An Analysis of the Progress and Impact of the Green

Movement at USFSP

ENC 3250 Professional Writing

Michelle Sonnenberg Dr. Francis Tobienne Jr.

Sarah Smith University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

Ashlyn Surulall 140 Seventh Ave. South St. Petersburg, FL

Rendy Suryo Ridaliya Sitdikova

June 19th, 2015

USFSP makes the grass

greener at home! The mission of the University of

South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP) is

to inspire scholars to lead lives of impact. Part of the way USFSP strives to accomplish this mission is by

encouraging lessons, leadership, and

participation in the Green Movement.

Focusing on student success driven by

interactions with faculty, administration,

and the community, USFSP steps out in

partnership with a diverse student body to

spearhead initiatives on campus and in

the community that inspire action and

change.

USFSP has a lot to be proud of in

respect to the environmental movement.

The construction of two Gold Certified

LEED buildings that host classrooms and

major university events, the installation

of four electric car charging stations, a

new solar array built in partnership with

Duke Energy, and many other

accomplishments speak to the dedication

this institution has in forging pathways to

a sustainable future. These initiatives

hinge on three important components,

student driven projects, faculty and

administrative support, and bridge

building to the community and beyond.

The Green movement starts with

small, individual actions. These actions

grow into sweeping changes that inspire

others to live in a way that honors their

respect for the environment. Actions do

indeed speak louder than words. Here on

the beautiful USFSP campus, actions are

changing the future.

Vision 20/20 is USFSPs strategic plan for the future. It focuses on identity,

success, and culture as paradigms for

creating positive growth. One core value

the university gives in the strategic plan

is care for the natural environment.

Students, faculty, and administration are

stewards that celebrate our organic connection to the waterfront and

cityscape. This connection extends beyond the immediate community of St.

Petersburg into the world at large through

scholarship, character, and experience

carried by the actions of our diverse

student population to the global stage.

Beyond a statement on core

values on care for natural environment, USFSP has taken many measures to deal

with global climate change. USFSP

encourages partnership as a means to

grow the green movement through

various organizations, such as Student

Government (SG), the Student

Government Green Energy Fund (SGEF),

and the Office of Sustainability, as well

as through partnerships with the

community at large. Duke Energy,

Nissan, and collaborative relationships

with the City of St. Petersburg highlight

the willingness of the leaders of USFSP

in building green bridges toward the

future through active relationship.

There are, however, bumps in the

road. The vacancy of the Sustainability

Coordinator position at USFSP

strengthened the need to conduct further

analysis on USFSPs dedication to green initiatives. The green movement is

student driven at the grassroots level and

funded at the administrative level.

Channeling student voices and building

healthy communication between the

administration, faculty, and student body

will strengthen initiatives and programs

as Bulls work to create a greener, cleaner

tomorrow. Strengthening the universitys connection with the community will give

steady footing to future endeavors,

allowing initiatives to spread out, take on

a life of their own, and inspire others to

live for a sustainable tomorrow.

The Student Green Energy Fund

is a statewide legislated program in

Floridas public university system. Since its inception in 2007, the program has

been funded by a small fee ($1.00 per

credit hour at USFSP) tacked on to tuition

cost. The program is guaranteed funding

as long as students back it. Students have

the right to change or eliminate the fee

every three years via referendum. The

results of referendums yield mandates.

Clearly, the student body at USFSP

supports a green future. The fee stands,

and the programs they have begun are

making a world of difference. Here are

the highlights:

Each semester projects are

formalized and presented to a committee

for approval to begin green initiatives around USFSP to better accommodate the

campus community. In the spring of 2012

the first project that took place was

installing the Solar Docks by the

waterfront of the beautiful USFSP

campus. The picnic tables have solar

powered electrical outlets which provide

power for students who study outside.

They also have lighting for night time

study sessions. The Solstice Pole, which

sends additional power to the tables, is

outside of the SGA building and is

powered from the sun. A 2013 hybrid

truck was purchased for the waterfront

staff to transport students back and forth

to events and has reduced costs over 4000

dollars a year! The campus fitness center

has a cardio loft that has energy

preserving equipment and reuses human

energy that is put back into the building

and has gone through a few phases of

improving. In the fall of 2012 the first

floor of the parking garage underwent a

LED light renovation. According to the

sustainability section on our school

website, by changing out these bulbs it

saved enough energy to light 6 average

size American homes. As the months

past, the parking garages light bulbs had been all replaced and is saving energy as

we speak!

