The Oberlin Project: Growing a Sustainable Community

Transcription

1 The Oberlin Project: Growing a Sustainable Community Sean Hayes 2014 WV Urban Agriculture Conference About the speaker... Educated at Wabash College and Appalachian State University Staff at Oberlin College Facilities Manager and Community Outreach Coordinator - AJLC Instructor of Environmental Studies Member of Technical Advisory Committee for the Oberlin Project

2 How does one expand the concepts developed in the AJLC to an entire community? The Oberlin Project: One of 17 Clinton Climate Positive Participants Worldwide The Oberlin Project: an informal, temporary, catalytic collaboration working to organize joint efforts of the City, College, and Community

3 8 Introduction The Oberlin Project Oberlin: A Model Community 8,286 PEOPLE 73% white 14.8% African American 4% Asian American 1.7% other 6.5% two or more races $47,334 median household income 24% of Oberlinians live at or below the poverty level *based on the 2010 census advice. More than 20 boards and commissions composed of Oberlin residents are appointed by City Council to provide advice and recommendations to city officials and City Council concerning various matters including planning, development, utility infrastructure, and quality of life issues. City Utilities The City s Public Works Department town has six divisions: Engineering, Administration, General Maintenance, Building and Grounds, Water, and Wastewater. Public Works operates the City s refuse and recycling collection program as a self-supporting Enterprise Fund. In addition to water and wastewater utilities, the City has a community-owned, not-for-profit electric utility, Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System (OMLPS). Created in 1934, OMLPS generates, purchases, transmits, and distributes electric power to more than three thousand residential and commercial customers. An Electric Director who reports to the City Manager oversees OMLPS. Oberlin College Oberlin College is the largest employer in the City, and its student body comprises approximately one third of the population of the city. Oberlin College uses about 25% of the city s electricity and is responsible for about the same percentage of the city s carbon emissions. A significant percentage of these emissions come from its coal-fired power plant, which produces steam to heat College buildings. Sustainability planning at the College is led by the Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES) and the Committee on Environmental Sustainability (CES), a committee of the General Faculty. Since their beginning in 1833, Oberlin College and the City of Oberlin have nurtured and challenged each other to advance human well-being locally and beyond. Testimony to this relationship is provided above with the list of sustainability resolutions and commitments each has made in the past decade. By signing in 2010 individual memoranda of understanding with the CPDP to become climate positive, The City of Oberlin the College and City created an even stronger interdependent relationship. At the signing ceremony, Bob Berkebile, an internationally renowned Kansas City architect speaking for the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), foreshadowed the future this way: This alignment of common purpose, of having to work together, will change this community in ways unimaginable and for the better. small Midwestern Rust Belt college The Oberlin Project The Oberlin Project, a local collaborative venture that can trace its origins to 2007 and became a staffed operating initiative in 2011, provides an interface among the City, College, Oberlin City Schools, and the many institutions and groups within the Oberlin area, as well as its citizens. The Oberlin Project is the scaffolding in the Oberlin community to facilitate the development of full spectrum sustainability (FSS) in which sustainability becomes the default setting for all policies, decisions, and actions. The Project serves as the catalyzing agent for many of the GHG reduction strategies and the sustainability work in and around the City and College, and serves as the lead contact and coordinator for the CPDP. Funded by grants and individual donors independent of both the City and College, the Oberlin Project staff has been tasked with assisting in moving forward the many parts that encompass FSS. In addition to bringing in resources for assisting with implementation of the CAP and the CPDP s Climate Positive Credits, the Oberlin Project has tasked itself with facilitating a radical lowering of carbon emissions while building a stronger local economy, increasing local food supply and agriculture resources, and working to further FSS with all four local educational institutions: Oberlin City Schools, Oberlin College, Lorain County Joint Vocational School, and Lorain County Community College. proud history of addressing issues of justice and equity leader in addressing climate change; commitment to full-spectrum sustainability council/manager governance citizen-owned electric utility So what does the City of Oberlin really look like today? A Model Community As of the 2010 census, Oberlin was a city of 8,286 people. Population growth was essentially flat with 1% growth between 2000 and Oberlin s population is 73% white, 14.8% African

4 Oberlin College and Conservatory highly selective private liberal arts college oldest continuously operating conservatory of music in US first US college to admit women and African Americans 2nd largest employer in city (FAA) 25% of city s electricity usage And the College

5 REPLICATION: transparency and documentation of the process to serve as a model for other communities throughout the region and beyond Goals: Sustainable Prosperity energy education economic development local land & agriculture green arts district replication ENERGY: creating one of the first climate positive cities in America through energy efficiency and renewable energy EDUCATION: provide an education that better equips students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Integrate sustainability into education at all levels, including all four of our partner institutions: Oberlin City School District, Lorain County Joint Vocational School, Lorain County Community College, and Oberlin College ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: development of a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient economy LOCAL LAND AND AGRICULTURE: development of a robust local food economy. Transition to 70% local foods (within a 6 county radius); devote 20,000 acres to agriculture, conservation, and carbon sequestration GREEN ARTS DISTRICT: 13 acre development at the LEED Platinum level, located at the junction of City & College. Plans include an art museum, performance hall, hotel, conference center, and culinary school.

