Lehigh University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

There is a student intern working to asses Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions at Lehigh.

Students in an Art and Architecture department course use an upcoming renovation/construction project as case studies for creating designs and engaging with a campus client. These students meet with the department to understand client needs, review city permits and codes and cost out materials and labor. By the end of the semester, the multiple teams of students propose a design to the client with costs and necessary permits identified. LEED Silver or equivalent standards were requested by client to be considered.

Students, under the supervision of Office of Sustainability staff, work with Dining Services to research food procurement practices, analyze total spend and participate in supply chain management goal setting to increase the purchase of local, organic, humane and fair trade products at equal or similar costs. Dining Services is actively working with those students to identify new local suppliers and those without OSHA/NLRB violations. As a result of the student efforts in partnership with Dining Services, in 2014-2015 Lehigh purchased 10% real food, which is an increase from 2% in 2013-2014. Students may not have previous experience or skills prior to the start of this experience but training and education are an integrated competent of this experience.

There are several campus leaders and research projects involving energy and energy systems at Lehigh. For example, Professor Nelson Fansu and students work at three levels to realize the promise of light-emitting diodes through a project called A Revolution in Lighting. Additionally, Lehigh mechanical engineers partner with regional industry leaders toward improved thermal storage of solar energy in a project called Molten Salt Helps Solar Heat Up. Another opportunity is a Chemical Engineering course called "Energy: Issues & Technology. This course focuses on energy usage and supply, fossil fuel technologies, renewable energy alternatives and environmental impacts. Students learn to develop in-depth technical analyses of these problems. http://www.lehigh.edu/~inesei/lehighenergyresearch.html

As part of a specific course, students work on conducting an inventory of a rediscovered experiemental forest on campus. Students have been using the experiemental forest as a natural laboratory for the ecology class for the past couple of years. There has been no maintenance of the forest, so ther eis really cool succession. The professor and students recognize the value of the forest plots in understanding the behavior of our forests. http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/thebrownandwhitelifestyle/index.ssf/2013/10/experimental_forest_rediscover.html

Working under the supervision of the Purchasing Office, students are directly involved in sustainability-related initiatives. Projects include implementation of the eProcurement system, replacing paper-based ordering across the campus community, as well as identification of environmentally preferable products to stock in our LabStore inventory. These students have the opportunity to apply their supply chain course work to these projects.

A student spent the summer interning with Office of Sustainability staff surveying bicycle racks on campus that resulted in the purchase of new bike racks for areas that are under served. Additionally, in the fall of 2015 Lehigh launched a Zagster bike sharing program for faculty, staff, and students. A student marketing intern assists with promoting and marketing the program to the campus community. They engage with students, faculty, and staff to share the benefits of the bike sharing program and encourage people to sign up.

Two students spent the summer and academic year surveying residential halls and offices for the presence of recycling and trash bins. This resulted in a campus roll-out of bins and signage to ensure 1:1 ratio of bins in every office and all residential waste closets. Additionally, student interns helped identify trash and recycling bins and signage differences in public spaces in academic and administrative buildings. Lehigh is now in the process of ensuring uniform KI station bins and signage across campus.

Students researched and proposed a solution to create new energy supply from an underground stream in order to light a walking path.

There is a graduate student, the Sustainability Metrics & Reporting Graduate Assistant, who gathers and analyzes data to propose solutions for future campus planning efforts. This Graduate Assistant compiles year-end summaries for campus departments and reporting organizations to assist with future planning and they also collect and input data into tracking mechanisms for Sustainability Plan metrics. This position helps Lehigh accurately report progress using standard reporting tools, which helps with future planning and coordination.

Lehigh continues to strive to enhance diversity and equity on campus. Working together, Lehigh students, faculty, and staff formed the Council for Equity and Community, which is comprised of students, faculty, and staff to serve as a campus resource and agent of cultural change. It encourages constructive dialogue and work toward building community at Lehigh.

There are communications & events interns within the Office of Sustainability that collect and distribute information on sustainability events, initiatives, and programs. They help to further engage the campus community and the broader community in a dialogue about sustainability. Additionally, there is a graduate student, the Campus Engagement & Outreach Graduate Assistant, who facilitates Lehigh's participation in national competitions/events, organizes major sustainability events on campus, and plans campus engagement events and activities. These student positions have resulted in increased campus and public engagement.