Proposed Amendments to Chapter 15, Article X: Wetland Conservation Areas
Pavlova-Gillham, Ludmilla, Track 4
1. Becoming Sustainable In Our
Own Way: Sustainability at the
Flagship Massachusetts Public
University
9/15/16
Ludmilla Pavlova-Gillham, AIA, LEED BD+C
Dennis Swinford, ASLA
2. Campus Planning and Sustainable Development
Campus Planners “must focus as much on the
education and research being done in higher
education as on the physical, operational, and
external community functions of the university and
do so in an integrated, interdependent manner”
Anthony Cortese, “The critical role of higher education in creating a
sustainable future”. Society for College and University Planning: Planning for
Higher Education Journal 31, 2003
SecondNature.org
3. Methodology
• John P. Kotter’s Process for Leading Change
– Applies to grassroots as well as top-down approaches
– Useful for interdependent systems (HEIs)
• Higher Education Institutions (HEI) case studies
– Harvard (Sharp, 2009)
– University of Colorado Boulder (Krizek, et al 2011)
– Yale (Newman, 2012)
• Map Sustainable Development at UMass Amherst
& reflect on lessons learned
4. Kotter’s eight-stage process of creating major change
1. Establish a sense of urgency
2. Creating the guiding coalition
3. Developing a vision and
strategy
4. Communicating the change
vision
5. Empowering broad-based
action
6. Generating short-term wins
7. Consolidating gains and
producing more change
8. Anchoring new approaches in
the culture
UnfreezeStatusQuoChangePractice
5. Higher Education Institution Case Studies
Phase I: grassroots / awakening
ad hoc activities, operational improvements, sustainability officer or task force,
pilot projects
Phase II: executive acceptance / pioneering
support for the business case for sustainability, improvements in multiple systems
and entities, green branding, cost & economic terms guide most decisions
Phase III: visionary leadership / transformation
Executive leadership openly promotes sustainability vision, integrates new
organizational processes and structures into primary functions and desired
outcomes
Harvard University of Colorado Boulder Yale
(Sharp, 2009) (Krizek 2012) (Newman, 2012)
6. Case Study:
UMass
Amherst
(systems)
Material
supply &
disposal
Food
Supply
Energy
supply &
delivery
Finance/
Account’g
Structures
Decision
Making
Processes
Human
Resources
Buildings
Operation
& Maint.
Academic
Planning
Campus
Planning
7,000 tons of waste (56%
recycled) annually
40,000+ meals/day
$26M and 2
trillion BTU’s
in 2013
$1.03B
Revenues,
$1.01B
Expenditures
12.8M GSF in 386 bldgs
(50 heritage) in 11 towns
4,278 acres in MA
1,452 acres in
campus core
19 mi roads
24 mi steam ( & cond.)
10 mi electricity
200+ degree
programs,
7,000 course
sections/ yr
400 classrooms
$100M on new
construction, DM,
renovation & IT
Flagship of System, BOT, 3
unions & public
procurement laws
About 30,000
individuals 14,000
beds
16,000 transit
riders/ academic day
7. UMass Flagship, Sustainable Development Policy &
Sustainability Reporting
Standard City Planning Enabling Act, 1928
American College & University
Presidents Climate Commitment
2006
Executive Order 438: State Sustainability
Program 2002
Mass LBE and Executive Order 484: Leading by
Example: Clean Energy and Efficient Buildings, 2007
Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act 2013
National Environmental Policy Act 1969
Mass EOEEA “Air Quality Laws and Rules” 2015
Mass General Laws: Global Warming Solutions
Act 2008 AASHE’s STARS
USGBC’s LEED
Clean Air Act 1970
Second Nature Carbon
and Climate Commitmen
2015
8. Grassroots Organizing for Change
Phase 1:
Grassroots/
Awakening
2001 - 2007
• Faculty Senate Ad
Hoc Committee on
Sustainability
TASKFORCES
• Operations and Costs
Savings
• New Construction
and Renovation
• Research
• Public Service, and
External Funding
• Academics and
Curriculum
• Student Involvement
Phase 2:
Executive
Acceptance/
Pioneering
2008 – 2014
• Environmental
Performance
Advisory Committee
• Chancellor’s
Sustainability
Committee
• Executive Team
• Implementation
Team – Residential
& Community
Programming,
Communications,
Education &
Research, Finance,
Food & Dining,
Green building,
Master Planning,
Transportation,
Waste & Recycling
Phase 3:
Visionary
Leadership/
Transformation
2015 - ?
• Chancellor’s
Sustainability
Advisory Committee
• TBD!
9. Organizing for Growth
Framework for Excellence:
Grow student enrollment
Grow faculty
Grow academic programs
Strategic/
Academic
Plan
New building development
Utilities and Energy Master Plan
Transportation Plan
Transparency & Community
Environmental reporting
Campus
Master
Plan
Education
Student Engagement
Waste reduction
Renewable Energy Procurement
LEED Buildings
Climate
Action
Plan
14. Nearly 200 Events
Over 350 Hours
With
• Campus Stakeholder Groups
• CPPC, UPAC, PTAB, Pedestrian Safety, etc.
• Faculty Senate
• Student Senate
• Student Groups
• Deans and Faculty Presentations
• Individuals
• Open Campus Forums
• Student Poster Sessions
• Professional Organizations
• PUMA
• Local Town Officials and Commissions
• Local Neighbors
• Regional Planning Agency
Community Engagement
14
15. Campus as a System/ GIS Data Model
Campus is a complex system of systems
Processes
• Academic/Teaching
• Research
• Operations
• Residential Life
“Divide &
Conquer”
“No buffer
space”
“Changes all
the time”
16. Potential CO2 Emissions Projections 2020
Total CO2 Emissions Projections CO2/GSF Emissions Projections
17. 1. Establish a sense of urgency:
- Community call for action
- Market/legislative demand for action
2. Create a guiding coalition:
- Ad-Hoc Sustainability Committee
- Formal Sustainability Committee
3. Develop a vision and strategy:
- Efficient use of resources to meet mission
- Framework for Excellence/ STARS/
Master Plan
4. Communicate the change vision:
- Sustainability Plan
- Climate Action Plan / MP Sustainability
5. Empower broad-based action:
- LEED facilities, Eco-Reps, Sust. Fellows
- Gen. Ed., Masters in Sustainability,
Operations Research
6. Generate short term wins:
- GHG reductions
- STARS, LEED Buildings, Awards/Rankings
7. Consolidate gains:
- Sustainability Staff/ Learning Organization
- Assessment, Integrated Mission
8. Anchor in culture:
- Transition to next phase
UnfreezeStatusQuoChangePractice
UMass Amherst Case Study
18. Conclusions for University Sustainable Development
1. Process, Governance and Internal Leadership
• comprehensive and integrated strategic,
academic, financial & physical plans
• Inclusive and transparent process
• Integrated SR systems into planning efforts
• Continuity and consistency for SD decisions
• Incentive structures to support progress on
sustainability goals
19. Conclusions for University Sustainable Development
1. Research and Data
• Cross-departmental engagement in capital
project planning that identifies important SD
issues
• Develop and apply a carbon budget for
campus development
• Leverage academic curriculum for project-
based learning, operations research and the
campus as a living laboratory
20. Conclusions for University Sustainable Development
1. Leadership for Society
• Advocate for full commitment to SD and GHG
reduction goals
• Model governance/negotiation strategies to
resolve conflicts and pursue smart growth
• Place local/institutional decisions into a
regional/ global framework of resiliency activity
• Practice what is taught by leading change effort
to connect academic and physical planning
toward meeting the triple bottom line
