Sustainability at Lake Superior College

LSC Earth Day 2018

The schedule is set, and we’re excited to announce our lineup for this year’s LSC Earth Day fun and enlightenment! 

*NEW DETAILS: We’re thrilled to announce that Superior Small Batch and Upper Lakes Foods will both generously donate food samples to our “Vote with your BUDS” activity at noon.  With their help, we get to introduce students to foods they may not typically try, and maybe find a new favorite everyday food choice.  With positive feedback, the new item may become a staple on next year’s LSC Cafe menu!

Check out our printable full size poster, including a list of activities and details, and find the latest information on our facebook page.

Calling ALL Thumbs-New Garden Mentor Project

All of this week’s forecasted snow has us thinking spring!  The Sustainability Council is excited to partner with the Garden Club to announce a NEW garden mentor project this spring.

The idea is simple.  An LSC employee and at least one student will team up to adopt a raised bed in the LSC Garden Club vegetable garden (behind the H-building).  The LSC employee is responsible for recruiting an interested student, and the mentorship will share the responsibilities of planting, tending, and harvesting the goods.  The Garden Club may be able to provide plants, and the Sustainability Council will provide garden tools and storage space.

Now, we didn’t say who would mentor whom, because we think the benefit will go both ways!  We have 3 beds available for adoption, and they’ll be assigned on a first-ask basis so contact us soon (sustainability@lsc.edu) if you’re interested!  Happy spring planning!

LSC is a B3 BEST!

LSC brought home the “cedar” in the higher education division of B3’s annual Best of B3 Benchmarking!  WHOA, let’s unpack that jargon suitcase…

What’s B3? Simply put, it means Buildings Benchmark and Beyond (B x 3).  Not helpful?  From the B3 website, 

The B3 tools and programs are designed to help make buildings more energy efficient and sustainable. The B3 programs have been developed for and are required on State-funded projects in Minnesota, however they are easily applied to any project. The B3 Guidelines and the SB 2030 Energy Standard can be applied to new and renovated buildings during design. B3 Benchmarking, B3 Energy Efficient Operations and the B3 Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) can be used to evaluate and improve existing buildings.

LSC is a state institution, which means we apply these high efficiency standards for most building and renovation projects.  Each year, a team of experts takes a look at projects and identifies the over achievers in a number of categories.  This year, LSC was recognized along with these other fine projects:

• City of Mankato Transit Facility
• DNR Area Office, Glenwood
• Higher Ground Saint Paul

• DNR Area Office, Glenwood
• Hamline Station Apartments
• M State – Moorhead Transportation Center: Addition and Renovation

• Metropolitan State University Jason R. Carter Science Education Center 
• Minnesota State Normandale Community College Partnership Center
• University of Minnesota – Herbert M. Hanson Hall

• City of Hutchinson
• City of La Crescent
• City of Prior Lake

• Big Lake Schools
• Maple Lake Public Schools
• Wright Technical Center

• Department of Natural Resources
• Department of Correctional Facilities
• Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board

• Lake Superior College
• Minnesota West Community & Technical College – Worthington Campus

• Department of Transportation
• Minnesota Department of Military Affairs
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

And we won!  Well, technically, we tied with Minnesota West Community and Technical College, which is okay with us, because energy efficiency is a WIN for everyone!

One last tidbit.  How do they decide who wins?  That’s the exciting part!  B3 Benchmarking means we’re all doing just that, benchmarking and tracking our energy and water use data.  Across our almost 400,000 square feet of building space, we achieved an 16% lower than code-based energy use intensity; a 10% reduction from 2015.

Check out the Minnesota State Campus B3 Benchmarking site for monthly updated energy data, because you can’t manage what you don’t measure!

Soft Plastics Recycling Challenge

**UPDATE** WE DID IT!  OUR FINAL PLASTIC COUNT FOR THE 6-MONTH COLLECTION WAS 503 POUNDS!  Our new Trex bench will be here just in time for Duluth Spring!  LSC will continue to collect plastic bags and film, just as we have for over 5 years, we just don’t have to weigh it anymore.

In October, LSC kicked off its Trex Plastic Bag Challenge.  The goals is to collect 500 pounds of plastic refuse in a six-month span (about 40,500 bags).  If we meet that goal, Trex will donate a high-performance composite outdoor bench!

Anyone can bring  bags from home, and drop them in one of our 5 plastic bag collection bins on campus.  There is a bin near each entrance.  March is our final month of the competition collection, and after February’s weigh-in, we know we have about 150 pounds to go (this is more than we’ve collected in any single month, so we need all the help we can get)!

Trex makes premium decking and outdoor furniture from these plastic bags.  The products are made from 95% recycled materials.

What’s a “soft plastic”?

Plastic grocery bags
Plastic retail bags (remove string ties & rigid plastic handles)
Plastic dry-cleaning bags
Plastic cereal bags (must be dry with ALL food residue removed)
Plastic bread bags (must be dry with ALL rood residue removed)
Plastic produce bags (must be dry with ALL food residue removed)
Plastic wrap from paper products (paper towels, etc.)
Plastic salt bags (remove rigid plastic handles)
Plastic zipper bags (remove top closing mechanism)
Plastic stretch/shrink wrap
6-pack holder rings

PLEASE NO plastic bottles, rigid plastic containers or bubble wrap

2017 Earth Day at LSC – Leave No Trace

(Click the image above for pdf file)

NEW Waste signs!