Currently, this past semester in

RHO, (Residential Hall One) a bottle

refill station by Elkay EZH2O. What is

so special about this water station is that

it essentially is preventing the use of

plastic bottles and counts how many

bottles are saved. There is a timer for

water running, LCD lighting for the

screen, a large filtration system and has a

non-touch sensor. A new soccer field was

just build in partnership with the Saint

Petersburg Rowdies soccer team. Project

investigator, Mike Leggett is wanting to

install LED lighting to the new field

because of it saving major energy costs.

These projects and initiatives are

improving the lives of students,

benefitting the environment, creating

green jobs, and saving the university

money. SGEF moves USFSP to the

forefront of the green movement with

student led initiatives. The LED-lighting

project for USFSP Soccer field is

estimated to cost approximately

$153,000. This investment will help

USFSP to increase annual energy savings

up to 9,000 KW, or the equivalent of

$2,000 annually. Since the money for the

project comes from mainly SGEF

funding, savings go straight to the bottom

line for the university. These green

initiatives led by SGEF can also improve

the relationship between campus and

campus community around by setting an

example for stewardship and

environmental commitment.

Recycling Bins:

In the spring of 2013, SGEF

spearheaded a project to place 20

recycling receptacles around campus for

plastic and aluminum that were coupled

with regular trash cans. These bins

themselves are recycled from 937 milk

jugs each, showing how reuse can

bullishly build clean and green pathways

into the future. This project received 90%

of the necessary funding from SGEF. The

remaining 10% came from SG. This is a

highly successful student led and funded

initiative.

Currently, SGEF is seeking to add 4 new

recycling bins to the campus at a cost of

$5,700.10. SGEF has calculated that

these bins save three trash dumps per week. Working on a 42 calendar week

schedule, thats 126 less dumps required per year and equals a savings of almost

$11,000.00 annually. These receptacles

would pay for themselves twice over in

the first year. Now, thats no bull! Hopefully, SGEF will expand this project

to include glass and paper at these

convenient locations. Think of the money

saving possibilities and the reduction in

stress to the local landfill

Water Bottle Refill Stations:

It has been widely noted that

water is the source of life and humans will

die without it.

The bottled water industry is booming,

and we have the plastic waste in our

oceans to show for it. From small bottles

to gallon size jugs, which usually attract

college sports athletes, public schools in

the United States are riddled with the

plastic trash from this disposable

lifestyle. USFSP seeks to be different.

Completed in the fall of 2013,

water bottle refill stations have been

installed in buildings around campus to

help put a stop to this plastic waste2.

Reduction trumps recycling! The Elkay

EZH2O bottle refill stations help solve

this issue. This instrument serves as a

water fountain for those who do not bring

water bottles to school and as a no touch

filtered water bottle filling station. The

implementation of this project by SGEF

is good for world health because it

reduces the amount of plastic bottles

being used, and also for personal health

by encouraging water consumption.

LED Lighting:

Light emitting diode (LED)

technology is a great money and energy

saver. This technology used to be very

expensive for large installs, but the cost

has come down. SGEF monopolized on

this economic turn and pursued LED

installation in the USFSP parking garage.

The LED fixtures in the garage have

saved thousands of watts per year which

offsets the cost of energy for 33 single

family American homes.

This technology is highly

adaptable, and is used in the Elkay

EZH2O Bottle Filling Station indicator

lights as well as in many other indicators

all over USFSP campus. This

implementation looks very trivial, but

having it been calculated by researchers,

it can supply up to 6 houses energy need

for a year.

Keeping our Environment Fit:

Each semester projects are

formalized and presented to a committee

for approval to begin green initiatives around USFSP to better accommodate the

community. The current SGEF projects

are in progress this summer. The campus

fitness center is currently undergoing

construction for remodeling. This project

is called, Keeping our Environment Fit,

which will consist of installing LED

lighting throughout the entire gym, and

replacing the old equipment with ones

that are made of recycled materials and

use less energy. Not only is the school

saving money by using less energy, and

donating all items, but the money saved

can be used for other departments on

campus, so these departments can focus

on relationships and growth. The total

cost of this project will roughly be 32,000

dollars, but each year the school will save

over 3,000 dollars with the new changes.

