| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.37 |
| Liaison | Olivia Herron |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2022 |
Miami University
EN-11: Inter-Campus Collaboration
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.50 / 3.00 |
Adam
Sizemore Director of Sustainability Physical Facilities Department |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Is the institution currently a member of a national or international higher education sustainability network?:
Yes
The name of the national or international sustainability network(s):
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education
Second Nature
Second Nature
Does the institution actively participate in a regional, state/provincial, or local higher education sustainability network?:
Yes
The name of the regional, state/provincial or local sustainability network(s):
Green Umbrella - https://greenumbrella.org/
Has the institution presented at a higher education sustainability conference during the previous year?:
Yes
A list or brief description of the conference(s) and presentation(s):
Shelton, Mike, Joel Baetens, Adam Sizemore, and Amanda Doenges. “How Higher Education is Preparing for a Net Zero Future”. HEAPY’s PIVOT: Moving Our Society Forward conference, October 2021.
Karlsgodt, Dave, Chris O’Brien, Amy Dvorak, and Adam Sizemore. “Meeting Major Reductions Goals with the Help of Solution Providers.” Second Nature’s Climate Action Pursuit: Toward Justice and Resilience conference, October 2021.
Sharrad, Aurora, Ann Drevno, Adam Sizemore, Jonathan Levy, and Micha Kenfield. “Value and Process of Joining the Climate Leadership Network.” Second Nature’s Value of Joining the Climate Leadership Network webinar, December 2020.
Sizemore, Adam and Olivia Herron. “Greening with Lean”: Institutionalizing Sustainability Across Campus Through Lean Principles.” 2019 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference, October 2019.
Karlsgodt, Dave, Chris O’Brien, Amy Dvorak, and Adam Sizemore. “Meeting Major Reductions Goals with the Help of Solution Providers.” Second Nature’s Climate Action Pursuit: Toward Justice and Resilience conference, October 2021.
Sharrad, Aurora, Ann Drevno, Adam Sizemore, Jonathan Levy, and Micha Kenfield. “Value and Process of Joining the Climate Leadership Network.” Second Nature’s Value of Joining the Climate Leadership Network webinar, December 2020.
Sizemore, Adam and Olivia Herron. “Greening with Lean”: Institutionalizing Sustainability Across Campus Through Lean Principles.” 2019 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Conference, October 2019.
Has the institution submitted a case study during the previous year to an external higher education sustainability resource center or awards program?:
Yes
A list or brief description of the sustainability resource center or awards program and submission(s):
(1) Second Nature Pro Bono Consulting (2021) - **Awarded with CustomerFirst Renewables**
"We propose assistance with designing/crafting the institutional plan, as well as developing target goals to achieve carbon neutrality. As mentioned throughout this application submission, Miami University has made significant strides with improving our energy system. Thus, Miami University will extend climate action by including additional scope 1 emissions (i.e. fuel for campus fleet) and scope 3 emissions (commuting and air travel) in our institutional efforts. As we have progressed efforts on reducing fuel usage and promoting carpooling/encouraging sustainable forms of transportation, institutional efforts have not been under a formalized framework as part of a Climate Action Plan. Concurrently, we envision our Climate Action Plan to integrate climate action/sustainability in curriculum, research, diversity/inclusion efforts, and the student experience, as well as explore external funding opportunities in the form of governmental/private grants and gifts. Since the majority of our work has focused on our largest institutional emission footprint (energy), we propose utilizing advisory support and assistance on progressing the creation of a Climate Action Plan to progress these efforts across campus. We believe this service could assist us explore a wide-range of options since we are in the early stages of this process. As part of these efforts, the University plans to develop a net zero master plan in order to align our Utility Master Planning with renewable energy sources in the future. Along with the net zero action plan for our utility and building energy systems, the University would like to engage in either on-site solar power generation or a renewable energy purchase agreement with local utility providers. We plan to study the financial and technical aspects of solar energy generation".
(2) Keeling Curve Prize (2021) -
Project Description - The project provides better quality water to the steam boilers with much lower total dissolved solids (TDS). The improved water quality will reduce the amount of steam blowdown that is required as the solids in the boiler will be far less; thus, this will save energy (gas) due to the reduced amount of 350 deg F water that is sent to drain. This also reduces the amount of chemicals that are needed to treat the water with high dissolved solids. The city water to the plant has a very high TDS; hardness is around 26 grains. The project was formed as it was identified that the condensate/steam loss in the system was resulting in make-up rates of around 25%. Thus, the quality of water going into the steam system is critically important. With the help of our water treatment vendor, we identified alternative methods of treating the water using the Reverse Osmosis (RO) System. While this has a high capital first cost, it can save a significant amount of energy as well as chemicals. Greenhouse gas emission is reduced due to a reduction in the amount of high temperature water that is blown down from the steam boilers on campus. The TDS in the water within the boilers must continuously be monitored and blown down to meet TDS requirements which prevent the boilers from scaling up. By adding an RO system to the make-up water, the TDS of the water feeding the boiler is greatly reduced, thus the blowdown is greatly reduced. The water within the boiler is around 350 F so all of the energy of that water is lost when the boiler is blowdown.
