| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 38.77 |
| Liaison | Lori Chance |
| Submission Date | Feb. 22, 2021 |
Messiah University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.40 / 4.00 |
Brandon
Hoover Director of Sustainability Operations |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Campus Engagement
Yes
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:
Students in the Sustainability Capstone class learn about campus related sustainabiltiy work and conduct research on the ways in which students utilize our campus for recreation to help better inform our recreation and conservation practices. These students present their research to campus constituents as well as outside firms. Additionally, students in the Honors Environmental Issues course propose changes to the campus focused on sustainable practices and education that better impact their peers. Many ideas have been put into practice either by the students or staff members who attend these presentations.
Public Engagement
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:
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Air & Climate
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:
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Buildings
Yes
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
Courses take tours of the college's solar thermal array on our residence hall. Additionally, the Office of Sustainability provides "mock electric bills" to all of our residential apartment buildings as a way of showing consumption habits and equivalent Greenhouse Gas Impacts.
Energy
Yes
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:
The College has two on campus energy production units that are regularly toured as part of class. First, is our natural gas power plant that generates power using natural gas, and then utilizes waste heat from that process to provide heating and cooling to many campus buildings. The College Engineering department was involved in the design phase of this new power plant. Additionally, the College provides heat and hot water to 3 residence halls through a 112 panel solar thermal array. This is used in 4 different classes to educate about the difference between solar PV and solar thermal, as well as renewable energy.
Food & Dining
Yes
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:
Students have worked on developing a food recovery network on campus to reduce food waste and address hunger as part of a class and further on campus internship. This work has lead to the college starting a food recovery network chapter in fall 2017 and continuing this chapter in partnership with students from the Nutrition and Dietetics program.
Grounds
Yes
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:
Messiah is a Tree Campus USA certified campus and is currently pursuing the Audubon International certification. Both of these have lead to student opportunities for research and service to the campus. Students in classes have planted edible and medicinal gardens using heritage plants, they have planted a pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow, and have participated in numerous tree plantings.
Purchasing
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
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Transportation
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:
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Waste
Yes
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:
We compost most all of our pre and post consumer food waste. Students taking one of our Biology classes will conduct research on composting efforts in order to better enhance waste diversion or be required to assist in compost collection and sorting, giving students a first hand experience of waste.
Water
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:
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Coordination & Planning
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:
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Diversity & Affordability
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
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Investment & Finance
No
A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
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Wellbeing & Work
No
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
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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.