6 Oberlin Climate Action Plan Energy Success: City Electricity Portfolio 90% carbon neutral electricity by % reduction in community GHG emissions locked in by portfolio does not include one significant generation source -- College s new solar array (CAP graphic completed before construction)

7 The Oberlin Project Oberlin College Energy Success: 2.27MW Solar Array 12% of College electricity usage 3 GWh/year (3,000 MWh) Largest solar array at a liberal arts college in the US Online Nov 2012

8 Education Success: Infuse Sustainability Across the Curriculum 4th grade: sustainability of matter; home energy audits 7th grade biology: water pollution, water quality and runoff, water cycles and algae blooms 9th grade math: supply and demand, population, resource use, exponential growth high school consumer science: food system, food justice, The Oberlin City Public Schools, The Oberlin Project, and Creative Change Educational Solutions collaborated on a one-year project to infuse sustainability concepts across disciplines in K-12 curriculum in the school year. The integration approach was designed to supported core standards, competencies, and the district s International Baccalaureate program. In this year, a team of twelve lead teachers from PK-12 integrated sustainability concepts and topics into science, English Language Arts, math, and consumer science courses. New lessons engaged over 500 students in investigations of community sustainability, the food system, the local economy, and the interdependence of social and ecological systems. Students visited and tested local waters, got involved with local food projects and made presentations to the community. They learned from sustainability efforts in the community and discovered how they connect us all to the larger world.

9 The Oberlin Project Education Success: Oberlin Environmental Dashboard One of the educational objectives of this collaborative project is the Oberlin Environmental Dashboard. Dashboards displayed in elementary school, public library, downtown business district, and throughout campus. The dashboard is currently showing the city s electricity use and how it relates to each individual in the community.

10 The Oberlin Project Education Success: Oberlin Environmental Dashboard When water is selected water flows from the drinking water treatment plant, through the community and to the waste water treatment plant are highlighted. Gauges reflect water storage and use and associated impacts

11 The Oberlin Project Education Success: Oberlin Environmental Dashboard Watershed features gauges associated with water quality and flow in Plum Creek

12 Economic Development Success: East College Street Project Photo: Sustainable Community Associates Mixed-use residential/commercial development adjacent to downtown and green arts district- LEED Gold

13 Economic Development Success: East College Street Project Photo: Sustainable Community Associates Mixed-use residential/commercial development adjacent to downtown and green arts district- LEED Gold

14 The Oberlin Project Land/Agriculture Success: Oberlin Farmers Market Photo: Oberlin Farmers Market Doubled in size >$70k reinvested in local economy economic driver for downtown businesses in addition to local farmers 75% of shoppers came downtown specifically for the market but 50% planned to also shop elsewhere downtown

15 Screenshot: Western Reserve Land Conservancy Land/Agriculture Success: Land Resource Identification Plan The Plan provides tools that can be used to identify and prioritize the conservation of land in the Oberlin Project study area. Analyses include: Probability of conservation value for both natural areas and working agricultural land. Potential for sustainable forestry, biofuel, wind energy, and solar energy projects. Estimates of aboveground and soil carbon storage. Locations of agricultural and clean energy projects. Demonstration food shed assessment

16 Land/Agriculture Success: Photo: Sela Miller Establishment of a Local Carbon Offset Fund percentage of student fees are set aside for investment in local carbon offsetting projects planting trees modifying tillage and other farming practices educational opportunities in quantifying and verifying different projects

17 Photo: Oberlin College Green Arts District Success: Allen Art Museum Renovation LEED Gold Renovation

18 Photo: Oberlin College Green Arts District Success: Apollo Theater Renovation LEED Gold Renovation

19 The Oberlin Project Green Arts District Success: Approval of The Gateway Building Rendering: SMART Hotels Group & Oberlin College Hotel, conference center, culinary school, and commercial building to serve as linchpin between Green Arts District, College, and downtown Block-level development at LEED Platinum Due to break ground this year (June 2014)

20 What s Next? The Oberlin Project economic development where it is most needed expanded efforts to build a robust local foods economy and food processing hub policy changes that make sustainability the default setting expand capabilities and employment in construction, development, food, and energy sectors We ve made significant progress but the project is far from completed.

21 Resources web: FB: dashboard: AJLC: video: City of Oberlin Climate Action Plan