UC_Duke_Competition_Narrative

UC Green Team
CBE Duke Energy Case Competition 2013-14:
University of Cincinnati; Executive Summary, Strategic and
Implementation Plan
“NET ZERO = Clean Generation – Usage”
Prepared for: Paul Watkins, Duke Energy; Brittany DeBose, Duke Energy; Deanna Bowden, Duke Energy;
Andrew Ritch, Duke Energy; Laura Thomas, AEP, Retired; Tome Frecka, Notre Dame and Darryl Maslar,
Hillenbrand
Prepared by: Ayub Ansari, Alero Jakpa, Rebecca Schmidt, Qingshi Tu and Katie VonErden
Professor: Ralph Brueggemann

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Table of Contents
Strategic Plan....................................................................................................................................3
Implementation Plan..........................................................................................................................4
Implementation Plan: Clean Generation – Usage =Net Zero..........................................................................................5
Marketing strategy ..............................................................................................................................................5
+ Generation .....................................................................................................................................6
Solar Energy Initiative.........................................................................................................................................6
Human Generation:.............................................................................................................................................6
Fuel Pellets.........................................................................................................................................................7
Food Waste for Anaerobic Digestion....................................................................................................................8
Biodiesel.............................................................................................................................................................8
—Usage.............................................................................................................................................9
IDEA Sustainability Video ...................................................................................................................................9
Campus Conservation Nationals ........................................................................................................................10
Smart Strip........................................................................................................................................................10
Double Sided Printing .......................................................................................................................................11
Smartlight.........................................................................................................................................................12
Eco-Button........................................................................................................................................................12
Tracking Progress: Sustainability Initiatives Management & Promotion Bundle...............................13
Insights Gained and Conclusion.......................................................................................................14
Appendices ..............................................................................................................................................................15
Appendix A: Letter from the President on Sustainability for STARS Reporting..................................16
Appendix B: Previous Sustainability Guidelines for Construction and Planning at UC......................17
Appendix C: Survey Results from Human Generation Survey...........................................................18
Appendix D: Survey results from IDEA Video Awareness Campaign ................................................20
Appendix E: Financial Analysis for Selected Initiatives ....................................................................22
Appendix F: Social Media................................................................................................................23
Appendix G: Sustainability Literacy Class Sample Survey.................................................................29
Appendix H: LEED Buildings in UC................................................................................................31

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Executive Summary
Can the University of Cincinnati be net zero in 15 years? This is what our Strategic and Implementation
plans describe. We strive to have UC’s clean generation meet the campus’s energy needs, and to reduce
resource use overall.
Value Proposition
Our value proposition is to increase awareness, change behavior and achieve net zero. If UC implements
the Strategic Plan in full, its students will be fully informed on how to be eco-friendly, rewarded for behaving as
such, and by the time they graduate, the University will be benefitting from their reduced resource usage (both
from a clean electricity generation standpoint as well as other resource reductions, such as paper). When the
University simultaneously implements the resource saving and education initiatives outlined in the Strategic and
Implementation Plans, it will save significant costs in purchasing and generation. The plan also directs UC to
invest in more sustainable power generation; while this will have an upfront cost, long-term it will benefit from
not needing to buy fuel for electricity production. Adding all these elements together will allow the University
of Cincinnati to reach “Net Zero.”
StrategicPlan
The strategic plan is constructed around the basic framework that: Net Zero = Clean Generation –
Usage. Here generation would represent our plan to boost the university’s clean generation while Usage would
reflect our strategy to reduce student/faculty resource utilization. The overall goal of this plan, however, was to
increase student awareness regarding cleaner energy generation, while making all stakeholders realize their
utilization of resources and how they could reduce it
The UC campus offers a unique environment of a captive audience, high population density, and a life-
style passed down to each new class of freshman. A survey conducted by us at the beginning of the fall
semester indicated that students were generally interested in becoming more sustainable. However, they felt
they were not great at it and did not know how to improve. Instituting a foundation of faculty-led initiatives and
student awareness will create a self-perpetuating cycle increasing energy efficiency that will slowly become
another part of the UC experience. This would in turn be embraced by in their first couple of months. UC
receives its power from its own plant located near campus, powered by natural gas (already a more
environmental option than coal). Initiatives such as the smart-grid link up present opportunities for substantial
reduction in electricity prices for UC, lower costs, and great profit margins. UC is beginning to be recognized as
a Green school. Additional recognition and awards will raise awareness of UC and increase the quantity of
applicants.
Our marketing strategy consisted of both active and passive initiatives to raise the green flags of
awareness. The initiatives under this plan were designed to reach students through several different mediums
including social networking, mobile technology, the classroom, university services, websites, publications,
dorm life, and extra-curricular groups. Other specific awareness tools such as social media development and
Campus Conservation Nationals will be discussed later. All of the initiatives are centered on the goal of putting
the knowledge and powers in the student’s hands and giving them the ability to see their role in making an
impact. Consistent improvement can only come from a student body that feels like they can make a difference
on a personal level.
The specific initiatives in the Strategic Plan are organized into two parts: increasing clean generation
and decreasing resource usage. In part I (clean generation), our main objective was to diversify resources for
UC’s energy generation. We proposed a solar implementation plan, starting with small scale research projects to
location viability, and ending with full solar panels on garages and buildings, modeled after the Cincinnati Zoo.
The solar panels would also serve as a passive reminder to everyone on campus that energy must come from
somewhere. Our plan also introduced retrofitted elliptical exercise equipment that would allow students and
faculty to generate electricity while working out to learn how much energy it takes. The final piece of
increasing UC’s clean generation was to implement projects that are being researched at the university. Some of

