Hanley Sustainability Institute

By Caitlin Walsh

Through our Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI) summer orientation, student leaders were able to interact and meet with the campus individuals who are representatives of the campus sustainability goals. The morning began with an overview of the overarching categories of energy, grounds, procurement, buildings, waste, dining and water. We also discussed the more specific goals of how we as a university plan to tackle these goals.

We first traveled to Curran Place to speak with Steve Kendig, the executive director of the Office of Energy and Sustainability, and Anthony Ferraro, the manager of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, on the goal of reducing energy consumption. Tony began the discussion speaking about energy consumption related to each sector and more specifically building on UD’s campus. Curran Place consumes the most energy through its vast research facilities.

Following the energy discussion, we spoke to Katie Schoenenberger, the director of GIS Management and Environmental Sustainability Project Development, about the solar prairie that sits right outside Curran Place. There is a live display in the lobby that shows the amount of solar energy being generated, which is a small percentage of the energy required to power the building. Katie gave us a brief history of the solar prairie and how it combines native prairie plants with solar panels.

We then headed back to Curran Place to speak with Nate Cole, the sourcing director within Procurement and Payable Services, regarding the procurement process of UD. He explained exclusivity contracts the university has with certain vendors as well as the process the university uses to “vet” the vendors. The university has a rigorous set of criteria these vendors must achieve before a contract is formed. 

Next, we spoke with David Schmidt, the assistant vice president for Planning and Construction Management, who manages the physical building structures across campus. We found out when each building on campus was constructed. He then went into the LEED accreditation process for certain buildings on campus. Specifically, the new Roger Glass Center of Arts which will be LEED gold upon completion. 

Cassie Austin, graduate research fellow for the Hanley Sustainability Institute, spoke about her research this past year regarding campus waste. She explained her methodology, process of data collection and a lot of the challenges she encountered while collecting data. She explained best practices of waste collection which involve standardized bins, co-locating trash and recycling together, education and improving diversion. 

We ended the campus sustainability day with Joan Bauman, director of Dining Services. She explained the renewal of the Pepsi contract which allows for 10 percent of available beverages to be local, minority- or women-owned businesses.

It is super exciting to start seeing these goals being rolled out to the rest of campus. Being able to meet the various stakeholders was very impactful, as we learned about how goals came together across campus.