Office of Sustainability Newsletter
February, 2013
IN THIS ISSUE
Institute for Environmental Sustainability: Coming August 2013!
Loyola to Participate in Campus Conservation Nationals
Sustainable Building Features: Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and Center for Collaborative Learning
Did You Know? Native Landscaping at Loyola
Chief Sustainability Officer Alexandra Vecchio Honored as Loyola's Lincoln Academy Student Laureate
Featured Student Sustainability Projects: Guides to Sustainable Catering and Cooking
Green Tip! Keeping your Sustainable New Year's Resolutions
Pitch In to Help Loyola Compete in Recyclemania!
Play Byngo: The Loyola Sustainability Challenge
Green Learning Community Creates Student Environmental Leaders
Ask an Eco-Expert: Zach Waickman, Biodiesel Lab Manager
Student Section: Sustainable Valentine's Day Ideas
Student Opportunities: Internships, Fellowships, Volunteer Positions
UPCOMING EVENTS
Wild Things Conference
Saturday, February 2, All Day
UIC Student Center East; 750 South Halsted

  

Recyclemania!
February 3 - March 30
All Loyola Campuses
   
Living the Green Dream: How Juniors and Seniors can Live Sustainably Off Campus
February 14, 1pm-5pm
Bremner Lounge, Lake Shore Campus

  

Ignatius of Loyola Lecture: The End of the World (Yet Again!) by Brother Guy J. Consolmagno, S.J., Ph.D.
February 25, 4pm-6pm
Crown Center Auditorium, Lake Shore Campus



Tell us about YOUR sustainability-related events, and we'll include it with this listing! Click here to submit your event information!



CHECK OUR EVENTS CALENDAR FOR MORE EVENTS AND DETAILS!

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Campus
Institute for Environmental Sustainability: Coming August 2013!
Beginning in August, 2013, the Office of Sustainability will have a new home within the Institute for Environmental Sustainability!

The Institute of Environmental Sustainability (IES) is the latest in Loyola's fleet of high-performing buildings. Starting with the Klarchek Information Commons and continued with Cuneo Hall, the Niehoff Nursing School, the Damen Student Union, and DiNobli Hall, Loyola is exploring how green buildings can support a premiere educational experience. Loyola is committed to integrating sustainability throughout the curriculum, culture and campus in the built and intellectual infrastructure of the university.

 

The IES will be an innovative, interactive, and adaptable sustainable living and learning environment; and provide both a prototype and a demonstration of the opportunities for innovation and integration that an urban academic/residential setting provides. As part of the extension of the campus south of W. Sheridan Rd., IES will act as a link between the academic campus and the new sophomore and freshman residential area, and create a unique identity for the South Campus. The center will be a working laboratory, where a diverse population of Loyola University students, researchers, and community members will participate in ongoing experiment in innovation and environmental stewardship.

 

IES is not only a building but it is a new academic unit merging the Environmental Science Department, the Office of Sustainability, the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy and the academic programs of the Retreat and Ecology Campus.

Loyola to Participate in Campus Conservation Nationals
Beginning next month, Loyola will participate in Campus Conservation Nationals - a competition for colleges and universities to conserve energy and water use. Students who live on campus will have the chance to see how much they can save during the three weeks of the competition - from March 11 - 28. Residence halls on Loyola's campus will compete against one another, and Loyola as a whole will compete against other universities across the United States.

A baseline is in the process of being established with the help of student intern Kevin ____, who is working with the Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management to take meter readings of all participating Loyola residence halls. This data will then be compared to meter readings during the three weeks of the competition to see how much energy and water use Loyola students are able to reduce! Students can track the progress of their residence hall and of Loyola's entire campus by viewing an online dashboard system.

At the end of the three-week competition period, we'll see how Loyola measures up in its abilities to conserve! This is Loyola's first year participating in the competition, and it will be a great opportunity to encourage students to be conscious of the amount of resources they use on a daily basis, and to learn new ways to conserve these resources. As the Campus Conservation Nationals' website describes:

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Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) is the largest nationwide electricity and water reduction competition on college and university campuses. In its third year, CCN gives a common voice and motivation to hundreds of thousands of students, all working together to reduce consumption and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

 

CCN 2013 is an opportunity to organize students and staff, host educational events, and challenge your friends to participate in fun events that can have an immediate and lasting impact on your school's carbon emissions and campus culture."

