Campus Sustainability Report

Recommendations | Earth Charter-The Way Forward

As we opened with the preamble from the Earth Charter, so too do we close with the approach of the Earth Charter’s final section, “The Way Forward”. Our underlying motivation is to encourage our great institution to find the way forward to a sustainable future for all. The previous pages have been primarily filled with data that we think act as some indicators of our institutional sustainability, situated within a changing global context. Absent from these pages are many of the stories and faces behind the data and graphs. This report is neither a litany of our successes nor an indictment of our shortcomings; rather, we hope it is a picture of where we have been and where we might be going. As is written in the section of the Earth Charter with the same section,

As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning. Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles. To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter. This requires a change of mind and heart. It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility.

The MSU community has the opportunity to steer our future into the uncertain winds of change. We are heartened by the many recent initiatives, too numerous to mention, that we believe are tugging us in the right directions. “Boldness by Design,” President Simon’s strategic plan, has supported and inspired countless efforts across the institution. As mentioned earlier, Vice President for Finance and Operations, Dr. Fred Poston, has developed a systemic framework for addressing environmental stewardship, assembling teams of faculty, staff and students working together to identify, measure, analyze and prepare new efforts in energy and solid waste issues. Signing on to the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), scholarly conferences organized around climate change, recalibrating building standards, and launching a renewed energy conservation campaign are just some of the responses we have taken to shrink our ecological footprint. Likewise, Housing and Food Services in collaboration with the Office of Recycling and Waste Management have expanded recycling in our residence hall system, while campuswide we are seriously exploring a new recycling facility that will improve our ability to reduce our waste going to the landfill. HFS has also been reaching out to new students as they come to campus to make them aware of how their choices have impacts. Transportation Services continues to add more hybrid vehicles to our fleet, biodiesel is now used in all campus diesel vehicles, and CATA bus service has continued to increase while simultaneously acquiring greener vehicles.

Motor vehicle accidents, employee injuries, and felonies have all decreased as a result of efforts of Campus Planning and Administration, Environmental Health and Safety, and MSU Police, respectively. MSU’s Cyclotron has been the campus leader in striving for advanced environmental management systems, resulting in ISO 14001 certification and recognition by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as a “Clean Corporate Citizen,” the first higher education facility so recognized. And MSU just received the Richard H. Austin Traffic Safety Award for efforts to reduce traffic accidents.

But we have our challenges ahead as well. As we reviewed the 88 indicators in this report, UCSC found 11 indicators that we believe deserve renewed attention by our community. As we wrestled with picking these indicators and assigning some specific goals to aim for, we also brainstormed ideas that might help us reach those goals. We end this report with those recommendations in hopes they will help begin the necessary conversations that might lead to improving our sustainability by the time we next measure our progress. Another group of 18 members of the community might have come up with a different set of recommendations, but we offer this report and its recommendations to you as our own consensus. We are proud to be part of an institution that is seriously working to improve the quality of life for all and leave an institution and the larger community as well off as we found it. We hope this report nurtures those efforts towards a sustainable future.

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Recommendations

Increase Graduate Student Enrollments

Graduate student enrollment has slipped in recent years despite a national trend that shows slight growth. Graduate students are key members of our community and breeding ground for a new generation of future faculty and community leaders.

Year 1: Stabilize enrollment at 2006 levels
Year 5: Increase enrollment by 10% from 2006 levels
Year 10: Increase enrollment by 15% from 2006 levels

Possible Actions:
• Increase graduate student teaching/research positions
• Increase marketing of programs
• Review national growth areas and evaluate existing programs
• Offer graduate studies with sustainability emphasis

MSU is currently tied for last in the Big Ten in student/faculty ratio. We need to lower that ratio to enhance the student experience to enhance quality of instruction and opportunities for increased collaboration and interaction between students and faculty.

Year 1: Reduce Student/Faculty ratio to 16:1 from Fall 2004 17:1 ratio.
Year 5: Reduce the student/faculty ratio to the Big Ten average (2004), 15:1.
Year 10: Reduce the student/faculty ratio 14:1, better than the Big Ten average
Possible Actions:
• Hire additional faculty and/or
• Evaluate the faculty research/teaching/outreach load to achieve a better balance.

