Mary Fischer, the manager of sustainability programs, gave a report on the initiatives since the 2015 fiscal year to reduce Brandeis’s carbon footprint and discussed future plans that are to be implemented at State of Sustainability. The fair was sponsored by Sustainable Brandeis and took place in Sherman Function Hall on Thursday, Sept. 27.
In 2015, Brandeis made two commitments: to reduce their carbon footprint by 10 percent by fiscal year 18, and by 15 percent by the fiscal year 20. The report came in this July, indicating that Brandeis reduced its carbon footprint by 12.6 percent. They will continue their efforts through the implementation of various other projects during the 2018-2019 school year.
One of the largest reduction initiatives took place in the Charles River Apartments, where in the previous year, a study was done to determine the occupancy rate in Building 112 and found it to be 45 percent. This initiative was one of proposals that was funded through the Brandeis Sustainability Fund (BSF). This winter season, new sensors that determine whether the apartment is occupied or not will be installed, and if it is found empty, the sensors will lower the air temperature.
Other reduction programs include the replacement of regular light bulbs with LED lights in the Shapiro Campus Center. The switch will also be occuring in buildings across campus throughout the school year. Continuous heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) upgrades, window replacements and steam trap replacements are also being added.
The university will also continue to pursue utility incentive programs more aggressively, in order to maximize funding for energy-saving programs. Brandeis also received seven new electric vehicle charging stations from a grant funded by Volkswagen.
The Brandeis Sustainability Ambassadors is a new program created this year for undergraduate student peer educators and advocates for sustainability. They assisted with fall orientation by helping with move-in and handing out information to new students about ways to be more sustainable. They will be helping with dorm education programs, making proposals to the Brandeis Sustainability Fund, supporting zero-waste events and managing the upcoming the Green Office certification program, which will assess the “green-ness” of different offices around campus. The Green Office certification program will promote reusable dishware, turning off unused electronics and much more.
In terms of food waste, which remains a large part of Brandeis’ carbon footprint, there are numerous initiatives to lessen it. There is a “Brandeis Free Food” Facebook page, on which free food and its location is posted. Furthermore, there is a Brandeis Food Pantry, located in Kutz Hall 102, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays from 6:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., fresh vegetables donated by the Warner Farms are given out at Spingold Theater.
The deadline to apply for a Brandeis Sustainability Fund (BSF) grant, which funds sustainability related projects through the student activities budget, is Monday, Nov. 5.
