Sustainability at Lake Superior College

Employee Feedback from “Unveiling the SPA”

All Faculty/Staff Suggestions

Re: Sustainability Plan of Action (SPA) from January 6^th, 2011 Duty Day

Information/Transparency

• Publicize cost and energy savings
• “What are the true costs and savings of the hallway lamp retrofits? Cost of new lamps? Cost of disposing old lamps? Costs to install? What about aesthetic considerations-fixture design and lighting quality?  Transparency-who decided this change?”
• “Cost savings vs. cosmetic”
• “Fluid ways to reduce computer copy paper”
• “Does keeping things plugged in-does that use energy-ex. Not shutting off monitors”
• “Where do leaves, grass clippings go” Are they mulched/composted?”
• “Styrofoam shredder-newer version”
• “Environmental Technology Certificate (in progress)”
• “Data on campus closing over holiday-related to energy savings”

Finance

• “Optional fee for green initiatives”
• “Use Department of Energy grants”

Building/Energy efficiency

• “Concentrate classes required for programs to reduce miles per time on campus”
• “1-2° warmer temp in summer-less AC costs”
• “Climate control”
• “Control of how we are heating/cooling bldg?”
• “Windows that open in south facing rooms and fans”
• “Get involved in Duluth Energy Efficiency Program (DEEP)”
• “Look at reclaiming energy losses-buildings”
• “Capture heat from kilns in the art building”
• “Capture heat from ceramic kilns for art building heat”
• “Capture heat loss from art bldg.”
• “Heat recovery for existing air handling units (reclaimed from exhaust air)”
• “Capture electricity in fitness equipment-pedal power”
• “Overhead lighting throughout campus-greater efficiency and more “natural” light if possible”
• “Media Studies: studio lighting energy and cost saving with compact fluorescents and common work light fixtures”
• “Start solar and seed planting now”
• “Solar panels-snow/reflectivity”
• “Solar energy for the building”
• “Solar panels”
• “Solar and wind power”
• “4 day work weeks”
• “4 day work week”
• “4 day work week starting summer 2011”
• “4 day week M-Th”
• “4 day week (no classes scheduled)”
• “4 day work week in summer especially”
• “4 day work weeks-10 hr days”
• “Reduce work week in summer (especially)”
• “Close campus on Fridays (summer or winter)”
• “Limit weekend classes or only open sections needed in building”
• “Close campus 3 out or 4 Saturdays”
• “Eliminate individual fridges, coffee pots, heaters, etc.”
• “Turn off unnecessary power and computers”
• “Locker room shower efficiency”
• “Green rooftops”
• “Garden roof, grow herbs and vegetables”
• “Wasted flushes from electric eye toilets (ex. 2^nd floor East building women’s restroom)”
• “More efficient automatic flushes (flushes a lot-wastes water)”
• “Dual flush toilets”
• “Hand driers (amt of paper) electronic versus paper”
• “Utilize hand dryers in all washrooms-cost of elec less than paper, easier cleaning, less work to dump garbage”
• “Increase use of light sensors in buildings”
• “Motion sensing lights”
• “Motion sensor-what point turn on lights?”
• “Decrease office and campus lighting”
• “Decrease energy use by machines”
• “Wind turbine 2027? HOW ABOUT SOONER?”
• “Add a wind turbine before 2027 (by ~2015)- or geothermal”
• “Wind turbines”
• “Roof wind turbines”
• “Maintain wind energy systems”
• “Sell back [energy] to Excel Energy, Hartley Nature Center”
•  “Recycling bins should replace ALL garbage cans”
• “Recycle Machine Technology coolant”
• “Use of Ronald McDonald cardboard boxes for pop-can tops to help children at the Ronald McDonald House”

Technology

• “Eliminate disposable electronics
• “Electronic filing system, portals, etc.”
• “Eliminate excess electronic equipment/outdated tech”
• “Electronic communication options”
• “Turn off computers”
• ““Don’t print this” on all emails”
• “Video conferencing”
• “Make equip be up to date for decreasing energy cost including computers”
• “Increase use of recycled office paper”
• “Need for better quality printers in classrooms that would handle double-sided printing would save tremendous amt of paper in lab classes”

