Overall Rating	Gold
Overall Score	65.15
Liaison	Emma Blandford
Submission Date	Feb. 29, 2024

STARS v2.2

Georgia Institute of Technology
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	4.00 / 4.00

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Campus Engagement

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:

The EcoCommons at the Living Building has been designed to include more than 20 sensors and the data is available to the entire campus community to utilize for research and academic purposes. Sensors installed throughout the EcoCommons area measure Air Temperature and Humidity; Soil Moister; Water Depth and Pressure; Wind Speed & Direction; Gust Speed and Barometric Pressure; Rain amounts; Leaf Wetness; and Outdoor CO2.

http://facilities.gatech.edu/eco-commons

Public Engagement

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:

Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS) Program
SLS is a campus-wide academic initiative working with all six colleges to offer students opportunities inside and outside the classroom to collaborate with diverse partners – across the community, non-profit, government, academic, and business sectors – on key sustainability challenges. SLS seeks to provide our partners with support and resources, while providing our students with practical experience in supporting solutions for sustainable communities. The Sustainable Communities Internship program is offered every summer and is an opportunity for students looking to gain real-world experience related to sustainability and community engagement. Students participating in the Sustainable Communities Internship program must participate in the SLS internship seminar that meets one evening each week for one hour. The seminar introduces students to theories of grassroots sustainability innovation, and provides students with an opportunity to reflect on their internship experiences.

https://serve-learn-sustain.gatech.edu/

Air & Climate

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) are projects, teams, and participants that are elevated by the broad knowledge, talents, and experiences assembled by engaging individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. Dr. Emily Weigel has developed a VIP for the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design. The purpose of the Living Building Science team is to evaluate the impact of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design on the non-human living and nonliving environment using sustainable scientific methods.

Issues Involved or Addressed
• Monitor the water quality of potable water in the building and evaluate how rainfall and building usage affects biological and chemical properties.
• Characterize the chemical and biological properties of water exiting the constructed wetland/ gray water treatment system.
• Determine the effects of building utilization and weather on indoor air quality
• Evaluate the effects of solar panel arrays on building heat capture and surrounding environment.
• Examine the effect of compost infusion treatment on garden soil microbiome composition.
• Develop methods to increase carbon capture by soils.
• Quantify resident and migratory wildlife populations through remote sensing technology.
• Examine the effects of pollinator diversity and abundance on fruit production in urban agricultural settings.
• Develop low/no impact laboratory protocols that minimize energy and water utilization and waste production.
• Engage Atlanta community with twice-yearly LBS research open houses.
• Maintain and add to a searchable database of biodiversity found at the site suitable for community-engagement biodiversity events (BioBlitzes)

https://www.vip.gatech.edu/teams/vwk

Buildings

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:

The Aware Home provides a number of resources and opportunities for students in the Georgia Tech community. The house was developed as a space for researchers to experiment with home technology in its proper context. It is outfitted with a myriad of technologies to help facilitate research in the fields of smart home applications, aging in place, health and well-being, digital media and entertainment, education, sustainability, and home management.

The Aware Home environment in itself provides a unique research lab in which to try out concepts. In addition, we are continuing to build the sensing and control capabilities of the home, including an API for linking projects into the home infrastructure.

https://sites.gatech.edu/awarehome/students/

Energy

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:

A student project group has developed a feasilibility study for electrifying Georgia Tech’s vehicle fleet. This project was also submitted to the Carbon Reduction Challenge, where it won 1st place in Summer 2022.

https://www.carbonreductionchallenge.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CRC-Presentation-Electrify-GT.pdf

Food & Dining

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:

A 2023 senior design project had a goal to bring Tech Dining in line with Georgia Tech’s 2050 Zero Waste goal. They underwent extensive data collection that included over 300 hours of waste auditing, human observations, and survey administration to 400 students. Tech Dining has already made changes in procurement that were suggested by the team and back-of-house systems have attained zero waste status.

https://expo.gatech.edu/prod1/portal/portal.jsp?c=17462&p=413142918&g=413665329&id=416819885

Grounds

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:

The Georgia Tech Arboretum provides a platform for the development of educational tools defining the performance of individual trees and the collective forest in the urban landscape. From the microscopic impacts of trees on soil, to the regional impact of the urban forest on the air we breathe, the Arboretum provides the Georgia Tech community a tool for explaining tree performance values while they are being researched as part of our living learning laboratory.

https://www.arboretum.gatech.edu

Purchasing

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:

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Transportation

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) are projects, teams, and participants that are elevated by the broad knowledge, talents, and experiences assembled by engaging individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. The Smart City Infrastructure VIP allows students to use emerging sensor technologies to map and forecast campus transportation infrastructure health to develop wider smart city infrastructure health and safety condition monitoring, assessment and diagnosis methods.

https://www.vip.gatech.edu/teams/vvc

Waste

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:

Scheller College Graduate Sustainability Fellows and Undergraduate Sustainability Ambassadors deepen their engagement in environmental and social issues for business by working on projects that address real-world challenges being faced by on-campus and external partnering organizations. Past projects by Sustainability Fellows and Undergraduate Sustainability Ambassadors include a comprehensive analysis of the institute’s waste data to formulate a strategic plan to enhance sustainability efforts for the university and an exploration of the viability for Georgia Tech to implement a Green Revolving Fund.

https://www.scheller.gatech.edu/centers-and-initiatives/ray-c-anderson-center-for-sustainable-business/education/projects.html

Water

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:

Coordination & Planning

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:

A student completed a project in Fall 2023 looking to improve the STARS reporting process. The student assessed the current state of the process and identified multiple points of improvement for the next reporting cycle that will enhance internal collaboration, productivity of reporting, and attract support from the community.

Diversity & Affordability

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:

Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) are projects, teams, and participants that are elevated by the broad knowledge, talents, and experiences assembled by engaging individuals from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. The Building for Equity and Sustainability VIP takes as its main focus Georgia Tech’s new Living Building – the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design – and its efforts to advance social equity as one of seven key performance areas in the Living Building Challenge. Students in this class work closely with community partners to support the advancement of equity, resilience, and sustainability in the built environment. Current projects include the Equity and Sustainability Ratings Systems and Campus Equity and Sustainability Tours sub-teams.

https://www.vip.gatech.edu/teams/vwm

Investment & Finance

Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:

Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:

Wellbeing & Work

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:

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Optional Fields

Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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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.