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the viable projects include an anaerobic digester that runs off of food wastes, biodiesel for some engines, and
fuel pellets made of recycled materials in the power plant.
Part II includes several initiatives to reduce resource usage, and educate students simultaneously. One
major initiative was the creation of a mandatory online training session (modeled after corporate trainings)
where students would learn about sustainability at UC, and what they can do. Another major initiative was
implementation of a smart-grid in all the dormitories so students could learn, and adjust, their energy habits.
Students would also have a chance to learn about reduction via a UC specific video game, where they would go
around campus completing sustainability tasks (this game would also be used as a marketing tool for younger
children). We also suggested several more direct usage reductions by placing all light bulbs with LEDs as they
burned out, installing light motion sensors in all rooms, making all printing default to double-sided, and
installing energy saving devices such as the Ecobutton and Smartstrip. One final major initiative in the Strategic
Plan was to update UC’s vehicle fleet with all electric or natural gas fueled vehicles.
Finally, to integrate all elements of the Plan together, we propose a phone application called SIMPLE--
Sustainability Initiatives Management & Promotion Bundle—that manages each students resource/energy
profile, what upcoming sustainability activities they are participating in, tips on how to improve, and
reporting/rewarding of certain behaviours.
ImplementationPlan
This section contains our implementation plan, and outlines what initiatives we partially or fully
implemented this semester. As required, only some of the initiatives were implemented. These are briefly
discussed below, and are explained more in-depth in the rest of the document.
In the “- Usage” category of our overall strategic plan, we raised awareness directly by creating new
Facebook and Twitter pages for the university and assisting with Campus Conservation Nationals. We also
showed students a sustainability focused video, starring UC’s own President Santa Ono, to see how they reacted
and whether they would change their behavior. Our results were extremely positive, and demonstrated that
something as simple as showing a video could affect change. Perhaps even more exciting however, was our
implementation of the Ecobutton, Smartstrip, and double-sided printing. The team implemented an Ecobutton
(which puts computers in a deep sleep when the user hits the button) in an Engineering Library computer, and
directly measured the savings from the device. We also completed a similar task with the Smartstrip (a power
strip that knows which devices are drawing power but are not in use, and can adjust accordingly) in a computer
lab in the Lindner College of Business. We compared a control two-week period to an implementation two-
week period, and again saw distinct drop in power used. Finally, one initiative that was fully implemented was
setting all the computer desktop wallpapers in the Engineering Library to remind students to double-sided their
prints. This is being continued even after the project ended, and already showed an increase use of duplex
printing.
The clean generation initiatives were less practical to implement because of budgetary restrictions, but
we will raise awareness of solar power by using a “solar cube” as a demonstration at UC’s Lindner College of
Business. Although we could not retrofit any of UC’s exercise machines for purposes of energy generation this
semester, we were able to travel to Ohio University to gather important data to determine attitude of students
who use this machine and compare them to UC students who are not aware
One final initiative we partially implemented this semester was the SIMPLE phone application; a
working prototype was created using PowerPoint that demonstrates its capabilities and layout. Given all of these
successful implementations, and previous initiatives the university has already implemented, the University of
Cincinnati is on its way to becoming “Net Zero.”
A financial analysis of select initiatives is included in the text of the Implementation Plan, and is
summarized in Appendix E.

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Implementation Plan: Clean Generation – Usage =Net Zero
Marketing strategy
The marketing strategies we implemented comprised of events, platforms and social media platforms
that shall be discussed below.
The Campus Conservation National (CCN) is the largest energy and water reduction competition in the
world. Schools, college and universities use this to host their own competitions in which buildings on campus
compete against each other to achieve the highest energy or water reduction. The University of Cincinnati
competed in 2010 for the first time and won first place for Single Building Water Usage Reduction (Siddall
Hall). Additionally, UC was in the top 5 for Campus Water Usage Reduction in 2012. Our team advertised such
outstanding statistics over social media to utilize these past efforts to encourage future ones. Moving forward,
we intend to utilize kiosks in dorms to assist in the visualization of results. Showing statistics and other visuals
will increase the effectiveness and popularity of CCN and its results. It will also be advantageous to incorporate
faculty and staff involvement because they have priceless knowledge and wisdom to share with students
competing. Marketing is also about helping create relationships through a product or activity. The CCN would
be an ideal marketing tool for spreading awareness.
According to numerous sources, over 75% of adults online use some form of social networking
platform. Just within the University of Cincinnati there are 42,565 students, not including faculty and staff and
undoubtedly over 90% of those people use social media. For this reason, we made a Facebook page and Twitter
account. Facebook boasts having 1.4 billion users (over 250,000 use it through their mobile device) and Twitter,
which has exploded since its beginning in March 2006 and has nearly 700 million users. As for our team’s
social media success, we have over 100 likes and over 50 followers on Twitter. We’ve been posting team
progress updates and sharing our ideas while encouraging others to post their inventive strategies for making
UC more energy sustainable.
Some of the marketing initiatives we have implemented give us tangible data to determine student
awareness. These will be discussed below.
The sustainability wall will be strategically placed in the Tangeman University Center which is a central
hangout, study and meeting area and it includes restaurants and a UC shop. The wall will include interactive
touch screens with a database housing our team’s research and project information, as well as updates on UC’s
and the world’s efforts for increasing sustainability. Secondly, posters encouraging double-sided printing in
Engineering labs were placed outside labs. Lastly, our team will advertise the competition and our projects, both
partially and impartially implemented, at UC’s Lindner College of Business. Our table will have team members
available for questions and comments.
The president at any university has significant power and having their involvement makes any message
more impactful. Our own President Ono starred in and supported UC’s most recent sustainability video which
educates a viewer on UC’s past and on-going green efforts. This video will be advertised on Earth Day and
ideally incite excitement and pride in fellow Bearcat students.
Our final marketing strategy, which worked hand-in-hand with the video produced, involved the team
setting up a table in TUC and the Lindner College of Business building and requesting students to watch the
video. Before the test, they took a survey asking how important sustainability is. After the video, they took a
quick survey analyzing whether or not the video indeed influenced their opinions on sustainability’s
importance.
Overall, our marketing strategies are merely building blocks for the major influence our team could have
on raising awareness to everyone, everywhere on campus.

