In just under 20 years, energy consumption at NC State has decreased by 34%, while water usage has decreased by 44%, according to the 2019 Annual Sustainability Report. The report tracked changes between the 2002-03 and 2018-19 academic years.
In the report, the Sustainability Council expands upon campus changes that have improved the school’s economic and environmental state. The report also notes campus projects led by students and faculty which aid in sustainable efforts such as conserving energy or water usage.
Lindsay Batchelor, interim director of the University Sustainability Office, said certain projects, like the lighting upgrades in buildings such as Witherspoon Student Center and Biltmore Hall, contribute to sustainability efforts.
“We did a full-building LED conversion,” Batchelor said. “That was the first time we took the entire existing building and went in and renovated it all. It lowers our energy costs substantially, because LED lights use … less [energy] than traditional T12 lighting.”
Other sustainability efforts include the Holiday Energy Saving Initiative, a project that began in 2005 and focuses on dialing back energy use in buildings during the holiday break. By reducing the air conditioning systems, lighting and other functionalities, energy savings reached $389,000 during winter break 2018, according to the report.
“Ultra-low freezers in labs can use as much energy as a house,” Batchelor said. “That is an insane amount of energy, and so changing out just one freezer, let alone 20 freezers, which we were able to do last fiscal year, has the opportunity to have a huge impact.”
Steve Kelley, professor in the Department of Forest Biomaterials and co-chair of the Sustainability Council, said the money saved through these sustainability efforts means college tuition may not rise as quickly.
Through the student Sustainability Fund, small projects take place throughout the campus.
“With the student activities with the Sustainability Fund, there are all sorts of projects,” Kelley said. “We got a […] powerplant that now pumps hot water around campus, and so the buildings work better for less money.”
Batchelor hopes sustainability can be brought into the classroom to bring more awareness to students as well as faculty.
“One of the things that we are working on right now is a way to delineate whether a course has sustainability components in it, and so we are looking at using the global sustainable development goals as our trademark for doing that,” Batchelor said. “Then we are going to continue to push forward with workshops for faculty to try to think about how they incorporate sustainability.”
Already, a few classes integrate such teachings, Kelley said. Whether it be in the college of sciences, management or design, sustainability can be learned and applied.
“Some of the landscape design classes have looked at ulterior designs; stormwater retention on campus as well as less intensive landscaping; using native plants or things that don’t require as much mowing or blowing,” Kelley said. “So, looking at it from a more holistic sense.”
The NC State Stewards sustainability leadership program also allows for students to become more involved with on-campus efforts for sustainability. Students may learn about campus operations and help to conduct or direct outreach activities in the right direction to further ideas into projects.
Batchelor believes this leadership program, for which applications are open through March 31, is ideal for student involvement and learning about sustainability efforts.
“For the student that is really interested in getting experience and being involved in our student leadership program for sustainability, our NC State Steward program is excellent for that,” Batchelor said. “They are going to come away with the opportunity to gain some leadership skills and be able to forward projects on campus and be a part of a group with other like-minded students.”
More information on sustainability for student involvement and leadership opportunities can be found at NC State’s sustainability page. Students interested in applying for the NC State Stewards program can visit their website for more information.
