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Sustainability at ESF
Buildings

ESF operates as a multi-campus institution. Our campuses include approximately 1 million square feet of facilities, across 186 buildings, located on 25,000 acres of land.

Check out our Virtual Sustainability Tour to learn about specific sustainability features that can be found throughout our Syracuse campus building and grounds! Our Office of Sustainable Facilities & Operations page gives a high level overview of buildings located on the Syracuse campus.

While many students participate in outdoor labs and field trips, most people spend the vast majority of their lives indoors. We recognize that fact and strive to operate and maintain buildings that are healthy and safe and have a minimal environmental impact. Some highlights of these efforts are listed below.

aerial image of ESF's quad in the fallAerial view of ESF's quad, including the Moon Library patio, Marshall Hall and a portion of Bray Hall

Certifications

We participate in several national certification programs to ensure that our buildings are built, renovated and/or operated to the highest standards.

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Visit our LEED project page to learn more about LEED efforts and achievements at ESF.

TRUE: Total Resource Use & Efficiency is a program administered by GBCI. It is a zero waste certification program dedicated to measuring, improving and recognizing zero waste performance. Visit our TRUE project page to learn more.

WELL: A certification by the International Well Building Institute that uses an evidence-based roadmap to support the health and well-being of people using buildings. Visit our WELL project page to learn more about WELL efforts at ESF.

LEED platinum logo TRUE logo WELL logo

 

Zero Waste

The College has a robust suite of zero waste goals. Visit the Materials & Purchasing impact area and Project & Initiatives pages for a more detailed breakdown of related projects, data and progress.

Green Cleaning Program

ESF launched a formal Green Cleaning Program in March 2020, although the College was following many green cleaning practices prior to that time. The Program features purchasing criteria for a variety of products, including cleaning and paper products, trash bags and custodial equipment. It also sets standards for staff custodial staff training and performance.

Electric Grounds Equipment

Enjoy the relative quiet of electric grounds equipment on the Syracuse campus, and increasingly, at all of ESF's campuses. This transition to electric power equipment provides numerous benefits to campus, including reduced noise and air pollution, decreased stress on equipment operators and reduced fossil fuel usage.

EV Charging Stations

ESF's Syracuse campus features a robust 18 port electric vehicle charging network. Charging stations (8 ports) located in Lot P22 are open to the general public 24/7. Stations located by the Physical Plant, Baker Laboratory and between Bray and Walters Halls are reserved for use by ESF Parking Permit holders and are available 24/7.

Green Purchasing

In 2021, ESF formalized its Green Purchasing & Break Free From Plastic Policy and launched a Green Purchasing Guide. If ESF is to reach and maintain its sustainability goals, campus-wide enthusiasm and a willingness to operate beyond a business as usual mindset is critical. Green purchasing is just one way that the campus community can aid the College in practicing what it teaches. Visit the Get Involved page to learn about other points of impact.

Bike Library

Five rental bikes are available to ESF students free of charge. Bikes may be rented for 24 hours at a time. Visit the front desk at Moon Library for more information.

Integrated Pest Management

ESF avoids the use of chemical pesticides (exterior and interior) to the greatest extent possible. When pesticides must be used, they are organic, or are extremely targeted. At the request of the campus community, the operations staff transitioned to catch and release mouse traps. We have further solidified our commitment to environmentally sensitive and positive practices through our Bee Campus USA affiliation.

Visit our Energy & Climate impact area and Project & Initiatives pages for a more detailed breakdown of campus energy projects. A few are featured below:

Energy Management and Building Energy Dashboards

Temperature control of building spaces results in major energy demands. Therefore, during periods of minimal building occupancy (weekends, holidays, breaks etc.) heating and cooling is reduced to save energy.

Nearly all of the lights on our campus have been switched to LED's. In addition, students group, such as Green Campus Initiative, have delamped areas that were overlit by removing unnecessary bulbs.

Many of the pumps, fans, and motors used in buildings have been equipped with variable speed drives. This allows the equipment to ramp up or down from 0-100% and match production with building demand.

Green Roofs

We have two green roofs on campus. Green roofs help reduce the heating and cooling load of a building and greatly reduce energy use. Plus, they provide habitat for mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians. Lastly, they also help reduce and manager stormwater runoff.