Waste sorting can be hard, and we’re ALWAYS looking for short-cuts!  We’ve designed these BRAND NEW waste signs to make your life easier.  You can print these for your event, hang them in your office area, frame them for your friends, or just use for your own reference.

VERTICAL pages here:

HORIZONTAL pages here:

Still have questions about the “stuff” you’re managing, contact sustainability@lsc.edu or check out WLSSD’s ultra-helpful disposal guide (seriously easy to use)!

NEW Zero Waste Event Kits!

Do you host events at LSC?  Do you want to reduce your event’s footprint, and maybe even save some money?  LSC’s Sustainability Council is excited to offer a Zero Waste Event Kit!  You can request compost bins and bags through the EMS event request portal when you secure your room reservation.  We can provide additional informational signs, and can help you find the right compostable paper products and utensils to make it a successful zero/low impact event.

We’re working with the LSC Store to make the purchasing process even easier.  Stay tuned!

For more information, contact sustainability@lsc.edu

35,000 watts of energy saved every hour!

Winter in the Northland is here, so now is the time to think about our very best energy saving opportunities.  The LSC maintenance department works hard to assure the comfort of all building occupants.  If your work space is feeling chilly, consider a few tips:

• contact our maintenance department to find out if adjustments can be made,
• consider dressing in layers, and/or
• use a heated footrest.

Per campus and Minnesota State policies, space heaters are NOT allowed in any campus area.  They are a fire hazard when located under desks or near paper, and should never be plugged into extension cords.  Additionally, space heaters use about 1,500 watts of electricity per hour!  That’s the equivalent of running a dishwasher or toaster oven in your office, all day long!

Alternatively, the Sustainability Council rolled out an energy saving pilot in November 2014, and to date, they’ve distributed 26 heated footrests to employees, each running on only 100-250 watts of electricity.  This means that if everyone who received a heated footrests had previously used a rogue space heater, we’re now saving about 35,000 watts of energy per hour; that’s about $500 per month!  But most important, our employees are more comfortable.

Did you miss the first round of energy savings?  You have another chance, but now there’s a catch…to receive a footrest, you’ll have to help us with a Workspace Thermal Study.  You’ll agree to provide us with 1 week of temperature information in exchange for one of these dandy heaters.  If you’re not into science or numbers, contact us and we’ll give you vendor suggestions and you can buy your own footrest.

Also, don’t forget to turn off and unplug ALL of you unused equipment, including mini fridges, coffee pots, printers, and microwaves, when not in use (especially over long breaks and weekends)!

A Win for Waste and Health

By now you’ve probably noticed the new soap and paper towel dispensers on campus. What’s the deal?!  Weren’t most of those pretty new?  Yes, but LSC’s super-savvy maintenance supervisor saw an opportunity to save money, so he took it…

How could he possibly save money on all new dispensers, you ask?  Simple, Mark did a life cycle assessment on a suite of new products (check out the LSC Sustainability policies).  Here are the new product high points:
The Sustainability Council doesn’t like battery operated paper towels, and the Biology labs have better things to do than wave at those paper towel dispensers when there are really messy jobs to clean up.  The earlier compromise was bi- or tri-fold paper towels for some users, but rolls for most public areas.  Mark took a look at the invoices and noticed we were paying A LOT more for those fancy bi-folds (ahem, Biology?!).  He struck a deal with the users, and found a vendor that would replace ALL of our paper towel dispensers (for free) and give us a lower contract price for battery-free pull-down paper towel rolls.  Consistency across campus saves ordering and inventory time, manual dispensers are easier to fill so our “picky customers” can do it themselves, and dead batteries no longer require a maintenance request.  Also, did you know those things required 4 size D batteries to operate, EACH?  In heavy use areas, those batteries were replaced monthly!  We were literally throwing money in the trash!  So, we threw all of the old dispensers away, right?  Wrong!  The old vendor took them back, a REUSE win!

So what’s up with the soap and sanitizer?  You may not have even known there were sanitizer dispensers in the restrooms, because they looked exactly like the soap dispensers.  What?!  You needed a secret decoder ring  to figure out what came from where…another maintenance headache!  The new dispensers look completely different, and are consistent across campus.  Heavy users can manage their own product, so maintenance can focus on more important things.  What’s more, if you’ve ever had the privilege of changing one of those old soap containers, you would have noticed the little bit of product left at the bottom of the rigid plastic container.  You couldn’t get it out, no matter how hard you shook it!  Again, throwing money in the trash.  The plastic packaging was bulky, and who knows what was in that soap.  The new product is biodegradable, dye free, and certified GreenSeal™.  The soft packaging is a BPA free collapsible (less overall waste volume) SmartSac™ which contain 60% less plastic than the old rigid containers, and the packing is recyclable and biodegradable.

