Faculty Organization Environmental Sustainability Committee     Report March 2009

                      Revised

We met several times in the fall of 2008, with UMDNJ facilities staff, to learn what efforts have been made to achieve sustainability. We reviewed the report from the UMDNJ Sustainability Committee chaired first by Dr. Don Louria, now by Mr. Nicholas Fabbroni. The following is a summary of what we learned regarding current and planned efforts.

Sources of Information:

•  Bernie Sarrel, NJMS Dean's Office

•  Nicholas Fabbroni, CA Director of Construction - Chair University Wide Sustainability Committee (This Committee stands ready but has not met since the Fall of 2007 and must be officially recognized by the University before it can meet again)

•  Paul Meierdierck, CA Director of Energy and Waste Management

•  James Campoli, CA Physical Plant: Maintenance, Construction, and Environmental Services

•  Liz Crann, CA Facilities Construction and Planning

•  Report of UMDNJ New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability Climate Change Committee: Fall, 2007. (See Attachment A).

Current / Planned Activities, by category:

BUILDINGS

HEATING AND ELECTRICITY

Cogenerator Plant

•  The power plant was built in 1969, so is 40 years old.

•  The Co-generator system was added 20 years ago (1988 or 1989). (A Co-generator system generates electricity and heat at the same time.)

•  13-15 years ago, a high efficiency electric chiller was added, the largest on the Eastern seaboard. This is a highly efficient way to make cold water for air conditioning. It conserves energy because it can deliver air conditioning using less electricity than other electric chillers.

•   

•  There are also 4 steam driven centrifugal chillers. The plant produces steam using large industrial boilers. In the summer, steam is required for the steam driven chillers. The steam is from �waste� heat from the cogenerator ("cogen") plant in the summer. These steam driven chillers provide chilled water at times of high electrical demand to save money and use the existing capacity of the tri-state electric grid more appropriately.

•  The primary fuel used is natural gas, secondary fuel is oil.

•  Every 5 years there is a �stack test emissions� done by NJ DEP, to check for NO, Co, and excess O2 left in flu gas; this determines whether we are in compliance with DEP regulations.

•  The DOC building is independent, it has heat pumps, good operating costs.

•  Bergen , MSB, Cancer Center , and all other outside buildings except Bergen are powered and heated by the Cogenerator (�cogen�) plant. The Cogen plant serves 2.2 million square feet.

Electricity

•  We produce about 2/3 of our own electricity. 1 unit of energy / fuel: 1/3 for electricity, ½ for heating and cooling, 17% waste.

•  1/3 of electricity is purchased from Pepco.

•  We use:

•  18 megawatts daytime

•  13 megawatts night time.

Retrofit for fluorescent lighting

•  2 years ago, the Newark campus retrofitted lights for fluorescent. (2.5 million dollars cost)

•  We currently use 1.5 million bulbs per year. (25% have to be changed each year).

Study of solar option:

We have examined the possibility of using solar:

•  Cannot buy it until we stop exceeding our budget. (We exceed our budget each year).

•  We invited several companies in to discuss solar.

•  Problems:

•  Roofs have fume stacks from labs, that interferes

•  Parking deck: maybe

•  Land based system is best, Rutgers Piscataway is building one of those.

The following section was edited with notes from Mr. Meierdierck, March 27, 2009:

Limitations to increase in energy efficiency/ reduction in use:

•  Electricity Loop :

•  Buildings we have to serve with electricity from CoGen plant:

•  UH, Cancer Center , ACC, DOC, BSH, MSB: all except ICPH. We are over capacity

•  Hours of operation interfere with turning off lights

•  Heating/ Cooling Loop :

•  Buildings in the Cogen heating and cooling loop:

•  UH, BHSB, Library, Cancer Center , MSB, Dental School (Plus additions)

•  The freezers are very inefficient. We need centralized freezers with heat hoods.

New Building

•  LEED certified standards: University has a commitment that major projects for new building and renovation will follow LEED certified standards. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a standard widely recognized among architects, engineers, and builders.)

•  All new buildings will be energy efficient and have a return on investment that will more than pay for itself in energy and operational savings. New Buildings will offer a healthy environment and yield improved productivity

RECYCLING

What do we recycle?

