USF Green

Team We’re Going Green!

White paper project

A look at the environmental initiative by the University of

South Florida

Prepared by:Mike LongneckerTrevor Garnish

Ashley Hernandez

ENC 3250Professional Writing

Professor Francis Tobienne Jr.

We’re Going Green 2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary…………………………………………….3

Introduction……………………………...……………………….4

Energy technologies………..……………………………….….5

University of South Florida – Going Green…………………..7

Interview……………………………………………...…………10

Florida Colleges and Their Efforts……………………….…..13

Conclusion……………………………………………………...15

Annotated Bibliography……………………………………….16

Works Cited…………………………………………………….18


Executive Summary

Within the last decade a new movement has had a very forceful

impact on society here in the United States. This is known as the “green

movement.” Being environmentally conscious is something that is very

common is households, businesses, and colleges. These initiatives range

from recycling to energy efficient lighting solutions even to solar power

alternatives that are becoming very common across the world. Research

into these new power alternatives are making leaps and bounds every

year making the way we use Earth’s resources much more efficient. Upon

diving into this report you will be introduced to a number of green initiatives

and data to support the information. Along with that some surveys will be

brought up about individuals and whether they make environmentally

conscious decisions. In all we hope you the reader can take something

from this and use it in your own life.


Introduction

If you walk around the University of South Florida, St.

Petersburg campus you can already tell that we’re making an effort to

go green. All you have to do is walk down our entrance to campus

and you’ll see a butterfly garden, a couple of recycle bins, and a Gold

Star LEED certified building. These are all huge hints to our campus

becoming completely environmentally friendly, but there are also

some hidden aspects that might not stand out right away. We have

multiple projects that function on solar energy, or energy provided by

the sun. Our school has things like solar (electric) car charging

stations, a solar powered parking garage, and solar powered device

charging stations. Also our school implements the latest technology

of lighting to reduce energy costs as much as possible. To save our

environment we have to take one step at a time and by reducing the

carbon footprint of our university, it could inspire other schools or

even the rest of the community to support the change of reducing our

negative impact on our planet.


Energy Technologies

Technology has come a long way in the energy field. With so much

emphasis on cutting energy costs there has been a huge market for

companies to research deeper into how they can be more effective and

costs efficient. For example solar energy, efficient lighting solutions, and

recycling has come a long way. First off is harnessing solar energy. Solar

energy is the energy that the sun emits. This can be harnessed and

transformed into electricity and heat. This is done by these solar panels

that we have implemented around school. This energy that is controlled

can power things like whole buildings, or a laptop, or something as little

as a light bulb. Because this energy is from the sun, it is free and

environmentally friendly. Contrary to popular belief, the sun does not have

to be out for the panels to work; it harnesses the energy and stores it until

further use. One of the biggest concerns with solar panels are that they

quite expensive to implement when you’re first getting started but

because it’s free energy you soon make that money you spent on

installation back on bills you no longer had to pay. Next is the

advancements that lighting implementations has come. Using simple

incandescent light bulbs and halogen filled tube lights simply is not

cost effective in today’s world. The new cost cutting norm is LEDs.


These very bright lights will illuminate a large area for a fraction of

what old tube lights would do. In addition to this the incandescent

light bulb is becoming a thing of the past. You simply will not see one

of these relics in new modern buildings.


University of South Florida – Going Green

Recycling has always been in our genes since 1990. We have

been utilizing recycling on campus since that time and have only

increased the number of recycling containers on campus. USF

competed and ranked in the 2010 RecycleMania waste contest where

the amount of municipal solid waste used by each student is

calculated (Patel). We ranked in as 16.71% recycle affect. Compared

to other schools on the list, we could increase that percentage

greatly. Recycling is one area where it requires a lot of effort from

students and staff, not just the Office of Sustainability alone.

Individually, we must choose to always recycle to improve this

percentage. The RecyleMania contest is a useful benchmarking tool

for colleges and universities to promote recycling on campus and to

help eliminate the production of waste. This tournament encourages

students and staff to recycle and also raises awareness for your

campus on what needs improvements.


In recent efforts for the University of South Florida to take a

green initiative, water bottle refill stations have been installed

throughout all of the campuses. These stations provide more than

just water for students, it actually reduces the amount of plastic water

bottles thrown in the trash that could end up in a landfill. A refill

station prompts for students to purchase a reusable bottle, reducing

the consumption of plastic bottles.

Another Earth friendly initiative USF contributes to the green

initiative is in the USF Contemporary Art Museum. Here at the

museum, all of the halogen light bulbs were replaced for LED lighting.

This change in lights cost an average of $9,100. In return this will

save energy from lighting and also since the heat output is less

therefore allowing the HVAC systems to have to run less frequently.

