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Home My WebLink About2022-11-28-tcc-sustainability-planSustainability Plan November 2022 Elva LeBlanc, Ph.D. Interim Chancellor Dear Board of Trustees, A culture of sustainability stems from the complex but necessary relationship between people and their natural environment. Our actions have a direct impact on the natural world and ability of future generations to recognize that our quality of life depends on the health of the planet’s ecosystems. As resources, like water and electricity, become scarcer, existing infrastructure reaches capacity, and populations grow, we have an obligation to reduce consumption and waste. At Tarrant County College, we are committed to expanding our efforts to support a culture of sustainability in alignment with our College goals. In 2021, we initiated deliberate efforts to develop a detailed master plan to set forth TCC’s sustainability framework for the environment we are building and the operational policies and processes we are following. This master plan focuses on Campus Energy, Design and Construction, Water Conservation, Waste Management, and Transportation and was informed by a district-wide sustainability assessment survey of our students, faculty, and staff. We have strengthened our commitment to sustainability through a partnership with Texas A&M University Energy Laboratories for technical guidance and support. This enables TCC to optimize energy usage; standardize existing building operating practices; and adopt Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) or similar standards as part of our overall building performance strategy. Our outreach also extends into adjacent communities. We have formed partnerships with Trinity Metro and the City of Arlington to offer free transportation to our campuses with bus passes and ridesharing, funded by a North Texas Central Council of Governments grant. We have a Water Conservation Program with the City of Fort Worth Water Department and have won the Business Conservation Award for three consecutive years. Recognition of TCC’s success will continue to grow as we focus our efforts and improve measurement and reporting of the progress. Going forward, we are excited to partner with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and to adopt the Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program. This will provide a national validation framework as we build upon the existing foundation and ongoing sustainable planning across TCC campuses and beyond. Finally, we are delighted to apply these sustainability standards to our Bond Redevelopment Program for new and renovated buildings. Our objective is to continually reinforce the Board of Trustees’ dedication to incorporate sustainability and related technology at every possible opportunity. As a result, we will strive to maintain a balance between innovative systems and environmentally friendly solutions that achieve efficiencies. We are very proud to be an institution that cares about the current and future state of our environment, and the people who will be the custodians of the foundations we establish today. We thank the Board of Trustees for their support and encouragement on this journey. Sustainability is an interdisciplinary effort to meet the environmental, financial, and social needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. TCC’s definition of “sustainability” Introduction............................................................................................4 Executive Summary....................................................................4 Planning Context and Process..................................................8 How to Use this Document.....................................................14 Accountability and Reporting............................................................16 Energy....................................................................................................22 Water......................................................................................................30 Next Steps..............................................................................................36 Waste Management...................................................................36 Transportation...........................................................................37 Procurement..............................................................................38 Grounds + Landscaping...........................................................38 Housekeeping............................................................................38 Academics..................................................................................39 Communications + Engagement............................................39 Appendix...............................................................................................42 Glossary......................................................................................42 Acknowledgments.....................................................................44 2021 Sustainability Assessment Results.................................46 Table of Contents Page | 4 Executive Summary Tarrant County College (TCC) defines sustainability as an interdisciplinary effort to meet the environmental, financial, and social needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same. TCC has historically invested in its campuses and facilities to support the institutional mission and values of affordability, fiscal responsibility and good stewardship. The college’s programs include a wide range of curricular and co- curricular efforts, but work in operations, curriculum, and engagement have not historically been integrated. In 2021, TCC began an intentional analysis of its operational data and planning for the next phase of investments in operating sustainable campus facilities. The first component of this work required extensive analysis of institutional data sets related to sustainability including information on energy and water usage as well as green building principles among other topics. TCC’s data was placed in context with widely adopted definitions of sustainability in higher education including the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (AASHE STARS), Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitments, and the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED) rating systems. This benchmarking highlighted how TCC’s performance tracking compares to accountability and reporting tools that are widely accepted across peer institutions in higher education and the need for more integrated sustainability efforts, including planning. The development of this sustainability plan included engagement with over 2,800 TCC students, faculty, and staff through visioning sessions, focus groups, leadership and board meetings, and a college-wide Sustainability Assessment that was distributed in November 2021. Visioning sessions highlighted four goals for sustainability planning at TCC: • Increase Transparency. TCC’s performance data has historically been shared with a relatively small group of stakeholders. Reporting public data will empower the campus community in engaging on future resource conservation efforts. • Increase Engagement. Behavior change in the campus community will be a significant contributor to the next phase of resource efficiency at TCC. Communicating how individual and community actions can support resource conservation is important. • Act as One College. A college-wide sustainability strategy supports the One College goal and will be more successful than a campus- by-campus approach. Campuses are currently perceived as sustainability silos which limits opportunities to scale successful initiatives across multiple campuses. • Lead in the Community. TCC is an anchor institution that has a responsibility to lead by example. Resource conservation behaviors practiced at TCC will be carried off-campus by students, faculty, and staff to increase energy and water conservation across the broader community. 2,800 participants in developing TCC’s Sustainability Plan Page | 5 As a result of these directives, this Sustainability Plan includes data sets that describe historical performance as well as goals, targets, and actions for future resource conservation in energy and water. The plan also includes a chapter on Accountability and Reporting to support the leadership goals and need for transparency articulated by participants in the initial visioning sessions. TCC’s historic metrics on energy and water conservation demonstrate significant successes over the last decade. Investments in equipment upgrades, retrocommissioning, monitoring, LED lighting, and occupancy sensors among other strategies have resulted in significant energy, water, and operating cost conservation. The goals and metrics established in the Energy and Water chapters of this document seek to continue and advance this work through action items developed in collaboration with TCC’s Real Estate and Facilities Division and other members of the TCC community. This planning effort also included Tarrant County College’s first ever, college-wide Sustainability Assessment in November 2021. The survey garnered over 2,700 responses from students, faculty, and staff and had an average completion rate of 71% which is exceptionally high for a relatively long and detailed survey. The survey instrument was developed in alignment with two AASHE STARS credits: AC-6 Sustainability Literacy Assessment and EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture. These two credits do not prescribe what questions must be asked, but do require that a survey tool should be offered periodically to a campus community to understand its general knowledge of sustainability as well as its attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to the topic. In total the survey included 36 questions and took each respondent approximately 10 – 15 minutes to complete. The survey included primarily multiple choice, matrix, and ranking questions with one open- ended question that allowed respondents to share any other information about sustainability at TCC that they wished to share. In addition to content questions, the survey also included filtering questions that asked about TCC’s Historical Performance by the Numbers46% decrease in college-wide energy use intensity between FY2012 and FY2021 44% decrease in college-wide electricity consumption between FY2012 and FY20219% decrease in college-wide natural gas consumption between FY2012 and FY2021 44% decrease in college-wide potable water consumption between FY2012 and FY2021 Page | 6 respondents’ primary classification (student, faculty, staff), primary campus, age range, and time spent on campus during a typical day. If respondents identified primarily as students, they were also asked for their degree program and/or major as well as their first enrollment timeframe. The survey illustrates a number of strong take-aways: • There is a higher level of shared interest and literacy in sustainability in TCC’s campus community than anticipated. • Respondents demonstrated significant consensus in their responses regardless of their primary classification (students, faculty, staff), primary campus, degree program/major, and age range. • Responses highlight the information disconnect between sustainable campus operations and campus community awareness. • Questions related to sustainability in academic offerings highlight a need for greater integration of sustainability topics in academic programs. This sustainability plan includes content to support next generation resource conservation efforts and sustainability engagement at Tarrant County College. In addition to this Executive Summary and a narrative describing the Process that brought this work to fruition, this document also includes Appendix content such as a Glossary of terms that may be unfamiliar to some readers, Acknowledgments of those who contributed to this work’s development, and a more robust summary of the 2021 Sustainability Assessment Results. The content chapters of this document focus on Accountability and Reporting, Energy, and Water. It is anticipated additional chapters will be developed that focus on: • Waste Management • Transportation • Procurement • Grounds + Landscaping • Housekeeping • Academics • Communications + Engagement The Next Steps chapter highlights some of the work and conversations that have been had on these topics to date and outline avenues for further investigation. As noted previously, each content chapter of this document includes background information on TCC’s historical performance to increase transparency and engagement as well as proposed strategies for expanding TCC’s resource conservation and data tracking. TCC plans to publish the data included in this document’s graphs online so that they can be updated at minimum annually. Each numbered goal includes a representative set of action items that are anticipated to drive change toward the outcomes defined by each goal’s target. Action items included in this document are both at the college- wide scale and the campus scale. While many actions items are college-wide in alignment with initial visioning sessions that prioritized a college-wide approach, each of TCC’s campuses has unique assets and some action items are not applicable or present a less significant opportunity for advancement at some locations. The actions identified in this document are not anticipated to be all-inclusive. TCC will be opportunistic in evaluating new avenues for advancement toward its goals as such occasions arise and will communicate updates to this plan through its website. Executing this plan will accelerate TCC’s position as an anchor institution for sustainability in its community. In the Appendix at the end of this document, please see the Acknowledgments of those who participated in the process and contributed to the development of this plan. Page | 7 TCC’s Sustainability Goals + Targets 02-4: Reduce annual electricity consumption. 02-5: Reduce natural gas consumption. Annual Natural Gas Consumption (MCF) 2021 2030 2040 74,100 66,690 (-10%)59,280 (-20%) Annual Electricity Consumption (kWh) 2021 2030 2040 53,594,940 48,235,446 (-10%) 42,875,952 (-20%) Accountability and Reporting 01-1: Expand Real Estate and Facilities’ Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications. 