How the University of

South Florida is Going

Green

Jason Wolgemuth,
Leah Fowler,
Luke Seven, Joshua Holden, and
Sachiyo Fung
Professor Francis Tobienne, Jr.
Professional Writing
10 April 2015

Table of Contents

Executive Summary 1

How the University of South Florida is Going Green2-10

Glossary of Terms

11

Annotated Bibliography

12-13

Works Cited 14

Responsibilities

15

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Executive Summary
In recent years, many organizations and firms have been pressured to
increase the environmental friendliness of their facilities due to inherent
waste of their actions. Other entities, such as the University of South Florida
St. Petersburg (USFSP) has voluntarily committed to environmental
stewardship and sustainability as one of their six strategic goals in
preparation for a better future. In order to attain this goal, USFSP has made
significant efforts to go green by increasing its environmental friendliness.
Many of these changes are spearheaded by student initiatives such as the
SGEF and Student Government that are all situated on campus. As a result of
this push, many alterations had to be made to pre-existing buildings,
facilities, and infrastructure. These alterations have not been made without
considerable cost though the benefits are meant to far outweigh the
expense. To address whether USFSP has been successful with their efforts,
this paper details the changes USFSP have made via the examination of
groups and organizations within and without USFSP that have initiated these
changes, and the results of these changes.

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How the University of South Florida is Going Green

To many a sprawling complex of buildings, concrete, wire, and machines is the opposite
of energy efficient, but at University Of South Florida in Saint Petersburg it begins to define
what energy efficient is. Saying a school consumes a portion of energy would be an
understatement, running air conditioning, lighting, electronics, and all the parts that make this
place of fine higher education great take its toll financially and on the environment. But, the
University of South Florida is taking steps to advance the future and shape it for those to come.
The students have gotten together with many companies to discuss ideas and plans for advancing
the green potential. The companies didnt just look at the easy, cheap, or quickest way to
implement their ideas; instead they planned to make the best and most efficient.
USF has many programs that have made it one of the nations most green colleges. These
programs have helped USF gain recognition in The Princeton Reviews Guide to 286 Green
Colleges, this is the first publication that goes in depth to research and recognize the schools that
are going above and beyond to take on environmentally friendly programs on their campuses. To
show that they are serious about creating initiatives that are environmentally friendly USF has
established The Office of Sustainability, this serves as the center for all of the programs that are
created to help our environment.

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USF has done many things to distinguish themselves as one of the top green schools in
the country. USF has a hand in things during the year to get people together to discuss the very
important topic of going green. Every year they host a conference for schools around the state of
Florida to be able to share ideas of what they feel are important things to do to make sure our
state has a sustainable future. In addition they have hosted an expo for the greater Tampa Bay
area to discuss objectives that will help our entire region. Showing that their involvement in the
green movement goes beyond their campuses and their immediate surroundings and extends to
the environment as a whole, a stance that will stimulate ideas and help future generations as a
whole live a better life. At the forefront of many of these initiatives are the students. Often times
many sustainability issues are included in general education courses. With this solid base of
awareness students at USF have taken it upon themselves to make sure their campus is one that
strengthens their minds as well as the environment. This awareness has made a very positive
impact. One thing that students accomplished was being able to lobby for a $0.75 per credit hour

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charge to help in buying renewable energy. (Cash, 2010) In addition to this the students have
shown their personal commitment by ranking 25th in a 2010 program that looked at how much
waste was generated per person on campus. This ranking goes to show this is not a small number
of activists, rather a large group of people striving to make sure everyone on campus is doing
their part to make sure to avoid waste. USF students are active in the sustainably movement
through participation in five environmental student groups, including Emerging Green Builders,
Engineers for a Sustainable World, and the Student Sustainability Initiative. (Cash, 2010)
Another program that has been very impressive is SIFE, which has won the championship
regionally three of the last five years for their work. Their latest project was taking two
businesses in their local community and helping their operation become greener, and show them
how they can run their business while using more sustainable business practices. In addition to
working and being noticed in their local community USFs students have also been nationally
recognized by the EPA. In recognizing the great work they are doing the EPA gave them a grant
that is only given to six teams in the nation. These various awards and recognitions are not only
earned by the students, research teams from USF are also garnering their fair share of attention.
A process developed by a team of USF researchers which converts common organic materials
such as sawdust, yard clippings and even horse manure into jet fuel is among an elite group of 12
projects named as semi-finalists in the prestigious Global Venture Challenge 2010. (Cash, 2010)
Being that natural resources that are used for fuel are one of the most hotly debated topics,
processes such as this could provide breakthroughs that will not require our use of such resources
in the future. Thus saving the resources and also preventing the addition harm they cause to the
environment because of the emissions they cause in the machines that use them. Lastly, USF is
making strides in lowering their use of water. On the main campus they have installed low

