MHC Environment

1. MHC Environment Tess Isabel Nepstad Danielle Lerner Bethany Nagid Fiona Khandoker Shaba

2. At Mount Holyoke College, many environmentally friendly incentives have been enforced, but our studies have found that not every student pays attention to the environmental concerns on campus. By bringing into focus the actual costs of our consumption and lifestyles as college students at MHC, we hope that students will have a stronger grasp of how they can individually reduce their ecological footprints and save their own money. We all pay for this campus, and we need to start treating MHC environment as our own and not just a common good.

3. Water Supply Use Conserve Live

4. Water as a Resource • Water is a public access good that is necessary for survival of all living organisms. • We often forget about the role that water plays in all aspects of life and tend to over use water. • It is a misconception that water is a sustainable resource. • When we continue to use up fresh water sources, we must look to other methods for obtaining water to meet demands. • Although new technology enables us to improve water distribution systems and build sewage treatment facilities, these measures are costly. • Initial water conservation is more beneficial to the environment and more cost efficient from an economic perspective.

5. Water use in the United States United States Geological Survey

6. Water use tends to increase with population growth. In 2005, there was an estimated 410 billion gallons of water withdrawn for the United States. The average American uses 100 gallons of water per day. Average Water Bill for a family of four: Phoenix: $34.29 per month Boston: $65.47 per month

7. Water at MHC • 950 gallons of water are pumped each minute from the Dry Brook Well to supply the campus. • 137,000 gallons of water are used each day. • Water is used for drinking, showering, laundry, etc. • When we don’t see the monetary cost of water quantitatively, we aren’t conscious of the amount of water we are actually using in daily activities.

8. Water Costs • In 2006, 2 MHC students initiated a water conservation plan to install lower flow faucets screens. • The project led to a 77% water use reduction. • Once the screens were installed, 7,318,500 gallons of water were saved which resulted in a monetary savings of $29,274. savings= over the full cost of one semester at MHC.

9. Showering • We all enjoy long hot showers to relax and distress from classes. • The average American takes a 7.5 minute shower. • Last year, the Eco-Reps put shower timers in the bathrooms of every residential hall as an incentive for students to take five-minute showers. The goal was that if everyone could take 5-minute showers, collectively 10,000 gallons would be saved each day. • MHC facilities management have also worked to improve water efficiency. Older dorms have shower flows of 5-6 gallons per minute. Most dorms have shower flows of 2.5 gallons per minute. The new dorm has the most efficient shower flow of 1.5 gallons per minute.

10. The Truth about Showering Most MHC students take between a 5 to over 10 minute shower. By reducing your shower time by 2.5 minutes you can Save 5 to 13 gallons of water.

11. Bottled Water vs. Reusable Bottles • By using reusable wide-mouth water bottles rather than plastic bottled water, water can be conserved. • It takes 20 gallons of water to produce one pound of plastic, which is more water than the plastic water bottle can actually hold. • Harmful chemicals are used in the production of plastic bottles. • Tap water tends to be just clean, if not cleaner, as bottled water. • By using a reusable water bottle, not only are you saving water and energy required to produce bottled water, but you also reduce the amount of bottles to be recycled or thrown away, and save money by refilling a water bottle for free in the dining halls.

12. How much you really save… = (free-$25) Sigg bottles are said to be indestructible but known to last up to 10 years. They are also recycled material. =($1.25) x 7 = $8.75 per week = $35 per month Not only are there high external costs, but plastic bottled water use up your dining dollars.

13. Water in Food • Food production requires a lot of water, but animal-based foods require more water in production than plant-based foods. • As a lack of water necessary for agricultural production is becoming a global issue, the Nature Conservancy is stressing the need to improve the efficiency and minimization of water consumption in the industrial and agricultural sectors. • Different foods require different amounts of water in production. • You can do your part in water conservation by eating lower on the food chain.

14. 1 lb. of beef= 2,500 gallons of water 1 lb. of soybeans= 62 gallons of water Hamburger = 1,400 gallons of water Veggie burger = 100 gallons of water

15. Other ways to save water • By using the dishwasher rather than washing each dish by hand can save 20 gallons per load. • Stop yourself from flushing the toilet unnecessarily and save 1.5 to 3.5 gallons per flush. • Turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth and even in the shower when you’re shampooing or shaving. • When doing laundry, do full loads because small loads require twice as much water. • By using recycled paper water consumption required for paper production can be reduced by 60%.

16. Our Water Footprint • Water conservation is important because around the world regions face drought and people suffer from inadequate water supply. • Money saved collectively from water conservation can be put towards improving other aspects of the campus. • As students, we need to own the water that we use and not think that others will pay for it. • Water conservation is a necessary measure unless we want to see our water resources fall victim to the tragedy of the commons.

18. Energy

19. Energy use in our world is very rapidly becoming more important to understand, and as an institution with over 2,000 students, and many more faculty and staff, it is also incredibly important to understand energy within Mount Holyoke’s campus.

20. When looking into MHC and its use of energy, we can look into three main categories. • Energy Use • Energy Costs • Energy Efficiency

21. Energy Use This school year we have seen a 4.7% decrease in BTUs consumed per year per square foot from 2008 and 9.6% decrease from 2006 as per the chart below, but as with most of our environmental problems around campus, we can still do much better.

22. -Mount Holyoke’s electrical power is bought from South Hadley Electric Light Department (SHELD) -Our heating and thermal energy works by a system of underground pipes that deliver steam to buildings from our central heating plant, on campus.

23. Energy Costs • When we are looking at the costs of our energy use on campus, it is important to understand physical costs, as well as externalities.