01-3: Submit Tarrant County College’s first AASHE STARS report. 01-2: Develop and maintain a sustainability- focused website. Water 03-2: Increase cooling tower efficiency. 03-3: Decrease indoor potable water use. 03-1: Decrease potable water use for irrigation and water features. Potable Water Used Annually for Irrigation (kGal) FY2021 2030 2040 35,367 31,830 (-10%)28,294 (-20%) Approximate Potable Water Used Annually by Cooling Towers (kGal) FY2021 2030 2040 59,360 53,424 (-10%)47,488 (-20%) Approximate Potable Water Used Annually in Flush and Flow Fixtures (kGal) FY2021 2030 2040 29,357 26,421 (-10%)23,486 (-20%) Energy 02-1: Decrease Scope 1 (on-site combustion) and Scope 2 (purchased electricity) greenhouse gas emissions. Gross Scope 1 + 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Metric Tonnes CO2e) 2020 2030 2040 30,100 27,090 (-10%)24,080 (-20%) Energy Use Intensity (kBTU / square foot-year) FY2021 2030 2040 66 60 (-10%)53 (-20%) 02-2: Decrease energy use intensity. 02-3: Maximize clean and renewable electricity purchases. Electricity from Clean and Renewable Sources 2020 - 2024*2025 - 2032*2033 - beyond 70%100%100% *REC purchases for 2020 - 2032 are already under contract at the rates specified as of the publication of this document. Net Scope 1 + 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Metric Tonnes CO2e) 2020 2030 2040 5,075 3,655 0 Page | 8 Planning Context and Process Tarrant County College (TCC) has been proactive about investing in infrastructure to ensure operational efficiencies and cost savings by conserving energy and water resources. The college’s sustainability work is primarily led by Real Estate and Facilities which is tasked with the development, operations, and maintenance of TCC’s built environment. In parallel with efforts in Real Estate and Facilities, TCC offers a variety of curricular and co-curricular activities related to sustainability including the Marine Creek Nature Discovery Center at TCC Northwest, course curriculum development for outdoor learning, and programs in advanced air conditioning controls as well as solar photovoltaic systems and wind power delivery systems. Planning Context TCC is a two-year college accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is one of the 20 largest higher education institutions in the United States with over 43,000 students as of the Fall 2022 semester. TCC was established by a countywide election in July 1965 and the first campus opened to students in Fall 1967. Today TCC has five physical campuses (South, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Trinity River) and TCC Connect, the college’s online/virtual campus. Other TCC learning sites include the TCC Opportunity Center (TCOC), the TCC Corporate Training Center, the Center for Excellence in Aviation, Transportation, and Logistics (OWTL), and several learning centers. The Offsite District Multipurpose Center (ODMC), purchased in 2017 houses TCCD Real Estate and Facilities, Records Management and District Archives, and Inventory Control and Records. South Campus Located in south Fort Worth along the SE Loop 820 highway, South Campus is the first TCC campus (1967) and has a unique ‘mid-century modern’ character. Thirty-three small buildings, many grouped around interior courtyards, are connected by a series of open spaces and meandering pedestrian paths. Around the campus perimeter there are significant areas of open space with walking paths and a stormwater retention pond. Three compact parking lots serve the campus and the TCC South/FWISD Collegiate High School, a collaboration between TCC and the Fort Worth Independent School District. The newest addition to the campus is the LEED Platinum Center of Excellence for Energy Technology which includes PV solar panel shaded walkways, a small wind turbine, and sustainably landscaped bioretention areas for stormwater management. This facility provides specialized lab spaces for the construction, engineering, HVAC, and energy technology programs. Northeast Campus The Northeast Campus is located in the cities of Hurst and North Richland Hills, in northeast Tarrant County. Northeast is the second oldest TCC campus, built in 1968 with additional buildings added between 1970 and 1996. Fourteen brick and precast concrete buildings, mostly two story, are compactly laid out around a pedestrian-core. Development of the site includes a campus ring road connecting multiple parking lots, surrounded by green space with walking paths and a stormwater retention pond. On the northern edge of the campus, the Early College High School building houses the GCISD Collegiate Academy created in collaboration with Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. This campus also historically housed TCC District Services. Northwest Campus Northwest Campus is located on the Marine Creek Lake and regional park in north Fort Worth, just off the NE Loop 820 highway. In 1975 this campus opened with in one sprawling building with five wings. Growing over time, facilities were added to support Public Safety Training programs in Law Enforcement (1987 Page | 9 and 2013) and Fire Services (2002) including training centers, a firing range, a white water rescue course, fire towers, a railroad train, and multiple vacant buildings of different types that are used in rescue and fire training. Several portable classroom buildings house the Marine Creek Collegiate High School, a partnership with Fort Worth ISD. The NW campus includes the Erma C, Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Transportation and Logistics at the nearby Fort Worth Alliance airport. Most of the 1975 campus core is undergoing a total replacement. The first of two phases of the project is under construction, with four new buildings to open by 2026. Southeast Campus Southeast Campus is located in Arlington, in the southeast corner of Tarrant County. The campus opened in 1997 with a single, two story linear building which was quickly outgrown. Modular and temporary portable classrooms were added, prior to construction of the Science and Technology building in 2011 and the Arlington Collegiate High School at TCC Southeast in 2014. This campus will be expanding with two new buildings scheduled to open in 2023, and the planned removal of the portable trailers. Trinity River Campus Trinity River Campus is located in downtown Fort Worth in the heart of Tarrant County. This campus is also the administrative location of TCC Connect, the college’s virtual campus for eLearning and Weekend College, and the district’s administrative offices. This campus, built in 2005 as the corporate headquarters for Radio Shack, has five buildings connected by common spaces and an approximately 2,300 space parking structure. TCC Trinity River is also home to the Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences, a partnership between Fort Worth ISD, University of North Texas, and TCC for high school students interested in healthcare sciences. Trinity River East Campus for Health Care Professions, located just a few blocks away, opened in 2012 with four buildings and a large surface parking lot. Planning for Next Generation Sustainability In 2021, TCC began an intentional analysis of its operational data and planning for the next phase of investments in sustainable campus facilities. TCC engaged Ayers Saint Gross to support the sustainability planning effort. The first component of the work required extensive analysis of institutional datasets related to sustainability including information on: • Energy • Water • Green Building Principles • Waste Management • Transportation • Procurement • Grounds + Landscaping • Housekeeping • Academics • Communications + Engagement TCC’s data placed in context with widely adopted definitions of sustainability in higher education including the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (AASHE TCC’s primary physical campuses, marked in the map above by the red pins, are distributed across Tarrant County. Page | 10 STARS), Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitments, and the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED) rating systems. This benchmarking highlighted how TCC’s performance tracking compares to accountability and reporting tools that are widely accepted across peer institutions in higher education and the need for more integrated sustainability efforts, including planning. Because of the depth of existing data and college-wide networks of faculty, staff, and students already engaged on the topics of energy and water, it was determined that the planning team would advance sustainability planning on these two topics first. Accountability and reporting is essential to TCC and as a result a chapter on how the college will maintain accountability and reporting for sustainability is also included in this document. Additional sustainability planning is anticipated which will address the balance of topics outlined above. See the Next Steps chapter for more information on future sustainability planning. To kick-off engagement on energy and water, the sustainability planning team gathered a representative cross-section of stakeholders into two visioning workshops that were hosted in August 2021. These sessions were held online via video conference and included 27 unique participants. The sessions began by defining a sustainability master plan and sharing existing TCC datasets related to energy, water, and green building principles with participants. Many participants noted that prior to these sessions they were unaware of TCC’s current energy and water conservation efforts and the performance improvements achieved between 2010 and 2020. The visioning sessions included a variety of live polls to gauge awareness of the energy and water conservation characteristics of TCC’s campus assets. Participants identified gross square footage, building age, and the unique built forms of each TCC campus as explanations for why each campus has varying levels of energy efficiency. Participants also noted specialized academic programs on each campus and how those have implications for energy and water conservation – the police and fire training program at Northwest was highlighted as having particularly high energy and water requirements to serve their academic mission. Campus swimming pools were also highlighted as having particularly high resource demands. The sessions also discussed the changing market for utilities. Because the population of Tarrant County is increasing rapidly but water supply resources are remaining relatively constant, the cost of water is increasing quickly and TCC’s expenses related to electricity, natural gas, and other energy sources are increasingly volatile as energy prices spike in response to demand. Visioning session participants were asked about the importance of energy conservation, water conservation, and green buildings. Participant responses highlight that all three are of relatively equal importance. While some institutions choose to particularly focus on one aspect of resource conservation or another, these initial visioning sessions highlighted that TCC’s community finds relatively equal value in advancing a multi-pronged approach to sustainability and that all conservation issues are intertwined and must be advanced together. Participants were also asked how well or poorly TCC conserves energy, conserves water, and develops green buildings. The majority response to each question was that TCC does all of these things somewhat well which TCC’s South Campus includes the oldest built assets that TCC operates and maintains. Page | 11 JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG Ca m p u s V i s i o n i n g + E n g a g e m e n t Bo a r d V i s i o n i n g + E n g a g e m e n t An a l y z e Sc e n a r i o s Dr a f t + Fi n a l i z e P l a n Leadership Engagement Sustainability Assessment Draft Plan Final Plan Stakeholder Engagement Visioning Workshops Goals / Targets Workshops Assessment Review Workshop Action Workshops Draft Plan Review This sustainability plan developed between June 2021 and August 2022. The process included virtual meetings and a campus-wide survey which together yielded engagement from over 2,800 members of the TCC community. both acknowledges good work has been done to date and that there is more work to be done to achieve a truly sustainable future. The visioning session discussions highlighted four common themes across stakeholders: • Transparency. Participants desire public data reporting to empower the campus community in engaging on future resource conservation efforts. • Engagement. Behavior change in the campus community is anticipated to be a significant part of the next phase of resource efficiency at TCC. Communicating how individual and community actions can support resource conservation is important. • Internal Leadership. Participants in the visioning sessions acknowledged that a college-wide sustainability strategy will be more successful than a campus-by-campus approach. Campuses are currently perceived as sustainability silos which limits opportunities to scale successful initiatives across multiple campuses. • External Leadership. Participants in the visioning sessions identify TCC as an anchor institution that has a responsibility to lead by example. It is anticipated that resource conservation behaviors practiced at TCC will be carried off-campus by students, faculty, and staff to increase energy and water conservation across the broader community. After integrating participant feedback and new information into the energy and water data analyses, visioning session participants were reconvened to discuss proposed goals, metrics, and targets associated with energy and water. In alignment with consensus built at the visioning sessions, the planning team proposed establishing college-wide sustainability goals, metrics, and targets in lieu of campus-by-campus goals, metrics, and targets. In recognition of TCC’s complex Page | 12 built assets, the planning team also proposed actions be developed both for the institution as a whole as well as campus-by-campus. College-wide metrics and targets will better communicate TCC’s achievements and support benchmarking amongst peer institutions. Staff actively working on an individual campus may benefit from campus-specific data to