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+ Generation
Accomplishment of Strategic Objectives
This criterion represents the level of success in completely or partially achieving objectives in each of
the initiatives that were implemented and discussed in each of the category separately.
Solar Energy Initiative
The strategic plan for our solar energy initiative is to use a Solar Cube to increase awareness among the
student body of the University of Cincinnati. The promotional campaign will consist of showcasing the Solar
Cube at UC’s Lindner College of Business during the week of April 7th. The value that we wish to create among
students is for them to realize what UC can accomplish with solar energy and the importance of it, creating and
increasing green-awareness among students. The necessary investment for solar energy will be high to begin
with, but will decrease over time. The anticipated return is to reduce the current amount of fossil fuels used to
power UC’s power plant. This will save UC money in the long term and also make UC a greener university by
eliminating the pollution produced by UC’s power plant.
During the event at Lindner, the Solar Cube will be charging a laptop, producing current for a light bulb,
charging a stand-alone battery, and powering a small cooling fan. Most importantly, any student will be able to
charge his/her phone or electronic device by using either the USB port or the DC-to-AC inverter that is
connected to the Solar Cube. This is a major part of the plan to increase awareness among UC’s students and
faculty.
Human Generation:
We initially decided to that the university can generate clean power from the recreation center. Only 111
machines can be used to generate power. These machines will be retrofitted with a device that converts kinetic
energy from pedaling, to electrical energy that will be sent to the grid. The plan for implementation of this
initiative was different from standard implementation methods. There was no feasible or financially viable
method for implementing this initiative as it cannot be tested on a small scale. The purpose of implementation
was to show the potential success of an initiative as it pertains to the initiative’s goals. In order to show the
benefits and successes that implementing retrofitted machines would have on UC and the UC student body, we
decided to survey the students (using a strongly agree – strongly disagree likert scale) at OU where this
initiative has already been successfully implemented. We also decided to give a survey with very similar
questions to UC students to solidify the conclusions we hoped to draw from the OU students. Both surveys
would contain 10 questions that would be centered around gauging the impact on student perception of their
schools stance on sustainability, as well as changes in student perception of sustainability awareness in their
own eyes.
Both surveys would be given at the rec-center to be certain that all results would come from people who
frequent the campus rec-centers. The OU survey would be focused on gauging student response to the machines
as it pertains to OU sustainability efforts, and the UC survey would be focused on gauging potential student
response to this initiative, as well as how UC students perceive OU as being more or less sustainable after
learning that they have employed this initiative.
We have conclusive findings based on our theory that these retrofitted machines posed a significant
benefit to how students perceived their schools sustainability efforts. We expected the students to feel like OU
was actively trying to not only be more sustainable, but also involve the students in this mission. Our results
were incredibly conclusive. Several questions represented our conclusion the best:
1.) Being able to actively participate in your school’s sustainability, as well as being able to measure it
in real time, has made you more sustainability-conscious in your daily life.
Strongly Agree: 12; Agree: 28; Indifferent: 7; Disagree: 1; Strongly disagree: 1
2.) As a result of these machines, OU is actively trying to involve students in being a more sustainable
campus.
Strongly Agree: 25; Agree: 21; Indifferent: 4; Disagree: 0; Strongly Disagree: 0

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3.) After visiting other schools, you view OU as being more actively sustainable than other schools as a
result using retrofitted machines.
4.) Using retrofitted machines has improved your perception of OU’s stance on sustainability.
Our results were very conclusive in showing that these machines have had a significant and lasting
impact on student awareness of sustainability. Other results from questions that I have not posted on this
document have been discovered as well. We have learned that this initiative has played a part in more than half
of the student’s decision to attend OU. We have also learned that inter-club/organization competitions to see
who can produce more energy are an effective way to increase use of the retrofitted machines. More than 70%
of students surveyed agreed that using the Retrofitted machines has led them to pursue, at least slightly, a
greener lifestyle. The final question of the survey showed us that more than half of the students surveyed take a
sense of pride in their school having this initiative and make a point to tell people about it when describing OU.
If the University of Cincinnati retrofits these 111 equipment, residence of Turner Hall (student
dormitory) can generate 11% of the required energy to power Turner Hall by working out 30 minutes a day,
twice a month. These machines are available 25,200 minutes a month. A 30 minutes workout can generate 50
watts on an average. The resulting calculation produces 42KWs per month
Experimental Generation at the University of Cincinnati
Fuel Pellets
Fuel pellets are a compressed form of waste biomass such as wood chips and waste paper. Considering
its high energy content, fuel pellets have been used as a solid fuel to replace coal in boilers and stoves. UC
tested over 600 tons of the commercial fuel pellets in 2013, which led to a GHG reduction of over 1,700 tons of
CO2-eq.
We propose a pilot scale fuel pellet production system in UC to utilize the waste paper generation on
campus. The total amount of waste paper generated in UC was about 133.08 tons in 2012. Accordingly, the
estimated fuel pellet production based on the 2012 data is approximately 120 tons per year. Since the proposed
fuel pellet production system utilizes the paper waste generated on-site, no transportation and packaging related
emission is considered. Therefore, the net GHG reduction through displacing coal with fuel pellet produced on-
site will be 320 tons CO2-eq every year.
The UC central utilities have set up a Facebook page to promote the awareness
(https://www.facebook.com/UCPelletProject2013) of the benefits of using fuel pellets in UC. In addition, a
student team participated in 2014 Ohio Clean Energy Challenge with the new technology that further reduces
the environmental impact of the fuel pellets.
It is assumed that current fuel pellet technology can be applied in UC to use waste paper as the raw
material. Current studies on the cost analysis for the fuel pellets all based on large production scales, such as
45,000 and 75,000 ton/yr. Since the annual generation of waste paper is relatively small in UC, the proposed
production capacity of the fuel pellets is set as 200 ton/yr. To evaluate the economic feasibility of implementing
a production facility in UC, assumptions are made to account for the economy-of-scale. The estimated capital
cost for equipments and installation is $45,790 and the operation cost is $1,783 per year. The coal consumption
is 1803.3 tons in 2013. The use of fuel pellets will displace 6.65% of the coal consumption every year and the
price of the coal with similar energy content is $46.4 per ton. Therefore the fuel cost saving is approximately
$6,175. Considering the large capital investment, the project payback period is 146 months. A sensitivity
analysis is performed to investigate the influence on the payback period of the project from the uncertainties in
capital investment and operational cost. A deviation of ± 30% from the baseline scenario is applied and the
result shows that the influence of the capital investment is more significant than the operation cost and