The less we use, the more we save is the motto that should be

followed.

Something that has become more prominent around campus is

the use of motion sensors to turn lights on. The use is very strait

forward, the sensors are simply wired to the light unit and when a

person comes within close proximity the light turns on then back off


after a short period of time when no movement is detected. In fact in

a recent report done by sustainability tracking, assessment and rating

system (STARS), the percent of building

space at USF Tampa that has lighting

sensors is 99%!

Lastly, we have researched another

area on campus where energy is being

used less, saving time and money. There

are solar powered charging stations

placed around campus to help cut the use

of electricity. This is beneficial because

these stations charge laptops and phones

which is commonly used on campus by

many students. Just think, 6,500 students

each owning a laptop and cell phone

having to be charged each time they are

on campus, that’s more than enough

energy we can reduce. The use of charging stations is brilliant

because it benefits the student’s productivity while on campus and

saves the school money and energy.

We’re Going Green10

Student Interviews

One of our group members took the time to conduct a small survey regarding the reach the environmental movement has our USF students.

InterviewBy Trevor Garnish

Interviewees- Katie Fraticelli, Paige Henderson, Matt Solomon, and Colton Carter.

Question 1Before you attended the University of South Florida St Petersburg did you recycle?Katie- “Yes, in Europe it is mandatory for citizens to recycle.”Paige-“My parents and I recycled soda cans and bottles.”Matt-“I never went out of my way to recycle, if there was a binor recycle trash can around I would use it.”Colton-“No, it never really crossed my mind.”

Question 2Do you think the University of South Florida St. Petersburg does a good job of promoting recycling?Katie-“Yes I do. I think the university does a good job spreading recycling trash cans around campus and also by handing out recycling bins to students.”Paige-“ No, I think they could do a better job by placing bins in the dorm hallways, as a student that lives in the dorm there is not a recycling bin on my floor which results in students throwing cardboard, bottles, and cans in the garbage.”Matt-“Yes, there are a lot of recycling trash cans in the reef and that gives the students the opportunity to recycle the bottles that they use.”Colton-“Yes, everywhere I go on campus I see recycling trash cans.”

Question 3How do you think the University of South Florida St. Petersburg can improve with recycling?


Katie-“I think the school should instruct the students how to recycle since most of the bins are misused.”Paige-“I think that there should be bins in the dorms, so that the students don’t throw away things like bottles and cans.”Matt-“I think that the university should try to use less plastic products in the reef.”Colton-“I can’t think of any ways the school can improve with recycling.”

Question 4How do you think recycling helps our planet?Katie-“Recycling helps our planet by reducing biodegradable products.”Paige-“It helps our planet by decreasing the amount of biodegradable products.”Matt-“Recycling is good for the planet because it helps reduce the products that get buried in landfills that take a long time to degrade.”Colton-“It helps by reducing the amount of waste in the landfills.”

Question 5After you leave the University of South Florida St. Petersburg will you continue your recycling habits?Katie-“Yes, I will make sure that I have recycle bins at my apartment and that they are disposed of properly.”Paige-“Yes, I will recycle at the apartment I live at next year and also make sure my roommates do.”Matt-“Yes, I will make sure to put my plastic products in recycling bins.”Colton-“If the place I live at offers recycle bins then I will use them by putting cans, cardboard and plastic in the bins.”


00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

Based on the survey we were able to provide this graph

based on the 4 people interviewed.


Florida Colleges and Their Efforts

USF is not the only school in the state making efforts to be more

environmentally friendly. A large majority of Florida colleges have an

initiative in place to reduce their negative impact on the earth. For example,

the University of Florida has a whole program called Sustainable UF that

focuses on the scientific, social, political, and cultural roles that make a

greener difference in the world. Some examples of their contribution is, in

1994 UF joined 310 universities world wide pledge to support reducing

environmental degradation. And more recently in 2013 an initiative to

collect compost at every home football game reached 78%. Another great

part of UF’s initiative is their website where they list all of the events that

the student body has going on for the month in relation to sustainability.

In addition to USF and UF is Florida Atlantic University. Like our

science and technology building FAU has three buildings that have LEED

certifications. They implement many of the same technologies like motion

lights in classrooms, energy efficient lighting, and advanced HVAC

systems. Another project they have completed is a new parking garage in

2009. It provides parking for 1000 cars and implements LED lighting that

reduces the average monthly cost by $3,966.56. In addition it reduces the

energy needed to light the garage by 301,060 KWH per year and should


have a return on investment in just 6 years which will be in time for this

coming fall semester. Overall, all the colleges in the state are

environmentally conscious some just have more of a budget to implement

greater projects.