(3) AASHE Campus Sustainability Achievement Award
Project Title - “Converting Miami University’s Goggin Ice Center from Steam to Heating Hot Water & HP Chiller: Reduced Energy Use, Carbon Emissions, and Utility Costs
Content type: Case Studies"
"We propose assistance with designing/crafting the institutional plan, as well as developing target goals to achieve carbon neutrality. As mentioned throughout this application submission, Miami University has made significant strides with improving our energy system. Thus, Miami University will extend climate action by including additional scope 1 emissions (i.e. fuel for campus fleet) and scope 3 emissions (commuting and air travel) in our institutional efforts. As we have progressed efforts on reducing fuel usage and promoting carpooling/encouraging sustainable forms of transportation, institutional efforts have not been under a formalized framework as part of a Climate Action Plan. Concurrently, we envision our Climate Action Plan to integrate climate action/sustainability in curriculum, research, diversity/inclusion efforts, and the student experience, as well as explore external funding opportunities in the form of governmental/private grants and gifts. Since the majority of our work has focused on our largest institutional emission footprint (energy), we propose utilizing advisory support and assistance on progressing the creation of a Climate Action Plan to progress these efforts across campus. We believe this service could assist us explore a wide-range of options since we are in the early stages of this process. As part of these efforts, the University plans to develop a net zero master plan in order to align our Utility Master Planning with renewable energy sources in the future. Along with the net zero action plan for our utility and building energy systems, the University would like to engage in either on-site solar power generation or a renewable energy purchase agreement with local utility providers. We plan to study the financial and technical aspects of solar energy generation".
(2) Keeling Curve Prize (2021) -
Project Description - The project provides better quality water to the steam boilers with much lower total dissolved solids (TDS). The improved water quality will reduce the amount of steam blowdown that is required as the solids in the boiler will be far less; thus, this will save energy (gas) due to the reduced amount of 350 deg F water that is sent to drain. This also reduces the amount of chemicals that are needed to treat the water with high dissolved solids. The city water to the plant has a very high TDS; hardness is around 26 grains. The project was formed as it was identified that the condensate/steam loss in the system was resulting in make-up rates of around 25%. Thus, the quality of water going into the steam system is critically important. With the help of our water treatment vendor, we identified alternative methods of treating the water using the Reverse Osmosis (RO) System. While this has a high capital first cost, it can save a significant amount of energy as well as chemicals. Greenhouse gas emission is reduced due to a reduction in the amount of high temperature water that is blown down from the steam boilers on campus. The TDS in the water within the boilers must continuously be monitored and blown down to meet TDS requirements which prevent the boilers from scaling up. By adding an RO system to the make-up water, the TDS of the water feeding the boiler is greatly reduced, thus the blowdown is greatly reduced. The water within the boiler is around 350 F so all of the energy of that water is lost when the boiler is blowdown.
(3) AASHE Campus Sustainability Achievement Award
Project Title - “Converting Miami University’s Goggin Ice Center from Steam to Heating Hot Water & HP Chiller: Reduced Energy Use, Carbon Emissions, and Utility Costs
Content type: Case Studies"
Has the institution had employees or students serving on a board or committee of a sustainability network or conference during the previous three years?:
Yes
A list or brief description of the board or committee appointment(s):
Miami University's Director of Sustainability and Associate Director of Residence Life serve as board members for Sharefest, a service and environmental nonprofit corporation dedicated to the collection and redistribution of items donated by Miami University students and the Oxford community at the end of the academic year. Collected items benefit residents in need and social service agencies throughout the region.
Does the institution have an ongoing mentoring relationship with another institution through which it assists the institution with its sustainability reporting and/or the development of its sustainability program?:
No
A brief description of the mentoring relationship and activities:
---
Has the institution had employees or students serving as peer reviewers of another institution’s sustainability data and/or STARS submission during the previous three years?:
No
A brief description of the peer review activities:
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Optional Fields
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Website URL where information about the institution’s inter-campus collaborations is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Contact Susan Meikle - meiklesb@miamioh.edu
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.