Hobart and William Smith Colleges
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Selected projects follow. Topic: Reducing the Plug Load of Fitness Center Treadmills (Spring 2016) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This team worked with the Facilities Department to calculate the potential energy savings related to turning the treadmills off at night and during the day when not in use. The group worked with the Athletic Director and proposed technology options (outlet timers) and behavioral options (e.g. laminated reminders to turn off the machine when done running/walking) for addressing the plug load of the treadmills. Topic: Heat Recovery Ventilators and Air Source Heat Pump Options for Campus Buildings (Spring 2017) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: Students are examining the technology, cost, and installation considerations for thermal efficiency projects, such as HRVs and air source heat pumps. Research will be completed and an action plan for specific targeted buildings will be developed and proposed to the Facilities Department.

Selected projects follow. Topic: Real Food Challenge Calculator (annually) Course/Program: Real Food Challenge Internship Description: The HWS Real Food Challenge (RFC) intern supported, managed, and administered the Real Food Challenge at HWS by conducting the RFC Calculator. The student, through calculation and analysis, determined the current status of procurement and sourcing of food on campus. This student also developed recommendations and strategies for increasing the percentage of local, healthy, fair, and sustainably sourced food by HWS and Sodexo Dining in the future. Topic: Food Waste Reduction (2017) Course/Program: Sustainability Living and Learning Community The team looked at food waste behaviors in the dining hall, and had conversations with the dining hall manager that resulted in posters as an attempt to help students eliminate food waste. These posters were almost statistically significant in showing reduction of food waste. A longer testing period and increased data collection is necessary to fully evaluate the impact. Topic: Increasing Food Labeling at SAGA (Spring 2015) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This team was interested in whether increased knowledge about the environmental impacts of the food one consumes would result in behavioral changes within the HWS student body. The goal of this project was to select, identify, and research several ubiquitous food items in order to produce signage that could accompany these items in SAGA. Students focused primarily on the carbon footprint of bananas and conducted an informal survey of how informational signage might affect students’ decision whether to not to consume bananas.

Selected projects follow. Topic: Road Salt Usage During Winter (Spring 2016) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This team researched options for reducing salt use on campus roads and walkways. Specific product alternatives that would be less harmful to water and ecosystem health were researched, including the cost differences and effectiveness.

Selected projects follow. Topic: Sustainable Event Planning Guide (Spring 2015) Course/Program: Sustainability, Commodities, and Consumption (ENV 330) Description: This student team conducted a research project to determine how HWS events were planned and hosted. Based on the assumption that offices around campus often do not plan ahead and there is not an event planning guidebook for HWS, offices oftentimes purchase the more affordable and less sustainable products, supplies, and services for their events. This group produced a “Sustainable Event Guidebook” to assist HWS offices in hosting more sustainable events, while outlining options for more sustainable products and services.

A selected project follows. Topic: Bike Share Proposal for a Yellow Bike System 2.0 (Spring 2015) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: A team of students evaluated the infrastructure needs, costs, and program elements for an advanced bike share program on campus. The team reached out to providers and collected package estimates for bike, dock, and installation costs. Topic: Electric Car Promotional Initiative (Spring 2017) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community A team of students sought to reduce fossil fuel impacts as a result of faculty/staff transportation during daily commute by promoting the use of electric cars. This would be done through a multifaceted initiative that includes educating faculty and staff on the impact that electric cars has on the environment. By providing subsidies for purchasing these vehicles. And increasing accessibility to charging stations on campus.

Example projects follow. Topic: Water Refill Stations (Spring 2015) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This team was focused on increasing access to water refill stations and promotion of reusable water bottles. The goal was to spread awareness through signage and communicating with peers through social media. Water you doing for sustainability?" posters were created and placed in Rees Hall. Topic: Waste Sorting at HWS Dining Facilities (Spring 2017) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This team focused on waste sorting on campus. They conducted an observational study, focused on behavior change research and messaging, and designed napkin dispenser inserts to promote improved waste sorting through education. Several waste audits were performed in public areas to raise awareness about what we were doing and why. Topic: An Investigation of Outdoor Waste Diversion on HWS Campus (Spring 2016) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This team examined the locations and use of outdoor recycling and trash bins around campus. Bin audits were conducted, a GIS-based map of bin locations was created, and recommendations were made for relocating and adding bins across the campus in order to increase waste diversion.

Selected projects follow. Topic: Opening of Baker Water Quality Lab Department: Finger Lakes Institute Description: Baker Lab marks an improvement in the ability for students to engage in research, education, community outreach, and economic development. The lab will provide hands on experience for STEM students to work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and watershed associations to protect the region’s water resources, which supply drinking water to more than a million people and, support the critical agriculture and tourism industries. Topic: Implementation of Bioswales (Spring 2015) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: This group focused on tackling the water quality issues associated with storm events. The team researched native plants, bioswale architecture, and ecosystem service benefits, in an effort to provide research and recommendations for plant species and choices and bioswale structure in future campus projects.

A selected project follows. Topic: Mosaic NY (Spring 2014 - present) Course/Program: Department of Theatre Description: Mosaic NY is Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ ongoing social justice theatre company. The group draws on the lives and experiences of the individuals in the company as source material for its productions. The collaborative theatre project, as written in its mission statement, “is devoted to creating and performing works of theatre that promote dialogue, develop community, celebrate diversity, and encourage the active pursuit of social justice. Mosaic NY believes that theatre provides an ideal forum for exploring diversity and social justice by engaging audiences and performers in an empathetic and imaginative exploration of shared narrative.” Website URL: http://www.hws.edu/academics/theatre/mosaic.aspx

Topic: Geneva Foundry Zone StoryMap (Spring 2017) Course/Program: Senior Integrative Experience (ENV 300) Description: A team of students work with the local community about a contaminated area of land in Geneva, NY known as the Foundry Zone. The project helped educate local residents about the historical background for the contamination, possible arsenic and lead issues in their surrounding neighborhood, provided answers/updates to the remediation efforts, and suggestions for how to get healthy food. Their final report is available for public reference: http://arcg.is/0SLP99

A selected project follows. Topic: Sustainable Apparel Sourcing at the Campus Bookstore (Spring 2017) Course/Program: Sustainable Living and Learning Community Description: A complete inventory and audit of the clothing sold at the campus store is being conducted, including research on vendors and clothing companies. The project will help identify alternative vendor choices to ensure fair labor practices and environmentally sound manufacturing of clothes that the store sells.