Current ratio of students claiming anxiety to counseling professions is 17 to 5,645 (12.4% of total students). Anxiety leads to numerous other difficulties so reducing this health stressor can improve overall quality of life.
Year 1: Decrease anxiety rates by 3%.
Year 5: Decrease anxiety rates by 5%. 
Year 10: Decrease anxiety rates by 10%. 

Possible Actions:
• We need to decrease anxiety at the dorm RA level and encourage visits to counseling center without charge.
• Increase RA training for encouraging mental health awareness.
• Increase number of subsidized counseling center visits from 3 to 5.
• Increase ratio of counseling staff to students and create campaign for support group awareness (such as the Listening Ear).

New bills in Congress such as the College Student Relief Act promise to reduce debt and decrease the burden on recent college graduates. Michigan State University should aid in these efforts by providing more support for students whose family income does not qualify them for sufficient government loans. We are not in favor of solving this issue simply by admitting increasing numbers of students who don’t need loans, whether because they are wealthy or because they are so poor they receive fully funded financial aid.

Year 1: Reduce the amount of the unsubsidized student loans by 3%.
Year 5: Reduce the amount of the unsubsidized student loans by 5%.
Year 10: Reduce the amount of the unsubsidized student loans by 15%
(cumulative percentages from 2007 levels).

Possible Actions:
• Increase scholarships through a special alumni-giving program.
• Direct portion of donated endowment funds to a specialized
scholarship program; this could be used to cover interest on unsubsidized student loans.
• Encourage planning for loan repayment by providing free monthly classes on debt relief. These classes could cover special Michigan programs (like Michigan Students First), loan consolidation and tax programs.

We recommend that we reduce the wage gap between the lowest paid full-time employee and the highest paid employee from the university’s general fund budget. The current ratio between highest paid ($495,000) and lowest paid ($18,907) is 26 to 1. We believe the best approach is to raise the minimum wage faster than the highest wage until we reach a more equitable ratio.

Year 1: Halt the growth in the wage gap between the lowest MSU wage and the highest MSU wage at 26:1. Difference between the lowest and average wage should also not grow.
Year 5: Reduce the wage gap between the lowest MSU wage and the
highest MSU wage to 23 to 1 ratio.
Year 10: Reduce the wage gap between the lowest MSU wage and the
highest wage to 20 to 1 ratio.

Possible Actions:
• Raise minimum university wage.
• Restrain increases in highest salaries until ratio is achieved.
• MSU needs to continue to pay above a minimum “living wage.”

By joining the Chicago Climate Exchange, MSU has committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions for the next three years. Along with that commitment we are striving to reduce our energy consumption on campus. We take the position that we should meet or exceed the CCX requirements:

Year 1: Reduce GHG emissions by 4.25% from our baseline year of 2000.
Decrease energy use in academic and residence halls by 3%.
Year 5: Reduce GHG emissions by 10% from our baseline year of 2000.
Decrease energy use in all buildings by 10% .
Year 10: Reduce GHG emissions by 15% from our baseline year of 2000.
Decrease all energy use and CO2 by 15%.

Possible Actions:
• Evaluate using alternative renewable fuels at the power plant.
• Increase efficiency of existing heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment through continuous commissioning and/or retro commissioning.
• Increase the number of hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles in the fleet.
• Evaluate the purchase of green power vs. self generation.
• Construct anaerobic digester on south campus farms.
• Make energy use reduction a university priority.
• Launch educational campaign directed at staff and students to find
ways that they can conserve energy. A message as simple as turning out lights or turning off computers can reduce our energy consumption. The importance of reducing our energy demand should be a regularly stressed message.
• Use savings from energy reductions to purchase Renewable Energy Credits that will help reach CCX goals and parallel the State of Michigan’s energy goals. 
• Integrate class work into energy-saving residence hall competitions. • Provide scholarships and grants for innovative work.

Increases in water consumption are costly as expensive new wells will have to be drilled soon, as increasing demand is about to exceed current supply. Preserving our valuable groundwater for future generations is a responsibility
we have in an increasingly water stressed world.