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accordingly the payback period varies from 102 months (30% less capital cost) to 189 months (30% more
capital cost).
Food Waste for Anaerobic Digestion
A pilot-scale anaerobic digester (AD) will be built in UC in 2014 to utilize the food wastes from on-
campus dining facilities. The food waste generation in UC is estimated to be 122 ton per year. The biogas
generation rate is reported to be 85Nm3 per 1000kg of food waste, consisting of approximately 65% methane
and 35% of carbon dioxide. Hence, the potential biogas generation through AD is estimated to be 12.0 ton per
year, with 4.8 ton being methane. Assuming a CHP overall efficiency of 76%, this amount of methane can
provide a total energy output of 194,798 MJ, which is able to replace about 27 tons of coal (20908 MJ/ton)
based on the a 34% energy generation efficiency of coal. This displacement will lead to a net GHG reduction of
74.53 tons CO2-eq. Along with the AD will be built an algae growing unit which is able to capture the CO2
from the AD and use it for the photosynthesis of algae. Therefore, with the inclusion of an algae growing unit,
the net GHG reduction can be 84.54 tons of CO2-eq.
The proposal for “AD + algae production unit” system has been approved by UC and funding has been
received to start the construction of the system (our team did not complete this). In addition, a campaign for
increasing the awareness of food waste separation is ongoing in one of UC’s dining facilities (though it’s for
promoting the awareness of composting).
The total capital investment for the AD is estimated to be $50,543 and the yearly O&M cost is $5,856.
On the other hand, the saving is mainly from the reduced fee for landfill (50% of the landfill cost is associated
with food waste disposal) and from the reduced electricity purchase. As a result, the total saving is
approximately $19,348 per year. Therefore, the payback period for this project is 45 months. By varying the
capital investment and operational cost by ±30%, the result shows that the payback period ranges from 32
months to 59 months, mainly affected by capital cost.
Biodiesel
Recycling waste cooking oil for biodiesel production has been a continuous initiative in UC for years.
The waste cooking oil is collected from the dining facilities and made into biodiesel in a 50-gal batch reaction
system. The annual production of biodiesel is estimated based on the waste cooking oil generation in 2012.
There are three major dining centers, one large food court and several cafeterias in the Uptown Campus of UC.
Totally 974 gallons of waste cooking oil (3.32 tons) were generated in 2012. If all these oils are used for
biodiesel production, the annual production is estimated to be approximately 982 gallons with 73 gallons of
glycerin as the by-product. As the diesel consumption by the UC fleet is about 4,398 gallons per year on
average, the biodiesel produced on-site of UC can displace 22.33% of the diesel consumption. The overall GHG
reduction by displacing 982 gallons of petroleum in UC is 10.61 tons of CO2-eq per year. Other biodiesel
research initiative such as utilizing grease trap waste generated in dining facilities and spend coffee grounds are
expected to further increase the biodiesel production in UC and hence to reduce more GHG emissions.
Previously, the production is primarily for test purpose and biodiesel is used by a university-owned
power plant for engine test. For this competition, the team is promoting the maximum utilization of the waste
cooking oil generated on campus. The team is working with UC Biodiesel Group to promote the awareness of
biodiesel and recycling waste cooking oil through conference presentation, poster and outreach activities.
The Freedom Fueler® batch reaction system was purchased in 2005 and current market price of the
system is approximately $2,700. Since waste cooking oil collection is achieved by the student volunteers by
using carts, transportation-related cost is not included in the calculation. Also because this project is used as an
educational tool for some undergraduate courses, the personnel cost is excluded as well. The production cost for
biodiesel is mainly composed of material cost and utility expense. Land use cost is another cost that is not
included in the economic analysis for any of the waste-to-energy projects in this study due to the on-site
implementation. The total production cost of 982 gallon of biodiesel is $1,270. Assuming an average diesel
price of $4/gal, the fuel expense saving can be $3,928 per year. The payback period of the project is 13 months.

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For all of the ongoing university research generation topics, we learned that university research can be a
powerful tool to educate people and increase their awareness about reducing resources consumption, waste
generation, and emissions.
—Usage
Accomplishment of Strategic Objectives
This criterion represents the level of success in completely or partially achieving objectives in each of the
initiatives that were implemented. This criterion is discussed in each of the category separately.
IDEA Sustainability Video
A team member of ours participated in an International District Energy Association (IDEA) contest
designed to compel students to create a video about their university’s utility plant on campus1. At the end of the
contest, the University of Cincinnati (UC) won first place for its unique, efficient, and sustainable generation,
transmission and distribution system of energy throughout the campus. However, we realized that is not enough
for the University to achieve this award without students having knowledge about its sustainability efforts as
well as several other awards that have been won as a result of its drive to be to provide clean and reliable
energy. Therefore we decided to take this video to students and measure their improvements if any via a survey
on their energy awareness. We hope that students will partner or improve on their partnership with UC in
sustainability efforts in creating an energy efficient campus. The promotional campaign is to challenge student
with their level of sustainability by filling out a survey twice— one before watching the IDEA Video Contest,
and the other after watching the video. We hope to see an improvement in awareness, and this increased
awareness will contribute to our vision of net zero in 15 years.
A total of 135 students consisting of 37% of freshmen, 18% sophomores, 18% juniors, 28% seniors and
11% graduate students participated in the survey representing over 45 different major. Students were reached
through lecture classes, Tangeman University Center (where lots of students congregate), and the lunch lounge
at the college of business. Most campaigns where conducted using word of mouth without incentives. Only the
one at the college of business had pizza, and some took the survey without having pizza. The survey had a total
of 15 questions; please refer to Appendix D for survey questions and results. The average result of all questions
from 135 students on a 1-5 scale before the video was 3.59, and increased to 4.02 after the survey. Therefore an
8.6% increase was observed, which could be interpreted as 8.6% energy savings or reduction using video as a
mechanism for improving awareness.
It was interesting to see that students did not have to have a science background to understand sustainability.
Students were impressed with the video and motivated to be more energy efficient. Moreover, several students
participated without incentives and some refused to have pizza. These actions speak about the willingness of
students to participate in sustainability efforts when the opportunity arises. That being said, improvements could
be made in the video. Although it was phenomenal, it would have been more impactful if it was less
informational and more challenging to students to improve their energy use. In addition, the survey could have
been filled out electronically instead of using paper. Paper was more convenient for students who did not have a
laptop at hand, especially for students in classrooms. Going forward, we will reach more students collecting a
minimum of 500 surveys. We experienced that a high student penetration is achieved from classrooms.
Therefore targeting classrooms is more strategic that setting up a tables. Furthermore, we will analyze the data
beyond averages to come up with correlation and behavioral patterns that could be useful for the university.

