Overall Rating | Silver |
---|---|
Overall Score | 55.74 |
Liaison | Kristyn Achilich |
Submission Date | May 11, 2021 |
Saint Michael's College
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
Status | Score | Responsible Party |
---|---|---|
4.00 / 4.00 |
Karen
Talentino Professor of Biology Biology |
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
Bee Hotels have been built by various student groups over the years, and are placed throughout campus with information about the importance of pollinators. Finally, the campus as several "no-mow zones" which have interpretive signage explaining the importance of native plants and pollination.
The public frequently uses the campus grounds as a place to wander and learn. The art projects on campus are developed and implemented in a manner to capture both the attention of our on-campus community as well as our off campus community. For example, the Bee Hotels have educational post-cards attached to educate the broader community on issues relating to pollinator decline and the importance of providing safe habitat to protect all pollinators. We also have informational signage around the campus that directs the public to rain gardens, geothermal systems, the Teaching Gardens, Natural Area, Waste Management Systems, and the Farm.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
ES 213 Earth Systems and Processes looks at the physical systems and processes: landforms, geology, vegetation, soil, and weather/climate. The emphasis of the course is on these processes, but human-Earth interactions are also examined.
GG 102: Introduction to Physical Geography, students complete an on- campus lab on field weather forecasting thinking about measurement bias and location of weather equipment siting. If there is snow-cover on campus in December, students also complete a snow measurement and snow water calculation laboratory exercise.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
The Continuous Energy Improvement internship (initiated in 2019) also uses the buildings and their HVAC systems as a point of evaluation. The annual electricity competition in the residence halls also emphasizes and understanding of how buildings function and are controlled.
Finally, when we were building our most recent residence hall, the contractor and engineers supported a student internship so that a student could learn about the design and construction of a sustainable, geothermal-heated building.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
In ES107 (Environmental Science) and ES201 (Research Methods), students learn about energy utilization on campus - sources of energy, including our solar and geothermal systems, as well as the conservation practices and policies to reduce overall energy consumption.
In ES 301 (Energy and Climate Change) students use our extended campus to learn about different forms of energy and energy sources; they explore our solar array and our geothermal systems.
ES 103: Our Sustainable Future. Students’ final projects focused on creating a sustainability action plan for the campus. One group in each section of the course focused on creating an action plan to reduce the impact of energy usage on campus. One project focused on creating a proposal to implement more solar energy usage by the residential halls on campus.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
The interests and activism of our students have led to the reduction or selective application of pesticides to maintain high travel locations on campus as well as flower beds. The Grounds team is also using more perennial and at least more ecological plantings in the declining number of annual flower beds.
On the Farm - Ecological plantings, and their success on the farm have fostered ecological practices around campus. Native perennials that need to be thinned are used in planting beds around campus.
No Mow Zones have increased around campus, reducing labor hours and fossil fuel consumption and earth compaction around campus. Education around succession is slowly spreading through campus. This has lead to the implementation of a nursery in a prime campus location, plants to then be used in the natural area for restoration, habitat and pollinator work.
The Teaching Garden and the college arboretum are used in Biology and Education courses. Lessons learned include gardening with native plants, avoiding use of invasive species, and the fate of the American Chestnut.
Community Ecology has successfully used footprint analysis to quantify the differences in mammal diversity between the built portions of campus and the more natural areas south of Rt 15.
In 2017 our Animal Behavior will use motion-activated trail cameras to study the mammals that frequent the natural area south of Rt 15. Pre-class deployment has detected 8 mammal species including an abundant coyote population and an occasional bobcat.
Since 2006 we have utilized neighboring properties (Camp Johnson and Gil Brook Natural Area) as contrasts to the habitat that is our grounds. Our military collaboration has included prescribed burns and serves as a contrast to fire suppression management approach used in Gill Brook. Both of these campus-adjacent habitats serve as more natural experimental treatments as compared to our well-groomed and landscaped campus.
In 2010 a student did a research project measuring squirrel tolerance of human approaches on campus and in the woods. Students in 20012 measured the impacts of duckweed on communities in artificial ponds installed on campus. These are examples of the sort of research projects that occur on the grounds.
Beginning in 2008, our Streams Project, funded by Vermont EPSCoR has utilized our campus as a training location where high school and undergraduate students learn to take surface water samples, macroinvertebrate samples, and also to measure rainfall and water infiltration into soil.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Purchasing?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
EcoReps designed and posted signs throughout campus to educate students about the importance of and proper procedure for dealing with their waste (recycling, composting, trash).
Our student sustainability club, GreenUp, has taken the lead on two waste reduction projects this year. First, they worked with the Campus Store to create a "Green Products" zone, and recommended the inclusion of a number of relevant new items, such as washer sheets, reusable cutlery, and sustainable storage containers. Second, they designed and built a "recycling center" in our mailroom, that assists students in making sustainable decisions about recycling of their mailing and packaging materials. They have included an area for the drop-off of batteries as well, which are properly disposed of with the local solid waste facility.
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
--Students in the Spring 2018 course created a project focused on “Green Spaces” in which they focused on putting plants in various office spaces with the idea that plants help promote well-being (as well as numerous health benefits).
The CSA program run by the Farm is extended to staff and students around campus and in the community. Membership to the program affords participants access to education of nutrition, cooking recipes and techniques, food history and culture.
Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www.smcvt.edu/academics/center-for-the-environment/sustainability/
The examples provided are just a small representation of the myriad ways in which we use our campus as a living laboratory. There are few, if any, departments in which the campus is not used for teaching, research, and/or reflection. As the coordination by the Center for the Environment and the management of our natural labs (Farm, Natural Area, Teaching Gardens) are enhanced, the vision of our campus as a living laboratory will be fully realized.
https://www.smcvt.edu/academics/center-for-the-environment/sustainability/
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.