The wave of greening Universities around the United States: case study at Tulane University (New Orleans) (2008)

Résumé du document

Tulane University is considered a sister school of Rice University. In fact, after the disastrous hurricane Katrina, many of Tulane students took up temporary residence at Rice University. The university was founded in 1834, initially only as a public medical college. Since then, Tulane University has expanded greatly to include a student body of approximately 10,500 students, 6,000 of which are undergraduate students. The campus sprawls across 110 acres of land in Uptown New Orleans. Tulane, one of the first private colleges in the South, is accustomed to being on the forefront of new progress on the University level. It is no surprise, then that the home of the "Green Wave" [Tulane's mascot] has also decided to join the wave of greening Universities around the United States. But how green is Tulane really? A secretary at the office of Environmental Affairs confided that before the late 1990's, the environmental policy for sustainability at Tulane was "virtually nonexistent". While Tulane's biggest efforts towards sustainability have only burgeoned in the last decade, the university's efforts to shout "Go Green!" along with "Go Green Wave!" seem promising.

Extraits

[...] The wave of greening Universities around the United States: case study at Tulane University (New Orleans) (2008) New Orleans is the home of Mardi Gras, jazz music, and the Saints. It is where one can find the French Quarter, the mouth of the great Mississippi River, and the original icing-sugar covered beignets. It is also where one can find, nestled among the bustle, the great walls of Tulane University. Tulane University is considered a sister school to Rice University. In fact, after the disastrous hurricane Katrina, many of Tulane students took up temporary residence at Rice University. [...]

[...] There are alternate programs that provide discounts to students who bring disposable cups to the food-providing areas on campus. Other campus-based food businesses have joined in the effort. The Tulane yogurt stand has begun using biodegradable cups, and reusable plates are used in the student center food court. A collaboration between dining services and the Tulane Green club resulted in a promise to offer more vegetarian and vegan options, as well as local produce and seafood at the Bruff Commons. [...]

[...] The Office of Environmental Affairs is not the sole institutionally-based contributor the Tulane sustainability movement. The Tulane/Xavier center for Bioenvironmental Research has also made efforts to promote green building at Tulane and in the surrounding community. The goal of the department is conduct and coordinate interdisciplinary research and learning to enhance global understanding of environmental issues, provide solutions through innovative applications and communication, and inform policy and practice.” The Tulane Center of Bioenvironmental Research has established the Katrina Environmental Research and Restoration Network (KERRN), an effort to unite gulf coast region scientists to help develop plans for the coastal sustainability. [...]

[...] The amount of work towards public awareness is another positive aspect of Tulane's green policy. The issues with this lack of green building and public transportation are the root of Tulane's biggest obstacles as they move towards a sustainable, carbon neutral campus. However, the promising enthusiasm and involvement of both the student body and campus departments hint that Tulane is studying its way to a much better green grade than their current C+. Sources Green.Tulane.Edu Bike.Tulane.Edu Recycle.Tulane.Edu Green Report Card: http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card- 2009/schools/tulane-university Tulane Office of Environmental Affairs: http://www.tulane.edu/~eaffairs/ The Disasters Roundtable: http://dels.nas.edu/dr/f17.shtml The Tulane Center for Bioenvironmental Research: http://www.cbr.tulane.edu/urban-ecosystem-projects.html Allen Aaron. [...]

[...] The rest of the students, staff, and faculty are commuters; at 10% of the carbon footprint, vehicle emissions from commuters compose the next highest piece of the carbon emissions pie. The university itself has a vehicle fleet—none of which are electrically powered. Of only the faculty that travel to and from the school, an estimated average of about 2700 miles daily commute factor into the school's environmental impact. This figure means that just faculty travel about 1,075,700 miles per year to get to work, releasing about 53,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. [...]