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Campus Conservation Nationals
The Campus Conservation Nationals is a collegiate competition where schools from across the country
compete against each other to achieve the highest percent reduction in electricity and/or water use during a set
period of time.
Throughout the competition, students are able to track competition standings, analyze performance, and
share winning strategies with each other. Through this process the goal is to engage, educate, motivate, and
empower students to conserve resources in residence halls and other campus buildings. The main basis of this
program is to foster a culture of conservation within campus communities, and propel campus sustainability
initiatives. This knowledge and set of skills will enable students to teach each other conservation behaviors that
they can employ on campus and in their future homes and workplaces. Students also have the opportunity to
develop leadership, community organizing, and career development skills.
The competition allows students achieve measurable reductions in electricity and water use, preventing
thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted and highlighting the ability of behavior change tools
such as competitions, commitments, and social norms, to conserve energy and water.
The University of Cincinnati participated in the Campus Conservation Nationals for the first time in the
2009/2010 school year. The program has been rolled out in the freshman dorm buildings, where students battle
every year to reach the most resource usage reduction possible. Student at the University not only compete
against each other but also compare with other universities to see how their conscious efforts to reduce stack up
against some of the best in the country.
The University of Cincinnati has been able to gain some national attention within this community
actually ranking top 5 for water use reduction in the 2012 Campus Conservation Nationals Competition.
Our strategic approach to this initiative is based on the idea of growth. We would like to see this type of
waste reducing culture and activity present throughout all of campus. In order to promote this we would like to
support the following initiatives:
 Utilize Proposed Kiosks in Dorms to Help Freshmen Visualize Results/CCN Effectiveness
 Grow program reach, length and competition frequency
 Incorporate Faculty, Staff, and Other Buildings on Campus
We have identified a champion student organization to lead the efforts of growing this initiative. The United
State Green Building Council (UC Chapter) has been working on promotion and better execution of the Campus
Conservation Nationals on UC’s Campus. By utilizing student volunteers, we have worked with the USGBC
student group to plan promotional events on campus including tabling in the Freshman Dining halls as well as
hanging posters on all floors of the dorms.
Smart Strip
Technology is indeed everywhere, in countless forms, and for the most almost always sucking electricity
out of a socket. Printers, DVD players, computers and plasma TVs are all examples of technological devices
that have a standby mode. Even while in standby mode, devices use a significant amount of power in a very sly
manner. Electricity is wasted, energy costs go up and the carbon output is increased substantially. The
University of Cincinnati owns hundreds of computers all around campus, in labs, classrooms and especially the
library. In offices everywhere, power strips are used for the multitude of devices used by a faculty and staff
member. Thus, the energy sucking “demons” are everywhere and our team developed a plan to install smart
power strips all over campus. These strips work to reduce power usage by shutting down power to products that
go into standby mode!
Of course, statistics vary, but many experts have recorded that standby power consumption in average
home ranges from 5 to 10% of household energy. Such statistics would be significantly multiplied at a
university because the volume of electricity needed is much greater. Additionally, standby mode can account
for approximately 1% of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions. Companies and homes all over the world are
beginning to use these devices. Now, one may wonder how exactly this device works, and possibly turn people

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off because they may not want all their devices shutting off. However, the strip has two sides, a gray and red
one. The strip cuts off all power to peripheral devices in the gray receptacles, but not those in the red.
To find out for ourselves how effective and convenient the smart power strip is, we performed a two
week experiment in which one week served as our control without the smart power strip, and the second used
the smart power strip. The experiment was performed with four computers used in the Lindner College of
Business computer lab on the second floor, which is used consistently for classes and assignments. A WattsUp
energy usage measuring device assisted with collection watt usage data and translated information into graphs.
The graphs showed a dramatic drop in the average wattage use between the two weeks. The control week
averaged 124 approximately watts, while the second week had a 24 watt daily average. If this data were
continued over years, the number of watts saved would translate into thousands of dollars being saved.
The Smart Strip has a positive return, and is economical at an average cost of $30-35 dollars. Also, our
team will work to advertise our results in hopes to win over “green” companies who want to support green
initiatives. Another idea we had would be to offer strips at a greatly reduced price to students living on or near
campus. Whoever bought one would be put into a raffle or provided $10 more on their Bearcat card. Lastly, in
continuation of the previous promotional idea, a “relationship” between the user and their smart strip could be
encouraged by making the strip a sort of rewards program. On their phone, the SMART system (which will be
mentioned later in our report) will record their savings over time and include pop ups on their phones when they
reach energy saving milestones.
Double Sided Printing
The strategic plan here was to reduce resource wastage in University of Cincinnati while spreading
awareness in regards to impact student body can make. It was observed that large amount of paper consumption
happening in the Office of College Computing (OCC) in the College Of Engineering and Applied Science
(CEAS) was single sided. This was an inefficient use of resource in terms of economic as well as the
environmental impact. The goal was to encourage the students, faculty and staff to use double sided printing
whenever possible so as to reduce the usage of paper. This was undertaken without any promotional campaign
also no investment required.
The implementation of this plan was carried out in 2 stages.
 Stage 1 was a pre-implementation stage where a specific libraries printing trend was targeted for period
of 10 days. This was done in order to determine the total amount of paper being printed as well as the
percentage of users using double side printing
 Stage 2 this was the stage where all the work station in that library had their computer wallpapers
changed to the following message in order to encourage use of double side printing by its users.
 Then data gathering occurred again for period of 10 days to see the impact of the wallpaper change.
From the data obtained, a comparison was made on the number of pages consumed before and after the
background was implemented. The results clearly showed that there was a considerable change in the
behavior of people and considerable amount of increase in the double sided printing. The ratio of
double-sided printing in total printing tasks increased from 53% to 59%.

