Respectably Green

Luther’s sustainability initiatives recently received two national recognitions: a Rocky Mountain Institute grant of $45,000 and an “A-” grade on the College Sustainability Report Card.

The Rocky Mountain Institute awarded Luther the grant in late July. The Institute invited Luther, among 12 other schools, to attend a conference in Colorado, to discuss energy conservation efforts and plans. After the conference, Luther submitted a grant proposal that contained plans for a major campaign on campus for student-initiated energy conservation. The proposal was accepted, and the institute is now in the process of allocating grant funds.

Students, staff and faculty comprise the Energy Conservation subcommittee of the Sustainability Council, the group responsible for making decisions regarding the grant money on campus.

The committee decided to hire a consulting firm to design the conservation campaign. After meeting with two firms, the committee selected Sebesta Blomberg, a national firm based in Roseville, Minn.

Kim Larson (‘12), a member of the subcommittee, described her thoughts on the process.

“I am really excited to work with Sebesta Blomberg,” Larson said. “Bouncing ideas and plans went well, and they seem excited as well. I think the grant will bring to Luther students a more accessible and easy way to assess their energy usage.”

A portion of the grant money will go toward paying the consulting firm and a portion is funding Assistant Sustainability Coordinator Maren Stumme-Diers’ salary. The exact budget for the money has not yet been completely broken down.

Sebesta Blomberg will be on campus Nov. 3 and 4 to meet with the Sustainability Council, as well as students, faculty and staff in a series of stakeholder meetings in Olin 301. These meetings will help the firm understand what kind of campaign would work best at Luther and how some of the grant money will be used. Those who wish to participate should contact Stumme-Diers at stumma01@luther.edu by Friday, Oct. 30.

Also, for those who do not attend the meetings, an online survey will collect student input about energy conservation on campus at http://luther.edu/sustainability. The survey must be completed by 
Nov 2.

Stumme-Diers described the survey as an important part of the decision making process.

“It’s a really great way for people all over campus to give their input on energy conservation,” Stumme-Diers said. “We can compile and aggregate all of that data and give that to these consultants. They will use everybody’s input to develop some kind of initiative for Luther.”

Ideas for the campaign in the original grant proposal include sub-metering energy usage on campus and electronic kiosks showing how much energy various buildings and residence halls use. The kiosks could be as detailed as showing how much energy individual floors use.

Sustainability Coordinator Dan Bellrichard emphasized the role students will play in decided the course of the project.

“It’s all about student conservation,” Bellrichard said. “It’s about students and their behaviors, so the more students are involved in developing these plans and providing their input to the consulting firm, the more the plan is going to reflect what Luther is looking for.”

The other major sustainability recognition Luther has received is its high ranking from the College Sustainability Report Card. Luther was given an A- in overall sustainability, placing it among the top 26 colleges and universities in the nation.

To be evaluated, schools submitted surveys with detailed information in nine categories: administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, transportation, endowment transparency, investment priorities and shareholder engagement. In some areas, individual circumstances were taken into account, and extra credit points were awarded for particularly outstanding efforts.

Luther was one of 332 institutions participating in the evaluation. Other schools receiving high grades included Harvard University, Yale University and Stanford University. Area colleges and universities on the list include Carleton College (Minn.), Macalester College (Minn.) and the University of Minnesota.

Professor Rob Larson helped facilitate Luther’s application to the Report Card.

“What is remarkable is that a smaller school, at least based on the measure of endowment as a source of income, has accomplished the kind of things that allow Luther to be recognized among the largest and strongest colleges and universities in the nation,” Larson said. “We are learning from [other schools’] surveys ways we can improve our practices, engage our community and increase our effectiveness. There is also a tremendous incentive to do things well enough to receive a good grade next year as well.”

Current sustainability initiatives on campus include research for potential campus car-share program, the creation of carpooling software for Luther students and progress toward building a wind turbine. The Sustainability Web site is being renovated to be a better resource for the Luther community, and now features a suggestion box. Student groups such as the Environmental Concerns Organization (ECO) continue to sponsor sustainability-themed events like the annual energy usage competition on campus in February.

President Torgerson expressed pride in Luther’s commitment to sustainability.

“These recognitions reflect a growing regional and national awareness that Luther College is committed to sustainability and seeks to be a model, not a mirror, for the rest of society,” Torgerson said.