•  Metal construction material

•  Electronics, figuring out how to recoup funds.

•  Paper including cardboard

Paper recycling is changing:

•  We are moving to common areas of pickup.

•  Currently we have 3 tons in ADMC alone.

•  96 tons of paper and 133 tons of cardboard in 2008 so far!

Cost of recycling: $13,000 last year.

Can we do large scale recycling of glass and cans?

•  Plastic and aluminum: only modest reimbursement provided by recycling company.

•  Need space for a 20 yard container

•  We have 5.2 million square feet of space to cover. (?)

•  Funding levels are below what we currently spend.

•  Labor costs are prohibitive

•  Central collection point is not currently available.

•  Investigate Newark Single Stream Recycling Plants

TRANSPORTATION

•  Diesel vehicles: using biodiesel (soy) 20%, diesel 80%.

•  CHEN van allows students, faculty, and staff to take public transportation to work via Broad Street NJT station

•  Logistics Bus allows students, faculty and staff to take public transportation to work via Newark Penn Station.

•  UMDNJ students receive a 25% discount on all NJ Transit monthly passes

CLEANING MATERIALS

•  Floor stripping in hospital is environmentally friendly; not in MSB

•  Paper towels all recycled

•  General cleaning fluid (purchased in great bulk) is not environmentally friendly

•  Hand cleaning solution is not environmentally friendly.

•  Investigating Green Cleaning Supplies in State Contract

ACTIVITIES AT OTHER UMDNJ CAMPUSES

•  At RWJ, Joe Bernasz addresses student concerns. Also RWJMS student government has a sustainability group that meets regularly.

•  Stratford Campus: Committee headed by Ed Small, facilities manager.

•  Recycling: Central campus and Stratford : recycle glass, cans, bottles, paper, and cardboard.

CURRENT UMDNJ GOALS

UMDNJ Climate Change Committee Goals: (SEE ATTACHMENT A)

a) Bio-Diesel Program Statewide (Logistical Services)

b) Lighting Retro-Fits Statewide (Physical Plant)

c) Policy to procure only Energy Star Equipment (Purchasing)

d) Aggressive Recycling Statewide (Physical Plant)

e) Policy to procure over 50% recyclable paper products (Purchasing)

f) Policy to procure regional (within 500 miles) & high content recycled products / Carpet, Furniture, etc. (Purchasing)

g) Low to No VOC chemicals, paints, carpet & VCT clue campaign (EOHSS)

h) Frequent / Weekly �University Messages� updates (Operations)

h) Hire a Sustainability Coordinator (Requires $$$)

i) Existing Building Energy Audit & Retro Commissioning Campaign (Requires $$$)

j) Encourage Dr. Owen to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment

k) Aggressive Green Cleaning Statewide

(This Committee stands ready but has not met since the fall of 2007 and must be officially recognized by the University before it can meet again)

WHAT ELSE COULD BE DONE?

Other schools / universities have a Sustainability Coordinator. We have the job description but President/ cabinet have not created the position.

Ms. Crann suggested we look at the Rowan University web site for ideas. ( http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/schools/rowan-university

Fac. Org Committee member suggestions:

•  Andrew Delatorre: Opportunities in the Cafeteria where currently nothing is recycled.

•  Norman Ende: Drinking water. Suggested each department commit to ending purchase of the large plastic water bottles for drinking. Replace with water filtration systems connected directly to city water supply (see example in Faculty Organization lounge).

•  Susan Feldman: Paper reduction should be done; more on line work.

•  BJ Wagner:

•  Styrofoam alternatives and why they are important: has determined that all our waste goes to energy production at the waste to energy facility. Styrofoam is actually better overall than paper for this purpose; more energy recovered. If waste is going to a landfill, paper is better.

•  Campaign to change the margins on paper. University of Michigan did this and estimated that they saved hundreds of thousands of dollars. UMDNJ IT could change the default on margins in Word (e.g. from 1.25 and 1, to .7 for all margins) on all computers. User could override this if needed.

