Funding for Sustainability Projects for
2008-2009
The Sustainable Idaho Initiative (SII)
received 13 proposals for faculty or staff-led projects supporting
campus and/or community sustainability. Two of these have been fully
funded, and two others have received partial funding. They are due for
completion by June 30, 2009.
University Housing - Residence Hall Recycling Program (PI Tara George,
$7500): This project will serve two primary purposes. First,
the program will educate students in all aspects of Single Stream
Recycling. These students will gain the knowledge and experience to
become environmental stewards as they move forward in their careers.
Secondly, University Housing and the students will share in the
projected fiscal benefits of the program. Reducing the annual landfill
costs at University Housing will translate into lower rate increases for
students. The program may also serve as an entrepreneurial model for
other University of Idaho departments and schools.
Creating a Culture of
Sustainability through Recycling at the University of Idaho Coeur
d'Alene Campus (PI Dr. Erik Anderson, $2,250: This project will
expand the recycling program at the Coeur d'Alene campus by increasing
the types of materials that are recycled, implementing more prescribed
recycling processes, and outfitting offices and common areas with
recycling bins. The project will include an applied research component
to assess current practices, identify available options for recycling
waste products, and develop methods and metrics for evaluating the
outcomes of the recycling program. It is expected that the project will
significantly increase the amount of recycling at the Coeur d'Alene
campus, thereby reducing the overall waste generated by the branch
campus operation.
Planting the Seeds of Change:
Nutrition and Sustainability at the UI Children's Center (Co-PIs Dr.
Nancy Deringer and Angela O' Connell, $3, 750): This project
will develop a locally sourced whole foods program at the University of
Idaho Children's Center (UICC) through a collaboration between UI
faculty, staff, students, UICC parents, local farmers, and local
community organizations. This grant will be used as seed money to take
the first tangible steps toward a long-term vision of sustainable,
improved nutrition, and create a blueprint to guide similar efforts
elsewhere on the UI Campus, in the Moscow region, and around Idaho.
HOPE Garden: Moscow's Accessible
Community Garden (PI Dr. Matthew Wappett, $1, 500): This purpose
of this project is to construct accessible garden beds within the Moscow
Community Garden to allow individuals with disabilities and senior
citizens the opportunity to grow their own fruits, vegetables, and
flowers in a community setting. The design will include 11 raised beds
to accommodate wheel chairs, gravel pathways for easy mobility, and
plumbing near the gardens for watering fruits and vegetables. The garden
will rely on volunteer labor and community service participants within
the Moscow community, local AmeriCorps programs, and students and staff
from UI to complete the construction of the project.
Fall 2008 Request for
Proposals

Funding
for Sustainability Projects, October 2007
The Sustainable Idaho Initiative (SII)
received 12 proposals for faculty or staff- led projects supporting
campus sustainability. Three of these have been fully funded, and one
has received partial funding. They are due for completion by
June 30, 2008. In addition to these four, the UI Sustainability Center
funded 3 student-led projects, which are described
here.
Demonstration Green Roof: Student Union
Building (PI Mark Miller, $7,500):
This project will center on the
installation of a planted Green Roof on a 1650 sq. ft. section of flat
roof at the Student Union Building. This tri-leveled piece of roof is
located due south of room 210A on the southwest corner of the building.
The roof is a very suitable site due in part to its smaller size, it
lays in part shade, is structurally capable of holding the additional
load that will be added by the materials that would be applied to it,
and is sheltered from high winds. It is very accessible and can easily
be visited by the design, construction, maintenance and research
personnel necessary for its completion. It also is bound by a sizeable
catwalk that will be used for public observation of the project. The
project will provide valuable learning and research opportunities for
academic and non-academic student groups and University staff and
faculty.
UI Campus/Moscow Community Green Map:
A Guide to Features That Make the UI and Moscow a More Sustainable
Community (PI Gail Eckwright and a team of 3, $3,500): This
project will create an Interactive UI Campus/Moscow Community Green Map
to promote awareness of the University of Idaho Sustainability
Initiative and to map out the 'green' features of the University and the
surrounding Moscow community. Green features to be mapped will include
parks and open space, community gardens, recycling locations, bus stops,
bicycle paths, bicycle racks, and farmers' markets. It will also include
information about locations where 'green' practices have been
implemented. The UI Campus/Moscow Community Green Map will become part
of a global network of already-existing Green Maps found at
www.greenmap.org. The UI
Campus/Moscow Community Green Map will help the University of Idaho
Sustainable Idaho Initiative publicize its activities, measure progress,
and energize the community around its goals. It will also provide
numerous opportunities for the campus and surrounding community to
collaborate on making their sustainability efforts better known and
better publicized, for current and future students and citizens.
Exploring Solutions to Increase
Non-motorized Modes of Transportation in the UI Campus Community (PI
Eric Delmelle and a team of 18, $2,675): This study will
investigate incentives for university commuters (faculty, staff and
students) to use non-motorized or public modes of transportation. We
intend to analyze whether schedule flexibility, topographic factors,
weaknesses in existing infrastructure, and clusters of high-risk
intersections deter bicycling and walking. A geographical information
system (GIS) will be used for that purpose. The role of the university
in encouraging or discouraging its members to walk, bike, or use public
transit will be explored. The final part of this work addresses how
potential changes in commuters' behavior in regards to transportation
could enhance the overall campus sustainability. Improvements in policy
and infrastructure to increase bicycle and pedestrian use will be
suggested and disseminated across the university population.