understand the efficacy of their endeavors and campus-specific targets may be set at a later date. The unique assets of each campus are offer different opportunities for advancement and as a result some actions may be unique to an individual campus while others may be shared across the entire college. The goals, metrics, and targets discussed in these sessions evolved into the content presented in the chapters on Accountability and Reporting, Energy, and Water. Concurrent with proposing goals, metrics, and targets, the planning team launched a college-wide Sustainability Assessment. This survey tool is the first such study completed at TCC and provided insight about the sustainability attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the campus community. For more information about this assessment’s results, see the 2021 Sustainability Assessment Results section of the Appendix. The planning team shared results of the Sustainability Assessment with workshop participants in February 2022. Participants were surprised and encouraged to see the high level of consensus and support for sustainability efforts communicated in survey responses. What is your level of interest in sustainability? (N = 2,290) I have a passion for sustainability. I have a strong interest in sustainability. I have a moderate interest in sustainability. I have a slight interest in sustainability I am neither interested nor disinterested in sustainability. I have no interest in sustainability 41% 2%8%<1% 28% 21% How much do you agree or disagree: “I believe TCC values sustainability.” (N = 1,870) Agree Strongly Somewhat Agree Neutral Somewhat Disagree Disagree Strongly 24% 33% 32% 7% 4% Page | 13 Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 200 500 0 700 On a scale of 0 – 10 (10 is of most importance), how important do you think it is for TCC to incorporate sustainability in its planning and initiatives? (N = 1,818) 0 1 2 3 4 5 876 9 10 1%1%1%2%2% 9%8% 12% 19% 12% 34% Between December 2021 and March 2022, the planning team engaged with leadership at TCC including a presentation to the Board of Trustees as part of their March 10, 2022 meeting. The planning team used this time to provide an update about engagement to date and a high-level summary of the Sustainability Assessment’s results. The planning team also communicated the project’s next steps. In May 2022 the planning team convened a series of six sessions to work through campus-specific actions related to energy and water conservation. Campus plant operators, maintenance staff, groundskeepers, faculty, and students were invited to each session. For each campus, participants identified unique existing conditions as well as opportunities they perceive for further energy and water conservation. The sixth session began to summarize common strategies shared by constituents from multiple campuses. After wrapping up the action workshops, this sustainability plan was drafted for TCC’s review including members of the TCC community who contributed to its development. TCC’s comments were incorporated into subsequent drafts and the document was published. As noted above, it is anticipated that additional work will follow this initial publication to develop goals, metrics, targets, and actions for the other sustainability- related topics identified in the data gathering portion of the project. See the Next Steps chapter for more information. Page | 14 How to Use this Document This document includes a variety of content to support next generation resource conservation efforts and sustainability engagement at Tarrant County College. The Appendix at the end of this document includes a Glossary of terms that may be unfamiliar to some readers, Acknowledgments of those who contributed to this work’s development, and a summary of the 2021 Sustainability Assessment Results. The content chapters of this document focus on Energy, Water, and Accountability and Reporting. It is anticipated additional chapters will be developed that focus on: • Waste Management • Transportation • Procurement • Grounds + Landscaping • Housekeeping • Academics • Communications + Engagement Each content chapter of this document includes both background information as well as proposed strategies for expanding TCC’s positive impact on sustainability. Where college-wide datasets exist, such information has been illustrated to increase transparency and engagement as was imagined in this project’s initial visioning sessions. It is anticipated that TCC will also publish the data included in these graphs online so that they can be updated with more timely information as it becomes available. Each content chapter includes a series of numbered goals and associated metrics and targets as appropriate. Each goal also includes a representative set of action items that are anticipated to drive change toward the outcomes defined by each goal’s target. The actions identified in this document are the result of this project’s engagement effort and are not anticipated to be all-inclusive. TCC will be opportunistic in evaluating new avenues for advancement toward its goals as such occasions arise and will communicate updates to this plan through its website. It should also be noted that action items included in this document are both at the college-wide scale and the campus scale. In recognition of the unique assets of each TCC campus, some action items are not applicable or present a less significant opportunity for advancement at some locations. Page | 15 In a typical content chapter: • A is a description of the existing conditions at Tarrant County College. Where appropriate, background information is broken down into sub-headings. • B is a graph illustrating existing datasets. In the content chapters of this document, bar charts, line graphs, and pie graphs are used. • C is a goal. 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Et Page | X Page | X 0X-X: Goal Pedis que reptio et eum re vellitatquid utemos es conecte nem re impos dolorem persperum ape quam, id magnimo dissitat. blaniti numquis explibu samentur andis nim faccum id ut earchic iasperum facid ma aut porum reresectius, offic tecerem delit eos estotas erit doluptus sitate Metric (UNIT) YEAR YEAR YEAR ### TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Action. • Action. EFFORTS AT SPECIFIC CAMPUS WILL INCLUDE: • Action. • Action. EFFORTS AT SPECIFIC CAMPUS WILL INCLUDE: • Action. • Action. 0X-X: Goal Tium, temquatis doluptat ea dolo quiam fuga. Epro inulparum event ad quam sin et liquas quataspid eius acitiuntus es sinvel evelibe atemposandis vollestium nusaes explam quo optionectis eatem ratem in provit, auditinis erata exped qui derunde lluptatem simillab inti TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Action. • Action. EFFORTS AT SPECIFIC CAMPUS WILL INCLUDE: • Action. • Action. 0X-X: Goal Ic tendamus nis sundit a dolum quam resequid explia por aliquias nobite nobitas accum quam, quodit unt es evellabor sam id quibea consequi as et entius et voluptatus, sus. Odis dit am nulpa dolorestiis doles re rerum reperum TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Action. • Action. EFFORTS AT SPECIFIC CAMPUS WILL INCLUDE: • Action. • Action. Chapter Title Metric (UNIT) YEAR YEAR YEAR ### Metric (UNIT) YEAR YEAR YEAR ### <Graph> A C D E FB Typical Content Spreads • D is a brief description of why achieving the goal is important. • E is a goal’s associated metric as well as the evolution TCC anticipates seeing in that metric over time. Not all goals have associated metrics. • F is a selection of actions TCC anticipates advancing either college-wide or on individual campuses to make progress toward the goal identified. Page | 16 Accountability and Reporting The initial vision of TCC’s first phase of the Sustainability Plan envisioned a section entitled Green Building Principles. Engagement with the TCC Community beyond Real Estate and Facilities made it evident that a focus on green building principles was too narrow to capture the salient points of interest. Initial visioning discussions indicated the TCC community seeks resolution on the lack of communication and accountability regarding resources devoted towards advancing sustainability at TCC. Addressing this deficiency had greater resonance with and meaning to the stakeholder groups than whether TCC should engage in LEED certifying its new or renovated buildings which comprise a mere fraction of its existing building portfolio or the particulars of that engagement. Coupling that revelation with several other aligning factors, it was determined that focusing on Accountability and Reporting in this first phase of sustainability plan development would have much greater impact on the success of TCC’s sustainability efforts than adoption (or non-adoption) of green building principles for new construction and major renovation. This is especially true given that the development of Tarrant County College’s built environment is guided by the building, energy, and health codes of local authorities having jurisdiction as well as the college’s own Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications which are maintained and enforced by the Real Estate & Facilities Division. These standards are robust documents organized in alignment with typical specifications for construction projects. Among other requirements, the Technical Design Guidelines outline: • Energy efficiency requirements • Water efficiency requirements for interior flush and flow fixtures • Expectations for metering energy and water use • The minimization of volatile organic compounds to ensure high indoor air quality • Air filtration and cleaning requirements to support continuously high indoor air quality during operations • Noise and acoustic management during construction to minimize the impacts of development on on-going operations • Commissioning requirements to ensure that building systems operate as designed and intended and that TCC’s operations and maintenance staff are well-prepared at the turnover between construction and occupancy • Requirements for landscape plantings • Requirements that exterior lighting comply with the Dark Sky Initiative Beyond local codes and TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications, many other frameworks for evaluating sustainability in the built environment and higher education, most notably the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC LEED) rating systems, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (AASHE STARS), and Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitments. TCC’s green building portfolio is varied and complex and this section focuses on how TCC will continue to report and maintain accountability with its community relative to sustainable campus development. In lieu of a section on Green Building Principles, this makes particular sense given: • Local building code convergence with LEED in the areas of energy and water efficiency Page | 17 • The costs associated with achieving LEED certification in today’s challenging construction cost environment • Mixed results in the actual performance of TCC’s LEED certified facilities Future phases of the Sustainability Plan are anticipated to address the non-energy and water-related elements of sustainability in greater detail with the benefit of working within the framework that the Accountability and Reporting section establishes. USGBC LEED USGBC’s LEED rating systems holistically evaluate the sustainability of individual projects in the built environment. Many of the rating system’s credits celebrate dense, well-connected urban projects that have access to both a variety of businesses and services as well as public transportation infrastructure. This structure can be somewhat detrimental to pursuing LEED certification in more suburban locations like some of TCC’s campuses as many of these credits can be inaccessible. TCC does not require new construction or renovation projects to achieve LEED certification, but the existing Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications are aligned with LEED’s requirements and credits. LEED celebrates sustainable site development by recognizing achievements in habitat protection, open space preservation, rain water management, the reduction of heat islands, and the preservation of dark skies. TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications specifically require the use of fixtures that meet the Dark Sky Initiative which is alignment with LEED’s Light Pollution Reduction credit. Building-scale water metering as well as indoor and outdoor water efficiency are prioritized within the LEED rating systems. TCC achieves greater sub- metering of water than is minimally required by LEED and the acceptable flush and flow rates established for campus fixtures are in alignment with achieving indoor water conservation points within LEED rating systems. TCC’s hot Texas climate challenges water conservation in the outdoor environment as most landscaping requires permanent irrigation to survive. Of all sustainability topics in the built environment, energy conservation efforts are most heavily rewarded in the LEED rating systems. The most recent versions of LEED, LEEDv4, use ASHRAE90.1-2010 as their energy performance baseline and TCC’s own Technical Design Guidelines and Educational The Southeast campus has a more compact building footprint than many of TCC’s other campuses. Page | 18 Specifications similarly ask design teams to establish a percentage improvement beyond that standard for all projects. The State of Texas’ energy code is the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code of which ASHRAE90.1-2013 is a compliance path. Developing a code compliant building at TCC therefore requires construction that is beyond LEEDv4’s minimum energy performance requirements. LEED articulates numerous material procurement credits including low embodied carbon construction materials, products and materials that are transparent about the environmental and human health impacts they present, and construction and demolition waste management and diversion. The goals that follow outline ways in which TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications could be evolved in future to better articulate similar guidance for campus development. Given that many Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, the quality of the indoor