Thompson Rivers University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

The TRU Sustainability Office's Research Student, Aaron Wiebe, undertook research during the summer of 2017 to figure out the best method to filter the air coming out of the university's composting facility, which is housed in a large steel shipping container and has periods of very unpleasant odour. Through his research, he designed a biofilter, which was then constructed and is now in full operation. The biofilter has had a dramatic affect in reducing the foul smell coming from the composting facility.

Students in the Architectural & Engineering Technology Program (ARET) conduct research on the campus' solar hot water system that supplies hot water to three main buildings that have intensive hot water requirements. The three buildings house the Culinary Arts Programs, the campus cafeterias, pubs and a high number of washrooms, and the largest building on campus (Old Main). Collectively, the systems are the largest solar water system in British Columbia. The students use actual data to conduct real time analysis that the Facilities and Sustainability offices review to help inform decision makers that are involved with building design. The students look at building design and how solar collectors require additional roof systems, additional space for storage, plus different designs for mechanical rooms with these types of systems. The information gathered is then used by planners to better amalgamate solar water systems into building design for future buildings on campus.

TRU students helped install all three of the following systems. Students in the Architectural & Engineering Technology Program (ARET) conduct research on the campus' solar hot water system that supplies hot water to three main buildings that have intensive hot water requirements. The three buildings house the Culinary Arts Programs, the campus cafeterias, pubs and a high number of washrooms, and the largest building on campus (Old Main). Collectively, the systems are the largest solar water system in British Columbia. The students use actual data to conduct real time analysis that the Facilities and Sustainability offices review to help inform decision makers that are involved with building design. The Trades and Technology students have installed photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the Trades building. The panels are supplying energy to the Trades building and are maintained by students as part of their classroom learning. Data from the energy produced from this system (as well as other energy systems on campus) is available via an online dashboard, that is also available for classroom learning. Trades, ARET and all students can use this data. The TRU Solar Compass project (started November 2017) is a solar photo-voltaic array (PV) that is embedded into the concrete walking area outside one of the main campus buildings. It is the first embedded solar PV project of its kind in Canada. Although the PV panels (62 of them) function very similarly to traditional panels that are typically mounted on rooftops, the main reason this is an innovative project is because the panels are highly visible, which keep them top-of-mind for everyone. The fact that they are in front of the Arts and Education Building means that thousands of feet walk over them daily; thus, there is a significant increase in students, staff and faculty members thinking and talking about solar power. (More about the Solar Compass can be found in the STARS section IN-24: Innovation A).

The TRU Horticulture Program uses the campus as a living laboratory since its students are actively involved in implementing sustainable practices on campus. They are taught how to be efficient with their work habits and the machinery; pruning and watering techniques; aspects of food production during their work in the campus orchard; the basics of bee-keeping; and about Integrated Pest Management techniques, which significantly reduces dependence on synthetic pesticides.

During the summer of 2016, Research Student Dustin Melan undertook research in conjunction with TRU Sustainability Office staff on the topic of sustainable purchasing practices at TRU. He was the lead author and completed three documents in the area of sustainable purchasing practices (listed below). TRU Procurement Risk and Opportunity Assessment ver 3.0 TRU Supplier Code of Conduct ver 1.0 TRU Vendor Sustainability Questionnaire ver 2.0

The TRU Sustainability Office's Research Student, Allysha Sorba, undertook research during the 2015-2016 school year involving the pros and cons of TRU purchasing its own vehicles for staff and faculty to use for regional travel. The current system at that was for staff and faculty members to use their own vehicles and then get reimbursed by the University on a per kilometre basis. Her research discovered that it was in the university's best interest, both financially and environmentally, to purchase two hybrid vehicles for staff and faculty to use for their travel. The system has been operational since then, and iI is likely to expand.

TRU students Marcus Randt and Mae Frank created a hard-copy and online Zero Waste quiz and survey to educate fellow students about proper waste disposal methods on campus, as well as solicit their opinions on this subject. Their project was a classroom project and the survey creation began in the spring of 2017, with the actual surveying taking place during the summer of 2017. The purpose of the study was to collect on-campus data from students, faculty and staff that use the 100+ zero waste stations on campus, and to then create outreach materials that can educate users on how to use the stations. The research was also utilized by the Sustainability Office to better locate and/or redesign/configure the zero waste stations to improve diversion rates.

