Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.47
Liaison Pamela Mischen
Submission Date March 5, 2020

STARS v2.2

Binghamton University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Pam Mischen
Pres Office
Pres Office
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Campus Engagement

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
A senior environmental studies and graphic design student, working with a biology professor, created a children's book based on Nuthatch Hollow (part of our Nature Preserve) as a part of a grant funded by the Robert F. Schumann Foundation. The book will be used in joint programming between the University, the Roberson Museum and Science Center, and local schools.

Public Engagement 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
A faculty member in Public Administration has an ongoing service learning project in the North of Main neighborhood of Binghamton. Students have worked with the community to enhance engagement in planning for that neighborhood.

See: https://sustainableneighborhood.org/initiatives/neighborhood-inventory/

Air & Climate 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
ENVI 413: Environmental Impact Statements. Students assess the impact of on-campus projects on air quality. This course is offered every semester.
ANTH 415: Environmental Planning: Students work with local groups across the campus to plan and implement a project that facilities changes leading to sustainability practices. This course is offered every semester.


Additionally the 2016 conversion of our Central Heating Plant from coal to wood fuel has been integrated into several class curricula. Each semester, hundreds of students tour our heating plant to see first hand the complexity of the operations and the dedications of the staff in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Buildings  

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
The university is currently designing a Living Building (to ultimately be certified by the International Living Futures Institute (ILFI). We have involved students in two ways on this project. First, we involved an undergraduate course (WTSN 306) for engineering and environmental studies students in the initial stages of materials vetting for the project. ILFI requires that buildings be free of any materials included on a "red list". Second, students from the course and others continued on the project as paid workers with a faculty supervisor.

Physical Facilities staff also routinely give guest lectures and tours to classes on the design / operations / maintenance of many LEED buildings we have on campus. Students are made aware of the efforts and complexity associated with sustainable building construction and management.

Energy 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
A student in EECE 598 (MS project, spring 2017) estimated the electric load of the living building. He also estimated the sizes of PV and storage systems, to ensure the 105% net-positive living building requirement.
EECE 512x Distributed Energy Integration and Microgrids (offered every fall). The final project is having student teams design a renewable energy system (PV or wind) which can support 50% of the power of 4 BU buildings.

Binghamton University has a centralized energy management system that collects building energy usage data. This information is frequently requested by faculty and students for semester projects. It provides actual data to help our students understand the characteristics of energy consumption of different types of buildings. This information is also often used for students living on campus to hold energy contests by behavioral changes.

Food & Dining 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
ENVI 250 Farm-to-Table is offered each fall, and was offered for the first time in fall of 2017. This course engages students directly in small-scale sustainable food production using the campus farm as a classroom, and introduces students the the concepts of agrarianism, farm-to-table and sustainable agriculture.

Also, ENVI 495 is the general course number for internships in Environmental Studies. The Summer Internship in Sustainable Agriculture takes place at Acres each summer season. The Internship gives students an intensive introduction to the practices of small-scale sustainable agriculture. Internship activities include the management and expansion of the campus farm which includes both annual and perennial food production, as well as field trips to regional farms and the planning and management of educational experiences for local community groups.

Grounds 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
ENVI 415: Environmental Planning utilizes the nature preserve to make recommendations regarding management and land use. This course is offered every semester.

The University also highlights areas that are maintained with sustainable practices for awareness. Signs are posted around areas designated as low-mow or no-mow, storm water management facilities and nature preserve. Several clubs / organizations (Outdoor Pursuit, Friends of Nature Preserve, for example) offer guided tours to students and community members for immersive experience.

Purchasing 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Purchasing?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
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Transportation 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
Currently, a professor is using the University bus system to analyze driver behavior.

PAFF 510 or SUST 520 Research Design and Methods, Graduate Level Courses performs survey and research analysis on campus transportation.

Waste 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
ENVI 415: Environmental Planning. Students work with the University Resource Management Coordinator to engineer better practices for recycling and composting. This course is offered every semester.

Students also work with the campus recycling manager as interns to develop and implement improved practices related to food scraps and waste recycling. This takes place every semester.

Water 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
GEOL 465: Environmental Measurements uses the campus as a living laboratory by measuring water quality in relationship to changing land uses in order to provide strategies for mitigation.

Coordination & Planning 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Students in the PAFF 516 Performance Management class (spring 2017) worked with the President's office to draft a sustainability plan that was then adopted by the administration in Fall 2017.

Diversity & Affordability 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
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Investment & Finance 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
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Wellbeing & Work 

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
Binghamton University students use the campus as a living laboratory for understanding the ecology and epidemiology of Lyme disease transmission and spread in both field and laboratory settings. They also are involved in understanding and subsequently developing Public Health mitigation and prevention measures and present their research findings at local, regional, and national scientific conferences.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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