LED Soccer Field:

Another new project that is

undergoing is the LED lighting for the

brand new soccer field that is partially

used by the local Rowdies soccer team

and our students at USFSP. Mike

Leggett, the project investigator, wants to

install the new lighting because it is a big

energy and cost saver. This project may

be very expensive ($ 150,000 plus), but in

the long run it will be saving

approximately $1,992.77 each year. With

a 25 year savings plan the school will be

saving almost 50 thousand dollars. The

goal is to add the lighting, along with

concrete bases; 60 mph and galvanized

steel poles.

It takes more than student led initiatives

to change the future. Bulls know the

power of teamwork, and this shows in

their practices. There are many initiatives

on campus led by the university.

Recycling that goes beyond the typical

plastic and paper, xeriscaping to both save

water and promote a healthy habitat,

powering off idle labs to conserve power,

constructing LEED certified buildings,

and providing priority parking and car

charging for electric vehicles are just

some of the work the university is

involved in6.

Environmentally friendly computing is a major step taken by the university to

reduce e-waste. Globally, e-waste has

become a social/environmental justice

issue as wealthy nations, such as the

United States, outsource electronic clean

up to poorer countries. E-waste

represents 2% of Americas trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall

toxic waste. Currently, only about 12.5%

of those are properly recycled. USFSP

maintains a working relationship with

Central Receiving, a third party recycling

company in St. Petersburg area to combat

the e-waste cycle. Through this company,

used working computers are resold for

financial gain or donated to charities

through social agencies or directly to

individuals. Scrap machines are recycled

at the local level whenever possible. The

term e--waste is actually not waste at

all, but rather whole electronic

equipment/parts that are outdated but

readily marketable for reuse/recycle.

Ink cartridge disposal is another

important university led initiative that

follows in the footsteps of many tech

giants efforts to reduce e-waste. For example, Hewlett Packard runs the HP

Planet Partners Program for recycling of

ink cartridges. Indeed it takes a little

effort to get rid of these small objects

because the processing centers are not

well distributed. For large institutions,

pickup is available. USFSP is engaged in

this service and was able to save on ink

costs by using it. Purchasing recycled

printer cartridges means saving up to

65% of the original brand cartridges cost.

For every 100,000 used cartridges

recycled, 9,599 kilograms of aluminum,

40 tons of plastic, and 1,000,000 liters of

oil can be saved. Recycling these

cartridges means remanufacturing them,

giving a second life to these non-

degradable materials. Ironically, only

about 20-40% of worlds empty cartridges are recycled, USFSP, through

SGEF, strictly monitors every cartridge

used in the school environment, recycles

them properly, and gives violators strict

penalties.

The inclusion of a butterfly

garden and the installation of landscaping

that employs native plants beautifies the

campus, conserves water, and provides

habitat for local wildlife, the student body

included. Mobile phone and battery

recycling go further to reduce the burden

on the local landfill. Purchasing recycled

paper for use in campus wide printers

makes a contribution to the environment

as well.

Here are the major projects that

highlight the university's engagement

with the student body and community at

both the local and global level.

USF LEED:

System was founded in the United States

and has now been recognized globally.

Its main goal is to build new or convert existing buildings that will improve

human health, the environment, and

quality of life. LEED is system intended

to change strategy that people used in the

past to design, construct and operate

buildings. (Taylor, Xing, 2009) LEED

(Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design) certification.

University of South Florida has

three major LEED Accredited

Professionals on Facilities Planning and

Construction staff. The university is

managing Life cycle analysis (Florida

Commercial Building Energy

Computational Program) on its standards

to construct building with reflective

insulation on walls, roofs, and windows.

Most of the roofs have been changed with

high reflective insulation system,

covering 410,865 sq ft. Reflectance is

sufficient to lower heat gain as

reflectance limits heat absorption from

the sun, which helps to reduce the cost to

cool the buildings. In addition, insulation

is preventing heat flow into the building,

especially in Florida. Sunscreens and

high efficiency glass have been installed

on windows.