The research study by TRU student Brandon Turner is called “Conducting hydrologic research with hobbyist electronics: gaining new insights into stemflow processes with low-cost custom sensor platforms”. This project helps to advance sustainability on campus both from a research point of view and in practical terms on the campus. The research took place on campus using campus trees. Using solar panels, Arduino microcontrollers and some other components, the fourth-year geography student has been collecting data to better understand the movement of rain water down tree trunks—otherwise known as stemflow. That kind of information is valuable to arborists, city planners, landscapers and those involved in reforestation. The project is being co-supervised by Geography and Environmental Studies faculty members David Hill and Darryl Carlyle-Moses. The data generated supports the ongoing forest hydrology research of Carlyle-Moses while the technology created demonstrates the potential of real-time monitoring of large-scale environmental processes, a research interest to Hill. http://inside.tru.ca/2017/08/29/using-low-cost-tech-to-make-data-collection-easier/ From a practical point of view, this research can be used by the TRU Grounds crew to help determine the best new trees to plant in this region which can, due to it's dessert-like climate, lack regular rainfall in the summer months.

Biosolids management is a recent topic of media interest, particularly within the interior of BC. There is a need to better understand the public’s perceptions around the use of biosolids as a fertilizer and how the public would like to see biosolids managed, as well as a need to recognize how to most effectively address pressing topics regarding biosolids management. TRU Masters student Sarah Whitehouse conducted research on this topic and used one of TRU's satelite campuses, the Knutsford farm for part of her research. A survey was taken by members of the TRU community as well as those in surrounding communities to determine the factors that influence the public’s attitude and risk perception towards the use of biosolids. The survey encompassed factors which may influence the public’s attitude and risk perception that include, but are not limited to, gender, age, education level, income, and whether or not there are children living at home. The survey explored the role of psychological and sociological variables in order to explain risk perceptions and why many people resist the use of biosolids. Individuals’ thoughts and feelings surrounding the use of biosolids as a fertilizer were investigated, as well as their level of familiarity with biosolids. This allowed the researchers to explore how households’ and institutional decisions, on resource allocations, are influenced by psychological, emotional, social, and cognitive factors. The information provided by the survey aided policy makers, regulators, and biosolids management in developing and implementing biosolids programs that are both socially just and environmentally sound, as well as economically feasible. https://www.tru.ca/__shared/assets/Sarah_Whitehouse_Abstract39916.pdf

During the winter semester of 2015, TRU Chemistry student Kile McKenna undertook research in the realm of green chemistry, specifically, “greening” the chemistry lab. His research involved designing standardized evaluation criteria for sustainability that can be applied to current undergraduate chemistry laboratory experiments in order to determine possible environmental improvements to the undergraduate lab experience. This research became a capstone project of Kile's, and was a successful winner of a TRU Student Sustainability Research Fund grant to pursue this research ($5000).

TRU students (Janelle Zimmer, Matthew McIsaac) staff (Karl Fultz) and faculty (Dr. Tom Dickinson) were successful is getting funding in 2018 for the TRU Bird Strike Remediation Project. Project Description: Bird collisions with urban structures (“bird strikes”) are a widespread phenomenon in North America and internationally, representing the second leading cause of anthropogenic bird mortality. An estimated 100 million to 1 billion birds perish annually in collisions with buildings across North America (Klem, 1990). Bird strikes happen here at TRU, especially during the migratory periods of May and September. Evidence of bird strikes includes dead/injured birds found at the base of windows, feathers, and dust smudges on windows. The Campus Activity Centre and Sciences Buildings have been reported by faculty and staff as “hot spots” for bird strikes. These poor creatures are either dealt with by Facilities crews or else quickly fall victim to predators. The Purpose of this Project is to make TRU safer for our wild bird population by: 1. Researching the extent of the bird strike problem on campus 2. Educating TRU stakeholders on the bird strike problem 3. Researching solutions that are cost-effective, workable, and appeal to stakeholders 4. Applying the chosen solution to a Pilot Project and measuring the results 5. Taking the lessons learned to formulate recommendations for further remediation One of the foremost future remediation actions will be to determine the best window film to install on all new campus buildings, as a course of formal protocol. Actions to date: 1. A TRU student researcher was hired for most of the 2018 summer to collect data and observe bird behaviour. 2. The best window film was found to help birds avoid colliding with TRU campus windows. 3. the film was ordered and is being installed on campus buildings (as of September 2018).