environment is a significant contributor to our health and well-being. LEED articulates requirements such as minimum indoor air quality measures and the prohibition of smoking in indoor environments to help support a quality indoor environment and offers recognition for strategies that go above and beyond including low-emitting construction materials, controllable thermal comfort and lighting systems, and access to daylight and views among other strategies. TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications outline aligned strategies including actionable steps to preserve and maintain indoor air quality among other indoor environmental criteria. LEED also provides opportunities to recognize innovation and regionally appropriate design and construction responses. AASHE STARS The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s STARS program comprehensively evaluates sustainability in the academics, engagement and outreach, operations, planning, and administration of college campuses. It also recognizes unique efforts that campuses undertake to accelerate sustainability achievements and has been widely adopted by colleges and universities both across the United States and globally. Many higher education institutions in Texas including Dallas College, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Arlington, and the University of North Texas report their performance to AASHE STARS regularly. AASHE STARS’ first category is in Academics, recognizing that one of the biggest impacts an institution of higher education can have in advancing sustainability is ensuring that it graduates sustainability- literate graduates who can engage professionally in work related to sustainability topics. The credits within the Curriculum topic recognize the availability of courses focused on or related to sustainability as well as the provision of immersive learning experiences and programs that use the campus as a living laboratory. While TCC provides sustainability-related coursework, the results of the 2021 Sustainability Assessment suggest additional integration of sustainability into the curriculum would be welcomed by students. AASHE STARS also recognizes ways in which an institution engages its campus and the public in sustainability-related education through student, faculty, and staff orientation programs, publications and events, and other educational campaigns. The program celebrates community partnerships and continuing education offerings as well as engagement in community service among other activities. While co- curricular engagement has not been a primary focus of this phase of sustainability planning, it is hoped greater detail will be developed on this topic in a later phase of work. Because college and university campuses typically own, maintain, operate, and build substantial built environments, AASHE STARS also includes a robust section on Operations. These topics are broken down into sub-categories for Air & Climate, Buildings, Energy, Food & Dining, Grounds, Purchasing, Transportation, Waste, and Water. In this phase of sustainability planning, TCC has engaged in discussions that would contribute to reporting in the Air & Climate, Buildings, Energy, and Water topics and engagement with Real Estate & Facilities suggests that significant information for the Grounds, Purchasing, Transportation, and Waste topics exists. See the Next Page | 19 Steps chapter to learn more about how TCC plans to advance goal-setting in these areas in future. AASHE STARS’ Planning & Administration topic allows institutions to communicate how sustainability is integrated into their governance structures and planning activities. This topic also includes credits related to diversity, equity, and inclusion with an emphasis on affordability and access. Credits on Wellbeing & Work focus on how a college or university operates as an employer to support equitable outcomes for its faculty and staff. As with LEED, AASHE STARS also includes a topic area for Innovation & Leadership to recognize the unique ways in which an institution addresses sustainability within is specific context. One of the major goals for this section includes the development and submission of TCC’s first AASHE STARS report to increase coordination, accountability, and reporting for college-wide sustainability efforts Second Nature Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Commitments are an evolution from the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The ACUPCC was an effort by higher education to increase the visibility of their role in the fight against climate change. The June 2007 public launch of the initiative garnered 284 signatory colleges and universities who aimed to give their students tools with which to integrate sustainability into their future careers. Over time the ACUPCC needed greater implementation and accountability support and evolved into the Second Nature Climate Leadership Commitments. These commitments are administrated by the non- profit Second Nature which works to both build the network of institutions working toward climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as carbon neutrality. In total, Second Nature administrates three related commitments and accountability tools for colleges and universities: • The Climate Commitment integrates carbon neutrality and climate change resilience. The focus of this commitment is on climate change mitigation and adaptation. • The Carbon Commitment focuses on reducing and neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions. • The Resilience Commitment focuses on climate adaptation and the role of colleges and universities as part of the infrastructure that can support their communities in responding to climate change events. As of the publication of this sustainability plan, TCC has published both its historical record of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and charted a path toward continuing those reductions. This plan does not establish a target date for achieving carbon neutrality, but it is anticipated TCC will work toward doing so. As TCC makes a carbon neutrality commitment, signing the Second Nature Carbon Commitment may become a formal way of declaring the college’s intentions. TCC’s sustainability work has historically tracked resource consumption in a variety of categories but has held that data amongst a relatively small group of stakeholders. It is hoped that through increasing the accountability and reporting practices of the college that existing work can be more readily recognized and that future work can be both tracked and accelerated to continue the path toward a more sustainable future. The wind turbine at the Center of Excellence for Energy Technology is a visible demonstration of TCC’s commitment to sustainability. Page | 20 01-1: Expand Real Estate and Facilities’ Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Continue to update the Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications to keep pace with evolutions in LEED and other green building rating systems. • Add requirements for construction and demolition waste minimization and diversion. • Add language for building envelope commissioning. • Add flow rate requirements for showerhead fixtures. • Identify minimum recycled content requirements for concrete, steel, and aluminum products. • Consider requirements for low embodied carbon construction. • Consider adding requirements for bicycle and transportation infrastructure. • Add language for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. • Identify acceptable performance criteria for porous hardscape materials. • Identify acceptable performance criteria for rooftop solar photovoltaic systems. • Clarify expectations for the solar reflectance of roofing and hardscape materials. • Enhance metering requirements to support increased accountability for the end uses of energy and water college-wide. While the existing Technical Design Guidelines and Educational Specifications address a myriad of topics including many items related to sustainability, opportunities exist to evolve this document to keep pace with new and emerging expectations for high- performance built environments. The Sustainability Plan communicates many of TCC’s performance metrics more publicly for the first time and the data presented in this work will evolve with time. Communicating regularly with the campus community about the college’s progress toward the goals stated in this document is critical for maintaining accountability. 01-2: Develop and maintain a sustainability- focused website. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Identify personnel to develop a sustainability- focused website which will house annual, campus-wide energy and water consumption data as well as the goals, metrics, and actions identified in this plan. • Maintain such a website annually at minimum. • Provide quarterly updates through a blog post, article, or similar mechanism that communicates what action items have been completed, are in progress, or anticipated in the near-term. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Become an institutional member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. • Complete an applicability and feasibility study to determine the achievability of each credit within AASHE STARS. • Develop an interdisciplinary college- wide leadership team to holistically guide sustainability in campus operations, academics, engagement activities, planning, and administration. • Build an interdisciplinary team of collaborators including staff, faculty, and students to collect and organize the college’s documentation on each of AASHE STARS’ credits. • Submit and renew the institution’s AASHE STARS report at minimum every three years. 01-3: Submit Tarrant County College’s first AASHE STARS report. Publishing public datasets on college sustainability efforts to an existing, broadly adopted framework for sustainability in higher education such as AASHE STARS will support TCC in benchmarking itself among its peer institutions across Texas and higher education as well as provide a leadership opportunity for the college. Page | 21The Trinity River East Campus features a bike ramp integrated into an exterior stairwell to make navigating a bicycle easier on campus. Page | 22 Energy TCC maintains robust data tracking for its greenhouse gas emissions, energy use intensity, natural gas consumption, electricity usage, and renewable electricity purchases. Between the timeframe 2010 – 2020, all metrics are trending toward improvement as a result of investments by the college. Greenhouse Gas Emissions TCC’s greenhouse gas emissions following industry standard reporting protocols and communicate emissions in scopes: • Scope 1 – These emissions are from sources controlled by TCC, primarily from building and campus energy equipment that burns fossil fuels. Campus fleet vehicles are accounted for in this scope as well, but it is unclear if TCC’s cataloging currently includes campus fleet vehicles or not. • Scope 2 – These emissions are from the consumption of purchased electricity and other energy sources generated upstream from TCC. • Scope 3 – These emissions are a consequence of TCC’s operations that are not owned or 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 Gr e e n h o u s e G a s E m i s s i o n s i n M T C O 2e TCC’s Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions (FY2010 - FY2020) Scope 1 (On-Site Combustion)Scope 2 (Purchased Electricity)Scopes 1+ 2 Scope 2 Emissions Offset by RECs 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Page | 23 controlled by TCC including commuting and other University-related travel. TCC does not currently account for its Scope 3 emissions although they are likely significant given that there are no resident students at any campus. TCC’s Scope 1 emissions have stayed relatively constant over time with 2014 and 2015 demonstrating slightly anomalous operations with increased emissions. Scope 1 emissions are driven by on-site combustion from boilers that are used to support both the heating of indoor environments and domestic hot water. While Texas has a hot climate with minimal demand for heating indoor environments, campus pools have a constant need for heating hot water. The majority of boilers in central plant facilities across the college have been replaced within the last decade with high- efficiency models and control strategies implemented that have kept Scope 1 emissions low. Some building- scale boilers exist and it’s unclear where those pieces of equipment are in their service lives. In general, TCC maintains a 15 – 20 year replacement cycle for boilers which is in line with the recommended service life of the equipment. TCC’s Scope 2 emissions show more significant fluctuations between 2010 and 2020 with the overall trend heading toward decreasing emissions. TCC’s purchased energy is primarily electricity which is used for HVAC systems, interior and exterior lighting, and plug loads. TCC’s investments in LED lighting retrofits across a significant portion of its gross square footage and parking lot lighting in the last decade has been responsible for many of the reductions TCC has achieved in its gross Scope 2 emissions. TCC has offset most of its Scope 2 emissions over the past decade using Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). TCC should leverage the data from its regularly administered Transportation Survey to estimate the institution’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions generated by commuting. Respondents are already asked to provide the ZIP code of their main residence. Adding a question about which campus a respondent is typically commuting to could be used to generate such an estimate, especially since respondents are already asked both what their most common mode of transportation is and which campus they most frequently use their Trinity Metro transit passes to access. 