When Less Is More

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our planet today, and Stanford employs a wide range of approaches and assets in the search for solutions. Our faculty and students conduct groundbreaking research at the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy. And throughout the University, we are putting our knowledge to work to be a leader in sustainability practices.

In October, an ambitious Energy and Climate Plan was presented to the Board of Trustees. The result of two years of work by a team of faculty and facilities operations experts, the plan is a great example of applied research. It demonstrates how 21st-century technology can be used to improve efficiency in both the consumption and generation of energy, while providing the University with more options to accelerate its drive to reduce its generation of greenhouse gases.

The key starting insight in this plan is that the breadth and scope of our facilities, combined with the typical temperate climate, means that we often need simultaneous heating and cooling on campus. Stanford's Department of Sustainability and Energy Management discovered that significant energy savings could be achieved by reconfiguring our systems to transfer the heat discharged by the campus cooling system to buildings that need warming. Such reuse of energy could cut dramatically the amount of natural gas burned for heating.

The Energy and Climate Plan addresses the needs of the future by deploying current and new technologies, as well as by developing policies. For example, it specifies higher energy efficiency standards for new buildings, energy retrofits for existing buildings and educating the University community on ways to reduce energy use. Within 10 years, the plan is projected to reduce our carbon footprint as much as 20 percent below 1990 levels and decrease campus water use by 18 percent. By 2050, even after repaying the initial extra capital costs, these steps could save Stanford more than $500 million.

Because buildings are the University's primary consumer of energy and account for 85 percent of our carbon dioxide emissions, we have focused our efforts on improving their energy efficiency. Stauffer Chemistry Building 1 was one of the first of dozens of buildings that underwent an energy retrofit during the past five years. This retrofit reduced its energy costs by 45 percent, recouping the costs of renovation in a little more than three years. Last year, Hoover House was converted to solar energy, and it now generates excess power much of the year that is sold to Pacific Gas and Electric.

New construction must meet rigorous conservation limits. The Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) deployed several novel design techniques to demonstrate how these limits could be achieved. The result: Y2E2 uses 42 percent less energy and 90 percent less water than traditional buildings of similar size.

Stanford's commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency is a campuswide effort, and everyone—faculty, staff and students—plays a role in this important work. For the third time, the Sustainable Endowments Institute awarded Stanford its highest rating, recognizing the University both as an "overall college sustainability leader" and a "campus sustainability leader" for outstanding achievement in all operational areas. Upon their arrival, students receive a guide to green living on campus, and they remain engaged through student organizations focused on the environment. The University's award-winning transportation program includes a free bus system and bike- and car-sharing programs. Major campus events such as Reunion Homecoming and Commencement incorporate more "green" practices.

When Jane and Leland Stanford founded this university, inherent in their approach was the idea that education should be both practical and pioneering. In a 1904 letter, Jane Stanford exhorted the trustees: "Let us not be afraid to outgrow old thoughts and ways and dare to think on new lines as to the work under our care. Let us not be poor copies of other universities. Let us be progressive."

Each succeeding generation has been guided by that charge. In the Energy and Climate Plan, we have dared to think along new lines. For more information about it and other campus sustainability efforts, I encourage you to visit http://sustainable.stanford.edu.

Sustainability is a core value for Stanford, and we are committed to being a good environmental steward, for the benefit of the University and the planet. We hope this plan will serve as a model to others of what makes good business sense and of all that can be accomplished when we put today's technology to effective use.