USF is expecting some buildings

to be LEED certified: Dr. Kiran C. Patel

Center for Global Solutions, Tampa

Campus; Interdisciplinary Science,

Tampa Campus; Science and technology

Building, St. Petersburg Campus; USF

Polytechnic Phase1, Lakeland Campus;

and Wellness and Nutrition Center,

Tampa Campus. These LEED projects

eventually will be expanded to all USF

buildings.

TransportationBike a Bull:

Officially opened on January 14, 2015 Bike a Bull is a bike share program

on campus at USFSP. Simply by signing

a waiver and showing their university ID

students can rent a bike for twenty-four

hours. Many students on campus that do

not have cars or any other sort of

transportation can now benefit heavily

from this new program. Also, it is helpful

to students who cannot afford their own

bikes. The school gets the bikes from

ABC Bicycles and they are maintained

there too. I think this is a great program.

Not only is it beneficial to students who

do not have means for transportation but

it can also make a difference with other

students. Students that live on campus

that do have cars might use their cars less

since they have the option to use the

bikes. Having less cars on the road is

great for the environment!

Car Charging:

The university has four car

charging stations on campus that are free

for the students to use. These were

installed through the SunSense program

with the help of Duke Energy and Nissan.

These car-charging stations can save

students and professors who have hybrid

cars a lot of money. They will not have to

put as much gas as they were putting in

their cars prior to these stations on

campus. These charging stations shows

that USFSP are trying to be more

involved in going green.

Bus Passes:

With the U-pass students and

faculty are allowed the opportunity to use

the busses and trolleys for free with an

unlimited access. These busses and

trolleys run regularly making it

convenient for the people using them.

This is very beneficial to students that

have to commute to school. It also means

that more students will probably willing

to take the bus rather than driving to

school. It will save them money in gas

and money on parking permits to park on

campus. With fewer students driving

their cars to campus, there will be less

traffic through the e campus.

Solar Array:

Recently, USFSP partnered with

Duke Energy through a grant obtained via

the Sunsense project to install a solar

array atop the USFSP parking

garage. Solar panels and storage batteries

were installed on the top of the parking

garage. This is a net zero mission, which

is one of USFSPs sustainability goals and means the garage would be totally

solar powered! Solar batteries should

produce enough energy for the use of

garage lights, elevators and the electric-

car charging station. Excess solar energy

can be stored in batteries. Duke Energy

Florida funded $1,000,000 toward this

installation through the sunsense grant.

This effort is a true collaboration with USF St. Petersburg and the USF

College of Engineering, said Alex Glenn, State President of Duke Energy

Florida. This partnership allows us to enhance our efforts to research and

develop alternative energy solutions that

will be benefit our customers and the

environment. Another interesting angle on this project is the use of collaboration

to change the future of green energy.

Duke Energy is a large company that

practices strip mining, also known as

mountaintop removal (MTR), to get at the

coal that powers our lives. MTR is not

sustainable and wreaks havoc on the

environment. That reality, combined with

global initiatives to drive down CO2, have

driven select universities, such as

Harvard and Georgetown, to divest from

fossil fuels. As sustainable initiatives

move forward at USFSP and across the

nation, it will be interesting to see how

divestment and partnership work to

change our energy consumption.

(Duke Energy, University of South

Florida St. Petersburg unveil solar battery

project.

Sustainability in Transition: An

Interview with Jennifer Winter

Jennifer Winter, the previous

Sustainability Coordinator at USFSP,

holds a degree in Political Science and

Sustainability Studies from the

University of Florida. She is currently

seeking to enroll in an international

Master's program studying sustainable

cities. This interview offers insights into

the sustainability program here at

USFSP, as well as what it takes to truly

support green initiatives on both the small

and large scale.

MS: Tell me about your job with

USFSP. What were your

responsibilities?

JW: I was responsible for all

sustainability related meetings,

association's, grants, energy projects such

as LEED. I had started at 20 hours per

week in Oct of 2013 and my main goal

was to write the grant for the SunSense

project and to be a member of CERCC

and SGEF. So the job duties and

description was not too long but at that

time it didn't really even include all that I

wound up being responsible for.