Sustainable Building Features: Marcella Niehoff  School of Nursing and Center for Collaborative Learning
Opening September of 2012, Loyola welcomed its latest to our fleet of high-performing buildings - the Marcella Niehoff Center. Designed to foster collaborative learning among nursing and medical school students, this state-of-the art facility houses the new Walgreen Family Virtual Hospital, which includes a clinical simulation lab and a home-care environment where nursing, medical and allied health students can learn together. The building also includes a 165-seat lecture hall, classrooms, group study rooms, conference rooms, faculty offices, a light-filled atrium and a caf�. This space also includes the Galante Information Commons, an integrated learning environment featuring an electronic health sciences library.
 

Sustainable building features includes radiant heating and cooling, as well as natural ventilation that will incorporate solar chimneys to preheat building supply air and generate currents of fresh air throughout the interior spaces. The building maximizes natural lighting through the placement of external shades on south-facing walls to mitigate direct sunlight and heat, a solid, precast core wall on the west side, and clear glass on the north side of the building. The project is seeking LEED Gold Certification. Loyola has committed all new construction & renovations, where possible, to at least a Silver rating through the US Green Building Council's LEED standard, and we expect this building to surpass that standard.

 

Building Specifications:

Size: 60,000 GSF

Site Energy Use Intensity (EUI): 43 kBtu / SF◦Yr

Energy Use Reduction: -40% (from ASHRAE 90.1-2007)

 

Sustainable Strategies:

  • Strong sensory connection to the outdoors prioritized to enhance learning environment
  • Shallow building footprint and optimized glazing maximize daylighting
  • Exterior blinds automatically adjust to control heat gain and glare, while preserving views
  • Automated fa�ade integrated solar chimneys passively drive natural ventilation
  • Exposed active concrete slab provides radiant cooling and thermal mass
  • Space plan co-mingles diverse student and faculty programs to foster collaboration
  • Super insulated enclosure with triple glazed windows
  • Personal comfort controlled via operable windows, shades and temperature controls
This project is a great example of Loyola's commitment to push the boundary of what a University can do with new buildings, and continue to shrink our energy footprint.
 
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Did You Know?
Loyola includes native landscaping on its grounds to honor the region's natural heritage and to provide habitat for native fauna.  Installation of native vegetation helps reduce water use due to the vegetation's evolved ability to adapt to dry summer conditions. 

 

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Curriculum
Loyola Receives Gold Recognition Level from the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact
The Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact is a state pledge with the goal of encouraging colleges and universities within Illinois to incorporate sustainability into their campus operations, academic and research programs, student activities and community outreach. Loyola signed onto this commitment at the highest level - Gold recognition.

Loyola's application was reviewed and evaluated by the Compact Workgroup, which includes Governor Quinn's Senior Sustainability Policy Advisor and the Green Governments Coordinating Council, and Loyola has received a Gold level certification! This level recognizes the integration of sustainability throughout the campus and our work towards measured improvement. This designation serves as a signal to our community and peer institutions that Loyola stands as a leader in higher education sustainability.  

Chief Sustainability Officer Alexandra Vecchio Honored as Loyola's Lincoln Academy Student Laureate 
If you're involved in sustainability programs and initiatives at Loyola, you've probably met star student and sustainability leader Alexandra Vecchio. Alexandra, an Environmental Studies and Sociology major works with the Office of Sustainability as our University Recycling Assistant. Additionally, she has been instrumental in leading student sustainability campaigns and initiatives as the Unified Student Government Association's Chief Sustainability Office, Co-President of the Student Environmental Alliance, and Learning Community Sustainability Coordinator. Alexandra was also a key leader in the UnCap LUC campaign that succeeded in banning bottled water from Loyola's campuses last year.

Alexandra was recognized for her academic and co-curricular excellence in student leadership by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Alexandra was one of only 52 students across the state selected to represent an Illinois university and receive this distinguished honor. We cannot think of a more deserving student to represent Loyola University Chicago, and we're proud to have this amazing sustainability advocate in our ranks!

Click here to read the official press release.
Featured Student Sustainability Projects: Guides to Sustainable Catering and Cooking
Last semester, students in Dr. Reuben Keller's Honors Science and Society (HONR 204) course had the opportunity to create a project focused on sustainability issues. Student Thomas Davison chose to put together a comprehensive Guide to More Sustainable Catering, and his classmate Anne Haag created The Loyola Student's Introduction to Sustainable Cooking. Each of these guides are valuable resources highlighting sustainable choices in food systems.

Davison's Guide to More Sustainable Catering "is intended to be a tool to help organizations and individuals improve the sustainability of their catering selections for events and meetings at Loyola University Chicago."  The guide provides lower-impact and reduced-waste options throughout. Using a combination of food sustainability measurements, the guide features tips such as "Ask to have food served on platters and not boxed as meals" and encourages users to think about the seasonality of the food they order.

