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SustainVU

SustainVU

Greenhouse Gases

Vanderbilt is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions at the university, departmental, and individual level.

Vanderbilt has committed to striving to achieve the highest standards of sustainability through a process of environmental responsibility and accountability at every level of University activity. With regards to climate change, this commitment translates to actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the university, departmental, and individual level. A few examples of these actions include:

  • The completion of a university-wide GHG emissions inventory for each calendar year, beginning with 2005.  These reports provide trending information for the development and implementation of future GHG emission reduction strategies.  Annual updates capturing emissions from subsequent calendar years will be published. In 2017, the annual GHG emissions inventory grew into the Annual Sustainability Report, which includes information on university sustainability initiatives as well as the annual emissions profile of the university.
  • Adoption of an institutional Environmental Commitment Statement, which highlights the major areas of Vanderbilt’s environmental commitment and affirms Vanderbilt’s dedication to strive for the highest standards of sustainability through a process of environmental responsibility and accountability.
  • A commitment to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building practices. Vanderbilt University has a total of 19 LEED-Certified building projects.
    Certified: Chef James Bistro, One Hundred Oaks
    Silver: Crawford House, Sutherland House, Gillette House, Benson Hall, Library Archives, VRWC Fieldhouse
    Gold: The Commons Center, Stambaugh House, Hank Ingram House, Murray House, General Library, The Commons Center top floor build-out, VANTAGE laboratories, Warren and Moore Colleges, Alumni Hall, Engineering and Science Building
  • ThinkOne, a campus-wide energy conservation campaign focused on energy-saving behaviors that individuals can take to reduce Vanderbilt’s energy consumption
  • Investing in water and energy savings through retrofits, including the installation of water-conserving bathroom fixtures and energy efficient lighting systems.
  • Improvements to commuter programs, including a ride match Web site, the launch of several van pools and the arrival of Zipcar and Enterprise CarShare on campus.
  • Night set back programs to drastically adjust thermostats in the hours a building is not in use.

The major sources of emissions at Vanderbilt include purchased electricity; natural gas use at the on-campus co-generation power plant; and commuter travel.  These major sources present the most significant opportunities for improvements in Vanderbilt’s current carbon footprint. Suggestions on how the university community can take steps to reduce our energy consumption can be found at Vanderbilt’s ThinkOne Web site. Specific energy conservation information for patient care areas, research areas, offices and classrooms, and residence halls can also be found at ThinkOne and are a significant, no-cost first step in reducing Vanderbilt’s carbon footprint.

Read the 2017 Annual Sustainability Report here.

erbilt has committed to achieving the highest standards of sustainability through a process of environmental responsibility and accountability at every level of University activity. On the matter of climate change, this commitment translates to actions aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the university, departmental, and individual level. A few examples of these actions include:

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>The conduction of a university-wide greenhouse gas inventory covering years 2005 through 2007. This inventory is meant to serve as a measuring stick for progress in analyzing annual inventories in future years. (Link to GHG Baseline Inventory page)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>A commitment to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building practices. Vanderbilt University has a total of 10 LEED-Certified building projects. (Link to Green Building –LEED page)

Certified: Chef James Bistro

Silver: Crawford House, Sutherland House, Gillette House, Benson Hall, Library Archives

Gold: The Commons Center, Stambaugh House, Hank Ingram House, Murray House

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>ThinkOne, a campus-wide energy conservation campaign focused on energy-saving behaviors that individuals can take to reduce Vanderbilt’s energy consumption (Link to ThinkOne)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>Investing in water and energy savings through retrofits, including the recent renovation of the lighting system at Memorial Gym resulting in an 18 percent reduction in lighting energy consumption. (Link to article about this)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>Improvements to commuter programs, including a ride match Web site, the launch of several van pools and the arrival of Zipcars on campus. (Link to Transportation page)

<!–[if !supportLists]–>- <!–[endif]–>The Night Set Back program to drastically adjust thermostats in the hours a building is not in use. (Link to Energy – Night Set Back page)

The major sources of emissions at Vanderbilt include purchased electricity (45 percent); coal use at the on-campus co-generation power plant (24 percent); commuter travel (19 percent); and natural gas use at the on-campus co-generation power plant (8 percent).

These major sources present the most significant opportunities for improvements in Vanderbilt’s current carbon footprint. Suggestions on how the university community can take steps to reduce our energy consumption can be found at Vanderbilt’s ThinkOne Web site. Specific energy conservation information for patient care areas, research areas, offices and classrooms, and residence halls can also be found at ThinkOne and are a significant, no-cost first step in reducing Vanderbilt’s carbon footprint.

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