MS: What is Sunsense, CERCC?

JW: Sunsense is a program Duke Energy

has. Their sunsense post-secondary

schools grant application is for a 100 KW

Array, which we were awarded 534,000

for

CERCC is a student/staff group under

student government that works on clean

energy and does the greenhouse gas

inventory.

MS: How did it turn out? JW: Not bad! I am still hoping we can

work on getting it edited and then posted

on our new sustainability page.

MS: I love the page!! I am referring

students to it. We partnered with Duke

Energy for the solar array. Is the

University planning any other

partnerships like that?

JW: Well, it was a grant application, so

that is where that came from. So, No. If

no one writes any grants then no. You

need staff to write grants and then

someone to work on actually overseeing

the partnership like I did.

MS: Thats an interesting point. Lets talk about divestment. Have you heard

this come up on campus at all?

JW: No. No one on campus is aware of

that. Its a great idea but for us that is a bigger deal because all of our investments

are actually USF Tampa and not us, so we

dont control that sep. from Tampa.

MS: Major universities, Harvard,

Georgetown are divesting, but we are partnering with big energy. What

are your thoughts on that? Thats another great point, that ultimately big

decisions are still controlled by Tampa.

We lack independence.

JW: I think that the grant was a great

thing to apply for because it is able to

fund research and there were no millions

coming from administration for such an

array. I do think in the future we need to

stop putting our money into companies

like that and start doing more solar

projects. I cannot speak for divestment

because I have no idea what we have

invested in at all. We will look into it

when the school fills out STARS 2.0

MS: Do you feel that partnership can

do more to further change than

divestment? Whats STARS 2.0?

In the campus strategic plan we call for a

ranking on the Princeton Green Schools

list and to do so you need to do STARS

2.0 https://stars.aashe.org/

Its a rating system for sustainable campuses, which is due in February 2016

for our campus. This is in the plan but I

dont think they knew what it will take to even apply for this. The STARS report is

said to take about a year to work on and it

needs to be done by February so that they

can send that to the Princeton Review.

MS: And who is in charge of getting

that done? No one?

JW: My position.

MS: I see.

JW: I said in March that we need to form

a committee to start this because the

sustainability person is normally the

leader but needs information access. I

didnt have access to the divestment stuff or to HR stuff so you form a committee. I

gave my boss a 14 person

recommendation with which positions I

would need to meet with and nothing

happened.

MS: It was not made a priority,

interesting.

JW: Honestly, not really.

MS: I know there would be support

for a permanent position of

Sustainability Coordinator.

JW: Yes, we need someone else in my

shoes.

MS: Well, since you have had to

change shoes or hats, as it were, what is your ultimate goal?

JW: To not work in anything

sustainability related because that does

not exist anymore- as in everything is just

done right. I would then love to open a

little tea and book store. Environmental

consulting is in my future. I envision a

world where everything is fairtrade, fsc

certified, built LEED etc. so that

sustainability work does not even exist

anymore! I read a psychology today

article that people who are 'green' are

more caring.

MS: What have you found that

motivates people to go green? I can see

where that would be true, more

empathetic... a bit more aware of the

consequences of their actions.

JW: I think its like a moment where you realize that things can be done so great so

easily and we just do things so terribly.

For example, we can do solar but we

choose to pollute our own air with coal.

Yeah, very aware of their actions and how

they are just one out of billions.

MS: Truth. What would be the first

thing you would suggest to someone

who wanted to go green - who wanted

to change their consumptive lifestyle?

JW: every single thing that you buy,

think. If everyone else did this too, would

it be okay? Buy less plastic, bring a

reusable bottle, bring silverware, and

bring tupperware. Etc

MS: The little things really do add up,

dont they? If everyone did the little things it would have a huge ripple

effect.

JW: Yes. Bring a bag. Drive less. Like, if

its only a mile away, walk. It may not seem like much but there are 300 million

Americans so that is possibly 300 million gas miles less a day.... and that is

not even making a HUGE Change. No

one wants to give up driving entirely but

if its around the corner, walk. Yes! The little things!