12
No marketing technique was implemented apart from overall strategy itself. People were always aware of
double sided printing they just needed to be reminded to use that setting. It was clearly observed that with little
encouragement people were willing to change their encouraged people to become eco-friendly they were ready
to change the status quo. In this case a mere change in the wallpaper brought about a behavioral change in the
people and they started to use double sided printing. In the near future there are plans of implementing the same
wallpaper in all the libraries at the campus. It is important to note that this required no funding from the
university.
Usage Reduction at the University of Cincinnati
Smartlight
Smartlight is an add-on grid of electrifluid cells. The cells are self-powered by the embedded
photovoltaics. The surface tension of the fluid can be altered by applying a tiny amount of electric stimulation,
which is 10,000 to 100, 000 times less power than that is needed to light a traditional incandescent bulb. By
changing the surface tension of the fluid, the cells can act as lenses or prisms such that the sunlight beam that
passes through the Smartlight can be redirected to the where light is needed in the room. The light intensity of
the room can be controlled by the corresponding app of Smartlight on a smart phone. Smartlight can be applied
to virtually any kind of rooms and is expected to save up to 50% of the electricity usage for lighting up the
room.
Eco-Button
The overall goal here was to increase the efficient use of energy resource while simultaneously reducing
wastage in computers in University of Cincinnati. This was done with help of device known as Eco-Button
which would allow the user to instantaneously suspend the energy consumption of their computers while not
using them. The strategic plan here was to implement this device on a library computer to see the savings over a
period of month.
Reduction in energy wastage, cost savings, and advertising are three value proposition provided. The
first two criteria’s are something that will be received with all customer parties. The last option is for those
customers that may provide the necessary investment for purchase of eco-button devices on a wholesale level
for selling to third parties. The Eco-Button allows for printing of customers logo on the main surface area of the
button. This would be an excellent mode of advertisement medium with maximum exposure.
At the current status of the project, the investments would be required for purchasing of the Eco-Button
and the Promotional Campaign mentioned in the previous sections. The cost of purchase of a unit of this device
varies based on which edition is required. The cost of the device used for this plan was $8.00
Based on information gathered by the manufacturer as well as previous studies the returns are divided
into two main savings; Carbon Units and Power Cost. Carbon and Cost is measured in kilograms and dollars
respectively. Based on the monitor size and power wattage of the processor, the returns would vary.
For determining potential savings of this device, an eco-button was implemented in a high-usage library
for period of 1 week to workstation that had same users. The device was switched on after closing hours to
determine the savings; this would come to a daily usage of eco-button of 15 hours per day. The data after the
testing phase were positive. Extrapolating that to a period of 1 month; the carbon savings were 14.44kgs while
the cost savings were $12.56 thus having a payback period of less than a month. Same data set was used to
determine the potential savings from entire CEAS library work station section which currently holds 16
computers. The anticipated return from this implementation for a period of month would be; carbon savings
were 186.33 kgs and cost savings were $65.00. This would make the payback period of 2 months and 1 week.
Two surveys were undertaken to determine change in awareness in regards to energy scarcity and rising
costs. These surveys were done pre and post implementation of the eco-button to determine the impact it would
make. The results indicated a positive impact. Pre-implementations only 40% of the surveyors were aware of
energy scarcity while 70% aware of the rising cost. Post-implementation that number changed to 60% and
100% respectively.

13
As such no specific marketing strategy was undertaken for this device. However, a presentation was
done in front of University of Cincinnati’s IT and Utility department and was met with great interest and
encouragement. They showed a keen interest in purchasing this device and implementing it due to its positive
impact as well as the short payback period.
The present use of the eco-button is not being as efficiently as it’s only being operated after hours as an
alternate to shutting computers off. Controlled test has shown that the total time for the eco-button device to be
switched on and off takes approximately 30 seconds. Keeping this in mind the device can also be used during
the regular hours instead of after it. For example user [in this case librarian] can switch on the device while the
computer is not in use and switch it back on at the arrival someone. This would increase the utilization
efficiency of the device significantly even in the peak hours.
Based on the positive reviews post presentation conducted to the IT and utility department it is fair to
say that there is a big scope for this device in the market. It’s simple to use visible presence ensured that none of
the user forgot to use it. Its friendly virtual scorecard that showed savings gave them a sense of accomplishment
on the reduction in carbon emissions and increase in savings. A survey conducted post usage of this device
showed an increase in awareness in terms of rising costs as well as energy scarcity
Steps should be taken to reduce the overall cost of the device in order to increase its sale as well as
reduce the payback period. Charitable organization can also be targeted with its visible space used for
advertising purposes as well as saving energy in improvised countries. A reward system may be incorporated in
order for users to gain points through savings which would encourage efficient
Tracking Progress: Sustainability Initiatives Management & Promotion Bundle
Daily operations in universities consume a significant amount of resources. Numerous initiatives have
been taken to engage faculty, staff and especially the students to improve campus sustainability. These
initiatives may gain popularity at the beginning, however, when curiosity and enthusiasm fade away, many
initiatives just died and campus sustainability still remains a tough issue. SIMPLE is a mobile app designed to
secure the continuous involvement.
In SIMPLE, users are credited by reporting their involvement in the sustainable activities and can
redeem the credit points through the partners, such as university bookstore and dining services. The hassle-free
dashboard system allows the users to easily manage their activities and keep updated about opportunities to
participate. Profile and suggestions systems keep informing users about their behavior and guiding them
towards improvement. The sharing function allows the users to share their achievements through major social
network, such as Facebook and Twitter. SIMPLE is first-of-its-kind in solving the problem of lacking
continuous involvement for campus sustainability by a unique combination of incentives, improved user
experience, and power of sharing.
A working prototype based on Microsoft PowerPoint® has been created. This prototype of SIMPLE is
able to demonstrate all the major functions that can potentially bring about behavior change. By clicking on the
icons, the testers are directed to the demonstration of corresponding functions. The prototype are shared among
team members and distributed to a wider range of students. The highlights of the feedback collected are: (1)
SIMPLE is easy to use and fun; (2) rewarding system is a great encouragement for behavior change; (3)
knowing one’s own behavior helps increase the awareness of sustainability and motivate him/her to seek for
improvement; (4) suggestion system is very useful in guiding behavior changes, (5) the functions, such as
“Daily Task”, “Bonus Points”, and “Sharing Achievements”, are effect in retaining loyalty of the users to this
app. The potential acceptance of SIMPLE indicates that it’s a powerful tool for increasing awareness and
behavior change.
The development cost of SIMPLE is estimated between $10,000 and $50,000, and the database
maintenance cost is approximately $3,000/yr. Currently the project is seeking funding for startup.
It requires multiple strategies to encourage a continuous engagement in behavior change towards being
sustainable. SIMPLE takes advantage of the high market penetration rate of smart phones among people of

14
different ages, especially the students who are a tremendous group of customers. To increase the awareness, it is
important to make sure that people: (1) know how they are doing currently and (2) know how they can improve.
To encourage behavior change, it is important to make sure that: (1) it is easy for people to do so; (2) people
know where to find the incentives if they are looking for any; (3) it is easy for people to see the consequence of
their behavior change. To keep the involvement, it is important to: (1) keep the curiosity (providing new
features from time to time) and enthusiasm (“Bonus credit points”); (2) fulfill the need for recognition (sharing
achievement among social network).
Insights Gained and Conclusion
We successfully implemented several initiatives from the Strategic Plan, including promoting double-
sided printing via a computer background, directly saving energy with the Eco-Button and Smart Strip, and
campaigning for student awareness with our social media (including creating Tweets for President Ono to use)
and showcasing the Sustainability Video. Through all these initiatives, as well as the Human Generation survey,
we gained several key insights. First, many UC students do not need incentives to behave more sustainably, and
would willingly print on both sides of the page or would use an elliptical machine to generate electricity without
any reward. The proportion of students who need to be rewarded to act sustainably is smaller than originally
anticipated. However, we still need a reward system to encourage the rest of the students. Another insight we
gained is that while the Sustainability video the team showed students successfully raised awareness, a more
interactive video or display would probably have been more effective. In the future, the team would also use a
less rigid survey system than the Likert scale because we could not get a full range of people’s thoughts.
The UC Green Team has demonstrated a focused strategy to achieve net zero for the future. The UC
Green Team has proven that awareness and behavior change is possible amongst all the stakeholders, including
students, faculty and staff. The strategy builds on the current efficiency of UC’s natural gas energy generation
and enables a smooth transition to a variety of effective ways to achieve our net zero goal.

