On the Right Track
Loyola's New Sustainability Initiative
By Anastasia Busiek
As the Lake Shore Campus's newest and most visible addition, the Richard J. Klarchek Information Commons is getting a lot of attention for its environmentally friendly design. But the new building is just a small part of a wider sustainability initiative taking place at Loyola. With the support of President Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., and led by Nancy Tuchman, PhD, interim director of the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Policy (CUERP ), the University's sustainability task force is leading the way toward reducing Loyola's ecological footprint. "A large component of our mission is to make students aware of their social responsibilities and to give them the tools with which to effect change," says Tuchman.
The first step is measuring Loyola's current energy use and waste stream. The University has hired Marshall Eames, PhD, a member of the natural sciences faculty with a background in environmental engineering and analysis, to conduct a Universitywideaudit. "We have to establish a baseline," Eames says. "Then we figure out how to improve." In cooperation with facilities and with a team of student workers helping to collect data, Eames hopes to combine the separate pieces of information he collects to create a holistic plan for the University. The final report should be ready later this spring, and then Eames and the sustainability task force will begin to lay out the next steps.
Although there are some challenges the University will be able to tackle by embracing new technologies, it is likely that many of Eames's recommendations will be directed at personal choices. For example, Eames and his team have been tallying people in the vehicles in the main parking structure on the Lake Shore Campus. They've found that most have only one person in them. "How do we get people to use other modes of transportation? How can we encourage people to carpool?" asks Eames. Another study, conducted at campus dining halls, determined that students, on average, throw away a half-pound of food per day—an amount that Eames would like to see decrease to a third of a pound. "As I've delved into this, I've realized that this is a social issue as much as a technological one," he says. "Fundamentally, it's about behavior. It's great to invent new light bulbs and applied technologies, but the thornier part of the problem is getting people to alter their routines."
That's not to say that technology isn't part of the solution. The new Information Commons earned the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification—and Loyola has pledged that all new buildings constructed in the future will do the same. The facilities department has taken many measures to make Loyola an eco-friendly campus, including joining the Illinois Sustainable University Compact. As part of the compact, Loyola has committed to reducing water usage on campus by 15 percent, increasing recycling by 15 percent, purchasing non-toxic cleaning products whenever practical, and reducing pesticide use, among other measures. 
"Everybody in facilities has been interested in being green for a long time," says Phil Kosiba, vice president of facilities. "The initiative of Nancy's group and support from Father Garanzini have broken down a lot of barriers." Kosiba and his team also plan to move toward solar water heaters, battery-powered service vehicles, and semi-permeable paving material and artificial turf to reduce storm water runoff to the city sewer system. The Mundelein Center, the Quinlan Life Sciences Building, the Information Commons, and Baumhart Hall either do or will feature green roofs, which provide better building insulation, reduce rainwater runoff, and filter pollutants and carbon dioxide out of the air. Loyola has installed a solar trash compactor and will install energy saving light bulbs in all student residences and make them available to students free of charge. The facilities department is also working with a committee of faculty, staff, and students who meet monthly about ways to promote recycling and waste reduction.
An important part of the sustainability initiative will be finding new ways to integrate environmental awareness into academics. "Are students being given a certain level of environmental literacy?" asks Gina Lettiere, a coordinator for CUERP and one of the leaders of the sustainability initiative. Eames teaches classes on human impact on the environment and sustainability and is on the Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP) faculty (see sidebar), but moving forward, the University will also look at incorporating environmental themes into classes not specifically geared toward ecology. 
The Loyola sustainability initiative doesn't end at the borders of its campuses. According to Eames, "To be sustainable a college campus can't be an entity unto itself. We have to be a part of our community. For example, we don't have the physical space to compost, but that space might exist in the greater community. By the same token, the Edgewater Community Council is very interested in working with Loyola and looking at Loyola as a resource in terms of information and expertise." Eames emphasizes that the main goal, both on and off campus, will be making people aware of sustainability and helping them to adopt good behaviors. Lettiere adds, "It's a personal commitment. You think, ‘Ok, I'm recycling my paper, now how do I step it up? How can I use less paper to begin with?'" As the results of the audit become clear and the University forms its sustainability plan, members of the Loyola community can look forward to positive changes, both big and small. "At first, people might get frustrated. They might feel like the problems are unsolvable or that their contributions are insignificant," says Eames. "But this is about individual actions creating a collective change." With a little bit of effort and ingenuity, Loyola can lead the way toward a more sustainable society, preserving the earth and its resources for generations to come. "It is part of our educational and social responsibility to conserve resources and operate at a more sustainable level," says Father Garanzini. "This must occur at every level, from changing everyday routines to changing policy in order to be good stewards of our community and our environment." It may not always be easy being green, but it's a whole lot better in the long run.
As part of the green movement on campus, CUERP introduced a new interdisciplinary course in fall 2007. The course, Solutions to Environmental Problems (STEP ), explores the conversion of waste vegetable oil from campus dining halls into low-emission biodiesel fuel, which campus vehicles and maintenance equipment may be able to use. In addition to the physical production of biodiesel, students took on the development of a business plan, marketing and communications projects, public policy research, and a mentoring program at Highland Park High School. The course and its findings were presented at a public forum at the end of fall semester. Due to its great success, the STEP course will be ongoing.