Lastly, not only are YOU using a better product, our maintenance team is using a similar suite of GreenSeal™ products for all of their routine cleaning.  Their new dilution and dispensing system means there’s less single-use packing and no more aerosol cans, we aren’t paying to have watered-down products shipped to us, a less caustic product with safe handling systems means healthier working conditions for our maintenance team (and all of us), less overall product means a simpler safety tracking system, and we’re saving money!  Whew!  Are you keeping tracking track of all these wins?!

Thanks Mark, thanks maintenance team (change is hard), and as cold and flu season sets in, use those soap and sanitizer stations often!

Annual Stormwater Public Meeting

Curious about LSC’s stormwater management plan?  Wondering what the cities of Duluth and Hermantown do to manage their vast municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s)?  Maybe you just want free snacks and refreshments?  Whatever your motivation, join us on June 8th at the MN D.O.T. offices.

Third Annual World Water Day – 2016

Each year, UMD and LSC collaborate to offer events that Celebrate World Water Day.  This year, our discussion will focus on the importance of access to local water resources, and the role that access plays in fostering appreciation and respect for those places.  Watch Rock the Boat, learn what “navigable water” means, eat some popcorn, and help us build our annual bottle chain and plastics display.  First 15 people to bring us an empty plastic bottle for our chain gets a FREE “Superior” aluminum bottle!  Check out the press release for more info on ours, and UMD’s events.  Most events are free and open to the public!

 When satirical writer and avid kayaker George Wolfe organizes a boating expedition down the entire 52 miles of the notorious Los Angeles River, he and his motley crew become entangled in a legal controversy of national proportions. With startling images of the LA River, insightful interviews and a quirky sense of humor, Rock the Boat looks at the challenges society faces in providing clean water to urban populations, and delivers a bright alternative to the current spate of doomsday docs.

LSC Explores Solar PV

Lake Superior College, along with the University of Minnesota Duluth and seven other US colleges, were recently awarded a technical assistance grant to learn more about the technical feasibility and economic assessment of installing solar photovoltaics on their campuses.

 In support of the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot initiative, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offered no-cost technical assistance to universities seeking to “go solar”. The program was designed to increase deployment of mid-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at universities, engage stakeholders to develop deployment solutions, and empower decision makers.

UMD and LSC will receive initial assessment of solar PV feasibility at their campuses using NREL’s REopt energy planning platform, including cost-effectiveness of solar PV installations, recommended system sizes, estimated capital costs to implement solar, and estimated life cycle cost savings. The results will help the campuses plan for future ways to be cost-effective and reduce carbon emissions.

“We saw this as an opportunity to not only gain answers around the technical feasibility and economic considerations of solar investment opportunities, but as a way to engage students and provide learning opportunities,” said Mindy Granley, Sustainability Director at UMD.  “This semester, students in engineering courses are working on technical solar questions, students are involved in mapping solar potential, and six students formed a Solar University Network (SUN) Delegation team at UMD, to promote the use of solar on campus.”

“The NREL solar assistance opportunity came along at exactly the right time,” said Kristi Heintz, Sustainability Coordinator at LSC.  “As LSC discusses its overall strategic plan for the coming years, we can concurrently develop our strategic energy future.”

In the first round of assistance to universities, NREL chose to provide solar screenings to the following institutions:

• Fairleigh Dickinson University
• Lake Superior College
• Luther College
• University of Minnesota Duluth
• Washington and Lee University
• Milwaukee Area Technical College
• Northern Arizona University
• University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

Lake Superior College began compiling preliminary information in February and the assessment project will be complete by September 30th, 2016.  The full press release can be found here.

Contact sustainability@lsc.edu for more information.

LSC: the Newest WLSSD Food Waste Drop Site

In April 2015, Lake Superior College and Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) teamed up to offer Duluth’s newest Community Food Waste Drop Site.

Here’s the scoop:  LSC is the host site, WLSSD contracts with a hauler to pick up the organics, the surrounding community and LSC get to drop their compostables in the designated ORGANICS dumpster (located at our loading dock area, look for the sticker that says “ORGANICS” in yellow print) for FREE, and WLSSD turns those organics into Garden Green compost at their industrial composting facility in west Duluth.  Want more information?  Great!  Check out WLSSD’s Food Waste Drop Off Instructions.   LSC is THE OFFICIAL Lincoln Park drop site!

There’s a hosting perk just for the LSC community.  To get things started, WLSSD provided us with home collection bins.  Since the hosting agreement began, they have donated over 75 bins to our employees!  These small bins fit perfectly under your sink, and make a great transporter for your scraps. Need bags?  No problem!  Just stop by E2120 and grab a bundle of bags for yourself!  A bag will typically take about a month to fill…typically…  If the West end of the building is closer for you, you might want to grab your bags from the 2nd floor W-building entrance (located right next to the loading dock area, bag box just inside the door).  These bags are available to anyone in the community utilizing the drop sites for FREE from WLSSD.  If you have questions about composting or the drop site program, email sustainability@lsc.edu.

Food scrap collection bins, bags and information provided by WLSSD and available in the Sustainability Office (E2120).

Clean-Campus Power Hour

The Sustainability Council is excited to organize and offer this

fun employee team-building campus event, join us for 30 minutes or 3 hours

(ask your supervisor, then ask them to join us!)

