New goal uses three initiatives to help the environment

A sustainability initiative beginning this fall aims to save the University energy and money by achieving water neutrality, greenhouse gas neutrality and zero waste.

Brad Ives, associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises, said Chancellor Folt came up with the idea for the Three Zeros Initiative.

“This is one of the chancellor’s very high priorities for Carolina,” Ives said. “Given her background as an environmental scientist, she’s provided incredible leadership to all of us and came up with the idea.”

Ives said their biggest project is figuring out how to refuel the coal-fired generation plant on Cameron Avenue.

“That’s our largest source of carbon emissions and is going to play a significant role in taking us to greenhouse gas neutrality.”

He said preliminary assessments have begun, but between design work and building new facilities, it will be a lengthy process.

Ives said the Battle Grove Stream Restoration Project was a major accomplishment for the initiative and an example of what the initiative hopes to accomplish.

“That stream restoration project is really exactly the type of thing we’ll be doing as far as this project because first of all it helps with water quality for storm water leaving campus,” Ives said.

“But then secondly it’s a living-learning laboratory where classes can go over to see what a stream restoration looks like.”

Ives said sustainability is important everywhere, but especially at UNC.

“The whole concept of sustainability is living in a way that allows future generations to live at the same standard that we do,” he said. “As a research university, we have an absolute duty to be a leader in sustainability.”

Cindy Shea, sustainability director, said the initiative was decided last spring but is being publicized this semester.

Shea said although energy consumption at the University has been reduced over recent years, the initiative is encouraging further improvement.

“We’re a 19-million-square-foot campus, so heating and cooling and providing electricity to those buildings requires a lot of energy,” Shea said.

“So if we’re going to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we’re going to have to look at how we design energy efficient buildings and how we make our existing buildings more energy efficient.”

Kathia Toledo, coordinator for EcoReps, said she is excited about the Three Zeros initiative and the awareness it will bring to sustainability.

“I think that the Three Zeros initiative is a positive direction for the University to take on,” she said.

“It aggregates the campus community and puts us on the same path to the same goal.”

She said EcoReps provide information and resources and facilitate events with resident advisors about sustainability.

“I think that we directly tie into educating the campus community on initiatives that the Three Zeros plan puts forth,” Toledo said.

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