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volume irrigation units and have stopped watering certain areas that do not need it, these two
seemingly small steps have reduced the water usage by up to 40%. The few items here along
with many other programs are destined to keep USF on the list of schools that are doing their
part to keep our environment intact for future generations.
One of the many initiatives they have taken was to eliminate Styrofoam on campus. By
doing so USF was able to eliminate the disposal of 250,000 containers a year, which accounted
for 30% of all garbage generated by USF. In addition to helping the environment using
environmentally friendly containers also saves them $6000 a year. (Wilma, 2011)
The SGEF is a student led initiative that was formed in 2007 at USF in Tampa. It
garnered support in USFSP as well, leading to a SGEF organization being established at the St.
Petersburg campus. Since then, SGEF has been funded through a $1 fee per credit hour taken.
This has thus far proven to be enough to fund university efforts to reduce energy costs via
conservation, promoting the usage of clean and renewable energy facilities and lowering
greenhouse gas emissions. SGEF is an open organization, allowing every student on campus to
vote on its varying projects and proposals. Its freeform structure also lets any student submit
proposals on their own, as long as they fall within SGEFs goals and are appropriately detailed.
To facilitate these proposals, SGEF provides a rubric and guidelines for proposals so that they
may be easily completed and ready for presentation before the SGEF committee in meetings that
they hold every week. Proposals may even be submitted online. In addition to this on campus
involvement with projects to move the green initiative forward, SGEF also provides sessions and
meetings to inform students and faculty of issues and their organization. These educational
meetings also serve to educate those in attendance of solutions to sustainability, such as alternate

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ways of transportation via carpooling or public transit and the added benefits of recent projects
such as recycling bins and differentiated wastebaskets. Given SGEFs purpose and what it strives
to do, it is no surprise that they are one of the leading organizations on campus in USF St.
Petersburgs campaign to go green.

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USF has taken many steps to show how engaged they are in going green, and being one
of the few campuses in the world that our LEED certified. This is a huge undertaking and takes
lots of money, time, and ideas; all of which couldn't and wouldn't be possible without SGEF. This
fund is taken from donations from students to better the school we all attend and make it a better
place. The SGEF was responsible for the refillable water bottle fountains that were placed all
over campus, the energy creating treadmills and bikes that are in the fitness center, and for the
partnership with Duke energy that covered the parking garage in Solar Panels. There are still
many projects in place, and student government is always looking for more ideas. Currently the
Student Green Energy Fund has been able to contribute $300,000 over the course of 3 years, and
incredible amount of money but there is always room for more. One example of how the St.
Petersburg campus is going green is by conducting beach plantings and clean-ups along Bayboro
Harbor. The Science and Technology building is the first LEED certified building and the
University Student Center is on the way to getting its certification. This building is certified
because it has prerequisites and credits in different rating systems. There is also a recycling
program that helps recycle batteries, computer parts, old ink cartridges and even purchasing of
recycled paper.
To be certified by LEED first the building has to be put into a certain rating system that
meets the uniqueness of the building that is being assessed for certification. Some examples of
these ratings are: Building Design and Construction, Interior Design and Construction, and
Neighborhood Development. Once the project team chooses a rating it will move on to see if the
building has the appropriate credits to be considered for the LEED certification. Within each
category there are prerequisites that the project must satisfy to earn points. The number of points
earned determines the level of LEED certification that the building will receive. There are many

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examples of these categories, but just to name a few there are: Location and Transportation,
Water Efficiency, Innovation, and Neighborhood Pattern and Design. The four levels of
certification are: 40-49= Certified, 50-59= Silver, 60-79= Gold, and 80+ points = Platinum.
Some people may ask why people want their buildings to be LEED certified. This is
because they just simply wanted a better building for their environment and it comes with a lot of
efficient things. LEED buildings can save money, conserve energy, reduces water consumption,
improve indoor air quality and much more, These buildings cost less to operate, reduce energy
and water bills by as much as 40%, With these buildings saving the environment and saving the
company money this helps businesses create more jobs and expand operations as well. There are
other great aspects to these buildings. The buildings use materials that have components for
human health and the environment. There is indoor environmental quality to ensure improved
occupant comfort. And it provides a clearer picture of the water efficiency by evaluating total
building water use (LEED 2012-2015).
SGEF has very recently presented five projects in keeping with their objective of
improving USF St. Petersburgs environmentally friendliness. Two of the projects involve LED
lighting for areas of recreational activity: the gym and the newly rebuilt USFSP Soccer Field. In
addition, they want to promote composting through the use of a composting machine known as
an Earth Tub, which will taste waste from campus and break it down into nutrients for soil. Solar
docks are the fourth project, which are proposed to be added to outside the residence housing and
the library for renewable energy outside. The last proposal is to add four more recycling stations
to campus in order to promote recycling for trash and recycled material.

