Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 St. John's University Environmental Assessment: MOU SemiAnnual Report January 25, 2011 Jose Pillich Michael Wanser Research Analysts Andrew Bellina, PE Senior Policy Advisor 212-637-4126 ------- Accomplishments Reductions of 6,224 MTC02e \ Clean Energy Energy Efficiency Water Efficiency Recylcling & Waste Reduction Cleaner Vehicles 4 Construction Landscaping Composting ^tDSr^ Mi. '%<¦ PRQl*-0 Memorandum of Understanding On Decembers, 2008, St. John's University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pledging to become an environmental steward by implementing a number of green initiatives that would reduce its carbon footprint and further improve our planet's environment. This partnership with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and St. John's University has resulted in reducing energy, water and solid waste production across campus operations. Reduction in Environmental Footprint In the last two years, St. John's University has provided four updates documenting its green initiatives. The EPA has analyzed the submitted information and generated an environmental footprint for the organization. Due to the progressive green efforts of the organization, the university has managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 6,224 MTC02e* with an estimated savings of over $728,000 in operating expenses. "Metric Ton Carbon Dioxide Equivalent Environmental Metrics Total Sector (MTC02e) Energy Conservation 4,399,6 Solid Waste 1,563.2 Green Landscaping 206.6 Transportation 40.0 Water Conservation 14.8 Total (MTC02e) 6,224.2 Primary Initiatives Energy Conservation Secondary Initiatives 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 MTC02e Reduction Water Conservation T ransportation Green Landscaping 15521 50 100 150 200 MTC02e Reduction Measurement and Continuous Improvements EPA uses these environmental conversion models to calculate metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies (GHG) Calculator converts GHG reductions into scenarios that can be easily communicated to the public. The EPA GHG Conversion Tool which converts standard metrics for electricity, green energy, fuel use, chemical use, water use, and sustainable materials management into MTC02e, The EPA WARM Model which helps calculate GHG emission reductions from several different waste management practices, including source reduction, recycling, combustion, composting and landfilling. The EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Cost Calculator that estimates cost savings associated with GHG reductions. Certain environmental data points cannot be converted to MTC02e because scientific models do not currently exist. As methodologies improve, environmental assessments will be updated to include any new GHG reduction estimates. ------- ^tDsr^ Accomplishments f Reductions of 6,224 MTC02e X PB0^S° Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies What does the reduction of 6,224 MTC02e represent ? The organization's effort is equivalent to any one of the following: kS • Carbon dioxide emissions from 259,342 propane tanks used for home barbeques • Carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline carried by 83.1 tanker trucks • Carbon dioxide emissions from burning 32.5 railcars' worth of coal Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1,190 vehicles Carbon dioxide emissions from 700,135 gallons of gasoline Carbon dioxide emissions from 14,475 barrels of oil consumed Carbon dioxide emissions from the energy use of 530 homes for one year ------- ^6DSX * O \$b %PRO^ Environmental Metrics MOU Update 06/01/2009 MOU Update 12/09/2009 MOU Update 06/01/2010 MOU Update 12/27/2010 Total Conversion (MTC02e) Cost Savings (Est.) Energy Conservation/Energy Star Total Savings (MTC02e) 719.8 882.8 2,796.9 4,399.6 $668,781 Miscellaneous Energy Conservation 250,000 kwh 250,000 kwh 380,250 kwh 566.8 $90,842 HVAC, Chiller & Electrical 330,000 kwh 396,000 kwh 913,750 kwh 1,055.8 $169,222 Chiller Gas Savings 22,640 therms 295,875 therms 1,694.4 $238,886 Bulb Replacement(energy saving from bulb replacement) Construction of St. John's University Center 439,655.5 kwh 439,655.5 kwh 566.2 $90,745 Construction of St. John's University Center 11,901 