Behind the scenes, sustainability

is work, just like everything else. It takes

time to change the tides and make way for

new initiatives and new styles of

leadership. Given time, USFSP is sure to

grow into a more sustainable, secure, and

steadfast steward of both the environment

and its students. Certainly, the Office of

Sustainability will grow with this. The

first initiatives are steadily growing into

waves of change. Bulls will push

forward!

In the Community:

In 2008, the Florida Legislature

passed House Bill 697, requiring all

communities to establish capital

improvement plans for energy efficient

land use standards, greenhouse gas

reduction for transportation systems, and

energy efficient buildings. Pinellas

County was actively involved in

improving infrastructure to promote a

greener, more sustainable environment.

In 2014, the Florida Green Building

Coalition (FGBC) awarded Pinellas

County with Green Achievement Award

for achieving highest score among other

counties in Florida. In addition, Florida

district government of Pinellas County,

who participate FGBC program, is the 4th

highest scoring among other district

government statewide. (Green Pinellas)

Pinellas County offers an

educational program titled Sustainable Floridians for residents and local businesses. This program, offered

through the UF/IFAS Pinellas County

Extension, provides valuable knowledge

about sustainable practices, and how to

improve the communitys quality of life. The program covers areas such as

energy consumption, land use issues,

water conversion and community

leadership. Not only do the extension

offices offer this service, but also many

others that promote sustainability. Any

resident wishing to plant a garden of any

sort may take a soil sample to their

extension for analysis. This will tell them

what needs to be added to their soil to

increase its fertility, stopping the use of

unnecessary fertilizer application and

reducing toxic runoff into waterways.

This service is free!

The Pinellas Trail is a greenway

that connects the entire county with an off

road alternative for bikers and walkers.

Connecting the downtown area and the

USFSP campus to the trail would be

advantageous to both the university and

the community. The downtown area is

walkable and this adds to city initiatives

to promote sustainable living.

The City of St. Petersburg is

making great strides with green

initiatives. Many benefits of this

movement can be reaped by USFSP

students. A stellar example is the

Saturday Morning Market. This open air

market brings local farmers, ranchers,

and artisans of all sorts together to sell

their wares to the public. St. Petersburg

has ventured into the Solar Condo

Project, the first project of its kind in

Florida, and boasts a LEED certified

Dunkin Donuts. The city has struggled

with curbside recycling for a long time,

but recently began a program that will

gain success over time. On any rainy day,

trash collects in Bayboro Harbor as it runs

down city streets, into sewer drains, and

ultimately into the water. Perhaps the

City of St Petersburg would be well

served by following in SGEFs footsteps and installing recycling cans along the

downtown thoroughfares.

(http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/sustainability/sustainFloridians.shtml)

The University of Saint Petersburgs efforts to change the student body and the community by weaving cost effective and energy saving technology into their vision for

the future has been quite the success. Anyone that visits the USFSP campus can see all of

the hard work that the staff and students have done to help clean up the campus and save

energy. The trash and recycling bins can be found throughout the campus walkways, the

LED lighting is in almost every building now, and most importantly energy is being

conserved and redistributed to other departments of the campus. Bike racks are going up

with rentals. Butterflies flit about the bouganvilla. However, the community and the

university still face much work to do in order to become truly green. Currently, it would be nice to see every building with automatic power off lighting

for when classrooms are not in use. With all of the cost savings, the school should invest

into more free bikes for the students to rent on campus and expand bus routes. In return, if

our university keeps on improving the surrounding areas will follow suit in this green

movement. Having a better more sustainable future and relationships with the student body,

staff, and the community will strengthen a better understanding on how important it is to

invest in green technology.

Ultimately, being green starts with individuals and individual choice. As the green

movement has grown, initiatives have grown alongside it. USFSP should continue to step

up its green game and be a leader in the local community, the state university system, and

on the global stage. Will bull spirit ardently backing the green movement here on campus

and abroad in all endeavors, the future is sure to be brighter, cleaner, and more sustainable.

CERCC: USFSP bases Clean Energy and Resource Conservation Commission strives to provide

dynamic, innovative services and capital improvements to further improve sustainability.

Divestment: Opposite of investments. The process of selling an asset and what investors call the

ultimate financial goal.

Fair Trade Certification: A product certification system that guarantees brands meet

environmental, production, and labor standard that are ethical and sustainable.

