WSU students and stakeholders embrace plan

A special task force created by Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid to review the university’s environmental needs, has identified sustainability practices that would position the university as a leader in environmental stewardship.

The Task Force on Environmental Initiatives, composed of 28 university faculty, staff and student members, completed its initial six-month review and presented its findings to Reid on April 5 as part of the university’s EarthWeek activities.

The panel examined a full spectrum of areas that included sustainable design construction for all new buildings, an energy conservation strategy, plans to reduce the amount of traffic to and from campus, comprehensive recycling and waste stream reduction programs, a streamlined administrative process to eliminate paper, and enhanced open and green space on campus and surrounding neighborhoods.

“A sustainable campus goes hand-in-hand with the university’s long-term strategic goals, including upgrading the physical environment and infrastructure of the campus and establishing an energy conservation strategy,” said Reid in presenting the Task Force’s report to the public. “The worthy aspirations of this Task Force position Wayne State as a leading environmental citizen.”

“Our group was large, and the committee came in with high energy in an effort to meet or exceed our goals,” said Nabelah Ghareeb, associate vice president for business operations and co-chair of the Task Force. “Our initiatives will focus on enriching university life and sustaining the mission of excellence throughout the entire institutional community.”

Perhaps the objective with the most immediate and significant impact is to design sustainability into all new campus building construction starting with the Engineering Development Center (EDC) slated to break ground on May 2. The Task Force proposed that additional energy efficiency and adoption of alternative energy technologies be incorporated into its design. As a result of the Task Force process, the university commissioned a feasibility study to determine the cost-benefit, including long-term return, of raising its investment in sustainable construction features for the EDC.

“The Engineering Design Center will enhance our standout research and technology transfer programs, and a big part of this is our alternative energy technologies,” said Ralph Kummler, dean of the College of Engineering, and the other co-chair of the Task Force. “Given the nature of the Center, a high level of sustainability certification would be important symbolically, and set the bar for adopting environmentally conscious practices.”

To get its arms around the wide scope of issues it faced, the Task Force divided itself into five subcommittees – Energy Conservation, headed by Jeff Stoltman, interim associate vice president for marketing and communications; Sustainability, Robin Boyle, chair, geography and urban planning, and Yinlun Huang, professor, chemical engineering; Recycling Mary Beth Lock, manager, universities libraries, and Sarah Kubic, undergraduate student; Waste Stream and Mass Balance; Lance Franklin, research director, environmental health/safety; and Transportation, Victor Green, director, governmental and community affairs.

Student leaders, serving on the Task Force and its subcommittees, provided input to the plan. Last year, during Wayne State’s EarthWeek, students initiated on their own an impressive recycling program in the student residences. Those efforts, combined with a resolution embracing environmental stewardship that passed unanimously on Sept. 13 by the WSU Board of Governors, and the leadership of Reid, led to the creation of the Task Force.

This week, during an early university-wide launch to Earth Day, which is observed on April 22, WSU students have been participating in the university’s EarthWeek. The week-long celebration of events highlights critical areas addressed by the Task Force including recycling, sustainability, energy and transportation.

The Task Force and the university have already taken a number of steps to protect the environment and enhance the campus. The Dean of Students Office has taken the lead in working with the administration to make the changes necessary to submit all its paperwork online; a new environmental student organization has been established; the Sustainability Subcommittee initiated work to recruit a community advisory board, and also helped broker a partnership with the environmental group, Greening of Detroit, to work with the university’s Grounds Services with its fall campus tree plantings.

For further information on the report visit: www.livinggreen.wayne.edu  

Contact:   Cheryl Yurkovich
Voice:      (313) 577-2150
E-mail:      cyurkovich@dmac.wayne.edu 

Contact:   David Reich
Voice:      (313) 577-5631
E-mail:      dreich@eng.wayne.edu

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to nearly 33,000 students.