University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota

Contact
Bob Douglas, Coordinator of Recycling and Central Receiving, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105-1096; 651-962-6388; http://www.stthomas.edu/recycle, http://www.stthomas.edu/sustainability

Sustainability is central to the mission of the University of St. Thomas. In 2008, the University of St. Thomas adopted the following as one of its strategic priorities: The University of St. Thomas will cultivate an ethic of environmental stewardship, and will integrate principles of environmental sustainability across the curriculum and in co-curricular activities in order to educate students to appreciate their roles and obtain tools for leadership and innovation in care for God’s Creation. (See http://www.stthomas.edu/mission/files/SustainPriority10-9-.doc) That same year, university President Rev. Dennis Dease announced the signing of the American college and University Presidents Climate Commitment at Convocation Speech following the completion of a campus-wide greenhouse gas emission audit. St. Thomas also joined the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in 2008.

St. Thomas has made a commitment to water use efficiency. It has installed low flow showerheads and one-liter flush urinals in all residences. Electric eyes sensors control most restroom water supplies and automatically flush toilets and urinals.

St. Thomas is optimizing energy performance and reducing energy use through these and more energy efficiency measures and practices:
All residences have been retrofitted to energy efficient light fixtures and retrofitting of fixtures in classrooms and academic and library buildings is underway.
The science and engineering building is considered a model of energy efficiency with parabolic lighting fixtures for F32T8 lamps including electronic ballasts, occupancy sensors and photo sensing controls, dual-level light switching, low-E glazed windows, rooftop water cooled DX high efficiency cooling unit, and variable speed drive motors on all air handling units. For more about this facility, visit http://www.stthomas.edu/physicalplant/OpusSustain.HTM
Energy-efficient burners were installed in the science building in 2008
Energy-efficient ventilator units were installed in two residence halls in 2008.
Energy-efficient variable speed motors are now standard in all heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) applications.
Day and night temperature settings of all HVAC systems are computer regulated.
Nearly 30 thousand Christmas lights were replaced with light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs saving energy and over $5,000 in energy costs over the 2007 Christmas season.

The Division of Information Resources and Technology (http://www.stthomas.edu/sustainability/projects/IRT.html) has successfully implemented several initiatives to promote sustainability and make good business sense. These include but are not limited to:
replacement of leased CRT computer monitors with flat screen LCD monitors.
installation of energy-efficient HVAC equipment in the data center
initiation of server virtualization, a process by which the operations and data of several individual servers are combined into a single, physical machine reducing energy needed to power racks of centralized computers and the air-conditioning systems needed to cool them.

Consideration is given to the content of material used in the furnishings at St. Thomas. Building furniture and furnishings are purchased from a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified company. Purchases of institutional furniture have Cradle to Cradle (C2C) certification which means environmentally safe and healthy materials are used in its construction, it’s designed for material reutilization by recycling or composting, and is produced with efficient use of water and energy.

Special attention is given to indoor environmental quality in building cleaning and maintenance. St. Thomas has been using 3M green cleaning chemicals since 2000. The chemicals are dispensed in an auto-dilute system that helps eliminate chemical waste and increases environmental safety for the workers. In 2008 St. Thomas began to use Ecolab green chemicals in some cleaning applications. Other environmental friendly cleaning procedures practiced include low moisture carpet cleaning with water recyclers, rechargeable cell batteries in many of the automated cleaning machines, and quieter running vacuums with treated filters for cleaner air.

There are several special groups at St. Thomas that advise the administration or educate the campus community on environmental, human health, stewardship and related issues affecting the college and affected by the college. The St. Thomas Sustainability Committee creates institutional structures to guide the development and implementation of a plan to achieve climate neutrality. It reports periodically to the Academic and Administrative Leadership Committee to discuss sustainability goals, activities and accomplishments. See http://www.stthomas.edu/sustainability/ The Recycling Team helps to provide a sustainable future for the St. Thomas community by reducing, reusing, and recycling in all campus activities. See http://www.stthomas.edu/recycle/ The Green Team challenges St. Thomas to be a more ecologically sound campus, and to raise environmental awareness within the community on and off campus. See
http://www.stthomas.edu/ustclubs/greenteam/default.html Undergraduate Student Government has a standing committee devoted to sustainability issues. See
http://www.stthomas.edu/usg/default.html Some other related organizations are
Bicycle Enthusiasts at St. Thomas (see http://www.beastbikeclub.com/index.html)
Engineers for a Sustainable World (see http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/engineering/esw/) and Environmental Law Society (see http://www.stthomas.edu/lawschool/StudentOrgs/LawELS/ust_Environmental_Law_Society_index.htm)