Haag's Sustainable Cooking Guide, on the other hand, aims to assist Loyola student's in making more sustainable food choices when cooking at home. Haag says "This cookbook can help keep you on the right track even when the stress of school seems overwhelming. It is full of recipes that will teach you how to cook meals that are both sustainable and cheap." The recipes included are all meat-free, as this is "one of the quickest ways to improve the sustainability of your diet," and includes delectable-sounding delights such as Acorn Squash Quesadillas, Spicy Vegetarian Lasagna, and Creole Stuffed Peppers.  

The Office of Sustainability congratulates these students for their decision to focus their class projects on issues of food sustainability and for their outstanding work!
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Green Tip!
Did you make a New Year's Resolution to be more environmentally sustainable in 2013? Well, EarthShare is here to help you keep it! You can choose from a list of sustainability-focused resolutions, sign up on their website, and EarthShare will send you emails to follow-up on your progress throughout the year. 

Some examples of sustainable resolutions include: buying more local and organic foods, taking shorter showers, using alternative forms of transit more often, joining a Green Team at work, installing renewable energy in your home, and many more!

 
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Culture
Pitch In to Help Loyola Compete in Recyclemania!
RecycleMania is a nationwide competition for colleges and universities to reduce waste and apply best recycling practices. At Loyola, our goal year round is to improve the campus recycling program through a combination of efficient placement of bins, educational signs and most importantly - teaching everyone best recycling practices. And RecycleMania is 8-weeks of opportunities for students, staff and faculty to PITCH IN!  Help Loyola compete by putting in extra effort to recycle as much as you can during the competition timeframe: February 3 - March 30th!

Not sure about what is recyclable or not?  The Loyola Recycling Team is out and about on both lakeside campuses to help you learn the best recycling practices. You can also check out:
luc.edu/recycle/recycables for complete information about what, how, and where you can recycle on campus.
 
2013 will be Loyola's 5th time competing in Recyclemania, and we hope to make it our best year yet! The category Loyola is eligible to compete in is called "Gorilla," which tracks the weights of recyclables during the 8-week competition period. Last year, Loyola ranked 102 out of 296 schools competing in this category. This year - let's rank number one! 
Play Byngo: The Loyola Sustainability Challenge

During the month of February, Loyola is participating in a Beta trial of Byngo - a new way to participate in group games and common goals. Players see a constant stream of social activities designed to save energy and promote sustainability actions on campus.  You can look anytime, anywhere, to see your status and standing, by individual game or globally among all players.

 

Games can include easy actions like unplugging appliances, turning off lights, air drying clothes or reusing a shopping bag.  You choose to play the games that interest you!

 

So, join the Loyola Sustainability Challenge by signing up for Byngo! Show off your true colors, whatever shade of green that may be. Take credit for what you already do to help save the planet, and see in real-time how much CO2 equivalent has been saved! There will be prizes for the top winners! 
Sign up now at luc.byngo.com!
Green Learning Community Creates Student Environmental Leaders

In 2008 the Residence Life team and Office of First-Year Experience in collaboration with the College of Arts & Sciences, launched the Learning Communities program. The program provides students unique opportunities for to connect with their peers, faculty and staff on shared interests. Two primary components in the program incorporate residential based and academic learning which leads to building a strong campus community and helps students achieve their academic goals.

 

The "green" community, since the inaugural start of the Learning Communities program has been important to the growth of environmental sustainability on campus. Each student reflects on their personal consumption behaviors and drawing upon that awareness, creates changes within and collectively as a society. Visits to the Chicago Center for Green Technology, the Smart Home Exhibit, cooking and sharing meals made with local and seasonal ingredients, bicycling around Chicago, getting involved with the Biodiesel Production Lab, creating a student "green" living guide, and participating in LUREC activities are just a few of the engaging activities of how the Green Community spends time to learn, live and inspire.

The Green Community will soon have a new name - the GreenHouse Community with the opening of San Francisco Hall. Stay tuned for more information.



To learn more about the "Greenhouse" Learning Community, click here!
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Ask an Eco-Expert 
Zach Waickman:
Biodiesel Lab Manager
This new section gives readers the opportunity to ask any question they might have related to sustainability and get an answer! We will find a Loyolan who has the right expertise to provide an accurate and comprehensive response.
 
To submit a question for this section, please email us at:
 
Question:
What's the difference between recycled oil, biodiesel, and biofuel?