Twin Ports World Water Week 2015

For the second year, LSC is partnering with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, University of Wisconsin-Superior, College of St. Scholastica, and the League of Women Voters to celebrate World Water Week!  Events at LSC will take place on Monday, March 23rd in the Student Lounge  from 11:00-1:00.  Bring your empty plastic water bottles, add them to our bottle chain, and first 15 exchanges get a FREE aluminum water bottle.  Learn about the effects of plastics in our ecosystem, watch “Blue Gold: World Water Wars” with us, discuss and eat popcorn!  Also, attend the week’s great events at UMD, UWS, CSS, and EPA Lab (more info below)!

Monday at Lake Superior College
• 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Showing of the film “Blue Gold: World Water Wars”. Students can bring empty plastic bottles to the Lounge to add to a plastic bottle chain; first 15 people get a FREE re-usable aluminum bottle!

Tuesday at University of Minnesota Duluth
• 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Water Fair at UMD, in UMD Kirby Bus Hub
o Can You Taste The Difference? Bottled Water vs. Tap Water challenge, hosted by UMD Office of Sustainability
o Sign up to win a “I drink SUPERIOR water” reusable aluminum bottle
o Water Fair: Learn about protecting water quality, invasive species, watershed research and more from Minnesota Sea Grant, Natural Resources Research Institute, and the UMD Stormwater Committee
• 7:00 p.m. Showing of “Tapped”- a documentary about the life of bottled water, in UMD Life Sciences 185 (Free snacks and tap water!)

Tuesday at University of Wisconsin Superior
• Starting at 11:20 a.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m., showing of “Flow”, in Swenson Hall 1004

Wednesday at the College of St. Scholastica
• 7:00 p.m. Showing of “Waterlife: The Epic Journey of our Water” in the College of St. Scholastica’s Science Auditorium.

Thursday at University of Wisconsin Superior
• 11:00 a.m. Environmental Sociology students will be presenting their semester projects on water related issues, in the Yellowjacket Union.

Thursday at the EPA Lab in Duluth
• 6:30 p.m., Showing of “DamNation” a documentary about the history and controversy surrounding dam removal projects, hosted by the League of Women Voters Duluth

Friday at University of Wisconsin Superior

• 12:00 p.m., Emerging Micro-Pollutants: Water in Plastic and Plastic in Water, Presentation by Professor of Chemistry Lorena Rios Mendoza, in Swenson 1004

This event was organized by the UMD Office of Sustainability and supported by the League of Women Voters Duluth and  UMD’s Allworth Institute and Office of Sustainability.  Collaborative posters created by  UMD Graphic Design & Marketing student.

2015 Full-Scale Composting Pilot Study

The Sustainability Council has an exciting project to share!  We have had a student working with us over the past few months to design a compost feasibility study for LSC.  As you all know, the 2007 WLSSD Solid Waste Ordinance requires LSC to separate our pre-consumer food waste and divert it to compost.  Currently, we deal with that pre-consumer waste and coffee grounds via our worm bins in the Atrium.  That project has been fantastic;  the soil has been used by the Garden Club, is annually added to your favorite wildflower area, and Theresa Hornstein uses it to start seedlings for her annual spring plant sale where proceeds benefit the LSC Foundation.

But here’s the exciting part, we can do MORE!  We can’t compost post-consumer food, or paper products, or compostable eat-wear in our worm bins, so all of that is still going to a landfill.  A typical campus waste stream includes 30% potentially compostable materials.  Our student’s (let’s call her Mel) pilot study will attempt to estimate volume and cost for expanding our existing composting program.

This project was partially made possible with the help of a FREE triple bin we received from Max-R (an almost $3,000 value) during a 1-day promotional event that they called Free Bin Friday.  This bin includes a slot specifically for compost.  This beautiful bin (made over 1,000 recycled milk jugs) is located outside the LSC Café, and will be open for use when our pilot kicks off on January 20^th.  It’s important to remember that while the study is being conducted, “compostables” that are collected will go in the regular trash dumpster as we don’t currently have a compost hauling service, BUT the information we get from separating and monitoring will be invaluable.  The pilot will run from January to March, and Mel will work with our maintenance department to track food and other compostable materials during that time.  On January 20th, education will start, and we’ll staff a table and provide all kinds of info on composting for you both here and at home.  Much of the information can be found on the WLSSD Composting & Yard Waste web page.

Here’s what you can do during the study:

• put all of your food waste and napkins in the bin
• put all of your used coffee grounds in the bin
• watch for updates, and results in March!

If you have any questions about the study or general composting, email sustainability@lsc.edu.

Interpretive Trail Grand Re-Opening

Miller Creek Interpretative Trail, Repaired from 2012 Flood Damage, to Formally Reopen on Oct. 1

Media Contact: Janet Blixt, 218/733-7774, j.blixt@lsc.edu

(Duluth, Minn. Sept. 25, 2014) – The record-breaking summer solstice flood of 2012 damaged many of Duluth’s 42 creeks and rivers and adjoining trails and bridges. The Miller Creek Interpretative Trail on the Lake Superior College campus was one of them. Both bridges spanning the creek were washed downstream and stream-monitoring equipment was destroyed.