Year 1: Hold water consumption to 2006-07 rates.
Year 5: Reduce water consumption by 5% below 2006-07 rates.
Year 10: Reduce water consumption by 10% below 2006-07 rates.

Possible Actions:
• Investigate ways to reduce current water use and reuse the water we do use (e.g., using gray water for irrigation).
• Utilize ET (evapotranspiration) data to control irrigation to reduce water usage.
• Develop educational program about water conservation for students living on campus.
• Track water use trends in buildings to analyze areas for improvement.

MSU can make an environmental, social and economic difference by how we make purchasing decisions. As a large consumer, our purchasing decisions can help shape markets.

Year 1: - Decrease amount of copy paper purchased by 2% over 2005-06.
- Increase percentage of copy paper purchased that has recycled content by 10% over 2005-06.
- Increase percentage of recycled toner and ink cartridges purchased by 10% over 2005-06.
- Incorporate green/sustainable procurement concepts in all existing campus customer/end user training.

Year 5: - Decrease amount of copy paper purchased by 10%.
- Increase amount of recycled copy paper purchased by 50%.
- Increase percentage of recycled toner/ink cartridges by 25 %.
- Increase green/sustainable procurement educational opportunities available to campus customers/end users by 25% over 2005-06.
Year 10: - Decrease amount of copy paper purchased by 25%.
- 90% of copy paper purchased has recycled content.
- 50% of toner/ink cartridges are recycled/remanufactured.
- Increase green/sustainable procurement educational opportunities available to campus customers/end users by 50%.

Possible Actions:
• Raise buyer, campus customer, and end user awareness of environmentally friendly and/or green products and services through research and education.
• Provide greater visibility of “green” options on product and vendor listings on the web, through newsletters and other outreach, with the intent of increasing demand.
• Include "green standards" for criteria for vendor selection where appropriate.
• Add language to bid documents and contracts requesting environmentally friendly and/or green products and practices where appropriate, and/or add language that requests an optional
environmentally friendly equivalent quote. In doing so, more contractors and vendors will be willing to make environmentally friendly changes that will eventually become the norm.

Year 1: Reduce amount of material landfilled by 2% over 2006-07 amounts, including hazardous waste.
Year 5: Reduce amount of material landfilled by 10% over 2006-07 amounts.
Year 10: Reduce amount of material landfilled by 25% over 2006-07 amounts.

Possible Actions:
• Raise awareness of waste reduction benefits through educational program.
• Provide more visible recycling program.

Reduce private vehicle use by increasing bus passes and bike
permits (in conjunction with campus planning goals of a car-free north campus) and
reduce CO2 emitted from transportation related to MSU.

Year 1: Vehicle permits down 2%, bus passes up 30%, bike permits up 30%. Increase the percentage of hybrids and/or alternative fuel vehicles in the motor pool by 5%.
Year 5: Vehicle permits down 5%, bus passes up 50%, bike permits up 50%. Increase the percentage of hybrids and/or alternative fuel vehicles in the motor pool by 10%.
Year 10: Vehicle permits down 10%, bus passes up 50%, bike permits up 50%. Increase the percentage of hybrids and/or alternative fuel vehicles in the motor pool by 15%; expand the program into air travel mileage.

Possible Actions: 
• Increase bike permits and bus use by providing free bus passes to students living on campus who register their bikes.
• Subsidize bus service for employees and students.
• Buy replacement vehicles for the fleet that have highest mileage performance in their class.
• Set up MSU website to purchase offset credits for air travel and use the proceeds to purchase additional hybrid vehicles or renewable energy.

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As never before in history, common destiny beckons us to seek a new beginning. Such renewal is the promise of these Earth Charter principles. To fulfill this promise, we must commit ourselves to adopt and promote the values and objectives of the Charter.
This requires a change of mind and heart. It requires a new sense of global interdependence and universal responsibility. We must imaginatively develop and apply the vision of a sustainable way of life locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. Our cultural diversity is a precious heritage and different cultures will find their own distinctive ways to realize the vision. We must deepen and expand the global dialogue that generated the Earth Charter, for we have much to learn from the ongoing collaborative search for truth and wisdom…
…Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.

The Earth Charter

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