15
Appendices
A: Letter from the President on Sustainability for STARS Reporting
B: Previous Sustainability Guidelines for Construction and Planning at UC
C: Survey Results from Human Generation survey
D: Survey Results from IDEA Video Awareness Campaign
E: Financial Analysis for Selected Initiatives
F: Social Media
G: Sustainability Literacy Class Sample Survey
H: LEED Buildings in UC

16
Appendix A: Letter from the President on Sustainability for STARS Reporting

17
Appendix B: Previous Sustainability Guidelines for Construction and Planning at UC

18
Appendix C: Survey Results from Human Generation Survey
UC survey sample:
UC Rec-Center ReRev Survey
A team of UC undergraduate and graduate students are currently engaged in a competition hosted by Duke Energy. The competitio n is
a challenge between UC, Miami, and IU to create a strategic plan to improve active sustainability on our campus. One initiative we are
proposing is implementing ReRev elliptical machines that generate power for the Rec-Center (like the ones OU already has) while you
are working out! We are using this survey to gauge current opinions and potential future impact on student perception of UC-
sustainability as a result of this initiative.
1.) How often do you visit the Rec-Center?
1-2 times/week 3-4 times/week 5-6 times/week Everyday
2.) When you visit the Rec-Center, how often do you use the Ellipticals?
0 times/week 1-2 times/week 3-4 times/week >5 times/weeks
3.) As a UC student,you believe OU is actively trying to involve students in campus sustainability as a result of these machines .
Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly Disagree
4.) As a freshman, initiatives like this would have made UC more appealing as a school.
5.) If UC implemented these machines, you would be more likely to use an elliptical than usual.
Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly Agree
6.) Having these machines would improve yourperception of UC’s stance on sustainability.
7.) Being able to take an active part in UC’s sustainability, as well as being able to measure the impact in real-time, would make
you feel like UC is trying to actively involved students in sustainability efforts.
8.) Right now, you feel like there are simple ways on campus to take part in improving sustainability.
Stronger Agree Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly Disagree
9.) If OU implemented this initiative, than you see no reason why UC has not.
10.) Inter-club/Team/Organization competitions would incentivize you to take part in using these machines to create energy and
help improve sustainability on campus.
Thank you so much for taking the time to fill out this survey! Your answers will help us push projects like these to the next
level! Go Bearcats!
Summary of UC survey results for 10 questions:
Choices Resp. #1 Choices Resp. #2
1--2 6 0 11
3--4 20 1--2 13
5--6 18 3--4 20
everyday 6 >5 6
Choices Resp. #3 Resp. #4 Resp. #5 Resp. #6 Resp. #7 Resp. #8 Resp. #9 Resp. #10
SA 14 11 11 15 16 3 31 14
A 21 17 15 27 24 10 10 21
Ind. 14 9 9 6 7 10 5 10
D 0 5 7 2 1 18 4 2
SD 1 3 8 0 2 9 0 3

19
OU survey sample:
OU Rec-Center ReRev Survey
UC is taking part in a case competition against Miami University and Indiana University hosted by Duke Energy. The competitio n is
to create a strategic plan to improve sustainability efforts on each of our respective campuses. This survey is meant to help show the
impact that the ReRev ellipticals have on student awareness of sustainability! Please select the answer to the following ques tion that
best fits your opinion
1.) How often do you visit the Rec Center?
1-2 times/week 2-3 times/week 3-4 times/week 5 or more times/week
2.) How many days/week do you use the elliptical?
0 Times/week 1-2 times/week 2-3 Times/week Everyday
3.) The ReRev machines at the Rec Center factored into your decision to attend OU
4.) Being able to actively participate in your schools sustainability,as well as being able to measure it in a real-time manner, has made
you more sustainability-conscious in your daily life.
5.) As a result of these machines, OU is actively trying to involve its students in being a more sustainable campus.
6.) After visiting otherschools,you view OU as being a more actively sustainable than other schools as a result of the ReRev program.
Strongly Agree Agree Indifferent DisagreeStrongly Disagree
7.) Using the ReRev machines has led you to live a greener lifestyle, even slightly.
8.) Inter-Club/ Inter-organization/ Inter-student competitions would incentivize you to use these machines more often.
9.) The ReRev initiative has improved your perception of OU’s stance on sustainability.
10.) When telling family friends and peers about the University you go to, you take a sense of pride in telling them about th e ReRev
machines in the Rec-center.
Thank you very much for taking the time to fill out this survey! Your responses are greatly appreciated and the students of
UC greatly appreciate your time! Go Bobcats!
Summary of OU survey results for 10 questions:
Choices Resp. #1 Choices Resp #2
1--2 5 0 7
2--3 6 1--2 13
3--4 21 2--3 13
>5 18 Everyday 17
Choices Resp. #3 Resp. #4 Resp. #5 Resp. #6 Resp. #7 Resp. #8 Resp. #9 Resp. #10
SA 5 12 25 20 7 16 22 9
A 23 28 21 24 27 17 24 18
Ind. 11 7 5 5 13 14 4 14
D 9 1 0 0 3 2 0 7
SD 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 2