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USFSP is aided in their efforts to go green by the SGEF. This student organization
accepts, creates and submits ideas for improvements that could potentially make USF St.
Petersburg more green to a committee that oversees funds specifically allocated for such
projects. So far they have been successful in getting many of their projects and ideas
implemented, including more efficient water fountains that encourage reuse and recycling
through water bottle refilling stations attached to them.

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There are plenty of other great examples on how USF is going green, and the students
and staff are helping with this movement. One of these movements is that the school is trying to
get many of the buildings to be LEED certified. The Science and Technology building is the first
LEED certified gold building in the USF system and the new University Student Center is trying
to obtain its LEED certification (Green Initiatives, 2013). To explain a little bit more, LEED
means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and the program recognizes the best-inclass building strategies and practices. Each building that is trying to receive this certification has
to pass prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. There are other
great aspects to these buildings. The buildings use materials that have components for human
health and the environment. There is indoor environmental quality to ensure improved occupant
comfort. And it provides a clearer picture of the water efficiency by evaluating total building

water use (LEED 2012-2015).

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SGEF has very recently presented five projects in keeping with their objective of
improving USF St. Petersburgs environmentally friendliness. Two of the projects involve LED
lighting for areas of recreational activity: the gym and the newly rebuilt USFSP Soccer Field. In
addition, they want to promote composting through the use of a composting machine known as
an Earth Tub, which will taste waste from campus and break it down into nutrients for soil. Solar
docks are the fourth project, which are proposed to be added to outside the residence housing and
the library for renewable energy outside. The last proposal is to add four more recycling stations
to campus in order to promote recycling for trash and recycled material.
In an effort to combine USFs going green initiative with students need for recreation, the
Campus Recreation at USF has re-opened the Borrow Our Bikes program. In the past the
Borrow Our Bikes program was terminated due to inconsistency at which their bikes were
returned; the program had many bikes that went missing or damaged beyond repair. In an effort
to combat the problem the previous program had encountered the Borrow Our Bikes program
now tracks their backs and ensure that the student who borrowed a bike will be held responsible
if anything should happen to the borrowed bike.
At the re-opening of the Borrow Our Bike program in the fall of 2010 around 1600
bikes were borrowed; students who borrow bikes are able to burrow free of charge however if a
bike should be late, damaged or missing the student responsible will be fined. One of the main
features of the program is that student are able to choose between mountain, cruiser or hybrid
bikes which can be ridden around or off campus. Students who commute to campus also have the
option of parking in special lots that allows them to borrow a bike to ride on campus for the day
and return the bike the following business day by 10 am.

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Another service offered by Borrow Our Bikes is a free bike repair offered to students
who already own bikes; student who already own bikes even have the option of self-serviced
repairs. So how does Borrow our Bikes coincide with going green? Well USFs intentions
behind Borrow Our Bikes were that the program would promote a healthy sustainable
community lifestyle for its students.

Between the University of South Floridas LEED program, student government program,
and solar concepts the University are doing many things to keep up with the always-changing
world. Having things such as a net zero building that absorbs energy is hard to find. University
of South Florida is taking steps to advance the future and shape it for those to come. Its because
of these programs that the university is as far as it has come and also because of this program
that the university is even as far as it was.

Glossary of Terms

EPA- Environmental Protection Agency

LEED- Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
SIFE- USF Students in Free Enterprise
SGEF- Student Green Energy Fund

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USF- University of South Florida

USFSP- University of South Florida Saint Petersburg

Annotated Bibliography
Our environment continually faces challenges from overuse of our natural resources and waste.
We are looking into what steps the University of South Florida (USF) has taken to become
environmentally conscious and a responsible member of our society. We have sources that focus
on the different programs USF is implementing to cut down on waste. Our sources cover
everything from how USF to stands up to their peers down to the student organizations that are
running these various programs. We want to see what these programs are currently
accomplishing and where they are headed in the future.