A formal reopening of the Miller Creek Interpretative Trail will be held on Wed., Oct. 1 at 1:00 p.m. at the trailhead sign on the Lake Superior College campus.  The public is welcome to attend with free parking available in the west lot.

Since the 2012 flood, LSC faculty, staff, students and the Duluth community have pitched in to repair the damage done to this designated trout stream. The trail bridges were re-designed by Larry Sampson from the Superior Hiking Trail Association and located to new crossings. Volunteers, including LSC Fire Technology students, helped with bridge construction, installation and creating additional tread walkways, including stone stairways.

The $5,000 stream monitoring equipment was replaced through FEMA funding. Jerry Henneck with UMD’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) reinstalled this equipment, which provides real-time temperature, stage height, turbidity, flow, and conductivity data to the LakeSuperiorStreams.org database.

Bridge locations and connecting trails were altered so the new trail system was re-mapped by LSC Civil Technology students. A Civic Engagement class designed and installed a new trail entrance sign and way-finding arrows. Building Construction faculty member John Calcaterra built the new cedar trail sign holders.

The Miller Creek Interpretive Trail is a half-mile route connecting 14 sites of ecological and geological interest in the creek valley and surrounding area. Illustrated signposts explain features found at each location.  “Our biology, geology and physical education faculty use Miller Creek as an outdoor classroom for our students. This trail serves as a community, educational and recreational resource, accessible to everyone for fishing and hiking,” said LSC Sustainability Coordinator Kristi Heintz. “We appreciate all the volunteer time and support from our campus and community.”

LSC is northeastern Minnesota’s largest two-year college with a fall semester enrollment of approximately 4,500 students. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also a leader in online-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.

News Coverage of the October 1st Event

Duluth News Tribune: Photo of the Day

WDIO

Northlands News Center

Star Tribune

WXOW

Crookston Times

Solar Power Hour @ LSC 9/18

Lake Superior College will host Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Solar Power Hour public education session on September 18th at 7:00 in E2154.  Park in the lower main parking lot (Lot 1) and enter the “E-building” doors, look for signs to E2154.

“This FREE, 1-hour program, called a Power Hour, educates participants on the benefits of solar energy and demonstrates that solar power has never been cheaper or easier to install.

The Power Hour details the components of a solar photovoltaics (PV) system, discusses market trends, outlines the step-by-step process of evaluating the feasibility of PV for your home, talks about the economic benefits, reviews the list of approved solar installers, and has a solar expert available from Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) to answer your questions.

For additional details about the Power Pack Illinois program, visit the Grow Solar website.”

This event is open to the public.  Please register here (not required, but appreciated).  We look forward to seeing you!

LSC Earth Day 2014

LSC Bags It

Have you seen the plastics display in the main floor concourse near Student Life?  It’s made from used plastic bags and plastic bottles collected during World Water Week.  The photos next to the plastics chain give you a glimpse of the environmental problems associated with accumulating plastics in our ecosystem.  BUT, do you know who is NOT contributing to the plastic pandemic?  The LSC Store!

LSC’s commitment to waste reduction can be seen throughout the campus, from worm composting to recycling uncommon waste, we’ve committed to diverting our waste load  from the landfill.  The very best way to do this, though, is to change the procedures that bring that waste to our campus in the first place.  Four years ago, the LSC Store manager, Connie Moore, decided to make a real change in the way she operated the store.  Like many retail shops, our campus store sent customers out the door with high quality, single-use, plastic bags to carry their newly purchased text books and other items.  Recognizing the waste this generated, Connie made a change that stuck.  The LSC Store now gives away re-usable tote bags with each text book, supply, and merchandise purchase.  If students bring in their own bag, they receive $1 off their purchase.  Connie reports, “Cloth bags are about 40 percent more expensive than plastic, but we feel they are worth that extra expense”.  Since moving away from plastic, the LSC Store has given away nearly 10,000 reusable bags.  Those bags can be seen on student’s shoulders all year, and with various uses: lunch bags, gym bags, even diaper bags!

EZ Books @ the LSC Store

Additionally, the bags serve as a promotional tool.  They are adorned with the LSC EZ Books Reservation logo, which is another program the LSC Store recently launched.  Many students order books online.  Before EZ Books, the only way to receive those books was through the mail, creating additional emissions through the shipping process.  Now, EZ Books allows students to pick up reserved books at the EZ Books distribution window. The EZ books system also gives students first dibs on the used book supply, and students can grab their books in a free tote bag when they’re on campus.

Bag It, Duluth

A local group of passionate plastic bag crusaders, called Bag It, Duluth, is working to create an awareness and dialog about the use of plastic bags.  They’re urging businesses and consumers to think a bit differently about the plastic bag that is used once, sometimes for only a few minutes, then discarded in a landfill where it will sit for at least 1,000 years.  Worldwide, 1 trillion plastic bags are used annually.  Use less where you can, recycle where available (like here, at LSC!), and check out this light-hearted YouTube video, The Majestic Plastic Bag: A Mocumentary.

LSC Runs on LED

LSC is now three years into an ongoing, multi-year energy saving plan, achieved  partially through lighting fixture and bulb upgrades.