130 110 120 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 En e r g y U s e I n t e n s i t y i n k B T U / S F / y e a r TCC’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI) (FY2012 - FY2021) 122 121 121 111 95 85 84 84 73 6646% reduction in college-wide EUI Page | 24 Annual Natural Gas Consumption at TCC (FY2012 - FY2021) FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 Na t u r a l G a s C o n s u m p t i o n i n M C F 40,000 20,000 60,000 80,000 120,000 70,000 90,000 50,000 30,000 0 10,000 130,000 110,000 100,000 81,605 95,598 122,846 120,541 91,532 74,800 86,355 94,103 75,393 74,065 El e c t r i c i t y C o n s u m p t i o n i n M W h 40,000 20,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 70,000 90,000 50,000 30,000 0 10,000 Annual Electricity Consumption at TCC (FY2012 - FY2021) FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 94,639 91,703 94,951 79,071 79,329 76,142 72,273 69,197 61,887 53,594 9% decrease in annual natural gas use 44% decrease in annual electricity use Page | 25 40,000 20,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 70,000 110,000 90,000 50,000 30,000 0 10,000 El e c t r i c i t y i n M W h TCC’s Renewable Electricity Purchases (FY2009 - FY2022) TCC’s tracking demonstrates varied purchases of renewable energy certificates (RECs) over time to offset electricity consumption purchased from the grid. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)Total Electricity Usage Energy Use Intensity TCC also evaluates its college-wide energy consumption by measuring its energy use intensity. The consumption of various energy sources – natural gas, propane, electricity, etc. – are all measured in different units. Energy use intensity, or EUI, provides a common unit all of these energy sources can be converted into which can then be divided by the building square footage served per year. Energy use intensity is therefore measured in kBtu / square foot-year. Buildings with energy intensive programs (labs) tend to have higher EUIs while buildings with less energy intensive programs (offices) tend to have lower EUIs. EUI is therefore a bit like miles per gallon for a vehicle; some vehicles are less fuel efficient (tractor trailers) while others are more fuel efficient (hybrids or electric vehicles). National EUI databases such as that compiled by the Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) provide average benchmarks for the energy use intensity of various building programs and can help identify both top-performers as well as buildings that have room for operational improvements. As illustrated in the graph, TCC’s energy use intensity has decreased from a high of 122 kBtu / square foot-year in fiscal year 2012 to a low of 66 kBtu / square foot-year in fiscal year 2021. Some portion of the decrease in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 may be the result of decreased occupancy caused by COVID-19, but in general the trend is still heading toward decreased energy use intensity over time. To put this performance in perspective, the average community college EUI was 76 kBtu / square foot-year in the 2017-2018 academic year. In that same timeframe TCC was operating at an EUI of 84 which was slightly higher than average, but certainly within the range of performance anticipated from community colleges. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Page | 26 These graphs illustrate the distribution of electricity and natural gas consumption by campus. Trinity River uses the most electricity of any TCC campus while Northwest uses the most natural gas. Natural Gas + Electricity TCC’s natural gas and electricity consumption generally align with the reporting for greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas consumption demonstrates greater fluctuations than electricity use over time while both demonstrate trends toward resource conservation. Both natural gas and electricity have unique usage for academic programs - natural gas related to the Fire Academy and electricity usage by ceramic kilns are critical to the teaching mission of the college. Between FY2012 and FY2021, TCC’s natural gas consumption decreased by 9% while electricity use decreased by 43%. It is hoped that by implementing the actions identified in the following pages that these trends can continue. Renewable Electricity TCC’s primary mechanism for procuring clean and renewable electricity is through Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that are purchased annually for the college as a whole. RECs are a non-tangible, tradable commodity that prove the owner has purchased electricity generated by a renewable energy source. They are typically sold in units of 1 megawatt-hour (MWh). TCC is currently in a REC contract from 2020 – 2024 in which it will offset 70% of its annual electricity purchases with RECs, although the Board could choose to allocate additional funds to increase the percentage of electricity purchases offset. From 2025 – 2032, TCC’s existing contracts will offset 100% of its electricity consumption with RECs. The college will be positioned to make an entirely new contracting decision relative to its REC purchases and/or other strategies for procuring clean, renewable electricity in 2033. TCC also produces uses a 100 kW photovoltaic array and a 10 kW wind turbine installed at the Center of Excellence for Energy Technology to produce less than 1% of TCC’s annual electricity consumption. Consumption Distribution by Campus The planning team used campus-specific electricity and natural gas consumption data to understand where the greatest end users of energy are. The Trinity River assets are almost entirely fossil-fuel free. While this means they have the highest percentage of TCC’s electricity consumption, it also means that consumption is the easiest to neutralize through on-site generation and/or RECs. Natural gas consumption is more distributed with Northwest, South, and Northeast being the primary users. Electricity Consumption at TCC by Campus (FY2021) Natural Gas Consumption at TCC by Campus (FY2021) Northeast Northwest South Southeast Trinity River ODMC OWTL TCOC TREC DMOC 14% 1% 14% 4% 13% 2%11% 34% 4%1% 22% 1% 26% 2% 23% 5% 15% 1%5% Page | 27 02-2: Decrease energy use intensity. TCC’s actions over the last decade have decreased gross Scope 1 and 2 emissions and worked to offset Scope 2 emissions. As institutions across Texas and the globe head toward carbon neutrality, TCC can continue to demonstrate leadership by continuing to reduce and offset its greenhouse gas emissions. Gross Scope 1 + 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Metric Tonnes CO2e) 2020 2030 2040 30,100 27,090 (-10%)24,080 (-20%) TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Begin tracking emissions associated with campus fleet vehicles. • Codify existing campus policies for building heating and cooling district-wide and equip building management systems to enforce them. • Continue to upgrade building envelopes, especially by selecting reflective roof coatings when roofing replacement projects are completed, adding roof insulation, and transitioning remaining single-pane glazing systems to thermally broken double-pane glazing. • Upgrade metering of liquid propane and natural gas usage at the Northwest Fire Service Academy. • Consider electrifying the commercial kitchen at Trinity River when equipment reaches its renewal cycle. • Incorporate heat pump domestic hot water and heating water production in lieu of electric resistance and natural gas where applicable. • Begin tracking Scope 3 emissions associated with commuting. As TCC works to decrease the operational impacts of its operations through facilities renewal and other strategies, energy use intensity is anticipated to decrease. To continue to reduce overall impact, it will be important to manage the amount of gross square footage required to meet the college’s programmatic needs. Energy Use Intensity (kBTU / square foot-year) FY2021 2030 2040 66 60 (-10%)53 (-20%) TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Ensure the highest and best utilization of existing space via ongoing coordination between facilities management and the registrar and implementation of the Smart Building Program. • Investigate replacing portable construction modules with permanent construction. Net Scope 1 + 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Metric Tonnes CO2e) 2020 2030 2040 5,075 3,655 0 02-1: Decrease Scope 1 (on-site combustion) and Scope 2 (purchased electricity) greenhouse gas emissions. Page | 28 02-4: Reduce annual electricity consumption. While TCC has already deployed many strategies to reduce electricity consumption, additional efforts can yield both energy and cost savings. These strategies will support both the achievement of this goal as well as goals 02-1 and 02-3. Increasing efficiency will also add value to future on-site photovoltaic installations and decrease the volume of REC purchases required to achieve carbon neutrality. Annual Electricity Consumption (kWh) 2021 2030 2040 53,594,940 48,235,446 (-10%) 42,875,952 (-20%) TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Continue replacing lesser efficiency light fixtures with LEDs across the college, especially at Northeast, South, Southeast, and Trinity River. • Continue to deploy occupancy sensors across classrooms and other shared spaces to ensure lights turn off and HVAC systems are adjusted when rooms are not in use. • Continue to advance ongoing commissioning activities across the college on a 5-year cycle beginning with campuses that will benefit most from these services including Northeast. • Coordinate with campus police across the district to establish exterior lighting setbacks. • Consider setting back parking deck lighting at Trinity River when the garage is closed. • Increase deployment of interior lighting setbacks during unoccupied hours. • Power down escalators at Trinity River when campus is closed. • Transition to centralized resources (ie, printers, refrigerators, coffee stations, etc.) in office spaces to minimize plug loads. • Explore Information Technology policies to support reductions in computer energy use. • Integrate HVAC and lighting controls. • Increase use of data analytics and diagnostics afforded by the Smart Building Program. • Segregate plug, lighting, and equipment loads for more granular metering of electricity usage. 02-3: Maximize clean and renewable electricity purchases. TCC produces a small amount of clean, renewable on-site electricity through a 100 kW photovoltaic array and a 10 kW wind turbine installed at the Center of Excellence for Energy Technology that produce less than 1% of TCC’s annual electricity consumption. TCC’s primary existing mechanism for procuring clean and renewable electricity is through RECs. Continuing to maximize clean and renewable electricity purchases through a combination of on-site generation and REC purchases reduces the institution’s Scope 2 emissions and directly reduces the environmental impact of its operations while managing the financial volatility of the electricity and REC markets. *REC purchases for 2020 - 2032 are already under contract at the rates specified as of the publication of this document. Electricity from Clean and Renewable Sources 2020 - 2024*2025 - 2032*2033 - beyond 70%100%100% TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Increase on-site renewable energy production by investigating solar photovoltaic canopies over parking lots on the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and South campuses as well as roof-mounted photovoltaics on the contiguous rooftop area of the Trinity River campus that are either owned, operated, and maintained by TCC or developed through power purchase agreement(s) in which TCC retains both the electricity and environmental benefit associated with such installations. • Incorporate permanent educational signage at on-site solar installations to support community engagement and learning. • Consider upgrading 2020 - 2024 REC contract to offset 100% of electricity purchases. • Investigate contracting mechanisms in the 2033 renewal cycle that continue to offset 100% of TCC’s electricity consumption through RECs. Page | 29 02-5: Reduce natural gas consumption. TCC’s efforts to date have yielded more efficient campus operations that use less natural gas. Unlike electricity which can be produced using clean, renewable technologies, burning fossil fuels always produces a negative environmental impact that must be offset to achieve carbon neutrality. Continuing to reduce natural gas consumption minimizes the offsets TCC may require in future to achieve carbon neutrality. Annual Natural Gas Consumption (MCF) 2021 2030 2040 74,100 66,690 (-10%)59,280 (-20%) TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Continue to upgrade boilers and other fossil fuel equipment at the end of their recommended service lives to the most efficient models available in the market. • Investigate opportunities to pilot geothermal or heat pump systems, particularly for pools or buildings with stand-alone boilers. • Consider opportunities to use geothermal at South campus to increase central plant resiliency for cooling. • Continue to advance ongoing commissioning activities across the college on a 5-year cycle beginning with campuses that will benefit most from these services including Northeast. • Consider addressing the conflict presented by reducing TCC’s natural gas consumption while maintaining on-campus natural gas drilling. • Add submeters at Northwest to better understand the fire academy’s natural gas usage. Solar canopies such as that at the entrance to SETC Hall make sustainability an integrated part of the campus experience. Page | 30 Water TCC maintains robust data tracking for its water consumption and in many cases can break down the end uses of water on each campus into three classes: irrigation, cooling towers, and indoor water use. For some campuses cooling towers and indoor water use are combined. Between fiscal year 2012 and fiscal year 2021, potable water consumption decreased 44% as a result of investments by the college. Irrigation TCC’s extensive land holdings have irrigation systems of varying age and composition. All campuses utilize weather-based irrigation systems which match usage to local weather patterns, soil types, and plant types to prevent watering when rainfall is available. Some campuses better enforce existing policies that allow turf to go dormant in the hot summer months than others. The campus at Northwest has unique access to the adjacent lake which allows it to use that water for irrigation as well as the fire academy’s water feature in lieu of municipal potable supply water. Drip irrigation has been deployed in some planting bed areas, although it appears there is opportunity