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Blias, Jessica. "USFSP News Center Duke Energy to Invest $1 Million in USFSP Research
Project." University of South Florida St Petersburg. University of South Florida St
Petersburg, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
The article takes an in depth approach and look into the new solar system that was installed in
the parking garage. Factoring in what type of panels and energy usage the article is helpful to
point out why this is a great step and a good instrument for the university to use so they can
become greener.
Cash, Jacqui USF One of Nations Top Green Colleges. USF News, Web. 5 May 2010.
This article relates directly to how USF stacks up against their peers. It gives multiple statistics
of where USF ranks in various aspects of going green. We are going to incorporate these
statistics along with the programs that are being used to help attain them. This review alongside
specific programs will show the definitive steps that USF is making to help our environment.
Construction. Category. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
This page contained information about current plans for construction at the University of St.
Petersburg Florida. This is important as it contains highlights of projects that will increase the
environmental friendliness of the campus.
"Green Initiatives." Undergraduate Admissions. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
This web article focuses directly on the St. Petersburg campus of USF and mentions how
environmental stewardship and sustainability is one of the universitys six core strategic goals.
There are a few examples of this, like our buildings being LEED certified, their initiatives and
partnerships in having an environmentally friendly computing experience, student initiatives, the
Green Energy Fund and much more. I just thought it had a lot of great information on how the
campus is trying to and has succeeded in going green.
"LEED | U.S. Green Building Council." LEED | U.S. Green Building Council. Web. 18 Mar.
2015.
The LEED certification for buildings was found on the link above that I used. I looked into the
website and decided it was important for others to also learn about what this certification is. USF
already has some buildings that are LEED certified and they are trying to get many more. This
website is the U.S. Green Building Council and it explains what a building has to be in order to
be LEED certified, and the different other certifications it could also be approved for. This
website also explains why LEED buildings are better for the earth and explains the different

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ways they are. I just thought this was a really detailed website that explains one thing that USF is
trying to do to help the environment.
McCann, Nancy. "SGEF Sponsors "green" Idea Drive." Crow's Nest. Crow's Nest, 19 Mar. 2013.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
This article talks about on campus efforts made by students and student organizations in order to
make the campus more environmentally friendly. This is useful in showing that the move to go
green comes from without as well as within.
"USF St. Petersburg Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF)." USFSP Connect. University of South
Florida St Petersburg, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
The USFSP Connect page spoke about the Student green fund and the funds goals. The whole
piece is used to talk about where the money comes from, what the goals are, and where the fund
is headed. Its a great piece to see what the future of the green initiative is.
Wilma. Going Green and Saving Green: University of South Florida Celebrates One-Year All
Ecos Anniversary. G.E.T. Enterprises Inc., Web. 10 Jan. 2012.
This article talks about the program USF has implemented to use environmentally friendly take
out containers in their cafeterias. It shows tangible results to the effort of going green. We will
use this to discuss the specific advantages of using these containers for the environment. It will
also show that sometimes going green can be cost efficient as well.

Works Cited
Blias, Jessica. "USFSP News Center Duke Energy to Invest $1 Million in USFSP Research
Project." University of South Florida St Petersburg. University of South Florida St
Petersburg, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
Cash, Jacqui USF One of Nations Top Green Colleges. USF News, Web. 5 May 2010.
Construction. Category. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Dining With USF. Reusable TO-GO Box. Photograph. Campus Dish. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
"Green Initiatives." Undergraduate Admissions. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

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"LEED | U.S. Green Building Council." LEED | U.S. Green Building Council. Web. 18 Mar.
2015.
McCann, Nancy. "SGEF Sponsors "green" Idea Drive." Crow's Nest. Crow's Nest, 19 Mar. 2013.
Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
Neoli. LEED Credit Categories. 2014. Photograph. Bisagni Environmental Enterprise. Web. 10
Apr 2015.
"USF St. Petersburg Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF)." USFSP Connect. University of South
Florida St Petersburg, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015..
USF. Green College Honor Roll. 2013. Photograph. Dr. Kiran C. Cpatel College of Global
Sustainability. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
USFSP. Student Green Energy Fund Proposal Flow Chart. Photograph. Student Green Energy
Fund. Web. 10 Apr. 2015.
Wilma. Going Green and Saving Green: University of South Florida Celebrates One-Year All
Ecos Anniversary. G.E.T. Enterprises Inc., Web. 10 Jan. 2012.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Jason- Research and writing, Put paper together (table of contents, format, organized annotated
bibliography, glossary, and works cited), and wrote an additional 500 words per
recommendations after initial draft.
Leah- Research and writing, tables and graphs, and wrote an additional 250 words per
recommendations after initial draft.
Luke- Research and writing, and Executive Summary, and wrote an additional 250 words per
recommendations after initial draft.
Joshua- Research and writing, Introduction, and Conclusion.

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Sachiyo- Graphic Design, and wrote an additional 250 words per recommendations after initial
draft.