November, 2008

Sustainability Initiative made permanent Office of Sustainability

We are pleased to announce the Sustainability Initiative has been granted permanent status by Auburn University. We are now officially the Office of Sustainability. This office has been operating on soft funding for the last five years. By granting permanent status to the Office, Auburn is ensuring its sustainability goals will be addressed and met through a dedicated office, and it strengthens the university's commitment to sustainability through the strategic plan and the ACUPCC (American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment).

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Auburn Landscape Services Reduces Water Usage Across Campus By Up To 80%

Summer 2007 was a rough time for plants in Alabama. For the fifth year running rainfall across the southeastern United States was below normal. Total rainfall here in Auburn between January and September 2006 and 2007 was 32.73" and 21.33" respectively, well below the normal of 43.25". In August 2007, Auburn Water Works Board implemented voluntary outdoor water restrictions, yet on campus water usage increased dramatically compared to 2006. In early 2008, rainfall was up slightly, yet 90% of land in Alabama was still under drought conditions, and so in an effort to reduce the university's water consumption and to implement practices that would ensure sustainable water usage into the future, John Mouton, then Senior Advisor to the President commissioned Gary Keever, a professor in the Department of Horticulture, to conduct a study of landscape water usage across the campus and to make recommendations.

Working with Landscape Services

Keever found that water usage in some landscaping areas was up 107% compared to 2006, but after working with Charlie Crawford, superintendent of landscapes services, in 2008, usage in these same areas dropped 58% compared to 2006 and 80% compared to 2007.

In his report, Keever recommended using best management practices (BMPs), specifically, "practices that integrate plant selection, plant adaptation, irrigation, cultural and management practices, and a change in the acceptable expectations for plant performance under sub-optimal conditions."

"A Little Wilt is OK"

Many of us have come to expect our landscaping to look a certain way, but with small changes we can greatly reduce water waste and create much more sustainable landscapes. Already in some areas of campus landscape services has planted drought resistant species, put in drip-tape rather than sprinklers and is using frequency and duration timers that can target plant needs more accurately. And there needs to be a cultural shift in our expectation too. As Keever put it, "a little wilt is ok." In periods of drought we should accept that our plants are going to look a little less than perfect.

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Transportation Survey

Please take the time to fill out the transportation survey being conducted by the Office of Campus Planning, Office of Parking and Transit Services and the Traffic and Parking Committee. The aim of the survey is to gather information on the transportation habits of students, staff and faculty and to determine their transportation needs. To complete the survey go to the appropriate following link:

Staff and faculty survey

Student Survey

Please contact rollifl@auburn.edu for additional information.

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Green Lunch Series

“Recycling Myths and Facts: Melting the Plastic Curtain”

Our final Green Lunch this semester will take place on Wednesday, Dec 3, at noon, in the Student Center, room 2216. The talk will be given by Gwyn Thomas, Associate Professor in Polymer and Fiber Engineering.

Dr. Thomas received her PhD in textile and polymer science from Clemson University and teaches protective materials, fabric engineering and manufacturing engineering here at Auburn. Her research interests include "extreme protection" such as bullets, bombs, fire, chemicals and biological agents. She is also working on a project for embedded electronic materials in roadways and buildings to replace cell phone towers.

Biodegradable and recyclable materials have been a strong interest of hers since she first came to Auburn, and Thomas says, "There are some amazing ways to use everyday items better than we do now."

Her talk for the Green Lunch is titled, "Recycling Myths and Facts: Melting the Plastic Curtain."

Hope to see you there!

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Donahue Path Launched with Flying Colors

Saturday, October 25, dawned cool and cloudy, but anyone driving down S Donahue between 8 and 9am would have seen a colorful throng of people gathered at the corner of Donahue and Woodfield. Despite the early hour, seventy or more people had gathered to witness the official opening of S Donahue multi-use path and to go for a bike ride or a walk. The path, which connects with the campus and city bike path network, was opened by President Gogue, Auburn City Mayor, Bill Ham, and university Trustee, Sarah Newton. Other special guests included Cathy Love, Auburn University's Master Plan Implementation Engineer, Ed Morris of Sentell Engineering, Jeff Ramsey, city Engineer, and Team Has Beens.

Aubie took the first official ride on the path (without tangling his tail in the back wheel) and then directed the riders onward.

Around 60 riders took part in the Chris Hinds Memorial Ride, which raised $1,050 for Storybook Farms. Special thanks to Jenny Swaim, family and friends of Chris Hinds, JC Gillespie and Auburn Flyers for their work on the Memorial Ride. Thanks to Kirk Iversen, Brandi Ezelle and the City for their help with the event and to our sponsors for their valued support: Panera Breads, Standard Deluxe, McQuick Printing, The Bike Shop, Golden's Bike Shop, J&M, Byron Smoke House, Bob's Bikes, Canecutter, DPI and Gillespie family.

The ribbon cutting and fun-ride event was organized by Auburn University Sustainability Initiative, Campus Planning and Space Management, and the City of Auburn.

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Sixteen Hundred Gather in North Carolina to Discuss the Role of Higher Education in the Health of the Planet

Free range chickens and milking goats on campus, second-life used as a teaching aid, rain gardens, real-time energy-use websites, a smart home live-in lab, poetry through gardening, sustainability through art, regenerative forestry and regenerative architecture-just some of the topics discussed at AASHE, 2008, (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) which brought together students, staff and faculty from over one hundred universities and colleges around the country between Nov 9 and Nov 11, in Raleigh, NC. This was just the second biennial AASHE conference, and if its growth from 700 attendees two years ago to over 1600 this year is an indication of anything, it is the fact that more and more people, and more and more campuses, are acknowledging the role of higher education institutions as leaders in the sustainability movement.

This year, a cohort of fourteen from Auburn headed to AASHE including students, faculty and staff. The Office of Sustainability's Director, Lindy Biggs, and Program Manager, Matt Williams, presented papers and field reports, as did Christopher McNulty, Associate Professor in Auburn's Department of Art.

Guest speakers at AASHE included Lester Brown (President of Earth Policy Institute and recipient of MacArthur Foundation "genius award"), Vann Jones (author, eco-visionary and human rights attorney), Peter Senge (MIT senior lecturer, author of numerous books and founding chair of Society for Organizational Learning, SoL) and Vandana Shiva (Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, founding member of the International Forum on Globalization and the leader of the International Campaign on Food Rights.)

This photo: Author and green jobs advocate Van Jones on the left and, on the right, Auburn Sustainability intern Alexander Pfeiffenberger.

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Thanksgiving Challenge

Take the Thanksgiving Challenge this year and buy at least one ingredient for your Thanksgiving dinner that is local and preferably organic. Consumer Reports and the Eat Well Guide are teaming up to challenge Americans to do like the pilgrims and keep it local this year.

Visit the Eat Well Guide website

To find locally produced food near Auburn visit your local health food store or find a local farmer at localharvest.org

Local meat can be procured at Auburn University's meat lab, at 500 Shug Jordan Parkway.

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Sustainable Gift Ideas

For those of you who are tired of the over-commercialization of our holidays and festivals, we have put together a list of meaningful gifts you can give your loved ones. By giving thoughtful and sustainable gifts, you can show your love without selling your soul.

Visit our sustainable gift website

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