Sustainable Duke

Joelle Andrews recently formed a "recycling brigade" with colleagues in Prospect Research, Management and Analytics to tackle mounds of plastic bottles, aluminum cans and newspapers overflowing the office break-room.

"The problem was that the small recycling bins in our break-room fill up quickly and no one was in charge of emptying them into the bigger recycling bin outside," she said. "I was concerned that people might be tempted to toss recyclable items in the trash."

She created a sign-up sheet and recruited volunteers to empty smaller bins each Friday. The result: more recyclables and a step toward creating a more sustainable campus.

Andrews, 25, a staff assistant who joined Duke in 2007, is among about 3,000 staff, faculty and students who signed the Duke Sustainability Pledge. The pledge encourages Duke community members to consider the environmental, social and economic effects of their actions.

Across campus, others are taking a proactive approach to help Duke become climate-neutral, a pledge made by President Richard Brodhead in 2007, as part of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment.

Duke recently completed a greenhouse gas inventory to determine the size of Duke's carbon footprint and establish a baseline to measure the impact of future sustainability initiatives. The inventory found Duke produced nearly 434,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in 2007. That's the equivalent of emissions generated by using about 50 million gallons of gasoline, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

At Duke, the three biggest greenhouse gas contributors are purchased electricity (53 percent); steam produced for heat and sterilization (24 percent); and emissions and fuel for transportation (23 percent), including campus buses, commuter vehicles and employee air travel.

"Determining Duke's impact requires us to measure everything it takes to transport thousands of people, heat hundreds of buildings, sterilize medical equipment and keep Duke running around-the-clock," said Tavey Capps, Duke's sustainability coordinator.

A committee led by Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III and William Chameides, Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment, is exploring options to reduce Duke's carbon emissions. While many initiatives involve institutional changes in facilities and operations, some require students, faculty and staff to change behavior by using alternative transportation, conserving energy and reducing waste.

Staff and faculty can find ways to reduce their footprint with tools such as a personal emissions calculator at epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html or CarbonRally.com, a site created by Jason Karas, a Nicholas School alum.

"Using a carbon footprint calculator is an effective way for individuals to discover specific ways to reduce their environmental impact," Capps said. "By simply carpooling or turning off your computer, each person's actions can have a sizeable impact."

For staff like Joelle Andrews, simple changes make a difference.

"The little things like recycling do add up. We can't just do them at home, though," she said. "It's important to make an effort at work, too."