In 2011, the Main Concourse was fitted with new energy saving lighting fixtures. This has allowed lower-watt bulbs to more efficiently cast light.  The concourse lights also utilize photocell technology, a high-efficiency function that allows natural lighting to determine whether the light stays on…or off. When sufficient daylight permits, a number of the lights in the concourse will switch off—in turn, further reducing our energy needs.  Additionally, the library added a new row of ultra high efficiency T-5 fixtures to a space that was in  need of brighter, yet more efficient, lighting.  Finally, in some hallways where ballasts permitted, inefficient compact bulbs were replaced with more efficient lower watt bulbs.  Since the first year’s round of projects was completed, our energy consumption in those areas has reduced by almost 224,000 kWH per year, saving $13,000 annually! This project also utilized an almost $10,000 Minnesota Power rebate. To date, total payback from energy savings has nearly been reached!

In 2013, a total parking lot lighting fixture upgrade cycle began.  Since then, 61 400-watt metal halide fixtures in LSC’s North and Lower Main parking lots have been upgraded to 116-watt LED, with photocontrol added for diurnal dimming depending on available daylight and parking lot use.  Rebates from this project were placed in an energy efficiency revolving fund, and that money will be reinvested in additional campus energy efficiency upgrades.  Anticipated payback for this project is about 10 years.  The campus’ West parking lot is next in line for LED upgrades.

Want more Information?

“In The Dark About Picking A Light Bulb…”  for your home or office?  Check out this FAQ article from NPR.  You’ll even see a great watt comparison, from incandescent to CFL, to LED, they outline relative energy consumption, light output and life expectancy in “NPR’s Guide To Changing Light Bulbs“.

Energy Grant for Retrofits

In 2013, Lake Superior College was awarded a $30,000 conservation grant from Comfort Systems, Duluth for major energy efficiency upgrades at its main campus.  The 43,000 square foot main building now contains a hybrid boiler system, where one of the three existing standard boilers were upgraded to two natural gas fired, high efficiency, full condensing, modulating boilers.  According to Plant Maintenance Engineer, Jim Borg, the two new condensing boilers serve as primary building heat suppliers, while the two older boilers are now back-ups, triggered mainly during periods of peak demand and extreme cold temperatures.  High efficiency water heaters, which feed into the boiler system, were  installed as part of the project as well.  The HVAC system was also upgraded with five variable frequency drives on the pumps and air handling unit fans.

The 11,600 square foot Art Building’s steam heat system was also updated with two natural gas fired high efficiency hot water boilers.

Overall, the project will reduce 347,636 pounds of CO2 emissions and save almost $20,000 annually.  The project payback is just over 14 years.

Sustainable Twin Ports 2013 Public Showcase

LSC is a 2013 Sustainable Twin Ports Early Adopter.  Their training cohort included University of Wisconsin Superior, Canal Park Brewery, and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Miller Creek Bridges

Following the June 2012 record-breaking regional floods, all of the Miller Creek at LSC monitoring equipment was lost.  Additionally, two foot bridges crossing Miller Creek were destroyed and floated downstream.

Thanks to LSC’s Emergency Response Trailing Center (ERTC) student volunteers, Sustainability Council members, and the expertise of Larry Sampson of the Superior Hiking Trail Association, the two LSC Interpretive Trail foot bridges were replaced. 

Monitoring equipment was replaced in 2014, and stream data can be found at duluthstreams.org.  The upper bridge was re-located to a site slightly upstream from the original location.  The new trail map, created by Civil Tech student Rene Fall, includes the half-mile loop path and can be found here.

Campus Stormwater Management

Stormwater Sensitive Infrastructure

In 2012, LSC’s newest parking lot fix incorporated some major underground stormwater management structures.  These structures will slow the flow of water and settle almost 50% of sediment that would otherwise reach Miller Creek through a direct pipe outfall.  Reduced sediment to the creek means less chance of increasing stream temperatures of this trout stream.  Read more about the design in the LSC Wave article by Mat Gilderman.  The parking lot also features energy efficient LED lighting controlled by photoeye technology.

Raingardens, Wildflowers, and Native Grasses

The first raingarden constructed at LSC was a cooperative effort between the college and the South St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District.  The garden was funded by a $11,000 Clean Water Partnership grant. In 2006, this garden was installed to capture the runoff from the large west parking lot.  Because of the volume reaching this garden, it was constructed with a primary entrance point, the forbay, which temporarily holds and settles water and sand.  Water then flows into the main water treatment area which is planted with native vegetation.  Because of the specific design of this garden, some periodic sand removal from the forbay is required to keep it functioning properly.

Visit the SWCD site for more information on Miller Creek restoration projects, including the “Jumbo Gully” project near campus in 2011.

The main entrance raingarden was constructed in 2007 with the Student Services Building addition.  The raingarden was installed to capture hillside runoff from the north side of the building through an under-building tunnel.

In 2011, LSC’s newest Health and Science Building was constructed uphill from the north side of the main building.  The H-Building sits atop a 150 foot vertical decline to Miller Creek.  Bio-swales were incorporated into the south facing slope and native grasses are planted to promote infiltration of at least 90% of roof and pavement runoff from an average rainfall event.  During initial site preparation, over 1,750 tons of rock were blasted and excavated, and some of the rubble was used in the construction of the terraces.  These swales have also proven to be great bedding habitat for deer and their fawns!