for growth in adopting such systems. Water Features Multiple campuses including Northwest, South, and Trinity River, and Trinity River East Campus include Po t a b l e W a t e r C o n s u m p t i o n in T h o u s a n d G a l l o n s ( k G a l ) 75,000 25,000 150,000 100,000 200,000 50,000 125,000 0 175,000 Annual Potable Water Consumption at TCC (FY2012 - FY2021) FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 170,342 140,311 123,945 128,948 141,460 116,463 119,794 95,268 100,276 95,59944% reduction in potable water consumption Page | 31 water features. These are of varying vintages and several are coming up on major maintenance cycles at which time TCC will need to determine whether to re-invest in these features or decommission them. In most if not all cases, water features are not separately metered and as a result it’s unclear how to separate their water consumption from other end uses. Some water features have already been decommissioned and turned into landscape planters. Cooling Towers Given the hot climate TCC’s campuses are located within, cooling towers are the majority end user of water as they work to support building HVAC systems in keeping spaces cool. While the Cooling Tower Chemical Controller at all sites logs data on concentration testing, it’s unclear how this information is leveraged to optimize how many cycles are run before new makeup water is provided. Comprehensive review of this data and education for operators may provide further optimize operations. Investments in buildings served by cooling towers, such as added roof insulation, improvements in glazing, and other modifications, may also reduce cooling demand and potable water use by cooling towers. Indoor Water Use Across all TCC assets flush and flow fixtures such as toilets, urinals, and bathroom sinks have been upgraded to high-efficiency models that reduce water consumption. TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines require fixtures meet the following flush and flow rates which demonstrate reductions from industry baseline standards: • Toilets = 1.28 gallons per flush • Urinals = 0.125 gallons per flush • Lavatory faucets = 0.5 gallons per minute • Sink faucets = 0.5 gallons per minute TCC’s existing standards do not specify a flow rate for showers, but given the relatively few showers provided across existing assets this is not a significant omission. Consumption Distribution by Campus and End Use The planning team used campus-specific water consumption data to understand where the greatest end users of water are. The Trinity River campus uses the greatest amount of water of any TCC campus while on average DMOC uses the least. As noted earlier, TCC’s metering for water supports sub-metering for end uses including irrigation, cooling towers, and indoor water use. On campuses where such end uses are separated, cooling towers use the greatest amount of water. Irrigation is also a substantial end use of water on most campuses while indoor water use has lesser demand on most campuses. TCC can identify water use by campus. The graph above illustrates the average distribution of consumption by campus. Trinity River uses the most water of any TCC campus while on average DMOC uses the least. Average Distribution of Water Consumption at TCC by Campus (FY2021) Northeast Northwest South Southeast Trinity River ODMC OWTL TCOC TREC DMOC 15% 2% 14% 4% 18%2% 10% 25% 9%<1% Page | 32 Irrigation Cooling Towers and Indoor Water Use Cooling Towers Indoor Water Use End Uses of Water - TCOC (FY2021) 70% 11% 19% End Uses of Water - South (FY2021) 47%34% 19% End Uses of Water - OWTL (FY2021) 49% 45% 6% End Uses of Water - ODMC (FY2021) 89% 11% End Uses of Water - Northwest (FY2021) 53% 47% End Uses of Water - Northeast (FY2021) 24%41% 35% Page | 33 Irrigation Cooling Towers and Indoor Water Use Cooling Towers Indoor Water Use End Uses of Water - TREC (FY2021) 39%61% End Uses of Water - Trinity River (FY2021) 21% 60% 19% End Uses of Water - Southeast (FY2021) 39% 61% End Uses of Water - DMOC (FY2021) 97% 3% It should be noted that both ODMC and DMOC do not have cooling towers and as a result data for these streams of water consumption is not part of the water use profile of those campuses. It should also be noted that Northwest does not have irrigation water use as the adjacent lake is used as a water source. Page | 34 03-1: Decrease potable water use for irrigation and water features. As costs for potable water continue to rise in TCC’s community, decreasing potable water use for irrigation and water features is both financially and environmentally responsible. The actions identified below will support TCC in decreasing potable water demand in the outdoor environment. Potable Water Used Annually for Irrigation (kGal) FY2021 2030 2040 35,367 31,830 (-10%)28,294 (-20%) TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Continue to enforce requirements that all new plantings must be native and adapted species. • Expand enforcement of existing policy that allows turf grass to go dormant in summer months college-wide. • Add metering to all college water features. • Investigate the life cycle cost analysis of repairing or decommissioning water features at their next renewal cycle. • Identify extreme drought condition triggers that will temporarily modify irrigation practices, pool services, and water features. • Implement rainwater harvesting at Northeast for irrigation. • Continuing to use the lake as a supply source for irrigation systems at Northwest. • Explore utilizing on-campus pond at Southeast as a source for irrigation water. • Investigate opportunities for stormwater capture, storage, and reuse from the Trinity River Parking Garage. • Prepare Trinity River and TREC campuses to receive greywater for irrigation from a future municipal greywater system. 03-2: Increase cooling tower efficiency. TCC’s campuses are located in a hot climate with significant cooling demand. Increasing the efficiency with which cooling towers use water to provide cooling can significantly reduce TCC’s environmental impact on a critical regional resource. Approximate Potable Water Used Annually by Cooling Towers (kGal) FY2021 2030 2040 59,360 53,424 (-10%)47,488 (-20%) TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Leverage continuous monitoring via the Smart Building Program on cooling towers to ensure their cycles are optimized to reduce potable water consumption. • Advance building upgrades that will reduce cooling loads as noted in the Energy chapter. • Add sub-metering to separate cooling tower water use from indoor potable water consumption at Southeast, and TREC. 03-3: Decrease indoor potable water use. TCC has already retrofitted existing indoor flush and flow fixtures to high-efficiency models that reduce potable water use. As new construction continues, continuing to enforce existing standards will support TCC in minimizing its indoor potable water use. TO ADVANCE THIS GOAL, TCC WILL: • Maintain the flush/flow rates required of indoor potable water fixtures in TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines. • Benchmark and monitor building-level water usage, leveraging current work at Northeast. • Update design and construction standards as new technologies prove themselves in the marketplace. • Add an expected flow rate of 2.0 gallons per minute for showers to TCC’s Technical Design Guidelines. • Deploy leak detection systems in facilities with higher water demands, such as buildings with swimming pools. Approximate Potable Water Used Annually in Flush and Flow Fixtures (kGal) FY2021 2030 2040 29,357 26,421 (-10%)23,486 (-20%) Page | 35Some water features have already been decommissioned into landscape planters. Page | 36 Next Steps In addition to work on energy, water, and accountability, the initial data request for this sustainability plan included intentional analysis of TCC’s existing data sets on: • Waste Management • Transportation • Procurement • Grounds + Landscaping • Housekeeping • Academics • Communications + Engagement Because of the depth of existing data and college-wide networks of faculty, staff, and students engaged on the topics of energy and water, it was determined that the planning team would advance sustainability planning on these two topics as well as accountability and reporting first. This chapter summarizes the data reviewed on the topics listed above and identifies potential avenues for further inquiry. Waste Management TCC maintains waste hauling contracts with Waste Management at all locations except the Northeast and Southeast campuses which are served by Republic. The institution has reliable historic waste generation and diversion metrics because of these contracts which is atypical of many community college institutions. Waste management is typically addressed by institutions in two ways: • Waste Minimization: efforts to reduce the total amount of compostable, recyclable, and landfillable materials products • Waste Diversion: efforts to increase the amount of material that is composted or recycled in lieu of landfilled. TCC’s waste diversion rate in calendar year 2019 was 24% which is commensurate with the University of North Texas’s (UNT) 2014 waste diversion rate and behind the most recent publicly available waste diversion rates for the University of Texas at Dallas TCC’s Waste Diversion Compared to Peer Institutions TCC - 2019 UT Dallas - 2018 UT Arlington - 2016 UNT - 2014 24% 76% 30% 70% 33% 67% 23% 77% Waste Diverted Waste Landfilled Page | 37 (UT Dallas) and the University of Texas at Arlington (UT Arlington). Completing installation of vendor- recommended recycling infrastructure would support waste minimization and diversion initiatives. TCC can also continue to minimize waste generation and divert waste from landfills by reusing or repurposing durable college assets such as furniture whenever possible. Transportation Transportation is composed of two parts: campus fleet vehicles and commuting by students, faculty, and staff. Institutions with on-campus residents tend to separate student commuting from faculty and staff commuting, but because TCC has no students residing on campus, it makes sense to think about commuting holistically for all of TCC’s campus population. In Fall 2021, TCC’s campus fleet included 234 vehicles of which only 1% could be considered a hybrid vehicle. Excluded from this vehicle fleet are special purpose vehicles such as those used by the college’s industry and technical programs. The average TCC vehicle is nine years old and TCC works to maximize the value of each vehicle it purchases. TCC has a well-established campus fleet vehicle life cycle which includes its initial driver assignment, assignment to a technical program, and finally assignment to the fire safety program where the vehicles reach end of life supporting training for fire and rescue students. TCC should consider how to increase the proportion of its fleet vehicles that are hybrid and/or electric vehicles to reduce environmental impact. The market for hybrid vehicles has drastically evolved in the last decade making many such vehicles cost-competitive with conventional vehicles. Hybrid and electric vehicles also require less or no gasoline during their life cycle which reduces on-going fuel costs. Transitioning to commuting, parking is free for all at all campuses and cover an enormous amount of real estate - approximately 4.5 million gross square feet (over 103 acres). The only campus with parking permits is the Trinity River Campus which is served by a parking garage for faculty, staff, and students. Permit stickers carry a replacement cost of $5.00. While free parking supports equitable access, it also disincentivizes the use of public transportation and/or walking and bicycling for populations that live adjacent to campuses. TCC has agreements with Trinity Metro and the City of Arlington to provide free access to public transportation for students. TCC periodically conducts 14,671 number of parking spaces provided across TCC’s campuses 4.5M square feet of TCC real estate occupied by parking TCC’s Campus Fleet Vehicles 1%2% 48% 10% 21% 19% Ambulances Fire Trucks Pick Up Trucks Sedans SUVs Vans Page | 38 a transportation survey that highlights the impact of various transportation initiatives. The transit passes were introduced between 2017 and 2019 and the April 29 transportation survey data indicates that at that time 40% of respondents were still unaware that this was a benefit provided for them as TCC students. Increasing outreach on transit availability may reduce the number of students who are unaware of this resource and increase the percentage of students who commute using it. A utilization study on existing parking assets could also be valuable to TCC and empower the transition of underutilized parking inventory into better land uses. It’s unclear how big an impact transportation between campuses has, but further exploring that may highlight whether there is value in a formalized campus shuttle system. A bike share option was under consideration for movement between the Trinity River and Trinity River East Campus sites, but it’s unclear if that program has been brought to fruition or requires further study. Procurement Institutions such as TCC have substantially more purchasing power than average consumers and as a result the procurement decisions the college makes for everything from printer paper to cleaning supplies has the opportunity to make an impact on the availability of environmentally preferable goods and services in the marketplace. Tarrant County College has centralized procurement which makes it easier for the college to enforce its Procurement Procedures Manual. While the manual does not appear to include information about EPEAT certified electronics or environmentally preferable cleaning or janitorial supplies, the Procurement Procedures Manual does require the use of printer paper with post-consumer recycled content and/or that contains Forest Stewardship Council certified wood pulp. Adding additional language to the Procurement Procedures Manual could increase the positive impact of TCC’s spending on operational goods and services. Concurrent with the publication of this sustainability plan, TCC Real Estate & Facilities is developing a sustainability strategy around interior design materials, particularly focusing on finishes and furniture. This work