| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.91 |
| Liaison | Tom Hartzell |
| Submission Date | Dec. 21, 2022 |
Calvin University
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Tom
Hartzell Campus Sustainability Program Coordinator Ecosystem Preserve |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
The Calvin Ecosystem Preserve and Nature Gardens contain 3 acres of formal native demonstration gardens including 23-themed native garden beds. Some themes include, rain garden, prairie demonstration garden, oak savannah demonstration garden, pollinator gardens, dune demonstration garden, shoreline restoration, etc. Over 60,000 native plants have been installed in this 3 acre site since 2018. The native gardens are used as inspiration to the rest of campus to convert traditional turf grass to native garden beds.
The Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens employs about 2 dozen students each year. During the summer field season, 7 students were employed on a full-time basis and served the campus as Stewardship Interns, Cartography Interns or Horticultural Interns. These students learned hands-on land management techniques to restore the 104-acre Ecosystem Preserve. These skills make the students highly employable so their impact will extend far beyond the confines of our campus. Many of these students end up serving in similar ways, but at reduced hours, during the academic year.
The Ecosystem Preserve also serves as an outdoor classroom for ENST 210, ENST 302, and BIOL 344 (and lab). BIOL 344 students are actively involved in ecological monitoring projects that help inform land management decision in the Preserve.
Also, The Bunker Interpretive Center (BIC) in the Calvin Ecosystem Preserve and Nature Gardens is a LEED-Gold certified building. The BIC provides approximately 5,000 square feet of space which serves as a home base for programs, a study center for the university community, and an educational resource for the general public. Included in that space are a laboratory classroom, a multipurpose room, and a display hall. The multipurpose room, depending on its configuration, serves as a lecture hall or as an exploratory space for elementary classes. The display hallway houses permanent and temporary displays to help visitors better understand the flora and fauna of the Great Lakes region.
The BIC also has composting toilets (Clivus Multrum foam flushing toilets which use only 3 ounces of water per flush). The BIC also utilizes a gray-water system where all water discharged into sinks is collected in gray-water tanks and is pumped through the solarium in the lab where it is cleaned by the plants and then transpired back into the air.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Campus Engagement
Grounds
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
The Calvin Energy Recovery Fund (CERF) is a revolving fund used to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions on campus. Plus, the cost savings from CERF projects are routed back into the fund for five years after project payoff—thereby growing the fund to support future projects.
Accomplishments: Since its inception in 2009, CERF projects have resulted in:
Energy savings of 4,803,804 kWh.
Water savings of 7,290,335 gallons.
Natural Gas Savings of 5,080.17 MMBtu.
CO2 Savings of 3,582.42 metric tons.
Overall cost savings of $467,061.86 as of Sept. 2021.
(Source: https://calvin.edu/about/sustainability/cerf/images/CERFQuarter3Report2021.pdf)
Background:
Calvin seeded the student-proposed effort in September 2009, and the college's Environmental Stewardship Committee approved policies governing CERF in March 2010. The first CERF project reduced electricity usage on campus by automatically putting computers to sleep when not in use. With thousands of computers on campus, this adds up to significant energy cost savings.
Students are involved in project analysis, providing an opportunity for supplemental learning on energy stewardship and fiscal responsibility. In September 2010, the West Michigan Business Review cited CERF among other campus activities when it recognized Calvin with the “Greatest Green Initiative” award.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Buildings
Energy
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Sustainability Coordinators (SCs) are volunteer peer educators who live in the residence halls and KE apartments and promote sustainability through formal educational programs and informal daily interactions. They are overseen by a paid student sustainability intern and the Director of Residence Life, Becki Simpson. The sustainability coordinators meet every week to plan programs and continue learning. One keynote program the SCs plan is Kill-a-watt, which is outlined below:
Kill-a-watt is a creation-care awareness program in the residence halls, during January. This initiative is structured as an inter-residence hall competition where students earn “Kill-a-watt points” for their hall by participating in program elements and decreasing their hall’s electricity. Student leaders partner with Calvin faculty and staff members, and community members to create rich educational experiences for our students during Kill-a-watt.