In 2012, after years of planning, the Student Senate Legacy Project kicked-off with a turf kill and initial seeding of about 3,000 square feet of native grasses and wild flowers on the front lawn.  The Senate has been working with Boreal Natives, a local division of Prairie Restorations, which specializes in native plant community restoration.  They’ve been actively involved in site preparation, planting, and maintenance since the project started.  While not a typical rain garden, this area does include a stormwater pipe outlet and wet drainage area.  The planting included two different seed mixes; wetland and dry prairie.  The grasses will take at least two growing seasons to fully establish, so look for first signs of color and diversity in 2014.  The Legacy Project will change and expand each year to include seating areas, walking paths, fruit trees and “adoptable” garden plots in summer 2014!

One of LSC’s most visible wildflower area conversions was seeded fall 2013.  The campus’ Student Services Building (S-Building) entrance space was converted from typical turf to a low-growing northern climate short grass and wildflower seed mix.  This space includes roughly 3,000 combined square feet. The seed mix consists of blue dwarf coneflowers, blue flax, and baby blue eyes along with california poppys,  calendula and more.  This has been a tricky maintenance area for years, with narrow sidewalks, large snow removal equipment and poor soil, the grass on either side of the sidewalk has had a difficult time thriving.  This is the first step in finding a solution  that will suit everyone’s needs.

Landscape Planning Process

In 2013, LSC’s Campus Sustainability Council formed a Landscape Planning Work Group.  The group’s first task was to develop a landscape planning map.  With input from the campus community, our maintenance department and community members, the group will create an annual maintenance plan as well as short- and long-tem planting plans.  With well-designed plans, we will mitigate erosion on tricky slopes, reduce stormwater inflow and improve the quality of water flowing to Miller Creek.  Additionally, we’ll reduce the need to mow a typical turf grass lawn-scape, and create some areas of interest to invite greater utilization of our outdoor spaces both for education and leisure.

The view from our front lawn includes the St. Louis River estuary and Lake Superior; through Miller Creek, we have a direct connection to both, so we can’t help but be inspired to be great stewards of this land!

SWCD and the Miller Creek Watershed

From the Miller Creek TMDL to the Jumbo Gully Project below LSC’s overflow parking lot, the South St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District’s (SWCD) is passionate about protecting our natural resource:

From the SWCD Miller Creek Watershed webpage…

“Miller Creek Watershed overview
Miller Creek is unique in that it is a designated trout stream located within a heavily developed urban corridor (the Duluth Miller Hill Mall Area and the City of Duluth). Miller Creek has been the subject of myriad studies and has received much attention over the past few decades. The watershed is approximately 10 square miles. It originates from headwater wetlands in Hermantown and empties into Lake Superior at 26th Ave. West just below Lincoln Park.

The primary concern with Miller Creek is the decline and potential loss of the brook trout fishery in the creek. Related concerns include increased water temperatures, sedimentation, loss of habitat, and high chloride and metals concentrations. The overall goal of the Miller Creek Watershed Restoration Project is to provide for a viable, self-sustaining urban trout fishery, as well as to educate the public regarding watershed health and urban impacts to area trout streams. “

Learn more about the SWCD and projects they’re involved in by clicking here.

LSC Adopt-A-Parking Lot Project

Most lots on campus has been adopted, and the program so far has been a HUGE success!  These adopting groups have cleaned the trash from adopted lots and surrounding green space once per month since October 2012, and the groups have received unique recognition for doing it.  We put each team’s name on a sign posted at each lot.  Student Life also contributes $100 to the club’s budget after a semester of clean-ups is complete.  It’s like a legacy gift from each club to next semester’s members, not to mention the gift of a cleaner campus and Miller Creek for everyone!

Email sustainability@lsc.edu for more information or to request a lot!

LOT LIST

MILLER CREEK LOT: Rad Tech Club

LOT 1-UPPER: Physical Therapy Assistant Club

LOT 1-LOWER: AVAILABLE!!

LOT 2 Phi Theta Kappa

LOT 3: Nursing Club

LOT 4: Auto Club

LOT 5: AVAILABLE!

LOT 6: LSC Store

LOT 7: AVAILABLE!!

LOT 10: Respiratory Club

ERTC: Fire Tech Club

Mighty Miller Creek: High Water Events 5/29/2012 & 6/20/2012

 This WAS impressive…

first heavy rain event: May 29th, 2012

…but this June-monsoon trumped the May rain event

Record rains caused both Miller Creek foot bridges to wash out on 6/20/2012.  The picture at top right was taken last spring at our trail head.  The trail head is now lacking a bridge.

The inset photo at top left is what the 2nd bridge USED TO look like (with expensive monitoring equipment attached)

New Health and Science Building Achieves LEED Silver

LSC’s new Health and Science Building was designed LEED Silver, which means the design is responsible for incorporating at least 50 points related to environmental sustainability.  At final tally, we were just short of Gold certification!  Here’s just a few of the key points we achieved:

 Construction Activity Pollution Prevention

Sitework for the building was designed and constructed in a way to:

• Prevent loss of soil during construction by stormwater runoff and/or wind erosion, including protecting topsoil by stockpiling for reuse.
• Prevent sedimentation of storm sewer or receiving streams.
• Prevent polluting the air with dust and particulate matter.

