Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 62.14
Liaison Michael Lizotte
Submission Date April 9, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of North Carolina, Charlotte
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Michael Lizotte
University Sustainability Officer
Facilities Planning
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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:
A Student Sustainability Summit is hosted every semester by the Student Government Association (SGA), in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability. The summit is organized by the students who generate the agenda based on campus sustainability challenges. Past themes included: sustainable dining, greening athletics and recreation facilities, sustainable building construction, and green events, celebrations and the Arts. Specific projects that originated from the Summits include an aquaponics pilot system, plogging events, and SDG-themed campus tours.
On campus, students have helped to raise awareness about bird collisions on campus by incorporating bird diversity awareness with the Urban Ecology Course and track collisions with birds and windows around campus. Students don’t have to take a specific course or be involved in clubs to participate, they can help by doing bird walks around campus buildings and anyone who spots a dead or injured bird on campus can report it using a Google Form.

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:
An architecture course titled “Good Fast Cheap,” studied methods for collaborative design, which led to the design and installation of a play structure for a neighborhood park using upcycled tires, paint, and mulch from fallen trees; they also engaged residents on proposals and fundraising to bring awareness to a larger revitalization of the park.

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:
The Architecture Semester in Rome program plants trees equivalent to the estimated carbon footprint of their travel. The Office of Sustainability and Grounds Dept. coordinate the tree and site selection, and lead discussions about carbon sequestration, carbon accounting, costs, and their role as architects. Students pay for the trees and plant one tree each.

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:
At least three engineering courses use the campus LEED and Green Globes certified buildings in class project research on sustainable building methods and systems. These have generated ideas for better showcasing green building features. An Urban Ecology Course studied collisions of birds with windows on major buildings, that was later the basis for a successful green fund grant to apply birdstrike prevention window treatments on the Library building.

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:
Facilities Management Engineering Group has engaged class projects from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to tune building controls on specific buildings. This activity was enhanced during the COVID-19 Pandemic when building air exchange systems were studied and modified campus-wide. There is currently a MS thesis project in Mechanical Engineering that is studying energy conservation improvements to 13 residential buildings in Greek Village.

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:
Class projects have surveyed and studied student food security. Student organizations and volunteers built raised beds for food crops at the Jamil Niner Pantry and the Student Gardens. A student Garden Day was added to Earth Month in 2020 (in our search for COVID-era outdoor activities) and is now considered an annual event to educate students about connections between food and hunger issues on our campus.

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:
Biology faculty have installed ca. 30 nesting boxes on campus for class projects and student research on native birds; the project was coordinated with the Grounds Dept. and funded by the student green fund. Students in Soil Science use the campus to study piedmont soils and learn to understand and collect data for soil so that they can directly address sustainability issues. Students from Civil & Environmental Engineering have studied soils from landscaped areas to develop a baseline dataset before the campus changes irrigation lines from drinking water to reclaimed water in 2023; they plan to continue the soil sampling to help the Grounds Dept. understand any salt or nutrient concerns that they have.

Purchasing 

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

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:
Undergraduate engineering students contributed to the development of PoleVault’s cloud-based software to launch electric vehicle charging from a smartphone. PoleVolt is an electric vehicle charging station built into existing street lights to serve people lacking access to home-based charging systems. The prototypes were tested for over one year in campus parking lots.

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:
Student interns in the Office of Sustainability worked with faculty and staff to map the locations and condition of ca. 350 outdoor recycling stations. The project continued with students working under the Solid Waste Coordinator to redesign the collection routes, reduce the number of stations, remove bins that had ergonomic challenges for staff, and increase accessibility and visibility to increase their use and decrease litter.

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:
Campus researchers and students worked with Facilities Management staff to test and analyze wastewater to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Facilities Management worked to identify sanitary sewer lines and access points to install autosamplers. Samples collected were tested and analyzed by professors, students, and post-doctoral researchers from Bioinformatics, Engineering, Geography and Earth Science, Liberal Arts and Science, and Health and Human Services.

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:
The Charlotte Green Initiative (CGI) committee allocates funds from the Student Government's green fee to projects proposed by students and staff. Examples of projects funded in the last 3 years that planned and coordinated the use of campus facilities include: adding sensors to the reclaimed water pipeline project (to make online data available to classes); replacing bins at the football stadium so that we have visible transparent bags to assist fans in acheiving Zero Waste; construction of raised beds for food production at the student pantry; funding an aquaponics pilot project; adding free menstrual product dispensers to restrooms in multiple student buildings.

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:
Multiple organizations worked with university officials and the Grounds Dept. to erect a stone monument near the student union to support a plaque proclaiming the university's Indigenous People and Land Acknowledgment. The 2022 Intertribal Powwow was co-organized by the Native American Staff, Faculty and Graduate Student Caucus and the Native American Student Association.

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?:
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 

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

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) chapter received a grant from the green fund to install free menstrual product dispensers in four buildings on campus.

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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