Employee Training

• “Educate faculty/staff on tech use”
• “Offer faculty an incentive to reduce paper usage (copies, paper handouts)”
• “D2L training to show students and faculty how to use IMS to reduce paper use”
• “Maintenance-safety/environmental training”
•  “Foundation participation in sustainability”

Landscape

• “More rain gardens to beautify campus-more trees and landscaping”
• “Planting more trees on campus”
• “Bulk trees from DNR”
• “Rain barrels to water existing landscaping”
•  “Picnic tables”
• “Better outdoor gathering areas”
• “Green space for sports/recreation on hilltop behind science building”
• “New approach to landscaping”
• “Native prairie grass seed study to make seed and see what grows well here (make vegetative swales between parking lots)”
• “Reduce mowing-more natural planting”
• “Quit mowing entirely-let the “true native” grasses grow”
• “Natural herbicide to get rid of weeds in rocks”
• “Planting differently to reduce mowing”

Campus Access/Commuting

• “Add LSC as a voice in support of the cross-town connector trail between the Lakewalk to Munger Trail”
• “Partnership w/ city for biking ability in all weather i.e snow
• “Sidewalks and accessibility”
• “Sidewalks!”
• “Crosswalk”
• “Safety for peds/bike use”
• “Move defined entrances/exits biking areas to access to campus-how do we promote this?”
• “College shuttle to the DTA hub downtown”
• “Better bussing to outlying areas – Park & Ride East, West, Superior, Hermantown…”
• “Duluth-Downtown public transit”
• “Shuttle-Downtown”
• “Better bus service generally”
• “More of bus service, less reliance on personal transport”
• “Provide more frequent bussing-Saturday, evenings, early morning”
• “Beef up the bus service
• “Continue free bus passes”
• “Help city identify and develop bike paths that end at LSC”
• “Facilitate rideshare board”
• “Carpool board-electronic/online”
• “Carpool incentives (zip codes)”
• “Duluth carpooling incentives”
• “Database-travel routes”
• “Carpool parking spaces in first row”
• “A carpool/bike to school day once a quarter (with donuts)”
• “Safe bike lock-up areas”
• “Schedule faculty to commute less”
• “Schedule 2/3 days wk”
• “Allow employees to work from home-even part-time
• “Common meeting time”
• “Parking fee incentive”
• “Have bikes on campus

Education/Curriculum

• “Solar and wind power-made here by students in construction and electronics”
• “Increase the number of courses offered in “hybrid” mode”
• “Hybrid courses-all syllabi, assignments, etc online”
• “Offer more courses online”
• “All paper should be online or involved with hybrid class”
• “Web streaming of classes to students”
• “Citrix access-secure site for working at home”
• “D2L training to show students and faculty how to use IMS to reduce paper use”
• “Expand use of D2L”
• “Grading papers through drop box-no papers handed in”
• “Encourage e-text use”
• “Electronic books
• “E-books for students”
• “Less PowerPoint packets to the bookstore, more online for student print choice”
• “Incorporate sustainability into courses such as writing topics etc.”
• “Establish a Sustainability Program to train people for the future -probably could get grants for all the necessary equipment”
• “Lorie Doering as guest speaker on sustainability cooperatives and their work with 3^rd world countries”
• “Native prairie grass seed study to make seed and see what grows well here (make vegetative swales between parking lots)”
• “Greenhouse, community garden”
• “Greenhouse/community garden”
• “Carpooling activity in class as ice-breaker for students, put them into “geographic” groups”
• “Carpools w/in class”
• “Community Ed classes”
• “Green Week”
• “Create a Sustainability Program”

Cafeteria

• “Grow food to serve in cafeteria on campus”
• “Plant planters w/ vegetables, herbs, peas.”

ERTC

• “We have posted signs above light switches to remind folks to turn them off.”
• “Put Rigs (Truck Drive tractors) inside, instead of plugging them in”
• “We need at bus stop at ERTC! (lots of our students live in the college areas for UMD and CSS)”
• “We could explore using “Dirty Propane” in the Large Aircraft simulator”
• “Shuttle from LSC to ERTC and back”
• “Bike lock-ups”

 Suggestions compiled by: Kristi Heintz k.heintz@lsc.edu (January 10, 2011)