NEXT STEPS:

1. Have President Owen sign the Presidents' Commitment (Attachment B)
2. Work with administrators state wide, students and staff (non-union & union)
3. Get the word out; educate faculty and staff (non-union & union) on what we can do personally.

Respectfully Submitted,

New Jersey Medical School Faculty Organization Committee on Environmental Sustainability

Gina Anderson, MD

John Bogden, PhD

Larry Budnick, MD

Andrew DeLaTorre, MD

Amy Davidow, PhD

Norman Ende, MD

Susan Feldman, PhD

Pauline Thomas, MD

BJ Wagner, PhD

Attachment A

UMDNJ NEW JERSEY HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABILITY

CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITTEE

1. Major Accomplishments

A. Replacement of gasoline tank with a biodiesel tank.

Logistical Services/Transportation under Supply Chain Management converted a 10,000 gallon tank provides fuel for the forty diesel-powered vehicles based in Newark . These vehicles consume 100,000 gallons a year. The vehicles are nowrun on 20 percent soy and other vegetable oils and 80 percent diesel. Thisprogram, started in January 2007, has, as of July 2007, produced a cost savingsof $7,200 because the biodiesel costs less per gallon than regular gasoline. The costs of the conversion have been somewhat offset by partnering with the New Jersey Board of Utilities which provided a considerable rebate. We believe this is the first fleet in New Jersey with its own storage facility for biodiesel fuel.

Wherever possible, the University now purchases hybrid vehicles; thus far, thirteen have been purchased. Non-hybrids are chosen on the basis of mileage per gallon and type of use requirements.

B. All buildings currently under construction and all future UMDNJ buildings will be LEED certified. As renovations of older buildings are undertaken, as is being done in the Bergen Building , they are being and will be retrofitted wherever possible to be LEED consistent. This will substantially reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This is an important commitment.

C. Lighting.

A lighting retrofit of the Newark campus of over 39,000 fixtures was completed in December 2006 and is expected to offset about $860,000 a year in energy costs. It reduces total energy consumption by one megawatt and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Other Accomplishments

A. Better computer recycling

Information Services & Technology (IST) instituted an asset recovery process for any Dell asset purchased or leased beginning in September 2004. Asset reports are generated quarterly and any asset identified as part of the Asset Recovery Services (ARS) program. All UMDNJ IT organizations have been informed of this process. IN April 2007, IST expanded the asset recovery process with Dell to include non-Dell assets. Procedures have been developed and are used by the institution as mechanisms for Dell's ARS representatives to collect these devices at each campus location for appropriate disposal.

Any Dell asset purchased prior to September 2004 and any non-Dell asset purchased prior to April 2007 will be managed through the Asset Management/Physical Plant process. This process provides for the appropriate disposal of assets through Environmental Services on each UMDNJ campus.

B. Better temperature controls

All six major buildings on the Newark campus with digital temperature controls are now meeting our NJHEPS Committee guidelines of 70 E F in winter, 76 E F in summer. This is a marked improvement and covers 800,000 square feet of the Newark campus. These guidelines are now also being met on the Piscataway, Stratford , and Camden campuses. This was implemented despite considerable initial resistance, but now seems to be generally accepted.

C. Reduced lighting at night and use of motion sensors

On the Newark campus, the potential is limited because, for the most part, this would have to be done manually, but installation of the Metasys Microlite Panels in the Medical Science Building allows lighting reduction at night on most floors. Despite vociferous objections, this has been instituted successfully without complaints.

Stratford reduces lights at night in all buildings, except those being actively used by students. A large number of motion sensors are in use in the newer buildings in Piscataway . More are needed for older buildings. Some of the motion sensors also will cut back on air flow by about 50 percent.

D. Energy Star Equipment

We purchase Energy Star equipment when possible. That amounts to about 50 percent of our purchases. The other 50 percent have no Energy Star choices; this percentage is expected to fall in the coming years.