Conclusion

In grand conclusion, the world is benefiting from all of these

new sources for harnessing energy, efficient lighting, and recycling of

materials that can be re-used. And on a smaller scale our university is

making a great impact in terms of helping to be more environmentally

friendly. This movement has flooded USF campuses with information

that is easily available for everyone to see and to use themselves.

Something that is great about this movement is everyone can help

contribute their own part, even if its simply throwing a piece of paper

in the recycle bin. In the end it is up to all of us to continue this

initiative and help continue moving our planet in a green direction.


Annotated Bibliography

Cash, Jacqui. "USF One of Nation's Top Green Colleges." N.p., 5 May 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

A substantial resource of information within our own school’s website is what this article has to offer. This webpage produced by a student at USF has been the foundation of my research that has lead me to other useful information such as my next citation, sustainability. This article led me to The Office of Sustainability at our school that is the primary location for handling environmental efforts on campus. I was able to use this resource as a tool to guide me to several other sources of information. This article recognizes USF with the Princeton Review where the school was acknowledge for its going green efforts. Also there is an introductory list on this website that gives you an idea of the different projects USF has attended to going green.

"Patel College of Global Sustainability | USF |." Patel School of Global Sustainability RSS.N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. <http://psgs.usf.edu/usf-office-of-sustainability/>.The Office of Sustainability was created to improve on the sustainable and goals of the university since 1995. They have implemented a USF Tampa Campus Master Plan that addresses every environmental issue on and off campus. This is a continuing effort that involves management and operations. Every update to the school’s environmental safety and cleanliness is addressed to this office and added to the USF Master Plan. This website was tremendous on providing information for energy, water, electricity, recycling, and transportation that has been affected by the going green movement. I prefer to use this website as it’s information is very current and continues to update.

“People & Planet Green League 2013 Tables." People & Planet Green League 2013. People& Planet, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015. <http://peopleandplanet.org/green-league-2013/tables>. People & Planet is a place where information is allocated and redistributed into charts and graphs. I was able to find a chart and list of universities worldwide that has took part in the going green movement. This table


listed every university and what they do individually to make their land and space “green.” It divided it’s listings into multiple categories such as carbon management, renewable energy, waste & recycling, and carbon reduction to analyze the school’s performance. Having knowledge of other universities’ involvement in going green is helpful to producing our white paper project because it can gives us information to address on how USF can also partake in these efforts.

Patel College of Global Sustainability | USF | (Patel School of Global Sustainability RSS) This is a great article because it goes over all of the initiatives that USF has completed in the past few years.Patel College of Global Sustainability | USF | Eco-Friendly Living in the Residence Halls (Patel School of Global Sustainability RSS)This article goes over some of the eco friendly features of the residence halls at USF.Green Initiatives." Usfsp.edu. Usfsp, 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.usfsp.edu/undergrad/green>.

"Top 10 US Greenest Colleges in 2014." Enikos.gr. Enikos.gr, 28 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://en.enikos.gr/international/13900,Top-10-US-greenest-colleges-in-2014.html>. This article lists the top 10 green colleges in the USA. The University of South Florida is listed at number seven. The article gives an explanation for why the university is listed on the list by starting out explaining what the university’s recycling efforts have accomplished. The article also describes the campuses solar powered patio tables that generate electricity from solar panels in the umbrella and store the energy in the base of the table where an outlet is located for students to help reduce carbon emissions by charging their devices by using the sun

FAU - Press Release. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.fau.edu/mediarelations/Releases1009/100909.php

This website explains the green projects that FAU has completed.

Sustainable UF University of Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://sustainable.ufl.edu

http://sustainable.ufl.edu/

http://www.fau.edu/mediarelations/Releases1009/100909.php


This website explains the green projects that UF has completed and actively working on.

Works Cited

FAU - Press Release. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from

Sustainable UF University of Florida. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://sustainable.ufl.edu

Cash, Jacqui. "USF One of Nation's Top Green Colleges." N.p., 5 May 2010. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

"Patel College of Global Sustainability | USF |." Patel School of Global Sustainability RSS.N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

“People & Planet Green League 2013 Tables." People & Planet Green League 2013. People& Planet, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2015.

USF.Green Initiatives." Usfsp.edu. Usfsp, 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.usfsp.edu/undergrad/green>.

"Top 10 US Greenest Colleges in 2014." Enikos.gr. Enikos.gr, 28 Sept. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

Earth recycle - http://www.wpclipart.com/signs_symbol/recycle/Earth_recycle.png.html. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015.

Light Bulb Led On clip art. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.clker.com/clipart-light-bulb-led-on.html

http://sustainable.ufl.edu/

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