A Sustainable Day in the Life (PI
Denise Bennett and students of JAMM:475 Digital Media Thesis Production,
$1,300): "A Sustainable
Day in the Life" is a short (10-30 minute) high definition documentary
that juxtaposes three days in the life of an average University of Idaho
undergraduate student. This piece will follow a traditional three-act
structure. The first act consists of "Day 1" which will examine this
person's normal behavior. The second act, or "Day 2", will consist of a
critical examination of this person's behavior during day one by an
expert (or several experts) and identify what behaviors this person can
modify to increase sustainability at the University of Idaho and in the
Moscow community. The third act, "Day 3", will show how the student's
behavior has changed and the impact that individuals can make if they
are educated as to how modifying their behavior can facilitate
sustainability.
Fall 2007 Request for Proposals
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Funding
for Sustainability Projects, February 2007
The Sustainable Idaho Initiative (SII)
received 12 proposals for faculty or staff- led projects supporting
campus sustainability. Five of these were funded. Completion is
scheduled for September 15, 2007. In addition, the UI Sustainability
Center funded 6 student-led projects, which are described
here.
Soil Stewards, Student-Run Organic Farm: Advancing Sustainable Food
Systems, and Experiential Education Opportunities on the University of
Idaho Campus (PI Jodi Johnson-Maynard with Soil Stewards and others,
$7,391): The Soil Stewards, an ASUI-recognized
student organization, has been visibly promoting student-driven
sustainability on the University of Idaho campus since 2003 with
projects that are directly integrated with all five themes of President
White’s Plan for Renewal. Funding is provided for infrastructure in the
form of a semi-permanent greenhouse or hoophouse, on the established
student-run organic farm. This structure will extend the growing season,
thereby increasing our capacity to produce organic vegetables for
distribution on campus, and increase on-farm learning opportunities for
students during the spring and fall semester. The process of building
the hoophouse and the ensuing outreach materials will engage students,
faculty, staff, and citizens in interactive learning directly related to
sustainable food systems on campus and in the community.
Future Visions of a Sustainable Palouse (PI Gundars Rudzitis with an
8-student team, $3,500): Funding for this project
will support publication and associated costs to produce a paperback
book, Future Visions of a
Sustainable Palouse, being done in conjunction with an
interdisciplinary State of the Palouse seminar. The main focus of the
book will be on Moscow, the university, and outlying towns and counties,
and the relationship between them and agriculture and farming, promoting
more sustainable alternatives. Eight undergraduate and graduate students
will research and produce chapters for the book, covering: agriculture
and food systems; economic and growth possibilities with a focus on
Moscow and adjacent areas; design alternatives and their use and impacts
on university, city and surrounding landscapes; transportation systems
and how different configurations and combinations may drive growth and
land values; the expansion and return of wildlife in the region; the
possibilities for the expansion of parks and protected areas; and the
restoration of certain areas to pre-agricultural uses, especially Indian
uses of the landscape.
Stateline Wetland Revitalization Project (PI Chris Dixon with a
4-student team, $2,250): University of Idaho
faculty, staff, and students, in partnership with the City of Moscow and
Palouse Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI), have developed the
Stateline Wetland Revitalization Project (SWRP) in order to build upon
the original constructed wetland site that was started in 1996. SWRP
will work to elevate utilization of the Moscow wastewater treatment
wetland by increasing accessibility and opportunities for environmental
education and applied research, as well as providing a community
wildlife viewing area. The project will also provide an opportunity for
environmental science students to practice project management,
leadership, and communication/teambuilding skills.
Idaho Falls
Center Office Paper Recycling Program (PI Donna Cosgrove with 2
students, $1,153): This project will establish a
recycling program at the Idaho Falls Center for Higher Education (IFCHE).
The bins will be emptied by the Asociacion Latina Modivandote A Superate
(ALMAS), an Hispanic student club, into a special dumpster and the paper
will be collected by the recycler every other week. The costs of the
dumpster are being borne by one of the National Laboratory site
contractors, gratis to University Place. Funding is provided for (a)
lids for the collection bins, (b) wheeled dollies and trash can carts to
facilitate emptying of the recycle bins, and (c) a stipend for the
student club.
Sustainable Library Services as Asset to the University Community (Co-PIs
Maria Jankowska and Ben Hunter, and 1 student, $660): This project
provides and markets sustainable scholarly communication and
environmental information literacy. The University of Idaho Library has
published the semi-annual Electronic
Green Journal (EGJ), an open-access, peer-reviewed online
journal since 1994. In order to improve the sustainability of EGJ, we
will transition to Open Journal Systems (OJS), a free, open-source
journal management and publishing system that will significantly
increase the dissemination of scholarly environmental information. The
initial transition into OJS involves approximately 60 hours of labor
that will be performed by a temporary undergraduate worker. To search
the Electronic Green Journal, go
here.
Fall 2006 Request for
Proposals