Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	68.42
Liaison	Andrew D'Amico
Submission Date	Aug. 25, 2021

STARS v2.2

Princeton University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	4.00 / 4.00	Shana Weber Director Office of Sustainability

"---" 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:

Continuing an idea developed for a final course paper, Amber Lin ‘19 created a program called “Princeton EcoTracker” that allowed students on campus to learn about, record with photos, and get rewarded for pro-environmental behaviors. After a successful pilot run during Earth Month 2018, Lin continued to enhance the program for senior thesis study. Overall, the thesis results showed success in engaging participants in pro-environmental behavior and improving their behaviors over the duration of the program. Lin recommended that further work explore the key components of the program that best explain the behavioral changes, and to study how the program might foster lasting, long-term behavior change.

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:

For a final course paper, Priya Vulchi ’22 recommended that Princeton prioritize improving the visibility of its land acknowledgement to better cultivate a culture of sustainability. Through prominent physical, digital, and spoken formats of its land acknowledgment, Princeton would promote a greater public consciousness of the land, a responsibility to maintain it, and a chance for the public to learn how to care for it from its original inhabitants: the Lenni-Lenape people.

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:

Professors Elie Bou-Zeid and Mark Zondlo received a 2018 Campus as Lab grant from the Dean for Research Innovation Fund to better inform the public and campus community about regional air quality by providing local, up-to-the-minute air quality information via a cellphone app. The on-going project aims to use advanced pollution-sensing systems to provide readings of local air quality, allowing users to see how pollution is affected by proximity to main roads and how pollutant concentrations vary by time of day. By accessing these data via a cellphone app, individuals can incorporate air quality into their daily decisions.

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:

In 2019, Professor Lynn Loo and her team were awarded a Campus as Lab grant from the Dean for Research Innovation Fund to conduct field-testing of solar-powered smart windows on buildings around campus. Developed in Loo’s lab, the technology involves coating windows with a film of flexible, transparent solar cells that convert sunlight into electrical energy to darken or lighten window glass. Undergraduate Matthew Marquardt ‘20 installed and evaluated the windows in campus buildings to determine the technology’s impact on reducing building energy consumption in real-world situations, while developing software to optimize the energy savings and benefit to occupants.

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:

Building off of an idea for a course project, Kiera Robinson ’21 will develop a system that utilizes both hardware and software tools to monitor, calculate, and present the electricity usage and its associated carbon footprint in a student dorm room based on the real-time composition of the energy used. Once developed fully, this resource will be used to explore how human behavior responds to knowledge of one’s environmental impact from energy use, and can be used as a learning tool for students to develop and better understand their social and environmental responsibility.

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:

Professor David Wilcove received a 2018 Campus as Lab grant from the Dean for Research Innovation Fund to collaborate with Campus Dining to use Princeton’s residential dining halls as laboratories to explore options for reducing use of unsustainably grown palm oil. One goal of the project is to encourage the use of palm oils certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which promotes better environmental practices. Another goal is to examine options for replacing existing products used by the dining halls with palm oil-free alternatives. The project will also raise awareness among students about the concerns with palm oil and suggest strategies for reducing environmental harm while improving student health.

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:

With a Campus as Lab grant from the Dean for Research Innovation Fund awarded in 2019, a project led by Professor Daniel Rubenstein is examining the environmental and economic implications of transitioning campus agricultural land from conventional to sustainable farming practices. The project involves engaging undergraduate students in measuring the relative importance of different soil amendment and weed control methods on plant productivity and yield, soil health, and profit. Additionally, the team is analyzing the impact of low-cost fencing in reducing crop damage from deer overgrazing. The goal of the project will be to develop a set of recommendations on how the University can farm in a more environmentally responsible and cost-effective way.

Purchasing

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

Yes

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

For a final course project, Aly Guindo ‘23 proposed an interface amendment to the University’s online procurement system (Marketplace Shopper) to encourage more sustainable procurement decisions by campus departments. To address a lack of awareness among users about sustainable products on the Marketplace Shopper, the redesigned interface would include a “Sustainable Alternatives” section on each product page in order to highlight more sustainable alternatives and how they are produced in an effort to encourage green purchasing.

