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Beyond Green Buildings: Measuring the Ecological Footprint of an Institutional Site

Beyond Green Buildings: Measuring the Ecological Footprint of an Institutional Site. USGBC – Indiana Chapter • January 27, 2005 James Eflin AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow Associate Professor Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management Energy Education Scholar

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Beyond Green Buildings: Measuring the Ecological Footprint of an Institutional Site

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  1. Beyond Green Buildings:Measuring the Ecological Footprint of an Institutional Site USGBC – Indiana Chapter • January 27, 2005 James Eflin AT&T Industrial Ecology Fellow Associate Professor Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management Energy Education Scholar Center for Energy Research/Education/Service Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306 jeflin1@bsu.edu

  2. Origins: Industrial Ecology informing Institutional Ecology Industry + Ecology = Industrial Ecology Applying metaphors from ecology: Industrial Ecology Industrial Metabolism Industrial Symbiosis

  3. Intentional evolution of material and energy flows toward a sustainable balance within an industrial eco-system Emphasizes dematerialization, design for environment, entropy reduction, life-cycle analysis, pollution prevention, zero emissions What is Industrial Ecology?

  4. What is Industrial Metabolism? Flows of materials and energy through an industrial system or organization What is Industrial Symbiosis? Mutual and beneficial exchanges of materials or energy between organizations

  5. Inspiration for an ‘Institutional Ecology’

  6. Defining Institutional Ecology Uses “ecosystem” as a metaphor to address the complementary linkage potentials of resources used or affected by an institution Emphasizes systems analysis and thermodynamics to analyze, and provide recommendations for improving, the performance of institutions other than manufacturing or service industries.

  7. Why might this be of value? It recognizes that impacts of a facility (building, campus, firm, institution) extend beyond the site. It moves beyond the parts toward understanding the whole. It embraces the full life-cycle of activities.

  8. Life-cycle Flows of an Institution

  9. Material Flow Analysis “…analysis of the throughput of process chains comprising the extraction or harvest, chemical transformation, manufacturing, consumption, recycling, and disposal of materials.’’ - S. Bringezu (2000)

  10. Material Flow Analysis

  11. Material Flow Analysis: Stages • Conceptualization of model/flows • Baseline data collection • Data analysis • Alternative scenario simulations • Performance improvements • On-going monitoring

  12. MFA functional units for analysis • By spatial units • Buildings; landscaped areas; paved areas; etc. • By user units • academic, administrative, support, other • By users (groups) • Students; faculty; staff; vendors; visitors • Activity realms • Instructional; administrative; recreational; athletics; entertainment; etc. • Spatial boundaries • Trans-boundary (in, out); internally circulating • Materials

  13. MFA@BSU: Emphasis on Users

  14. MFA@BSU: Emphasis on Materials

  15. What do institutions consume heavily? Think paper! Think energy! Think food! Think water! ….and a lot more….

  16. MFA@BSU Materials targeted for data collection & analysis: • Paper • Food • Fuels • Electricity • Water • Wastewater • Vehicle flows • Other? Animation by Jackson Eflin

  17. MFA@BSU: Emphasis on Paper

  18. MFA@BSU: Office Paper 95973

  19. How much is ~96,000 reams? • Nearly 2.5 miles stacked in one pile • 98 times the height of tallest building on campus (Shafer Tower) • Laid out sheet-to-sheet, would stretch from New York to Los Angeles, back to New York and south to Washington • 252 tons • + 2 tons of wrapping • + 50 tons of cardboard boxes

  20. How much is ~96,000 reams?

  21. MFA@BSU: Campus Energy Use • Analysis getting underway • Primary energy: coal, natural gas, and oil for Heat Plant; gasoline, diesel, and bio-diesel for motor fleet; electricity • Results may help inform decisions for replacement of aging Heat Plant (mixed-fuel a possibility, including biomass) • Results may help guide decisions in replacing vehicles, policies for use

  22. MFA@BSU: Campus Water Use • Yet to be addressed • Wastewater Treatment facility (city-owned) reports a jump in wastewater flows by ~2 Mgal/day when BSU is in session (approx. 12%-15% increase over ‘base’ load)

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