Green Campus
It is critical to not just shift our campus culture towards increasingly sustainable engagement and behavior, but to operate as effectively as possible. Our students, Facilities Department, faculty and staff are working hard together to improve our sustainability across campus operations.
Babson College is committed to measurable goals and transparency of its environmental impacts and efforts. In 2010, Babson became a charter participant in the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS), a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to gauge relative progress toward sustainability. Babson underwent a year-long data collection process for their submission to STARS and earned a Silver Rating in STARS 1.0 in early 2011. You can view Babson’s public STARS report here.
Waste
For a long time, Babson has worked hard to practice effective waste management. We aim to minimize the carbon output associated with its waste stream and reduce the costs of disposal. Because we generate waste of many types and across many campus locations, we employ multiple strategies to address the issue. We have made significant progress.
Our strategic approach to waste management is four-pronged. It comprises the following:
Planned improvements include recycling and reuse of books, electronics, furniture, clothing, and other items as students leave campus each spring ongoing education about single stream recycling to improve recycling rates
For more detailed information please see our Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.
Food
Babson contracts with Sodexo for dining services. Sodexo has committed to a set of high level goals related to sustainability, called Sodexo’s “Commitments for a Better Tomorrow.” Babson and Sodexo are working together to increase the environmental, social and economic sustainability of our food supply, and Babson is continuing to ask for increasingly sustainable practices as part of its service.
Where possible Sodexo procures local foods and products directly from local food producers, dependent on seasonal variation. To date, these include:
Babson Community Garden, Babson Park, MA - A small percentage of seasonal herbs
Philbin Orchards, Sterling, MA - Produce
Carlson Orchards, Harvard, MA - Produce
Dole and Bailey Inc., Woburn, MA - Meats
Green Mountain Roasters, Waterbury VT - Coffee
HP Hood, LLC - Dairy Products
Boisvert Farms, Hadley, MA - Produce
Joe Czaskowski Farms, Hadley, MA - Produce
Williams Farms, South Deerfield, MA - Produce
Davidian Brothers Farm, Northboro, MA - Produce
Springbrook Farms, Littleton, MA - Produce
Clearview Orchards, Stearling, MA - Produce
Dicks Market Garden, Lunenburg, MA - Produce
Other dining initiatives include:
Babson Dining Services has served Fair Trade coffee in the dining halls since 2004. Green Mountain Fair Trade Coffee and Jazzman's Fair Trade Coffee selections are available at several locations on campus.
Babson Dining Services are working hard to reduce food, energy and water waste, and to use renewable and recycled materials where possible. Examples include:
Timers installed on hall exhaust hoods and fans in kitchen and on some lights in Dining Services areas
Limited use of garbage disposals to conserve water and energy
Removal of paper cups from dining halls, which meant 154,000 cups do not enter the waste stream each year
Just in time cooking practices resulting in 80% less food waste
Reusable mug campaign – retail outlets offer a discount on refills with the mug
Visit Sodexo's Babson website at www.babsondining.com for more information.
Green Cleaning
We are working around the campus to decrease the number of potentially hazardous chemicals used in cleaning. Some initiatives in this area include:
Dining Services are increasingly using a line of more environmentally responsible cleaning products called EcoLogic
Purchase and deployment of 60 ActiveIon “Ionator” units which effectively clean and sanitize using ionized water instead of chemicals.
More than 60% of the cleaning agents used on campus are certified as “green”
Equipment is being replaced with newer versions that meet green criteria such as reduced water consumption, no or low chemical use, and HEPA filters on vacuums
Replacing black boards with white boards to reduce chalk dust and water consumption
Transportation
Transportation in various forms, including fleet vehicles, commuting, and College-sponsored travel is responsible for approximately 23% of Babson’s FY 2010 carbon footprint.
Babson is located on a large suburban campus that is somewhat beyond convenient walking distance of public transportation, the local town center, and other off-campus destinations. Approximately 68% of full-time students reside on campus, and the majority have their own cars. However, the College also has a large contingent of students who commute as well as an active executive education center that is home to numerous academic programs and corporate events. Consequently, institutional and private transportation is a more significant factor at Babson than at most urban campuses.
The college has already taken several important steps to reduce its environmental impact associated with transportation.
Purchase of three hybrid vehicles
Acquisition of three high-MPG maintenance and grounds vehicles
Elimination of three large-engine work vehicles
Establishment of a student-run bicycle sharing program
Administration of a campus-wide transportation survey
Weekday inter-college shuttle bus service with Olin College and Wellesley College (find the schedule here)
Weekend shuttle service to mass transit and points of interest in Boston (find the schedule here)
Addition of several campus-based Zipcars for student use
On-campus use of electric vehicles by management and staff
Condensed Work Week options offered to employees through Human Resources called “Flexible Work Schedule Program”
Preferred parking spots available to employees and students through the Department of Public Safety
Landscape
The college’s beautiful setting comprises 310 acres of woodlands, athletic fields, and rolling lawns. Babson’s landscape objectives include maintaining an attractive and highly functional campus in the most environmentally responsible manner feasible. To that end, Babson has converted our lawn fertilization program to be 100% organic and reduced lawn fertilizer nitrogen content by 75%.
New efforts in managing Babson’s woodlands and landscape include the following:
Conserve resources previously devoted to maintaining unused and little-used areas of the campus. This involves tree planting to reforest where appropriate, planting low-maintenance perennials, and mowing low-use areas monthly instead of weekly.
Switching to non-pesticide methods of insect control wherever possible.
Applying pesticides only when absolutely necessary, and then using formulations that are the least harmful to the environment.
To the extent possible use native and other low maintenance species in new plantings to reduce maintenance and water requirements
How we use and manage water resources has a substantial impact on the environment, largely because of our size and grounds. At Babson, we address water conservation from two perspectives; fresh water usage and storm water management.
We have already made considerable progress via:
Installation of numerous low-flow water fixtures in locations campus-wide and replacement of older dishwashers with more water efficient equipment.
Automated irrigation controls to better regulate water consumption for landscape needs
The addition of underground infiltration chambers and large detention basins to improve storm water management.
We plan to continue increasing water efficiency. Next steps include replacing sanitary fixtures with low water versions as we renovate spaces, evaluating the potential installation of “greywater” systems and using their output for landscape irrigation and/or cooling tower make-up. We are also working to build and maintain increased awareness throughout the campus community about our water use, and involving student groups in finding innovative ways to reduce water consumption.
Purchasing
Babson Purchasing Office has a Green Purchasing Policy and several other important office such as Facilities Management take sustainability very seriously when making purchasing decisions. By purchasing "Green" products, Babson is leading the way in playing a significant role in the development of environmental sustainability on campus and in the local community.
When appropriate, Babson includes a clause in its bidding specifications that reads: "Babson is committed to buying products with recycled content or environmentally sustainable alternatives. Please offer any alternatives that you feel are available for this product and supply all relevant specific information about the product."
Specific purchasing actions:
All computer hardware is EPEAT Gold rated.
When purchasing cleaning products, Facilities Managment and Planning department understands the importance of using green products. In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, over 50% of expenditures on cleaning products were spent on Green Seal or EcoLogo certified cleaning products.
All paper for the new Canon Copy Center is made with 30% recycled content. The College has always used 30% recycled colored copy paper for our color needs.
The College purchases paper towels with 94% recycled content and facial tissues with 90% recycled content.
The Purchasing department always requests information on sustainability when dealing with vendors.
Babson uses local businesses wherever possible.
Read more about Green Purchasing on the Purchasing Office’s website.