24. Monetary Costs • Running all campus computers (desktop and student laptops) for 8 hours a day instead of leaving them running overnight/on weekends would save $41,000. • Shutting down printers/copiers when not in use would save $29,000. • Setting every campus computer to “sleep mode” after ten minutes of inactivity when plugged in would save $49,000. This means that one students full tuition every year goes towards computer energy waste!!!

25. About a third of energy use on Mount Holyoke’s campus is electric (shown in yellow) while about two-thirds of our energy is thermal (shown in blue) . From our “baseline” values from 1990, our electrical use has increased dramatically, while thermal use has seen a more modest increase.

26. Since our 1990 baseline model, Mount Holyoke’s energy costs have literally gone off of the charts. Although thermal costs (shown in blue) have felt a much more drastic increase since 2002, electrical costs (shown in yellow) have also greatly increased.

27. Environmental Costs and Externalities • The majority of the greenhouse gases produced on MHC’s campus are from thermal energy use, followed next by electrical use, and then a very small portion is produced by our fleet transportation (Ride van, “Lyon Share” program cars, Public Safety)

28. Mount Holyoke’s greenhouse gas emissions by year. The solid line designates our 2010 goal, to be at the same level as twenty years ago. The dotted line designates our 2020 goal, or the thirty year goal to be 10% lower than our 1990 level of emissions.

29. Solutions and Energy Efficiency -Since our energy costs keep rising, even when our energy use is decreasing, we must increase our efficiency and decrease consumption even more in order to keep costs as low as possible and minimize environmental degradation. -Here we can discuss the progress that we as a community have made, and what we have yet to do to be even more efficient, successful, and sustainable.

30. Energy Efficiency • Mount Holyoke’s thermal energy for heating buildings is produced using a high efficiency cogeneration system. At peak efficiency, the system recycles 90% of the steam it produces when it returns back as water. Although in practice this percentage is closer to 80%-85%, it has saved the college over $1 million dollars since its installation.

31. In order to help remedy the energy use on campus, the college has taken a number of measures to regulate and decrease consumption, including… • Light sensors • Insulation replacement (to keep heating use low) • Shower timers (to regulate water heating) • The Kill-A-Watt program, which has… • Supplied compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) to decrease energy use from incandescent bulbs • Provided monetary incentives as a competition for dorms to lower their energy use

32. Some other measures that the college has taken to improve energy efficiency are… • Insulation replacements in dorms • Water timers • Light sensors in most buildings • Energy retrofitted green buildings (we have 5 LEED certified buildings on campus) • Programs like EcoReps and the Green Living Council

33. Too hot or too cold? • Not too many students realize that facilities management has set up a collection of instructional guides to help students understand how their heating system works. These instructions vary by dorm, and are sometimes even broken down by specific floor!!!

34. What do the students say about all this? • After designing a one page survey for members of the Mount Holyoke community, here are some of the results gathered with regards to energy use on campus…

41. Some tips for keeping your consumption down and efficiency up… • Unplug your electronics (from the wall outlet) when not in use • Shut off lights when you are the last to leave a room (even if they have sensors) • Learn about your dorm-specific heating controls and hints • Take the online Mount Holyoke pledge to move towards green computing • Get involved!!! Consider joining the EcoReps or the Green Living Council to help spread the word about energy efficiency and conservation!

42. Compost/Waste

43. Trash, Wastes, Compost

44. Solid Waste • Every year, the US generates 230 million tons of trash/ 56 tons per person. The amount of waste generated per person has in fact doubled since the 1960s. • Less than 1/4th of it is recycled, which means, 3/4th end up in landfills • If we were a little more careful, we could actually recycle 70% of our landfill wastes, which includes material like glass, metal and paper. • Such actions would reduce the demand for virgin sources for these materials, in other words, fewer amount of resources would be extracted from the “finite” reservoirs. • It would also lead to significant decrease in environmental, economic and public health hazards.

45. Could we bury our wastes? 1. With the overproduction and overconsumption of goods and services in this country, landfills are getting filled up very fast. 2. Therefore, groundwater, which is our primary source of drinking water is getting contaminated. This is an economic issue since it is very expensive to treat groundwater. Could we burn it? Yes and No. Though a lot of energy is generated, a lot of harmful chemicals such as carbon dioxide, monoxide, etc. are emitted. These are greenhouse gases. Also other hazardous toxins could harm humans and animals. Could someone take it? With the rapid increase in population, there is very little space left. Therefore, no one community is able to take the burden of another since they have to handle their own.

46. Components of Trash • Paper and paperboard: 32.7% • Yard Trimmings: 12.8% • Food Scraps: 12.5% • Plastics: 12.1% • Metals:8.2% • Wood: 5.6% • Others: 16.1%

47. Increase in trash during festivals Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, people throw away around 5million extra tons of trash, most of which are gifts and wrapping papers. This is consistent with the capitalist agenda that brings in the importance of materials. From the 1970s onwards, there has been a significant increase in advertising and thus the purchase of gifts for festivals like the above.

48. Trash at Mount Holyoke College • Routine Trash collected and sent to landfill. • Paper & Cardboard collected for Recycling • Bottles & cans collected for Recycling • Food Waste collected for Composting • All % by weight 1. Total amount of trash collected- 95,800 pounds (february 2010) 2. Total composting- 268,990 pounds How were our routine discards collected in FY2007-08 at Mount Holyoke?

49. 2008 Residential Trash Sortfor Mount Holyoke College

50. Lbs routine trash landfilled per studentFY07-08 • Routine trash is trash from dumpsters around campus and does not include bulky waste, waste from construction & demolition projects, or waste from off-campus family housing units. • Per capita data includes material from entire campus divided by number of students (as the common population denominator.