Wake Forest University
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

An undergraduate Energy Management intern in Facilities and Campus Services learned the processes behind data collection and management in order to develop the first GHG inventory for campus. The inventory tool that the intern created is still in use. Facilities and Campus Services works with one to three energy management interns each year to develop and refine different sections of the campus climate action plan and to develop topical outreach to students, faculty, and staff. ----- The Leadership for Sustainability course uses Drawdown as a text. The students pitch behavior change campaign concepts that will help mitigate the effect of climate change. Ultimately, in groups of four, they develop and pilot those campaigns on campus. Several students follow through and develop internships in order to execute their full campaigns on campus. ----- Two graduate level and two undergraduate level classes toured the Campus Garden with a focus on agriculture's impact on climate change. The students learned about the ecological benefits of regenerative agricultural practices that sequester carbon and generate organic fertility. Students uprooted leguminous cover crops and built compost piles to experience the carbon and nitrogen cycles in action. The classes planted and harvested crops to facilitate conversation about the role of fossil fuels in local and global food systems.

The Office of Sustainability shares an Energy Management intern with Facilities and Campus Services. In the most recent year, the student tracked building usage in several academic buildings and mapped occupancy by day and time so that Facilities could adjust the buildings' automated conditioning systems accordingly. The research and scheduling adjustments contributed to reduced energy demand. ------ The course "Studies in Historic Preservation" (HST 366) follows the story of historic preservation from its founding to the present; engages the visions and principles that have guided the movement; studies the basic documents, laws, and international charters and conventions that define the movement; explores the growing partnerships of the preservation movement with initiatives in sustainability and conservation of natural resources; and addresses future directions and challenges for historic preservation in rapidly changing economies and societies. During week one, students are introduced to preservation of the natural and built landscape that includes a site visit of the WFU campus and Reynolda House and Estate.

A group of students from a Natural Resource Economics course interviewed Facilities and Campus Services staff to craft a proposal for an on-campus photovoltaic installation. The students calculated the external costs and benefits of the proposed project given current North Carolina regulations and incentives. ------ Graduate and undergraduate students in BIO379 Geographic Information Systems interviewed Facilities and Campus Services staff and gathered data on energy usage across campus over time. With this data, they created campus maps to visualize areas of inefficiency. The class also attended a sales meeting with a national GIS development company and wrote reflections about the commercial application of GIS technology. ------ PHY120 Physics of the Environment students measured night time sky glow and light trespass from particular points on campus. The students sought solutions for reducing the University's contribution to regional light pollution and improving visibility of the night sky from the Olin Physics Laboratory. Data may be used to improve the energy efficiency of outdoor light fixtures through updated technology or reduced bulb wattage. ------ The Leadership for Sustainability course uses Drawdown as a text. The students pitch behavior change campaign concepts that will help mitigate the effect of climate change. Ultimately, in groups of four, they develop and pilot those campaigns on campus. Several students follow through and develop internships in order to execute their full campaigns on campus. One such student created a recruitment and training plan to deliver an "Energy Explorers" curriculum to local middle school students in schools with which the university partners.

A team of students in the undergraduate Leadership for Sustainability course researched and developed a peer outreach campaign to inform students about the sustainable dining options on campus and the environmental and social impacts of adopting a plant-forward diet. A student from a subsequent class decided to pursue an internship to develop the campaign more fully and to execute it across campus. ----- As part of an engaged learning module, the Environmental Political Thought class toured the main dining hall on campus with the Chief Sustainability Officer, the Associate Vice President of Hospitality, and the Resident Manager of Aramark to learn about the problem of food waste and the procedures and practices in place to address the issue.

