Clemson University
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

Clemson University Long-Range Framework Plan: This plan, published in December 2017, is a decision-making tool for future development (focused on the next 5-10 years) of campus while allowing flexibility to enable the University to respond to changing conditions and circumstances. The Planning process examines how teaching, research, and outreach can be conducted on the Clemson campus, while also improving campus life and promoting student engagement. One of the 5 Guiding Principles for the plan is “Promoting Sustainability through integrated planning in order to achieve Clemson’s social, environmental, and economic objectives for campus.” Chapter 8 of the Plan – Sustainability – provides an overview of the sustainability strategies inherent to the Framework Plan, which are primarily focused on the connection to the physical planning, development, and operation of the campus. Specific sustainability objectives include: - Modeling sustainable infrastructure, buildings, and landscapes. - Showcasing working landscapes and stormwater management strategies. - Promoting life-long stewardship for students. - Encouraging energy efficiency and lower carbon emissions. The Plan goes on to establish context based on current climate, rainfall, and temperature data for the region. A sustainability framework is established to aid the understanding of land use, stormwater, and student mobility, then two specific Sustainability Big Ideas are presented. The first Big Idea is related to Water Resource & Stormwater Management, the second to Energy & Emissions. Each of the two Big Ideas presents varies strategies & initiatives aimed at achieving resource management and reduction goals.

Student learning objectives help to guide our efforts and evaluate our progress towards this education goal. Prior to graduation, each Clemson student will be able to: - Define sustainability. - Identify and discuss fundamental issues of sustainability. - Analyze how their values relate to sustainability, and how their actions impact sustainability issues. - Recognize interrelated systems. - Evaluate the role of their major in sustainability issues. - Apply sustainability concepts on local and global scales. - Practice change agent skills for sustainability. These details are located in the Clemson Sustainability Action Plan

Found in Clemson's Sustainability Action Pan. Clemson strives to improve new and existing building energy efficiency: o Incrementally improve energy efficiency in all new construction projects and major renovations so that by 2030 they are designed and constructed to be energy neutral. This means that in five years, University projects are intended to be 35% better than the ASHRAE 90.1 standard 4, in 10 years 50% better, 15 years 75% better, and by 2030, including renewable energy, the projects will be energy neutral. o Implement energy conservation education. Efforts are ongoing to reduce energy use on campus by educating students and faculty on how to reduce their energy use through behavioral changes such as turning off lights, computers and other office equipment. o Reduce energy consumption through reduced water use. This includes low-flow shower heads, which reduce water use and the energy needed to heat it; waterless or low-flow toilets which reduce water use and energy needed for treatment; and efficient chiller design to reduce water and energy use. Evaluate solar thermal and solar photovoltaic options for economic feasibility and for learning opportunities. https://www.clemson.edu/sustainability/documents/Sustainability-Action-Plan.pdf

Found in Clemson's Sustainability Action Pan. Ideas currently in action: - Implement the Parking and Transportation Master Plan. - Use smaller buses at night when fewer passengers are present. - Explore and invest in ZimRide, a web-based rideshare program to facilitate increased carpool/vanpool opportunities for both planned and “on-the-fly” ridesharing. Ideas moving forward: - Broaden the responsibilities of Parking Services to include TDM Services. o The expanded Transportation Services Department will house the TDM program, transit coordination, fleet services, and parking enforcement. o Including the TDM program in an overall transportation services department will facilitate coordination and cooperation between parking, transit, and alternative transportation. o Capable professionals able to champion and effectively market these new transportation alternatives will staff this expanded department. o Once in place, this new department must explore grant opportunities and both internal and external revenue sources to advance the action steps outlined here. - Expand incentives to increase participation in carpools/vanpools. o Offer incentives such as preferred parking, reduced parking permit fees, expanded guaranteed ride home program, and vanpool subsidies. o Improve communication of rideshare incentives and benefits. The university must use websites, email campaigns, and other marketing techniques to communicate the financial and environmental benefits of ride-sharing. o Explore fee structures that discourage single occupancy vehicle travel by making high occupancy travel more convenient and less expensive. o Consider a proximity-based parking fee structure that increases fees for single occupancy vehicles parked in preferred, core campus parking lots. o Explore methods to reduce single occupancy vehicle travel for major event parking. These may include development of park-and-ride lots supported by transit and coordination of event-specific rideshare programs. - Develop incentives and opportunities to bike or walk to campus. o Improve infrastructure to encourage cycling or walking to, from, and around campus. Continue to seek grant funding opportunities to facilitate infrastructure improvements such as bike lanes, pedestrian pathways, bike lockers and bike racks. o Develop and promote cycling incentive programs such as zero-interest bicycle loan programs or bike share programs. - Consider implementing a compressed, four-day work week/class schedule. This would include developing the IT infrastructure necessary to make telecommuting, web conferencing, and distance learning more accessible to reduce travel needs. - Develop and implement a plan that will limit on-campus parking. This may include elimination of freshman parking and limitation of sophomore parking to only those living on campus. Ideas in need of a champion - Evaluate ways to offset the environmental impacts of travel. - Increase the availability and use of virtual meetings and teleconferences through better technology and management in existing facilities and through new facilities that may come on line. - Purchase carbon offset credits with every airline ticket so that offsets and carbon emissions are balanced with each other. - Phase out fuel-inefficient university fleet vehicles and replace with compact, hybrid, or more fuel-efficient vehicles when feasible. - Provide a more robust range of options to accommodate group travel. - Encourage the conversion of transit fleet vehicles to more fuel-efficient or alternative fuel vehicles. - Reduce students living off-campus by 25% by 2020 and 50% by 2030. https://www.clemson.edu/sustainability/documents/Sustainability-Action-Plan.pdf

Found in Clemson's Sustainability Action Pan. - Implement an end-of-year move-out program to divert students’ unwanted goods from the waste stream. - Implement a recycling program, which currently takes 26% of regular materials out of the waste stream. - Develop a “Bring Your Own Cup” (BYOC) strategy in our dining halls and meeting rooms. - Expand recycling to all buildings. o This includes expanding the current student pilot program that is removing trashcans from classrooms and offices while retaining the quality of spaces in campus buildings. o Market the sustainability value of the program. - Develop a “Need It – Use It” program for office supplies. - Collect unneeded items from across the campus at a convenient location to be shopped by departments. o Market the program and include incentives for participation. - Employ the use of concepts such as “atom economy” and “green chemistry” in all of our research programs to reduce the use of toxic solvents and reagents in chemistry and similar departments. - Eliminate the use of styrofoam. - Treat all paper documents as secure documents requiring destruction through recycling and prohibiting throwing in waste cans. - Provide incentives for innovative ways to increase recycling rate. - Set a goal of 75% recycling rate by 2020. - Enforce the Construction & Demolition recycling plan on all projects. Raise the goal to 100% recycling rate with 75% as the minimum. https://www.clemson.edu/sustainability/documents/Sustainability-Action-Plan.pdf