includes considerations of how to elevate sustainability criteria into the District Furniture Standards used to procure furnishings as well as how to elevate sustainability criteria into the District Finish Standards. Research is ongoing as to the criteria to utilize, but products and materials that incorporate recycled content, have fewer VOCs, and minimize waste are likely to be prioritized. It is also possible that TCC’s requests for proposals may elevate demands on design service providers to ensure such providers have such selection criteria integrated into their design processes. TCC has relatively few foodservice operations, all of which are contracted out to third parties. Existing contracts do not require sustainability practices from third-party foodservice vendors, but could be evolved to include such requirements. Grounds + Landscaping TCC has extensive land holdings that are primarily maintained in-house via the Grounds Department within Building Services. While some portion of a landscape’s sustainability is related to irrigation’s water consumption (addressed in this Sustainability Plan’s Water chapter), that are other aspects of a sustainable grounds and landscape program including plant species requirements as well as pesticide use. The college’s Technical Design Guidelines require the use of native and adapted species in new campus landscapes which supports both reduced irrigation demand as well as habitat development. TCC works with third-party contractors for pest management and inspects for interior pests weekly across the college. Exterior pest inspections occur during optimal conditions for pests - typically spring to fall. Pesticide use is minimal and only done in the case of infestation. When required, organic and environmentally preferable pesticides with low hazard levels are used. TCC can continue to advance in sustainability managing its grounds and landscaping by codifying existing practices into a published Integrated Pest Management plan and exploring what happens with landscape waste such as leaves. On-site composting could return landscape wastes to productive use across the college and have natural synergies with academic programs on some campuses. Page | 39 Permanently installed signage, such as this example from South campus which describes a bioretention system, could be part of a broader college-wide interpretive system that supports students, faculty, staff, and visitors in understanding TCC’s sustainable attributes. Housekeeping Regular housekeeping services at TCC are contracted to a third-party vendor which perhaps explains why custodial products have limited covered in the college’s Procurement Procedures Manual. TCC’s existing housekeeping contract includes language on reducing the carbon impact of this work and mandates the use of environmentally preferable cleaners such as those that carry “Green Seal” ratings. Consumable housekeeping products such as trash bags, toilet paper, soap, and paper towels do not appear to have contractual requirements for recycled content or similar environmentally preferable criteria and could be added. The contract language makes no differentiation between the bags provided for recycling as opposed to trash collection which can limit the visual cues provided to both users of campus facilities as well as custodial staff about where the waste from a particular receptacle should be headed - the recycling dumpster or the trash dumpster. Incorporating these revisions to housekeeping requirements may result in more sustainable operations that have lesser environmental impact. Academics TCC offers sustainability-related academic programs, but at this time there is no existing mechanism comprehensively review all of the opportunities that are available. Some examples of sustainability’s integration into the curriculum include: • Marine Creek Nature Discovery Center • Prairie Restoration & Maintenance • Marine Creek Land Scholars Program • Course Curriculum Development for Outdoor Learning • Community Education & Engagement Garden Series (2021) • Advanced A/C Controls (HART) • Solar Photovoltaic Systems (ELMT) • Wind Power Delivery System (WIND) Developing a system and reviewing the course catalog to quantify the number and distribution of sustainability-related courses offered would support TCC in benchmarking against regional peer institutions. Advancing college-wide internship and apprenticeship programs that integrate Real Estate & Facilities’ work could also provide opportunities for applied learning that use campus facilities as a living laboratory. Communications + Engagement Similar to Academics, there is not an existing mechanism for comprehensively reviewing TCC’s communications and co-curricular engagement on sustainability topics. Cataloging such efforts would support TCC in benchmarking against regional peer institutions. TCC has a variety of mechanisms it has used to communicate and engage on sustainability including: • Community Garden (2021) • Earth Day Fest • Preservation areas • Sustainability Committee • Aquaponics System & Community Garden • Bee Campus USA • Tree Campus USA • Online Publications • Social Media Page | 40 TCC also maintains numerous sustainability-related partnerships including those it has developed with: • Botanical Research Institute of Texas • Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge • Native Plant Society of Texas • Native Prairie Association of Texas: Fort Worth Chapter • Tarrant Regional Water District • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department • Texas Wildlife Association • Joe Pool Lake Watershed Protection Plan • Tarrant Transit Alliance Formalizing these communications and partnerships under a single point of contact such as a college-wide Sustainability Director who is supported by other staff and resources could help to increase the efficacy and continuity of these efforts and broaden the number of community members engaged in sustainability at TCC and beyond. Page | 41Water features at the Northwest campus serve the fire academy’s academic programs while recycling their water. Page | 42 Glossary While this Sustainability Plan has striven to avoid overly technical terminology, some of the terms used in this document may be unfamiliar to readers. The glossary below is intended to empower all members of TCC’s community in participating fully in sustainability conversations. Air Handling Units (AHUs): a device used to regulate and circulate air as part of a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (AASHE STARS): a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE): an American professional association that develops and publishes industry standards regarding the performance of mechanical and electrical systems Building Automation Systems / Building Management Systems (BAS / BMS): a computer- based control system that monitors and automates protocols for mechanical and electrical equipment such as ventilation, lighting, power systems, fire systems, and security systems in a building or multiple buildings Carbon footprint: a calculation to quantify the total greenhouse gas emissions generated by a specific building or institution ENERGY STAR: a program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency that labels products including refrigerators, computers, dishwashers, and other equipment and appliances to recognize their energy efficiency Electrification: developing new or updating existing building systems away from natural gas and other fuel sources to run solely on electricity Energy audit: the analysis of building energy usage which typically includes a site visit, inventory of building equipment, and calculation of total energy usage resulting in recommended efficiency upgrades Energy Use Intensity (EUI): the measure of a building’s total annual energy consumption divided by its square footage quantified in kBTU / square foot / year Greenhouse gases (GHG): gases that absorb and emit radiant energy (heat) within the thermal infrared range, defined by the source or scope of the gas in three types: Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Gross greenhouse gas emissions: total emissions defined by the source of the emissions in Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Gross Square Feet (GSF): the total area on all floors of a building included within the outside faces of its exterior walls, including all vertical penetration areas for circulation and shaft areas that connect one floor to another HVAC: an abbreviation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning kBTU: a unit of heat measurement equivalent to 1,000 British thermal units; the units for other forms of energy such as electricity and natural gas can be converted into kBTU kBTU / square foot-year: the unit used to quantify a building’s Energy Use Intensity Page | 43 Light-emitting diode (LED): a high-efficiency light source that uses less energy and requires less maintenance than many other commercially available light fixtures including fluorescent and incandescent bulbs Lighting controls: an automated system to control building lights, usually based on time of day or occupancy sensors MERV13: a rating representing how effectively HVAC system filters can capture particulates; MERV13 is the recommended rating to maintain healthy indoor air quality within a building Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e): an amount of a greenhouse gas whose atmospheric impact has been standardized to that of one unit mass of carbon dioxide (CO2), based on the global warming potential (GWP) of the gas; used in greenhouse gas reporting Net greenhouse gas emissions: total emissions minus the impact of any offsets such as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and verified carbon offsets Non-potable water: water that has not been treated for human consumption but which may be acceptable for other uses including irrigation and toilet flushing Plug loads: energy used by equipment and products that are powered by outlets within a building Potable water: water that has been treated for human consumption Photovoltaic (PV) panel: a device that converts the light of the sun into electricity, also called a solar panel Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): a tradable, non-tangible energy commodity that certifies the bearer owns one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated from a renewable energy source Retrocommissioning: a systematic process of improving an existing building’s performance that evaluates its energy-consuming systems to ensure they are operating within their design parameters and provides corrective actions for anomalous operations Return on Investment (ROI): a performance measure used to evaluate the ratio of income to investment. Generally compares initial cost (capital expense) and long-term operational costs savings (simple payback), but can be expanded to include less tangible benefits of investment including improved reputation among peers and similar outcomes Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM): a general approximation of cost Scope 1 emissions: direct greenhouse gas emissions that occur from sources controlled by an organization; examples are emissions from fuel combustion in boilers, furnaces, and fleet vehicles Scope 2 emissions: indirect greenhouse gas emissions from sources controlled by an organization; examples are emissions from the generation of electricity, heat, or steam purchased from a utility provider Scope 3 emissions: greenhouse gas emissions that are the result of activities from assets not owned or controlled by an organization but that are tied to the organization’s value chain; examples include commuting, procurement, water, and waste Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs): components of a mechanical ventilation system that allow for ramping airflow up or down to meet real-time needs in lieu of constant volume systems which operate at a consistent rate to meet an assumed level of occupancy Water Use Intensity (WUI): the total water use per square foot of a building or campus, commonly used to describe the water efficiency of a building Page | 44 Acknowledgments In addition to over 2,700 anonymous survey respondents, this work is the collective effort of over 40 members of the TCC community who participated in multiple rounds of focus groups and interviews. This work was directed and managed by Walter Williams and supported by Thomas Vanover, Jennifer Butts, and Michelle Davis-Mohammed. Progress was reviewed by TCC’s board of directors as part of their March 10, 2022 and November 10, 2022 meetings. TCC acknowledges the contributions of the following participants and thanks them for their contributions: • Susan Alanis, Chief Operating Officer • Ray Allison, Contracts Administrator • Aristeo Javier Arredondo, Facilities Manager • Dionne Bagsby, Coordinator Strategic Initiatives II • Andy Bode, Chief Plant Operator • Greta Bowling, Biology Professor • Laurie Ertle, Biology Assistant Professor • Sophy George, Instructor • Renee Glass, Project Manager - Fire Safety • Suzanne Groves, Executive Director of Communications, PR, and Marketing • Eric Gum, Project Manager • Okang Hemmings, Executive Director, Real Estate and Facilities • James Hobbs, Geology Instructor • Donald Horn, Chief Plant Operator • James Howard, Instructor • Dagny Jackson, Administrative Office Assistant • Thomas Keith, Instructor of Construction • Margaret Lutton, Executive Director Institutional Strategic Development • Herndon Michael, Executive Director of Procurement • Christopher Mitchell, Controls Specialist • Kenneth Mitchell, ABM Custodial • Malik Mohammed, Student • Andrew Mwenduti, Student • Tracie Nielsen, Coordinator of Facilities Planning • Charles Oakes, Manager of District Irrigation • Marius Pfeiffer, Biology Professor • Sean Piganell, Plumber • Jeffrey Rector, Instructor • Edwin Santiago, Chief Plant Operator • Craig Shimanek, Lead Groundskeeper • Thomas Sosa, Vice President for Academic Affairs • Mike Tankersley, Director of Facilities Operations • Keith Thomas, Instructor • John Tilley, Facilities Manager • Bobby Tillman, Chief Plant Operator • Thomas Vanover, Senior Manager of Building Automation Systems • Walter Williams, Director of Facilities Engineering • Randal Williamson, Electrician • Ayers Saint Gross, Planning Consultant Page | 45High-efficiency