Teams of software development students created web-based applications for the collection of campus tree and Campus Garden data. One application will be used by the campus arboreal team and students in introductory Biology courses to map the trees on campus and record vital measures of tree health and diversity. The second application will be used by the Campus Garden team to record volunteer participation and harvest yields. ----- Students enrolled in HMN365 Humanity and Nature participated in a lecture by the Campus Garden manager and then visited the Campus Garden four times during the semester. The students engaged the entire process of selecting, growing, and eating salad crops. They experienced the importance of soil health and water management, as well as the challenge of pest management. Students composed final papers from the perspective of a specific plant with the aim of helping the students develop empathy for the environment. ----- Five classes representing the departments of Anthropology, Art, East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Religion engaged with the Campus Garden. Respectively, the classes planted ancient, pre-maize grain crops, choreographed a dance based on garden observations, planted apple trees, started a compost pile and performed garden restoration rituals. The engagements required the students to physically and attentively interact with the landscape. ----- The WFU Center for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, the Department of Biology, and Reynolda Gardens have partnered on the Reynolda Meadows Project. This project is in the process of restoring a 14 ha Piedmont prairie at Reynolda Gardens. In addition to biodiversity preservation and ecosystem service provision, it is used for ongoing research in 5 biology courses, including a core course in the introductory biology series. It is also central to public engagement, with hundreds of non-WFU visitors each day. ----- The Reynolda Gardens and associated natural habitats have been used for research for the last 50 years by the Department of Biology. It is also used for an expansive and signature environmental education effort with Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools and summer camps. ----- The Healing/Meditation Garden serves as a space for students to learn about plants that are native to the Cherokee bands in North Carolina. Students learn and serve in the space -- removing invasive plants and replacing them with native species.

A sustainability intern in the Procurement Department researched and developed campaigns to influence paper purchasing and use norms on campus. Last year, the intern successfully converted 14 out of 21 departments across campus to 100% recycled content paper procurement. The decision to focus on paper procurement was the result of research on procurement habits across campus.

Undergraduate and graduate students in software engineering courses design applications for clients. In each round of client-centered development, groups have focused on various aspects of mobility on campus. Examples include developing the original real-time tracking app for campus shuttles, improving accessibility around Wake Forest’s campus (from wheelchairs to long boards, students considered the unique ways people maneuver around campus), cycling infrastructure (to support the campus-wide transportation demand management goals), and an inventory system for the university's bike-sharing program.

A Waste Reduction intern analyzed solid waste streams from representative building types across campus. The intern researched methodology for and developed the system for sorting and recording findings, and engaged her peers in the process of conducting a full waste composition study. ----- The Compost Crew is a student-initiated group committed to diverting waste on campus. As their name indicates, the group’s primary focus is collecting food waste for composting. Their work is part of a broader commitment at the university to create zero-landfill initiatives across campus including event planning consultation, awareness campaigns, and recycling/re-purposing efforts.

Divinity School faculty member Jill Crainshaw's newest book, When I in Awesome Wonder: Liturgy Distilled from Everyday Life (The Liturgical Press, September 2017), explores how worship’s sacramental elements such as bread, wine, and water are connected to local fields and farmers, waters and artisans. The students in MIN 660 Sacraments and Ordinances visited a Forsyth County Water Treatment Facility and wrote liturgical blessings for Salem Creek during Forsyth County's Creek Week. For her creative commitment to engaged-learning for sustainability, Rev. Dr. Crainshaw was recognized by the Office of Sustainability as a 2018 Champion of Change. Earth Week at Wake Forest precedes Forsyth County's Creek Week. Creek Week serves as an opportunity for students at Wake Forest to learn about the creek network in Forsyth County and about the impacts of campus stormwater management practices on the creek network that flows through the campus. A stormwater retention area on campus, the Towhee Garden, serves as a living lab for multiple course topics from American Indian studies to ecological economics.