E. Recycling

There has been a modest improvement in recycling, particularly for paper. On the Newark campus, this has been focused on the Administrative Complex (ADMC) with collection bins throughout the complex, resulting in doubling the amount of paper recycled, the amount now reaching 1.5 tons/month. Similar improvements have taken place on the Stratford campus. The Stratford campus enjoys an aggressive recycling program with regard to all types of paper waste. Each building on campus has several labeled recycling containers. These containers are located in public gathering areas (lounges, classrooms, conference rooms, lobbies, and dining facilities) Each office, examination room, and research laboratory also has the appropriate recycling container. In addition to the existing number (in excess of 200), an additional 18 recycling containers will augment the current lobby and corridor inventory... Recycling on the

Piscataway campus is quite good and has been augmented to include bottles, cans and plastics.

The improvements in recycling are modest and, for the most part, confined to paper and cardboard. We still have a long way to go in the area, but there has been noticeable improvement in the last eighteen months.

F. E-Mail Notices

Multiple e-mail notices and lists have repeatedly been sent to UMDNJ employees detailing the steps they can take at the work site and at home to reduce energy use and diminish their ecologic footprints.

(This Committee stands ready but has not met since the Fall of 2007 and must be officially recognized by the University before it can meet again)

Attachment B

Americ a n C ollege & University Presidents C lim a te C ommitment

We, the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, are deeply concerned

about the unprecedented scale and speed of global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse

health, social, economic and ecological effects. We recognize the scientific consensus that global

warming is real and is largely being caused by humans. We further recognize the need to reduce the

global emission of greenhouse gases by 80% by mid-century at the latest, in order to avert the worst

impacts of global warming and to reestablish the more stable climatic conditions that have made

human progress over the last 10,000 years possible.

While we understand that there might be short-term challenges associated with this effort, we believe

that there will be great short-, medium-, and long-term economic, health, social and environmental

benefits, including achieving energy independence for the U.S. as quickly as possible.

We believe colleges and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout

society by modeling ways to minimize global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge

and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality. Campuses that address the climate challenge

by reducing global warming emissions and by integrating sustainability into their curriculum will

better serve their students and meet their social mandate to help create a thriving, ethical and civil

society. These colleges and universities will be providing students with the knowledge and skills

needed to address the critical, systemic challenges faced by the world in this new century and enable

them to benefit from the economic opportunities that will arise as a result of solutions they develop.

We further believe that colleges and universities that exert leadership in addressing climate change

will stabilize and reduce their long-term energy costs, attract excellent students and faculty, attract

new sources of funding, and increase the support of alumni and local communities.

Accordingly, we commit our institutions to taking the following steps in pursuit of climate

neutrality:

1. Initiate the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve climate neutrality as soon as possible.

a. Within two months of signing this document, create institutional structures to guide the

development and implementation of the plan.

b. Within one year of signing this document, complete a comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse

gas emissions (including emissions from electricity, heating, commuting, and air travel) and

update the inventory every other year thereafter.

c. Within two years of signing this document, develop an institutional action plan for becoming

climate neutral, which will include:

i. A target date for achieving climate neutrality as soon as possible.

ii. Interim targets for goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality.

iii. Actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other

educational experience for all students.

iv. Actions to expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality.

v. Mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions.

(continued...)

American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment

2. Initiate two or more of the following tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more

comprehensive plan is being developed.

a. Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green

Building Council's LEED Silver standard or equivalent.

b. Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR

certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.

c. Establish a policy of offsetting all greenhouse gas emissions generated by air travel paid for by

our institution.

d. Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and

visitors at our institution.

e. Within one year of signing this document, begin purchasing or producing at least 15% of our

institution's electricity consumption from renewable sources.

f. Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at

companies where our institution's endowment is invested.

g. Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and

adopt 3 or more associated measures to reduce waste.

3. Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports publicly available by providing them

to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for posting

and dissemination.

In recognition of the need to build support for this effort among college and university administrations

across America , we will encourage other presidents to join this effort and become signatories to this

commitment.

Signed,

____________________________________

President/ Chancellor Signature

____________________________________

President/ Chancellor Name

____________________________________

College or University

____________________________________

Date

Please send the signed commitment document to:

Presidents' Climate Commitment

c/o Second Nature

18 Tremont St., Suite 1120

Boston , MA 02108

or fax to: 320-451-1612

or scan & email to: ACUPCC@secondnature.org