therms 11,901 therms 126.6 $17,852 Construction/Operation of D'Angelo Center 505,692 kwh 325.6 $52,187 Construction/Operation of D'Angelo Center 12,063 therms 64.2 $9,047 Alternative Energy Total Savings (MTC02e) On-Site Solar On-Site Wind On-Site Geothermal On-Site Combined Heat and Power Water Conservation/WaterSense Total Savings (MTC02e) 7.4 7.4 14.8 $13,288 Miscellaneous Water Conservation Low Flow Devices (3,000) 3,500,000 gal 3,500,000 gal 14.8 $13,288 Solid Waste/Industrial Materials Reuse/ Green Products Total Savings (MTC02e) 1,042.0 521.2 1,563.2 $30,000 Aluminum Cans 3.4 tons 1.7 tons 69.4 $204 Glass 1.7 tons .85 tons 0.7 $102 HDPE 11.8 tons 5.9 tons 24.4 $708 Corrugated Cardboard 158.3 tons 79.15 tons 736.1 $9,498 Magazines/ThirdClass Mail 13.4 tons 6.7 tons 61.9 $804 Newspaper 2.7 tons 1.35 tons 11.4 $162 Office Paper 37.4 tons 18.7 tons 159.9 $2,244 Textbooks 8.8 tons 4.4 tons 41.1 $528 Dimensional Lumber 48.8 tons 24.4 tons 180.0 $2,928 Fly Ash 210.1 tons 105.05 tons 274.2 $12,606 Composting 3.6 tons 1.8 tons 4.1 $216 Green Landscaping Total Savings (MTC02e) 29.4 29.4 73.9 73.9 206.6 $0 Green Roofs Low/no mow area Green Space ------- O '* Wj % PRO^ Environmental Metrics MOU Update 06/01/2009 MOU Update 12/09/2009 MOU Update 06/01/2010 MOU Update 12/27/2010 Total Conversion (MTC02e) Cost Savings (Est.) Re-use of Collected Stormwater On-Site Re-use of Compost Planted Trees 700 trees (1/2 yr) 700 trees (1/2 yr) 1762 trees (1/2 yr) 1762 trees (1/2 yr) 206.6 Grass Green Space 700 sq ft 700 sq ft 3,000 sq ft Re-Greening with Grass Integrated Pest Control Management Re-use of Collected Stormwater On-Site Re-use of Compost Moisture Sensing Sprinklers Acres of Trees Reflective Roof Mass Transit Total Savings (MTC02e) Miles Avoided Transportation Total Savings (MTC02e) 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 40.0 $16,320 Hybrid Vehicles 10 cars (1/2 yr) 10 cars (1/2 yr) 10 cars (1/2 yr) 10 cars (1/2 yr) 40.0 $16,320 Electric Vehicles Alternate Fuel Vehicles (ULSDF) Biodiesel Vehicles Clean Construction Vehicles LNG Vehicles LEED Projects Total Savings (MTC02e) Silver -10% Gold-17% Platinum -17% Misc. - Further Clarification NOX (equipment only) MTC02e Savings Total (MTC02e) 39.4 759.2 2,016.1 3,409.4 6,224.2 $728,389 Energy Conservation 0.0 719.8 882.8 2,796.9 4,399.6 $668,781 Water Conservation 0.0 0.0 7.4 7.4 14.8 $13,288 Solid Waste 0.0 0.0 1,042.0 521.2 1,563.2 $30,000 Green Landscaping 29.4 29.4 73.9 73.9 206.6 $0 Transportation 10.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 40.0 $16,320 5 ------- 2010 St. John's University Additional Green MOU Accomplishments and Cost Savings Energy conservation measures continue to be incorporated into new construction and modernization of existing facilities. There was a 2009 investment-grade energy and water audit of the St. John's Queens Campus and the approval of a plan for financing up to $25 million for energy projects over three years. St. John's also received notice from NYSERDA of the grant award of $1 million for four energy conservation projects. The new 1800 ton high efficiency electric chilled water plant was put on line for the 2010 cooling season. The results show that by fuel switching the existing cooling loads, carbon emissions have been reduced significantly. In October, St. John's expanded the real-time web based monitoring of electricity consumption in three residence hall buildings bringing the total to nine residence halls on Dashboard. Then, in November, St. John's competed with 35 other universities and won 4th place in the first ever "Campus Conservation National" a tournament to reduce electricity consumption in residence halls. St. John's was a top "campus reducer" involving 3,000 students in the competition. St. John's top two buildings were able to reduce by 26%. The nine building overall reduction amounted to 38,025 kwh or a 12.2% reduction over 18 days. EnergyStar rated CFL's were distributed during door-to-door student run energy reduction campaigns. St. John's Student Community Garden, created in 2009 and expanded in 2010 has fifty 4 foot by 7 foot planting beds and one hundred linear feet of 1 foot wide planting bed along much of the border wire fencing. 