment on September 12, 2007.
The climate commitment agreement is a high-profile pledge by college and university leaders nationwide to reduce and ultimately neutralize greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses and to provide their graduates the education to help society do the same.
Sorensen joins at least 375 other campus leaders in becoming a Charter Signatory of the climate commitment document. The request to sign the document was brought by the Stout Student Association and supported by leadership on the Chancellor's Advisory Council.
For more information about the Commitment rules, visit: http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/
UW-Stout’s sustainability program finds ZENN
February 12, 2008
Although students may not like receiving parking tickets, they may appreciate the new electric car that helped the parking meter attendant deliver them.
The University of Wisconsin-Stout has purchased a Zero-Emission, No Noise fully featured electric vehicle, known as a ZENN car, as part of its campus sustainability efforts. The car will be used by Parking Services for security and safety patrol of campus parking lots.
Designed for neighborhood or urban use, the ZENN vehicle also makes sense for a campus, Keith McCarten of UW-Stout’s security and police services said.
“I was interested in taking the lead in switching to a vehicle that is both less expensive to operate and more ecologically friendly,” McCarten said. “Many of our parking customers, especially students, are concerned about the carbon emissions of traditional internal combustion engines, and this was a good way to demonstrate that we share those concerns.”
The ZENN vehicle can drive for 30 to 50 miles on one charge from a standard electrical outlet, at a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour. Charging the vehicle seven times is equal to one tank of gas, which according to ZENN’s marketing materials, makes its energy usage equivalent to 245 miles per gallon of fuel.
At a petite 10 feet long and 5 feet wide, the ZENN vehicle seats two people. Its estimated operating cost is 1 to 2 cents per mile, compared to a conventional gas vehicle’s cost of 8 to 12 cents per mile.
In addition, the vehicle is low maintenance. Its exterior panels are rustproof and dent resistant for long-term durability. And, because the ZENN is solely electric, it eliminates the replacement and repair costs of oil changes, oil filters and tune-ups associated with internal combustion engines in gas vehicles. Brake wear also is greatly limited due to the ZENN’s lower driving speed and its regenerative braking system, which helps to recharge the vehicle’s batteries as it brakes.
“I’m hoping that use of the ZENN can serve as a laboratory for assessing the benefits of increased use of this kind of vehicle in other areas of campus,” McCarten said.
“The sustainability effort at Stout is spread across all departments and depends on the initiative of individuals like Keith,” Raina Clark, UW-Stout environmental sustainability coordinator, said. “We have many faculty, staff and students who have volunteered to take on projects in recycling, composting and other areas because sustainability is important to them personally. Keith’s success in bring the first completely electric vehicle to campus shows that we can make great things happen.”
For more information about the ZENN vehicle, contact McCarten at mccartenk@uwstout.edu or (715) 232-2552.
For more information about other sustainability initiatives at UW-Stout, contact Clark at clarkra@uwstout.edu or (715) 232-1588.