St. Thomas intentionally helps students, faculty and staff make the connection between the operation of the college, sustainability, and Catholic social teaching. university President Father Dennis Dease called on the St. Thomas community to think creatively about how it might start a commitment to sustainable living. Fr. Dease conducted a series of "Three Great Conversations on Sustainability and Care of the Environment," the last of which took place during Earth Week 2009. Some resulting activities are reported herein and at http://www.stthomas.edu/bulletin/news/200817/Wednesday/environment4_23_08.cfm Sustainability and care of creation issues are also infused in work of the Center for Catholic Studies (see http://www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/) and
Justice & Peace Studies (see http://www.stthomas.edu/justpeace/engagedlearning/majors/default.html).

St. Thomas also helps parents, alumni, and the local civic community make the connection between the operation of the college, climate change, and Catholic social teaching. The fall 2008 issue of St Thomas Magazine, the primary resource for communicating to both alumni and the larger community, carried several feature articles on climate change and sustainability plans for the university. (See http://www.stthomas.edu/magazine/2008/Fall/SustainableU.html) The Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs, a consortium of 17 colleges and universities, including St. Thomas, that work together to offer students interdisciplinary, experiential learning that generates knowledge and offers tools for social transformation and community building; has developed an environmental sustainability program (see http://www.stthomas.edu/environment/fieldstudy/hecua/default.html) St. Thomas is one of 50 member colleges and universities of the Minnesota Campus Compact that organized a civic engagement forum to focus on environmental sustainability (see http://www.stthomas.edu/justpeace/news/EnviroSustForum.html).

St. Thomas reduces waste by using recycled products, products that minimize packaging, and by recycling materials that can be recycled including electronics.
Restrooms are cleaned without the use of disposable towels and sponges, and disposable mops and towels have been replaced by similar products made out of washable microfiber. Jointly, the division of Information Resources and Technology and student leadership are working to reduce the amount of paper that is unnecessarily printed on campus. The program goals are to track campus printing activities, educate everyone who uses printing resources, and implement methods for reducing excessive paper use and printing. The University saved 1 million prints the first semester print management was implemented and 6.1 million student prints to date. Beginning the summer of 2009, computer vendors will be packaging multiple machines per box (instead of one computer per box as was done in the past) to reduce the amount on packing materials that are used for shipping.
Campus-wide, departments are developing and utilizing online applications and forms to reduce paper usage. Paper that is being used contains recycled content. St. Thomas recycles batteries, books, metals, all paper and cardboard, electronics, fluorescent and other lamps, all glass, and selected plastics. (See http://www.stthomas.edu/recycle/WHAT.HTM) St. Thomas Students in Free Enterprise teamed up with the Sustainability Committee in 2008 to participate in RecycleMania! (see http://blog.stthomas.edu/tommiebusiness/archives/2009/02/recyclemania.html)

St. Thomas's Dining Service is working towards sustainability. Purchasing practices, equipment purchases, preparation and recycling methods are being reviewed. Recycling has been practiced in dining facilities for many year. 100% recycled napkins are used and Fair Trade arrangements are being expanded. One of the specialty restaurants is testing the use of cornstarch based drinking cups. St. Thomas recycles all edible food waste through the campus main kitchen and dining room. Uneaten food is collected from food trays and stored for pick up by a local hog farmer.

Mass transit is an encouraged alternative mode of transportation by St. Thomas by subsidizing public bus passes students, faculty and staff who forgo a parking permit on campus.