 

Answer (From Zach Waickman, Biodiesel Lab Manager):
The difference between biofuels, biodiesel, and recycled oil fuel can be confusing and are often used interchangeably by media outlets.

Biofuels is a fuel category used to describe renewable fuels. These are often made from agricultural product (corn or soybeans) but are increasingly being made from recycled waste products.

Recycled oil is the leading example of a waste product being recycled to make fuel. Vegetable oils that have been used for cooking (deep fryers, bacon grease, industrial food processes) are made up of two parts: hydrocarbon chains and glycerin. The hydrocarbon chains are suitable for burning in diesel engines. However, this requires modifications to the engine and burning the glycerin part of the vegetable oil can create harmful emissions.

Biodiesel is a biofuel that can be made from any vegetable oil. It is made by chemically removing the glycerin part of the vegetable oil to isolate the hydrocarbon chains (the part that burns well). By separating the two parts we are left with a biofuel that can directly replace petroleum diesel fuel (no modifications needed) and glycerin. The Biodiesel Program at Loyola University Chicago is the 1st and only school in the US with a license that allows our student-made biodiesel to be sold to the public (and used in our shuttle buses). We also use the glycerin to make BioSoap: pure, natural, soap. 

 

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Student Section
Sustainable Valentine's Day Ideas 
by Sam Sartori, Student Sustainability Leader

Looking for Valentine ideas for that special someone? This year, forget the red and pink, and go green this Valentine's Day!

 

With billions of dollars spent each year on flowers, cards and chocolate, Valentine's Day is not the most sustainable holiday. However, with these tips, you can make this day a little greener.

 

Flowers

One of the most popular Valentine's Day gifts, many people are unaware of all the pesticides applied to conventional flowers.  Instead, this year buy flowers that are Rainforest Alliance Certified.  Flowers with this seal were grown on farms that conserve soil and water, farms that curb deforestation and provide habitat for wildlife. You can find certified flowers at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Markets.

 

Chocolate

According the U.S. State Department, the International Labor Organization reported child slavery on countless farms in the Ivory Coast, which is a source for 43% of the world's cocoa. Make an ethical choice this year and purchase Fair Trade chocolate.

 

Cards

Thinking of buying a card? Most store-bought cards will likely only be looked at once, and then get recycled (or even thrown away.) Instead, make your own cards from recycled materials, or send your loved ones an e-card. Check out the website for the World Wildlife Fund and the Ecocentric Blog for Valentine's Day e-cards. (Bonus: Ecocentric's e-cards all have a sustainable theme!)

 

Gifts

If you were already set on buying your special someone a stuffed animal, look no further than the World Wildlife Fund Species Adoption. Your symbolic adoption supports WWF's global efforts to protect wild animals and their habitats, and your loved one will have a cute plush animal to remind them. Want to get a gift other than a stuffed animal? Shop nearby and support a local business. 

 

Dinner

Surprise your Valentine with a home cooked meal made with local produce.  Or if your cooking skills aren't quite up to par, go to a Green Certified restaurant. 

 

 

Think outside the box and do something from the heart! Draw a picture, write a poem, or sing a song, the possibilities are endless. You can still do something meaningful without going overboard on consumption.

 

And if you don't have a valentine, make the earth your valentine this year! The earth needs love too, so do something good for our planet!

 

 

Also on Valentine's Day, check out this event on living sustainably off-campus.

 

Living the Green Dream: How Juniors and Seniors Can Live Sustainably Off-Campus

 

Are you looking for more ways to live sustainably off-campus? If your landlord doesn't provide recycling, you're struggling to shop green on a student budget, or if your electric bill is too high, then this event is for you!

 

Come join us Thursday, February 14th from 1-5PM in Bremner Lounge at the "Living the Green Dream" event.  You will learn how you can recycle, compost, shop smarter, travel responsibly and reduce your bills. There will be hands-on demos, FREE food samples and FREE giveaways!

 

Guests include: Office of Sustainability, Off-Campus Student Life, I-GO Car Share, Citizen's Utility Board, Chain Links, Growers' Guild, Student Environmental Alliance and the Wellness Center.

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Student Opportunities

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Join Our Mailing List
Thank you for reading the Office of Sustainability Newsletter! Feel free to contact us with questions, comments, or feedback at sustainability@luc.edu.
 
We would also love to hear about any upcoming sustainability events so that we can add them to our calendar, especially for Arbor Day or Earth Day. Click here to share your events with us!

Sincerely,

Office of Sustainability
Loyola University Chicago