FGBC (Florida Green Building Coalition): A nonprofit Florida corporation dedicated to

improving the build environment.

FSC Certified: Wood certified by the international group, the Forest Stewardship Council, to be

environmentally appropriate, economically viable, and socially beneficial.

Greenwashing: Superficial or insincere display of concern for the environment by an

organization, or intentionally misleading advertisement designed to sell a product based on a false

sense of environmental safety.

LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design): A set of rating systems for the

design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods.

Net Zero Building: The amount of energy used by a building or site is produced on site.

Referendum: A general note.

SGEF (Student Green Energy Fund): Fund used to assist the university reduce energy costs,

promote power generation, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Sunsense: A grand awarded by Duke Energy to USFSP that will fund research to explore the

integration of storing solar energy in new battery systems. Sustainability: The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural

resources, and supporting long-term ecological balance.

11 facts about e-waste. Do Something. Web. 15 June 2015.

Boatwright, J. Duke Energy unveils solar power project at USF St. Pete. St. Petersburg Tribune. 2015. Print. 16 June 2015.

Cash, Jaqui. USF One of Nations Top Green Colleges. News USF. 2014. Web. 15 June 2015.

Cartridge Facts. The Recycling Factory. Web. 16 June 2015.

Computer Disposal and Environmental Stewardship. University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Web. 16 June 2015.

Duke Energy, University of South Florida St. Petersburg unveil solar battery project. Duke Energy. 20 May 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

Environmental Benefits. A greener Refill. Web. 16 June 2015.

Green Building. PCGS: Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Global Sustainability. 2013. Web. 11 June 2015.

Green Initiatives. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Web. 15 June 2015.

Green Pinellas. Pinellas County Florida. 2014.Web. 16 June, 2015.

Importance of sustainability standards Sustainability Standards Portal. NIST. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

Recycling Ink Cartridges. Benefits of Recycling. Web. 15 June 2015.

SGEF Proposed Projects. University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Web. 17 June 2015.

St. Petersburg College gets LEED certification for new building. St Petersburg College News. 2009. Web. June 11 2015.

Student Green Energy Fund, USFSP. The University of South Florida Saint Petersburg. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

Sustainability. University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Web. 17 June 2015.

Sustainable Floridians. Pinellas County Extension Solutions for Your Life. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

Taylor, Xing. Benefits and Trade-Offs of Low-Slope Roofing System Insulation and Reflectance. 2009. Print. Web. 15 June 2015.

The environmental impact of printer cartridges. Cartridge World. Web. 14 June 2015.

The Latest Proposals to the Student Green Energy Fund. The Crows Nest. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

Transportation PCGS: Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Global Sustainability.

2013. Web. 11 June 2015.

USFSP Core Values Vision 20/20. University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Web. 17 June 2015.< http://www.usfsp.edu/vision2020/usfsp-core-values/>

"USFSP News Center Free Electric Charging Stations Installed on Campus."

University of South Florida St Petersburg. 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 June 2015.

USF St. Petersburg Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF). USFSP Connect. 2013. Web. 15 June 2015.

Wehunt, Emily. The latest proposals to the Student Green Energy Fund. The crows Nest. Web. 12 June 2015.

Winter, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 10 June 2015.

Articles

The Latest Proposals to the Student Green Energy Fund. The Crows Nest. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

The Crows Nest the University of South Floridas newspaper and publishing organization. The article briefly discusses what the latest proposals that are in progress at

the moment. In the last few years the school has created a student green fund which

charges a dollar to every credit hour a student takes at the university. By doing so they

have accomplished a lot. The main focus is to make our school the cost effective. By

adding LED lighting to the soccer field it will save money and adding new dual trash and

recycling it will save additional money and help preserve our school.

St. Petersburg College gets LEED certification for new building. St Petersburg College News. 2009. Web. 11 June 2015.

St Petersburg College campuses are involved in building improvement as well. College is

planning to design systematic maintenance of facility infrastructure. College has total of

140 buildings that consist of 2.5 million square feet of conditioned area. In January 2009

SPC completed construction on Natural Science and Mathematics buildings on

Clearwater campus. Both of these buildings were comply with the LEED Green Building

Rating System. Both building were constructed to lower pollution and energy

consumption. Buildings were designed to improve quality of indoor air. SPC parking are

provide carpools for fuel-efficiency vehicles. (St. Petersburg College gets LEED Certification,2009).

