Belmont University
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Mission Statement: Belmont University is a student-centered Christian community providing an academically challenging education that empowers men and women of diverse backgrounds to engage and transform the world with disciplined intelligence, compassion, courage and faith. Empowering men and women in a Christian community to engage and transform the world includes educating them to protect and care for Creation. Believing that the natural environment is a gift from God, the university will endeavor to model for its students and the broader community appropriate institutional behaviors which protect the environment including respect for and compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations. The Sustainability Committee brings together decision makers from across campus to ensure that all areas of sustainability are being addressed in a systematic fashion. Additionally, our School of Arts and Sciences has a separate sustainability committee that meets to discuss ways in which we can better promote sustainable practices within the College of Arts and Sciences. The committee is also involved in conducting research on campus about the practices and attitudes of faculty regarding sustainability efforts.

University-Wide Sustainability Committee Members: 1. Anthony Donovan--Director, Residence Life anthony.donovan@belmont.edu 2. Keith Chapman--Director, Auxiliary Services keith.chapman@belmont.edu 3. Greg Pillon--Director, Communications greg.pillon@belmont.edu 4. Robert Chavez--Director, Facilities Management Robert.Chavez@belmont.edu 5. Jason Rogers--V.P for Administration & General Counsel jason.rogers@belmont.edu 6. Judy Fisher--President Fisher's spouse fisher2030@comcast.net 7. Kyle Grover--Director, Food Services kyle.grover@belmont.edu 8. Mark Grones--Facilities Management mark.grones@belmont.edu 10. Steve Lasley--V.P., Finance and Operations steve.lasley@belmont.edu 11. Todd Lake--V.P., Spiritual Development todd.lake@belmont.edu 12. Benita Walker--Executive Assistant, VPSD Benita.walker@belmont.edu 13. ECO Club President 14. ECO Club Vice President 15. John Niedzwiecki--Faculty Member John.Niedzwiecki@belmont.edu 16. John Carney--Senior Director of Marketing John.Carney@belmont.edu 17. April Hefner--Associate Dir. of Communications April.Hefner@belmont.edu 18. Matthew Heard--Chair, Environmental Science

The Belmont University Sustainability Committee is co-led by three Belmont Vice Presidents, and has achieved remarkable sustainability outcomes using this decentralized model of planning and implementation. Technically, we do not have a sustainability office. But we have put "yes" because we have designated within each office specific individuals to both serve on the Sustainability Committee, and to implement sustainability initiatives in their respective areas. Instead of a central sustainability office and coordinator, we have vested both the responsibility--and authority-- for new initiatives in the relevant operational and academic areas. This has led to remarkable results: Belmont has the first LEED platinum academic building built in Tennessee; irrigation of the campus is done using water captured and reused on campus; there are 14 green roofs on campus, including one with an apiary; all garden and lawn clipping are composted, as is all food waste in the new 1,000-seat cafeteria; and the energy use per student had fallen dramatically each year due to new initiatives in lighting, heating, and cooling. This is all done by those in the best position to assess the opportunities and make the relevant decisions to implement quick and consequential change.

Platinum LEED certification for the Ayers Academic Center, making Belmont the first University in Tennessee and the first LEED for New Construction project in Nashville to achieve that level, the highest in the LEED ratings system Gold LEED certification for the Baskin Center and Gold LEED certification for the Johnson Center Academic Complex and dining hall. The removal of plastic water bottles across dining locations on campus Free and available BLINK charging stations in parking garages, bike racks across campus and a campus wide car-sharing program to encourage more energy efficient modes of transportation A composting system that converts food and cardboard waste into enriched soil additives through large dehydrators, reducing overall waste from food operations by 45 percent A geothermal heating and cooling system under the Baskin Law School and Johnson Center Academic Complex that uses the Earth’s natural temperature to regulate interior climate The recent designation as a Nashville Tree Foundation Arboretum and USA Tree Campus Composting all green waste generated on campus. • University partnership with Metro Transit Authority (MTA) for students, faculty and staff to use public transportation to and from Belmont for free * Leading institution in Nashville supporting the $6 billion public transportation plan for the city and region. • Sub-Meters installed in all dorms and most academic buildings to track track and monitor electricity consumption Office of Campus Security switch to hybrid cars for officers The use of recycled materials construction, wherever possible, and lighting controls established as a standard in all new or, remodeled spaces. • An innovative and interactive irrigation system that collects run-off rainwater in underground tanks and utilizes current weather data to dictate the need for water Fourteen educational and sustainable green roofs which provide learning labs for students, while serving the environment through better building insulation and storm water management. A partnership with Blessed Earth and A Rocha that includes the hosting of several sustainability events and Conscious College Tour that brought new information and a town hall meeting to campus to engage students in conversation about sustainability and living in an eco-friendly way The formation of a new student organization, Slow Food Belmont, to practice and educate on urban gardening A multi-pronged approach for recycling that includes labeled receptacles for paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum and glass and designated locations for battery disposal, shredded documents and white paper Belmont has increased its physical footprint by 27 percent since 2000, but in just the past 3 years, the University has driven down its electrical consumption by the same rate. That represents a savings of over 14 million kilowatt hours of energy a year, or enough electricity to power 1,349 homes and a savings of over 9,800 metric tons of greenhouse gasses.

Belmont University has achieved remarkable sustainability outcomes using a decentralized model of planing and implementation. Instead of a central sustainability office and coordinator, we have vested both the responsibility--and authority-- for new initiatives in the relevant operational and academic areas. This had led to remarkable results: Belmont has the first LEED platinum academic building built in Tennessee; irrigation of the campus is done using water captured and reused on campus; there are 14 green roofs on campus, including one with an apiary; all garden and lawn clipping are composted, as is all food waste in the new 1,000-seat cafeteria; and the energy use per student had fallen dramatically each year due to new initiatives in lighting, heating, and cooling. This is all done by those in the best position to assess the opportunities and make the relevant decisions to implement quick and consequential change.