Vanderbilt University Unveils Comprehensive Long-Term Strategy to Reduce its Environmental Impact

On April 23^nd, 2019, Vanderbilt University disclosed an inclusive long-term strategy to considerably minimize its environmental impact partly by powering its campus completely through renewable energy, placing the university on the pathway to make it carbon neutral by 2050.

Although attaining the balance of carbon neutrality has become a sustainability standard in several American universities, Vanderbilt leaders announced on April 23^nd, 2019 that they aim to take a further step and generate more renewable energy than used. Factors for the renewable energy surplus include returning energy back to the power grid or storing for use during high-demand seasons or emergencies.

The university intends to achieve its 2050 commitment by

• Investing in off-site large-scale renewable energy
• Investing in on-site clean energy
• Investing in sustainable infrastructure
• Minimizing energy consumption and waste
• Reducing the university’s carbon footprint from transportation and commuting
• Maximizing green spaces across campus, for example, more pedestrian-friendly walkways and parks

Investing in our shared future matters. These efforts will ensure a vibrant, healthy, and welcoming campus for years to come. It is our responsibility to do our part to preserve the environment for our campus community and set a strong example for how to care for our shared home, our planet. With this commitment, we aim to better protect our environment and improve quality of life in Middle Tennessee, and to be a proving ground for innovative technologies and strategies that ensure a more sustainable future for all.

Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University

The university’s sustainability objectives, a joint effort among faculty, administrators, staff, and students, will come under FutureVU, Vanderbilt’s holistic planning process for creating spaces on campus and investing in programs that assist the people who live, learn, and work in them. The university consists of more than 330 acres of real estate, has one of the largest employers in the area, and has over 10,000 commuters every day.

The sustainability attempts also line up with the university’s main missions of teaching, research, and discovery through the Academic Strategic Plan.

We are transforming how we think about our campus—not only the land, but also the people living and working on it. This requires a holistic approach to sustainability that permeates throughout campus and beyond.

Eric Kopstain, Vice Chancellor for Administration, Vanderbilt University

To realize its objective, the university conducted multiple inclusive operational studies to better understand and create the solutions required to deal with the university’s environmental footprint:

• The BlueSky Energy Vision Study, a 10-month study conducted by the BlueSky Vision Executive and Advisory Committees, a combination of different stakeholders across campus, investigated the execution of a comprehensive renewable energy strategy through energy conservation, production of on-site clean (without combustion) and renewable energy, procurement of off-site renewable energy to minimize campus greenhouse gas emissions, and adequate storage of clean energy to endow the campus with energy resilience.
• The Large-Scale Renewable Energy Study carried out with input from the Large-Scale Renewable Energy Study Advisory Committee, an assortment of different stakeholders on campus, investigated possible options for off-campus, large-scale renewable energy sources, such as wind and/or solar projects.
• MoveVU, the university’s mobility and transportation strategy, created with engagement from across the campus community, will help prioritize the best use of Vanderbilt’s restricted land. The transportation and mobility plan demands a comprehensive, layered, and connected ecosystem that serves the Vanderbilt and broader Nashville communities. It suggests a drop from approximately 68% to 47% in drive-alone commuters and an increase in the use of more sustainable means of transportation, leading to a decrease in carbon emissions.
• The Zero Waste Study, presently being advanced by a varied set of campus stakeholders including several students, has been assigned with the task of creating a strategy to decrease consumption and landfill waste across campus. Priorities include dealing with food waste through Campus Dining and eradicating use-and-throw plastic water bottles across the campus.

“Reaching this goal is going to take the collective effort of our campus community,” stated Kopstain. “We need all of the puzzle pieces to align, but once they do, we will improve the social, environmental and economic impact of this university’s land and human capital.”

The university, entitled as one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in 2018 by The Princeton Review, has already made important advances.

In 2014, Vanderbilt accomplished a $29 million conversion of its campus power plant to all-natural gas fuel, eradicating coal use on campus and decreasing power plant greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in two years.

In 2016 and 2018, the university received the TN Sustainable Transportation Award from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and in 2018, it received a $4.5 million, three-year federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program grant.

During the 2017-2018 financial year, the university invested in a set of projects creating a positive environmental effect, such as a food-waste composting program; a dockless bikeshare program; the addition and expansion of the School of Nursing building, the first WELL building in Nashville; one new LEED building; one new green roof; three solar picnic tables; and eight BigBelly recycling containers.