2010 was a terrific growing season for the many vegetable types. Students participated in the planting, maintaining, harvesting and donation of all veggies to St. John's Bread & Life soup kitchen located in Brooklyn. Adjacent to the garden, new for 2010 is a 1,500 square foot pollinator garden landscaped by students re-using the soil from the expanded Student Community Garden. St. John's in-vessel food waste composter is located in the Mongoris Dining Hall service loading dock area. As a member of the College Council of New York State Association for Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, this past September, St. John's hosted the association's quarterly meeting which focused on food waste composting. Before the event, St. John's hired a compost consulting company to survey the Queens Campus and develop a plan with some opportunities to expand composting on-site. The highlight of the summer 2010 was the program developed and implemented through a Serve America federal $90 thousand grant. St. John's won the competitive grant by developing a program to train middle school children in environmental stewardship and leadership skills. 180 Queens children from 6 middle schools in underprivileged areas participated in the training sessions including: gardening, food composting, effective recycling, nutrition, and leadership skills. An EPA representative lectured at one of the full group sessions on the subject of WasteWise and using the WARM tool. In July 2010, St. John's was notified by NYSERDA of its award of a $1 million grant from the American Resource and Recovery Act of 2009 funding. The largest energy conservation project within the grant is the proposed upgrade of 94 chemical fume hoods in St. Albert Hall laboratories. All projects within the ARRA grant are scheduled to be completed by August 30, 2011. The proposed typical fume hood upgrade incorporates a simple constant volume high performance fume hood retrofit kit that has horizontal slider glass panels that reduce the open area of the front work space as well as provide splash and explosion safety features. St. John's has registered and is gearing up to compete in Recyclemania 2011. Upgrades to the campus recycling program since June 2010 include: Placement of 700 additional recycling bins; Recycle instructions permanently mounted to the entry door of every dorm room suite; Students training students about recycling at orientation; Recycling training to every incoming freshman attending Staten Island Campus; Single stream recycling in much of the resident hall buildings on Queens Campus; Upgrades to two recycling pick-up locations on Queens Campus and; Pilot program of single stream recycling in 41 classrooms of St. John Hall. In November 2010, St. John's signed an agreement with a registered NYSERDA Flex-Tec engineering firm to perform a detailed engineering analysis (EA) of the feasibility and equipment selection for a base-load cogeneration plant on the Queens Campus. The EA study is expected to be completed by end of February 2011. As part of the Investment Grade Energy & Waste Audit mentioned above, 3,000 water restricting devices were installed on existing shower heads and sink faucets between March and end of May 2010 on the Queens Campus. Currently, St. John's is examining the water consumption meter data of every utility account dating back to 2007 and expects to produce a report showing trend analysis and measurement of savings before end of February 2011. Initiatives Planned for the Next Six Months 1) Completion of the STARS report by end of January 2011. - Sustainability Tracking And Rating System created by AASHE - the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. 2) St. John's expects to run its third "Residence Challenge", two week competition to reduce electrical consumption in residence halls in February 2011. 3) St. John's has completed the installation of 15 electrical sub meters and expects to expand Dashboard for real-time monitoring of electrical energy consumption, develop data analysis that will aid in energy conservation measurement and verification, along with improvements to St. John's peak shaving and demand response initiative. 4) St. John's will implement "Year One Energy Conservation Projects" listed in EnergyStar partnership section of this report. ------- |