Bucknell University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Students have completed greenhouse gas inventories every two years since 2006. Since 2008 these inventories have served to fulfill the requirements of the ACUPCC, and have helped the university develop greenhouse gas reduction strategies. The greenhouse gas inventory required the two students to examine every facet of the University's energy consumption and to compile all of the data using a mathematical model which converts energy use of different kinds into tons of CO2.

In 2010, as the result of a student internship by Rebecca Shopiro '12, the university installed its first green roof on the Dana Engineering Building. In subsequent years the roof has been used in research conducted by Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Kevin Gilmore with several other student interns. The research has been focused on documenting and quantifying the benefits of green roofs. As a result of the success of this first green roof, two others have been built on the campus, a second green roof on the Dana Engineering Building, and a third on Academic West, the university's first green academic building.

An internship with student Rebecca Shopiro '12 has lead to the construction of several green roofs and walls. Dana Engineering is home to two green roofs, Hildreth Mirza Hall was renovated with one green roof and one green wall in the past year, Academic West has a green roof, and Academic East is planned to incorporate these features as well. Additionally, students continue to intern with the Campus Energy Manager where they learn how to monitor energy usage, identify potential issues, and participate in building system inspections.

Bucknell is in the process of construction of a new university farm, the purpose of which will be to educate students and the community about best farming practices. The farm will be fully self sufficient, and will provide supplemental food to dining services, as well as functioning as an aesthetically pleasing greenspace where students can relax. Bucknell also operates the Lewisburg Community Garden, participates at the Dreamcatcher Farm and Wild Goose Farm (teach sustainable living practices and donate food to local food banks); and has a Food Systems minor.

Since 2007, the Campus Greening Initiative has maintained a native plants garden on the grounds of the Bucknell University Environmental Center. The garden began as a student internship, and several other student interns have been involved in studying and maintaining the garden, creating educational garden guides, and organizing garden education events for the Center. In 2015, classes taught by professors Hayes, Kochel, McTammany, Jacobs, Newlin, Crago, and Higgins worked together to restore segments of Miller Run on the Bucknell Golf Course, in an effort to reduce flooding and erosion in order to decrease the quantity of suspended sediments reaching the Chesapeake Bay. The course "Field Botany", an upper level biology course, studies native species surrounding and within campus. Additionally, sustainable landscaping practices have been implemented in sections of the campus. Professors Spiro and Griffin have monitored the plant and wildlife in this area as indicators of overall forest health.

Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Michelle Beiler has used the campus as a living laboratory for several student projects in her Sustainable Transportation class. Laboratory exercises typically involve students dividing up into teams and applying course material to transportation infrastructure on campus such as through a pavement assessment or a speed spot study. Environmental Studies and Geography professor Ben Marsh teaches about the transportation shortcomings in the surrounding area, and has students write proposals for original solutions in his Community Based Research Design course. These courses have led to campus infrastructure improvements on Moore Ave, an extension of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail to campus, and pedestrian/cyclists analysis on and off campus.

Students in Introduction to Sustainable Design analyze waste they see on campus and create life cycle analysis charts for common products. The Sustainable Design Program is working to create a center for upcycling on campus. During Earth Week each year since 2017, the Environmental Club organizes a "weigh your waste" day at the Bostwick Cafeteria, where all food waste is collected and weighed over the two hour dinner period, to show the large effect that our waste has when added together and to encourage students to only serve what they can consume.

Bucknell Univeristy's Green Fund has allowed many students to see their proposals on water usage accepted and implemented. Leah O'Connor '19's proposal to upgrade the shower heads in all of the smaller residential areas on St. George Street has reduced water usage by about 90,000 gallons per year, and her proposal to upgrade the water fixtures in the Gerhard Fieldhouse will cut down water consumption by over 600,000 gallons per year. A proposal to upgrade water fixtures in Larison Cottage will save over 500,000 gallons per year, and upgrades to the Christy Mathewson Memorial Stadium will save over 150,000 gallons annually. Maeve Greely '18's proposal to upgrade shower heads in Trax Hall has saved over 370,000 gallons annually. Taylor Sheldon '17's proposal to install low flush toilets in Dana Engineering have saved over 150,000 gallons annually. Jacob Hannah '17's proposal for waterless urinals in Dana Engineering is saving over 90,000 gallons annually. Mary Coughlan '18's proposal to replace high flow fixtures at 400 St George Street has saved over 140,000 gallons annually.

Managing for Sustainability majors take a course called "Management Consulting", where students are exposed to principles of organization development and change. Requires students to draw on and integrate knowledge, skills, and experiences gained from core, major, and relevant CCC courses. In teams, students develop, organize, and manage significant projects that further key sustainability goals and involve multiple stakeholder groups.

In 2011 students from the Bucknell Environmental Club, in cooperation with the Campus Greening Council, established the Green Fund, a revolving fund in which students have continued to participate both through serving on its advisory committee, and creating proposals for funding consideration. Several of the recent successful proposals can be seen in the "Water" section above. Additionally, Bucknell has a Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF). This group manages a portion of the endowment currently valued at approximately $2M. This group has discussed divestment and has implemented ESGs.

The Office of Civic Engagement works to link professors to community groups with specified needs, so that they can incorporate these projects into their course material. There are 20-25 courses each semester that are designated as Community Based Learning courses, some of the most popular of which being; "Immigrant Youth in US Society", "Martin Luther King and the Beloved Community: New Perspectives and Possibilities", and "Learning: Behaviour Modification for Mutts".

Many faculty conduct research in and engage students in addressing wellness issues. As an example, a 2018 Computer Science class developed an app called Ready-Set-Fit designed to encourage users to walk/jog/bike more on campus.

The Institute for Leadership in Sustainable Technology (ILST) is a researched-based summer institute focusing on a variety of sustainable technologies, open to 12 students across the three colleges of the University.

Students receive hands-on, team based experiences, conducting sustainability consulting projects that focus on economic, social, and environmental issues in residential and commercial settings. The program is open to rising sophomores, juniors and seniors and is co-taught by a Management and an Engineering professor.