The Pro Humanitate Institute (PHI) at WFU held a campus-wide deliberative dialogue to consider the question: “What does it mean to live in community?” Approximately 325 students, faculty, and staff discussed together personal experiences with the issue; pros and cons of available options; and the costs and consequences of possible actions. Through the deliberative dialogue, common ground for action was identified. Based on the feedback from 19 small group discussions, six action teams were identified. Each team reviewed the action ideas that were recorded during the deliberative dialogue, researched what was already being done in each area, conducted a gap analysis and identified barriers to change, researched best practices, and made innovative recommendations. Since these initial conversations and planning sessions, several of the recommendations have been implemented as campus wide initiatives. The community in progress website (https://community.wfu.edu/) tracks the implementation of these projects. A few key actions include hiring a diversity educator to focus on student diversity education, hiring an orientation coordinator to ensure that all students have access to orientation events, hiring a communication profession in the communication office to manage internal communications, piloting a First Year Experience (FYE) course, and conducting a campus-wide space audit to measure the equitable distribution of space on campus. ----- "The Big Tent: Transforming Race Project" offers individuals and groups an opportunity to represent themselves artistically with the aim of broadly portraying an inclusive campus climate. The event is facilitated by the Delta Xi Phi multicultural sorority. A tent is set up on campus to showcase painting, poetry and other artistic expressions of identity. Student, faculty, and staff groups from across campus create their own artistic expressions of their identities.

A student worked with the holding company that manages the university's endowment to research and develop their ESG policies and practices. The student was quoted in several industry publications about her important findings. Due to the success of the project, the holding company has engaged with another student to continue the work. Students who want to learn about the integration of sustainability values into investment decisions are met with a receptive and transparent opportunity to engage holding company leadership.

The first-year seminar "Life Perspectives" welcomed a panel of speakers from the Campus Kitchen, Campus Garden and the Forsyth County Community Gardening program. The panel discussed community food distribution programs and community garden models. The FCCG director introduced the students to the Asset-Based Community Development model. Students were required to complete service hours with a community service organization or campus organization involved in outreach. ----- In the first-year seminar "True Value Meals," each student is required to complete 18 hours of food-related service with community partners to enhance their readings for the course and aid class discussion. Service hours showed that they gleaned food from the Cobblestone Farmers Market for redistribution to food-insecure families; repackaged food from the on-campus dining hall for delivery to persons in need; made sandwiches for homeless individuals on Saturday mornings; turned plots, compost and planted fall crops in the WFU Campus Garden. All of this effort has support the efforts of community partners as well as the students’ learning. ----- In 2016, the undergraduate college faculty approved a course designation for all undergraduate community engaged courses. The designation uses the Carnegie definition of community engagement, one based in reciprocity between campus and community partners. Faculty from across the college can submit their courses to be included in the designation, and an advisory council composed of faculty and community members approves course applications.

For the Employee Engagement and Wellbeing Project, graduate business students researched key wellbeing and engagement metrics for employees, and researched and uncovered key indicators and best practices for evaluation. The Virtuous Circle Model of Wellbeing and Engagement was a primary resource. The students recommended the Gallop Q12 Engagement Survey to measure the engagement and wellbeing of university staff. ----- "CHARGE! Wake Emerging Leaders" is a leadership program for first year and sophomore students. As part of the 10-week program students take various personal inventories and assessments, participate in small group action planning, attend a weekend retreat, and learn from campus and community leaders. One initiative that originated from CHARGE is the ZieSta Room. Students approached Associate Dean Susan Smith about creating a space conducive to mid-study naps and the ZieSta Room was created. It is located in the ZSR Library and features five recliners that let students relax and recharge. While falling asleep in the library is hardly new, encouraging it illustrates how ZSR is writing a new chapter on the wellbeing of students living in a 24/7 world.

The examples above provide a representative sample of engaged learning projects for sustainability on the campus. The full breadth of living laboratory examples is not captured in these few examples. The full portfolio of Campus as Lab initiatives is available at http://sustainability.wfu.edu. The areas marked "no" have been the subject of living learning opportunities, but not during the scope of time covered in this assessment.