Kill-a-watt Desired Outcomes
• Students will explore connections between the Christian faith and environmental stewardship.
• Students will reflect on their lifestyle choices and how their choices impact others.
• Students will learn more about environmental stewardship, including specific issues such as: consumerism, wonder, sustainable agriculture, food justice, and pollution.
• Students will take small action steps towards changing their behaviors to become more sustainable, through the DREAM certification process and Lifestyle Challenges.
Kill-a-watt program elements:
Leadership training
- 250 student leaders attend a 1-hour leadership training, where they are trained in how to support the various elements of Kill-a-watt, and how to get their peers involved in the program.
“DREAM” Certification (Dorm Room Environmental Awareness Movement)
• Students “DREAM" certify their rooms by taking an online assessment which evaluated the sustainability of their residence hall room and living routines. The survey addressed topics of recycling, energy use, plants, natural lighting, water use, material consumption, and environmental awareness.
• Students who earned enough points, according to the pre-assigned rubric, could receive a Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze certification emblem to hang on their door.
Lifestyle Challenges
• Students are challenged to try out new sustainable lifestyle habits for all of interim. Examples of “Lifestyle Challenges” are: becoming vegetarian, taking shorter showers, riding the bus, unplugging appliances when not in use, using cold water for laundry, or not using Styrofoam for the month.
• Challenges ranged from simple 1 and 5-point challenges, to more difficult 10, 20, and 30-point challenges.
Dining Hall Initiatives
• Dining hall bulletin boards displayed educational posters with information about non-meat protein sources. Dining Hall offers additional vegan and meatless options.
Creation Care Devotional Study
• Almost every residence hall floor participated in a devotional study that sought to cultivate awareness and attentiveness towards creation. The study was a modified selection of Lenten Devotions on creation care from the Christian Reformed Church of North America. A few days had been chosen for each week and paired with others days to create a two week study. The first week focused on practicing wonder in creation and God’s use of quiet places to speak with us. The second week targeted the “groaning of creation”, the issues the planet is currently facing and what we can do to be good stewards.
Chapel
• Calvin students shared about intersections between faith & sustainability in their lives.
Residence Hall Events
• Each residence hall also planned one in-hall event, organized by each hall’s student leaders. Each leadership team received a Resource Guide, which contained ideas for interactive programs, documentaries, and potential guest speakers.
• In-Hall Programs included: Faculty lectures, plant-potting, documentaries/movies, dumpster-diving info session.
Other All-campus Collaborative Events
• Sustainability-themed Documentary showings, mending workshop, nature hikes engage different types of students in learning about sustainability
Electricity Usage
• Students were encouraged to reduce their electricity use through infographics and demonstrations of ways to reduce electricity, like turning lights off when not in use and keeping windows closed so as to not waste heat.
Kill-a-watt Finale
At final Kill-a-watt event, Sustainability Coordinators hosted a table where students could stop by and make their own sustainable toothpaste and laundry detergent. These students also hosted a "clothing swap" and poetry readings at this same event, and announced the winners of the overall Kill-a-watt contest. The winning hall received sustainable prizes for their community: Green inserts for community fridges which lengthen life of produce, re-usable shopping bags for use by any community member, re-usable straws and sustainable dish washing detergent for the community kitchens.
In addition to Kill-a-watt, the Sustainability Coordinators plan smaller events in their own residence halls throughout the year.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Energy
Waste
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
More info on Kill-a-Watt may be found at:
1. https://calvin.edu/news/archive/competing-for-sustainability-at-calvin
2. https://calvin.edu/calendar/event.html?id=c455d605-2a96-41f4-9728-cd08764cd587
All information used sourced from credit referenced in each specific point of distinction.
Completed by Eleanor Ludwig.
More info on Kill-a-Watt may be found at:
1. https://calvin.edu/news/archive/competing-for-sustainability-at-calvin
2. https://calvin.edu/calendar/event.html?id=c455d605-2a96-41f4-9728-cd08764cd587
All information used sourced from credit referenced in each specific point of distinction.
Completed by Eleanor Ludwig.
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.