Construction Waste Management

• Over 75% of the construction debris was diverted from disposal in landfills.
• Recycled content and regional (within 500 miles) materials were used throughout the building process.

Public Transportation Access

LSC’s Student Life funds a free bus pass for students through the UPASS Program, reducing our reliance on single passenger vehicle travel to and from campus.

Preferred Parking for Carpool

LSC will designate two preferential parking spaces specifically reserved for carpools, increasing awareness of the need for reduced single passenger vehicles.

Undeveloped Outdoor Space

A space equal to the building footprint will be left vegetated and undeveloped on the northeast of the building, maximizing open spaces adjacent to the building.

Stormwater Management

Bio-swales, consisting of a biofiltration soil mix and tolerant native plants, promote infiltration of at least 90% of roof and pavement runoff from an average rainfall event.

Water Efficient Landscaping

The landscaping installed for the project does not require permanent irrigation systems.  Native plants, sod & seed mixes were selected for their drought tolerance and will obtain adequate moisture from normal rainfall events.

Water Use Reduction

Water fixtures throughout the building reduce water usage by 20%.

• Urinals use 0.125 gallons per flush vs. typical 1.0 gallons per flush urinals.
• Faucets use 0.5 gallons per minute vs. typical 2.5 GPM lavatory faucets
• The janitor sinks uses a low flow 2.5 gallon per minute flow faucet.
• The lab sinks use a low flow 2.0 gallon per minute flow faucet.

Fundamental Refrigerant Management

No HVAC&R system equipment in the building uses CFC-based refrigerants. Refrigerants and HVAC&R equipment for the project were specifically selected to minimize or eliminate the emission of compounds that contribute to ozone depletion and global warming.

Storage & Collection of Recyclables

LSC has an extensive recycling program, and a recycling room is provided in the new building to ensure proper handling of recyclable materials.

Indoor Air Quality

The building meets and exceeds the LEED Standard Minimum Indoor Air Quality standards by 30%.

Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring

Permanent monitoring systems are installed to provide feedback on ventilation system performance and ensure that ventilation systems maintain design minimum ventilation requirements.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control

LSC prohibits smoking in buildings and on campus, improving overall air quality in and around buildings.

Low-Emitting Materials

Low-emitting adhesives and sealants were used on the interior of the building.

Primers, paints and coatings used on the interior of the building were required to meet specific VOC requirements established for buildings by Green Seal Standards.

All carpet installed in the building was required to meet the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label Plus program.

Recycled  content concrete tiles were installed in the main hallway and some labs and classrooms.  These tiles are removable and individually replaceable, and also allow for easy access to air and water handling pipes (that’s right, under the floor!).

Composite wood, and agrifiber products, used on the interior of the building could not contain added urea-formaldehyde resins. Laminating adhesives used for casework also contain no added urea-formaldehyde resins.

LSC has specifically purchased low-emitting furniture which will not negatively impact the indoor air quality in this new building.  Furniture has been manufactured, refurbished or refinished within one year prior to occupancy and must be either Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified, or been tested by a third-party testing laboratory following procedures defined by the EPA.

Lighting and Thermal Comfort

A high level of lighting system and thermal control by individual occupants is installed to promote the productivity, comfort and well-being of building occupants.

Daylighting and Views

This building provides daylight to 85% of the occupied space.

• Daylight sensors reduce the demand on the light fixtures, reducing the energy used to light spaces when receiving daylight.
• Window shades are utilized to avoid high-contrast situations that could impede visual tasks.
• Tubular skylights (SolaTubes) utilizing reflective surfaces are used in many places to bring daylight into interior spaces.

Green Housekeeping

LSC has adopted green housekeeping policies and procedures intended to minimize negative affects to indoor air quality campus wide, including the use of many GreenSeal cleaning prodcuts.

LSC’s Vending Miser Project

In an effort to save energy here at LSC, we have been installing Vending Misers and Snack misers on the vending machines located around the LSC campus.  They are sensors that shut off the machines and conserve energy when nobody is around to use them. The misers fit onto the back of the machines and the sensor activates it when someone is right in front of it. The Vending Misers cycle the refrigeration units every 2 hours to keep the drinks cold, and still conserve energy.

For the first part of our study we placed kilowatt meters on several random machines around the campus and monitored them for a week. One machine used 36.10 kilowatts of energy in one week without the Vending Miser on it. After the Vending miser was installed the energy consumption was down to 21.51 kilowatts in one week. If they all had vending misers on them that’s 14.59 kilowatts per machine per week of energy saved.  It’s worth noting that our study was done during spring semester.  The potential energy savings over summer semester could be much greater.

In total we have 23 pop machines and 5 snack machines. We would also save a lot of money if we removed a few of the pop machines. There are several locations where there are two or more machines very close to one another. If we got rid of one or two of them, it would save us almost $100 a year per machine in operating costs.

Currently we have installed Vending Misers on 7 different vending machines around the school. We do have more of them, and will be installing them in the near future. If you have any questions about them please ask someone on the Environmental Council.

Written by Lance Lindquist

Environmental Council Work Study