Electronic Resources

Cash, Jaqui. USF One of Nations Top Green Colleges. News USF. 2014. Web. 15 June 2015.

This source includes information of University of South Florida involvement to many

sustainable activities. USF students participating sustainable program groups such as

Emerging Green Builders, Engineers for Sustainable World, and the Student

Sustainability Initiative. This source also informs students that USF holds annual Green

Fair Jobs for those who seeking position that supports environmental improvement

programs. Sustainability is USFs major concern. USF joined the nations first School of Global Sustainability, and preparing students for a new green collar career pass. USF also hosts Community Sustainability Conferences where members share knowledge and

experiences to keep improve Floridas Sustainable future.

Duke Energy, University of South Florida St. Petersburg unveil solar battery project. Duke Energy. 20 May 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

This article was published officially in a press release of Duke Energy, a huge energy

industry in St. Petersburg. Following the installation of a solar array on the top of a

garage facility at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, Duke Energy

will develop that still on-going project by installing solar energy storage. This action is

one of many activities undertaken by them as their concern about environmental damage

due to excessive use of energy by human. Through their online press releases, Duke

Energy is not only showing its commitment to the public of their awareness but also

indirectly urging other fellow field companies to join them to take the same action. On

the top of these, through this online media, Duke Energy also educated people by

providing easy to understand explanations about green technologies in the area.

Importance of sustainability standards Sustainability Standards Portal. NIST. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

This source indicates about government mandate regulations that supports sustainability

program. Today, Global market standards require manufacturing organization seriously

consider sustainability as a business model. Each year government regulations regarding

sustainability increasing, it is concentrated to improve human health and environments.

As well as United States, European Union was actively involved in this program. It is an

important aspect to educate international and national organization to provide good and

services with sustainability standards. Another important aspect is sustainability related

policies such as carbon tax, cap, and trade. Organizations must strictly follow the policies

and take an appropriate action.

Student Green Energy Fund, USFSP. The University of South Florida Saint

Petersburg. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

As stated above the Green energy fund is used to reduce energy cost through

conservation. There are many ongoing projects on both the Saint Pete campus and the

Tampa campus every semester. This article explains more into detail what this fund does

and how it works.

Sustainable Floridians. Pinellas County Extension Solutions for Your Life. 2015. Web. 15 June 2015.

This source informs Floridians about training program that Pinellas County Extension

offers to its citizens to make living interesting, green, and sustainable. This unique

program motivates residents to support sustainability. This program focused on providing

valuable knowledge to resident who have interest in protecting environment. Participants

learn areas such as energy conversion, local foods, land use issues, water conversion, and

community leadership.

USF St. Petersburg Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF). USFSP Connect. 2013. Web. 15 June 2015.

The USF Connect website offers various information associated with the University of

South Florida St. Petersburgs initiatives, actions, regulations, activities, and other matters relating to or affecting directly to students. This particular article highlights how

unique the SGEF system is by taking a dollar out of students tuition to fund the USFSPs environmental movement.

Interview

Winter, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 10 June 2015.

This interview was conducted with the former USFSP Sustainability Coordinator to gain

personal insight into the programs and initiatives on the USFSP campus in regard to the

green movement.

Reports and Studies

Taylor, Xing. Benefits and Tradeoffs of Low-Slope Roofing System Insulation and Reflectance. 2009. Print. Web. 15 June 2015.

This source explains that LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

certification system was first established in United States. Now it is been used globally. It

is a national certification system for green buildings. LEED supports process and helps

builders to make knowledgeable decision to construct well-designed buildings.

Reflectance is sufficient to lower heat gain, which helps to reduce cost to cool building.

In addition, insulation is preventing heat flow into the building, which is very important

with Florida weather. For US climate reflective roof will cost savings, which depends on

individual building design. Authors Thomas Taylor, who is involved in building

improvements and building product industry over eighteen years, and Linlin Xing, who

has experience over eleven years, mainly focuses on energy saving building design.