Students begin reviewing UAF Sustainability Master Plan

August 11, 2014

Cornerstone

Students and staff in the UAF Office of Sustainability are reviewing the first draft of a Sustainability Master Plan for UAF that identifies ways to make buildings more efficient, cut electricity consumption and reduce vehicle traffic to campus.

The plan is designed be the campus’ guide to making sustainable choices and increasing efficiency. A major focus of the SMP is protecting resources through sustainable practices. Increasing efficiency and reducing consumption would help protect resources, save money and improve campus life.

The plan first addresses increasing the efficiency of existing buildings. Ideas presented include using meters to monitor water use in each building, replacing heating and cooling systems, making envelop improvements and replacing windows. The SMP estimates that UAF would save $4.5 million per year through lower costs for electricity, water and steam. Indoor air quality and thermal comfort may be improved as well.

After building efficiency, the SMP focuses on energy. Suggestions include reducing campus energy use by upgrading all outdoor lighting to LED bulbs and expanding the use of electricity meters on each building. These renovations would save approximately 22,000 megawatt hours per year and make UAF a leader in renewable energy in higher education.

The last item addressed in the SMP is enhancing transportation planning with sustainability. This plan works to decrease the number of single-occupant vehicles commuting to UAF. Suggested strategies include adding bike lanes, launching parking studies, making transit service improvements and creating a bike-sharing program. The UAF Campus Master Plans (http://www.uaf.edu/mastplan/) already include many of these improvements, making funding required for implementation of these strategies minimal. These changes could collectively save commuters roughly $57,000 in gas annually, increase air quality and improve the overall health of the campus community through increased levels of activity.

If implemented, these plans could save UAF millions of dollars, cut electricity use by 34,500 megawatt hours per year, reduce water use by 32,000 gallons per year and lower campus carbon dioxide emissions by more than 122 million metric tons by 2030. These plans have the potential to save the campus money and improve campus health.

Keep an eye out for the final version of the SMP in the late fall of 2014. For more info, or to get involved with the development of the SMP, check out http://www.uaf.edu/sustainability/smp/.