20
Appendix D: Survey results from IDEA Video Awareness Campaign
1. Be sincere, your name is not shown, how sustainable are you?
① (not sustainable at all) - ⑤ very sustainable
Pre-Video Average: 3.31 Post Video Average: 3.45
2. Do you feel that that sustainability (water, electricity, reducing carbon footprint) is important?
3. Do you think it is important to know where the electricity in your classroom comes from?
4. Do you think it is important to know where UC get its electricity?
5. Do you think it is important to know what types of generators power the campus?
6. Do you think it is important to know where heat and cold water (air condition) for the campus come
from?
7. Do you think UC should be highly sustainable?
8. Do you think that the way UC utilizes energy affects you?
9. Do you think that UC should reduce its carbon footprint (the amount of greenhouse gases like CO2 that
UC emits to the environment in a particular time)?
10. Do you think you should receive progress reports on how the University is doing in sustainability?
11. Do feel compelled to improve the way you utilize energy?
① (Nothing can motivate me) -⑤ (I am highly open to improve)
12. Do you think it is important to know how much energy your laptop consumes?
13. Do you think that reducing the energy your laptop consumes is important?
14. Do you think it is important for UC students to participate in sustainability competition?
Do you think you share a responsibility to be sustainable, and that your efforts are significant to the
future of the earth?
① (sounds ridiculous) - ⑤ (totally agree)

21
3.31
4.36
3.01 3.13
2.93
3.23
4.36
3.79
4.11
3.22
3.80
3.34
3.58 3.53
4.15
3.45
4.43
3.79 3.87 3.79 3.87
4.61
4.37 4.50
3.67
4.11
3.67
3.90 3.89
4.41
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15Questions
Average Before
Watching
Video
After
watching
Video

22
Appendix E: Financial Analysis for SelectedInitiatives
Initiative CAPX OPEX
Savings
($/yr)
Payback
(month)
Note
AD $50,543 $5,856 $19,348 13 122 tons food waste/yr
Pellet $45,790 $1,783 $5,568 146 133 tons waste paper/yr
Biodiesel $2,700 $1,260 $3,928 45 980 tons Biodiesel/yr
SIMPLE $25,000 $3,000 $78,800 9
0.5% reduction in UC’s total
electricity
Eco-button $840 $0 $5,629 2
105 units; saving per month:
$12.56/unit for CRT and
$4.06/unit for LCD
Smart stripe $488 $0 $9,064 <1
15 units; saving: $11.62/unit per
week
ReRev $100,000 $0 $6,760 180 111 machines
Double-sided
printing
$0 $0 $37,158 NA Reduce 10% waste paper
Sustainability
Training
$0 $0 NA NA Student created and managed.
Video Game $91,900 $15,100 $189,973 12
LEDs &
Motion
Sensors
$15/sensor,
$35.95/bulb
$0
$.67-44.46
per bulb
12
Bulbs are implemented as
previous bulbs burn out. Revenue
depends on whether the replaced
bulb was CFL or Incandescent.
Solar Panels
(final
installation)
$0 $0 $0 NA
Financing scheme based off the
Cincinnati Zoo; another company
owns the panels.
Electric
Vehicle Fleet
<$3.4 million $768
$172,260-
$279,792
<236
This is at current electric car
market prices, which are expected
to fall, and current gas prices,
which are expected to rise. This is
an overestimate.
The table above summarizes the capital cost, operation cost, revenue and payback period of each selected
initiatives. The “Note” section summarizes the assumptions based on which the financial analysis was
performed.

23
Appendix F: Social Media
Twitter page (22 tweets):

28
Facebook Page:https://www.facebook.com/cincinnatismart

29
Appendix G: Sustainability Literacy Class Sample Survey
1) Be sincere, your name is not shown, how sustainable are you? ① Not sustainable at all
- ⑤ Very sustainable
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
2) Do you think that personal cars using fossil fuels are blocking sustainability?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
3) Do you think it is better to use public transport than an individual vehicles?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
4) Do you think it is important to know what fuels are used in the UC shuttle and what is the
quality of the exhaust from it?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
5) Do you think bike should be used more often to attain sustainability?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
6) Do you think sustainability is directly related to the way of transportation?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
7) Do you prefer to take a car or walk? ①-car usually to ⑤ - walk
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
8) How much do you spend? ① -not much to ⑤-a lot
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
9) Do you think you should receive progress reports on how the University is doing in
sustainability?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
10) Do feel compelled to improve the way you spend money on things? ① (Nothing can
motivate me) -⑤ (I am highly open to improve)
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
11) Do you think it is important to avoid and reduce consumerism to achieve sustainability?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
12) Do you think that reducing the energy your laptop consumes is important?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
13) Do you think it is important for UC students to participate in sustainability competition?
① ② ③ ④ ⑤
14) Do you think you share a responsibility to be sustainable, and that your efforts are
significant to the future of the earth? ① (sounds ridiculous) - ⑤ (totally agree)
① ② ③ ④ ⑤

Appendix H: LEED Buildings in UC
http://www.uc.edu/af/pdc/sustainability/campus_initiatives/buildings.html
The built environment contributes over 80% of the University of Cincinnati's greenhouse gas emissions. This fact led the
University of examine ways in which we can reduce the environmental and economic impacts of our buildings. UC
created the Sustainable Design Policy in 2001, committing the institution to build all new construction and major
renovations, whenever possible, to LEED Silver standards or higher.
Since 2004, UC has completed six LEED-certified buildings including one Silver and one Gold. Though the era of
aggressive building has come to an end, the University of Cincinnati is still committed to reducing energy usage in
buildings and invests millions of dollars in energy upgrades for existing buildings and systems. This effort has been
recognized with Duke Energy's Power Partner of the Year award in 2012.
University ofCincinnati’s Commitment
The University of Cincinnati has a requirement for all new construction, and whenever possible renovations, to be
certified LEED Silver or higher. This requirement demonstrates the University’s commitment to responsible design and
construction. A critical aspect of this intent, particularly by example, is to reduce risks to employee and student health
and safety,and to simplify the maintenance and ensure the longevity of buildings and equipment. The ability to foresee
and employ technical innovations to achieve this goal becomes even more critical during times of low available operating

32
cash or credit, which can be an inevitable part of higher education financial cycles, and which must be planned for where
feasible.
During the past 16 years of Master Plan construction, The University has experienced a transformation of its campus
(nearly 50%) that is historically incomparable. At a commitment of over $2 billion, the journey from departure to
destination has produced a cohesive and coherent assembly of new and renovated buildings, recreation facilities,
improved residential environments, athletic and performance venues,and sculpted landscapes and plazas.
Green Housekeeping
In addition to how buildings are constructed, how buildings are maintained and cleaned has a significant environmental
impact. UC has instituted a Green Cleaning Policy to mitigate this.

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