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:

For a course project, students evaluated electric golf cart usage on campus and determined that solar power could replace electricity given Princeton’s geographical location and weather. In 2018, a Campus as Lab grant from the Dean for Research Innovation Fund was awarded to Professor Forrest Meggers and his team to further test this idea by updating existing electric golf carts with a solar panel and battery and measuring vehicle performance. Culminating in a senior thesis by Carlota Corbela ’20, the findings from the experimental results supported the original conclusion that solar-powered carts can satisfy transportation needs for short, routine trips around campus.

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:

In 2019, graduate student Xiili Bassett received a grant from the Office of Sustainability’s High Meadows Foundation Sustainability fund to develop a series of fungus-based bioreactors (Plastomachs) for digesting campus-produced plastic waste. In addition to studying the plastic-eating capabilities and degradation reactions of different strains of fungi, Bassett’s team plans to develop a performative process for engaging students in the diversion and feeding of plastic waste in various Plastomachs in a daylong “plastic audit” followed by sampling and characterization.

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:

In fall 2020, Princeton installed a pilot version of PermaVoid, a rainwater collection and reuse technology, on an Athletic field, and will partner with University faculty to monitor and study soil moisture, water storage and temperature differences between the PermaVoid test areas and control areas. The goal of the project will be to better understand the water conservation and stormwater mitigation benefits of the technology on Princeton’s campus for potential future large-scale use.

Long-term data monitoring of water quality and stream level at several points along the stream has continued under the Civil & Chemical Engineering department’s Hydrometeorology research group.

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:

For a course paper, Eve Cooke ’22 analyzed the waste implications of Princeton’s pervasive giveaway culture and recommended that the University switch from an “opt-out” to an “opt-in” giveaway system. By requiring students to intentionally indicate that they would like an item, an opt-in system would allow campus administrators to order gear based on actual demand and thus eliminate over-ordering of giveaway items and prevent any unnecessary waste.

Following Eve's and other previous work on this topic, the University has since begun implementing opt-in systems for give-away items, such as reusable utensils.

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?:

Yes

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

For a 2019 community theater production called The Odyssey: The Musical, Annabel Barry ’19 led an exercise in sustainable theater production with diverse participants from artistically underserved communities. Barry, together with homeless, home insecure, and refugee families from the greater Princeton area, created wooden “tiles” made from recycled items such as bottle caps collected by local breweries, plastic containers collected by a local makeup store, leftover tiles and fabric scraps from various projects, used LEGO bricks and toys. Overall, the project demonstrated the ability for theater to be low-cost, inclusive, and environmentally responsible.

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?:

Yes

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

In her senior thesis, Ellen Scott-Young ’20 evaluates whether or not Princeton University adequately reflects the needs and challenges of a world harmed by climate change. In one chapter, she explores how issues of institutional identity, responsibility, and neutrality have informed the University’s stance toward fossil fuel divestment campaigns, and draws upon anthropological theory of reflexive practices to propose recommendations for institutional improvement. Specifically, she suggests that the University consider reviewing the contextual nature of its “core values” and why this may pose unfair difficulties for those submitting divestment proposals. And for those leading fossil fuel divestment campaigns, she recommends that groups consider differences between industry-wide divestment vs. single-company divestment before crafting a proposal.

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:

For a course paper, Hugues Martin Dit Neuville ’21 explored the positive relationship between time in nature and mental health, and recommended that walk-and-talk therapy (a service that incorporates outdoor walks into traditional counselling sessions), be incorporated into Princeton’s Counseling and Psychological Services. Based on survey results, Dit Neuville concluded that walk-and-talk services would not only help students at Princeton University feel more comfortable seeking treatment for issues regarding mental health, but also encourage the student body as a whole to spend more time in nature and seek out green spaces in/around Princeton’s campus.

Optional Fields

Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:

https://sustain.princeton.edu/campus-lab

Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

A link to senior theses: https://dataspace.princeton.edu/

The Office of Sustainability provides a page on its website designed to inspire students to consider Campus as Lab projects in choosing their Junior Paper, Senior Thesis, and graduate research topics. The page includes a wide array of Campus as Lab questions that apply to all sustainability topics and academic disciplines. View the page here: https://sustain.princeton.edu/campus-lab/research-questions

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