hot water boilers at TCC’s Northeast Campus serve campus heating needs. Page | 46 2021 Sustainability Assessment Results 2,763 respondents to the 2021 TCC Sustainability Assessment Tarrant County College launched its first ever, college- wide Sustainability Assessment on November 5, 2021. By the survey’s close on November 30, 2021 it had received nearly 2,800 responses from students, faculty, and staff. The survey had an average completion rate of 71% which is quite high for a relatively long, relatively complex survey instrument. The survey instrument was developed in alignment with two AASHE STARS credits: AC-6 Sustainability Literacy Assessment and EN-6: Assessing Sustainability Culture. These two credits do no prescribe what questions must be asked, but do require that a survey tool should be offered periodically to a campus community to understand its general knowledge of sustainability as well as its attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to the topic. The planning team pulled publicly available questions to these two credits from the AASHE STARS participant reports for a variety of institutions including: • Arizona State University • Texas A&M University • Texas Tech University • The University of Houston • The University of Texas at Arlington • The University of Texas at Austin • The University of Texas at Dallas The questions from these surveys were reviewed with TCC and a selection of questions were developed for their relevance to the community and the value responses would have to sustainability planning and engagement efforts. The survey was administered by Ayers Saint Gross using the Qualtrics survey platform. TCC solicited responses for the survey using email outreach. In total the survey included 36 questions and took each respondent approximately 10 – 15 minutes to complete. The questions were organized in an order of importance determined by the planning team to ensure that survey fatigue did not limit the number of respondents who reached the most significant content of the survey. The survey included multiple choice questions as well as matrix and ranking questions. The survey ended with one open-ended question that allowed respondents to share any other information about sustainability at TCC that they wished to share. In addition to the content questions of the survey, the survey included filtering questions that asked about respondents’ primary classification (student, faculty, staff), primary campus, age range, and time spent on campus during a typical day. If a respondent identified primarily as a student, then they were also asked for their degree program and/or major as well as first enrollment timeframe. Given the level of consensus achieved in respondents’ answers to each question, few questions used this filtering data to clarify the survey’s results. At a high level, the survey illustrates a number of strong take-aways: • There is a higher level of shared interest and literacy in sustainability in TCC’s campus community than was anticipated. • Respondents demonstrate significant consensus in their responses regardless of their primary Page | 47 TCC’s Fall 2021 Population by Primary Classification (N = 45,150) Students Faculty Staff TCC Sustainability Assessment Respondents by Primary Classification (N = 2,459) 3% 90% 7% 73% 18% 9% TCC’s Fall 2021 Population by Primary Campus (N = 49,198) Northeast Northwest South Southeast Trinity River Campus TCC Connect TCC Sustainability Assessment Respondents by Primary Classification (N = 1,708) 19% 14% 13% 17% 11% 26%23% 15% 13% 17% 20% 12% Page | 48 classification (students, faculty, staff), primary campus, age range, and degree program or major if respondents identified primarily as students. • Responses highlight the information disconnect between sustainable campus operations and campus community awareness. • Questions related to sustainability in academic offerings highlight a need for greater sustainability integration in academic programs. As illustrated in the graphs on the previous page, the population of survey respondents is relatively proportional to TCC’s overall enrollment data. The survey respondents include proportionally fewer students and more faculty and staff than were present in TCC’s Fall 2021 population, but the numbers are not What is your level of interest in sustainability? (N = 2,290) I have a passion for sustainability. I have a strong interest in sustainability. I have a moderate interest in sustainability. I have a slight interest in sustainability I am neither interested nor disinterested in sustainability. I have no interest in sustainability 41% 2%8%<1% 28% 21% Which comes closest to your own view about global warming? (N = 2,133) Most scientists think global warming is happening, and that human activity exacerbates this climate change. Most scientists think global warming is happening, but human activity does not influence this climate change. Most scientists think global warming is not happening. There is a lot of disagreement among scientists about whether or not global warming is happening. I don’t know enough to say. skewed substantially enough to undermine the validity of the survey’s results. The population of respondents is similarly well aligned to TCC’s Fall 2021 population data by primary campus. The survey response pool includes fewer people who identify TCC Connect as their primary campus and more respondents that identify the Trinity River campus as their primary campus than are present in TCC’s Fall 2021 population, but again, the percentages are aligned sufficiently to suggest the survey data is representative of the broader population. Attitudes on Sustainability, Global Warming, and Climate Change When asked about their level of interest in sustainability, over 90% of respondents indicated they are at least moderately interested in the topic and over 60% of respondents have at least a strong interest in sustainability. 81% 6% 12% 1% Page | 49 The survey tool also asked respondents which of a series of statements came closest to their own views about global warming. Of 2,133 respondents to this question, 81% selected the same answer – most scientists think global warming is happening, and that human activity exacerbates this climate change. While only 20% of respondents are not very or not at all worried about climate change, the vast majority – 80% – are at least somewhat worried about climate change. Such a strong level of consensus in the response to these questions suggests three things: • The vast majority of TCC’s community has at least a moderate interest in sustainability and that likely means education, outreach, and engagement on sustainability topics will be well- received. • Most of TCC’s campus population does not need to be convinced about the reality of global warming and the impact human activity has on it. Education, outreach, and engagement should likely focus on work TCC is doing to mitigate and adapt to global warming as well as individual actions that can be taken to address it. • TCC’s community is significantly concerned about climate change and as a result is likely to acknowledge and engage with communications on the topic. How worried or not worried are you about climate change? (N = 2,361) Very worried Somewhat worried Not very worried Not at all worried 40% 7% 13%40% What is also interesting in this set of responses is that the questions intentionally change terminology – sustainability to global warming to climate change – and yet the responses remain relatively consistent. This suggests that respondents interconnect these terms and that while each has an independent definition, community attitudes and beliefs toward all three are similar. The consistency across questions also suggests that none of these terms are particularly polarizing for the community and none of them create unintended disengagement in advancing communications related to sustainability. Harm from Climate Change The next two questions in the survey have their results graphed on the previous page. The first question focused on how much respondents think climate change will harm various people ranging from themselves as individuals to people in developing countries and future generations of people. The responses indicate that as the scale of the population increases and as the timeframe being considered lengthens, respondents think harm will increase. Over half of the respondents indicated that climate change will harm future generations of people and people in developing countries a lot compared to only 25% who think climate change will impact themselves individually a lot. Looking slightly closer to home, respondents were asked when they think climate change will start to harm people in Texas. Over half of respondents indicated that climate change is harming people in Texas right now while 80% of respondents think climate change is either harming Texans right now or will be within the next generation (25 years). Taken together, the responses to these questions suggest that there is an urgency to addressing climate change because it is harming many people in Texas right now and that such harm is likely to increase with time. Sustainability at TCC and in Daily Life The survey tool asked respondents on a scale of 0 – 10 with 10 being of the most importance how important they think it is for TCC to incorporate sustainability in its planning and initiatives. The average response across all respondents was 7.9 with 94% of respondents rating sustainability’s importance a 5 or higher indicating it’s Page | 50 How much do you think climate change will harm… (N = 2,280) Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 800 200 500 0 700 1,100 900 1,400 1,200 1,600 1,000 1,300 1,500 1,700 You individually Your family People in your community People in Texas People in the United States People in developing countries Future generations of people Not at all A little A moderate amount A lot When do you think climate change will start to harm people in Texas? (N = 2,264) Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 800 200 500 0 700 1,100 900 1,200 1,000 They are being harmed right now In 10 years In 25 years In 50 years In 100 years Never 51% 17% 12% 8%6%7% Page | 51 in the top half of things TCC should be incorporating into its planning and initiatives. Investigating the findings further, 65% rate sustainability’s importance as 8 or above. Respondents think TCC has a responsibility to address sustainability in its planning and initiatives and coupled with responses to earlier questions, there is real interest in sustainability and concern about climate change. It is therefore reasonable to interpret that the survey responses are in alignment with the discussions the planning team had in visioning sessions that highlighted that one of TCC’s responsibilities as an anchor institution is to lead by example and demonstrate what kinds of sustainability and resource conservation efforts are achievable to inspire similar actions in the surrounding community and beyond. The next set of questions asked respondents about their level of agreement with a variety of statements. Of these, one of the most interesting results is about the level of agreement or disagreement respondents have with the statement, “I believe TCC values sustainability.” Nearly one-quarter of respondents strongly agree with that statement while one-third agree and nearly one-third are neutral. Of the 1,870 responses to this question, 11% somewhat or strongly disagree with that statement. In a related question, respondents were asked how important it is for them to incorporate sustainability into their daily lives. Nearly half responded that it’s very important while 38% indicated it’s somewhat important. Only 5% indicated it was somewhat or very unimportant for them to incorporate sustainability into daily life. The results across these two questions suggests that TCC’s community has lesser faith that the institution values sustainability than the importance respondents place on incorporating sustainability into their own daily lives. In alignment with initial visioning sessions Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 200 500 0 700 On a scale of 0 – 10 (10 is of most importance), how important do you think it is for TCC to incorporate sustainability in its planning and initiatives? (N = 1,818) 0 1 2 3 4 5 876 9 10 1%1%1%2%2% 9%8% 12% 19% 12% 34% Page | 52 How important do you think (the) _____ is to sustainability? Environment (N = 1,896) Very Important Somewhat Important Neither important nor unimportant Somewhat Unimportant Very Unimportant How much do you agree or disagree: “I believe TCC values sustainability.” (N = 1,870) Agree Strongly Somewhat Agree Neutral Somewhat Disagree Disagree Strongly 24% 33% 32% 7% 4% How important is it for you to incorporate sustainability in your everyday life? (N = 1,856) Very Important Somewhat Important Neither important nor unimportant Somewhat Unimportant Very Unimportant 3% 48%38% 9%2% Economy (N = 1,970) 68% 24% 5% 2%1% 81% 13% 1%2% 3% Social Equity (N = 1,926) 52%28% 3% 7% 10% Page | 53 that pushed for data transparency, communicating the actions TCC is taking to advance more sustainably would likely help the community better understand the value TCC places on sustainability work and therefore demonstrate greater alignment between institutional practices and the personal beliefs of community members. The Triple Bottom Line The next set of questions asked respondents about the importance of the economy, environment, and social equity to sustainability. Sustainability is often understood through the business concept that sustainability means having positive social, environmental, and financial impact in lieu of positive financial performance alone. While 81% of respondents indicate the environment is very important to sustainability, 68% indicate the same level of importance for economy, and only 52% indicate the same level of importance for social equity. These results roughly align with the planning team’s results from asking these questions at a variety of higher education institutions across the country and illustrate that for many environmental issues have a closer relationship to sustainability than economic or social equity issues. It should be noted, however, that sustainability by definition is about the intersection of all three of these topics and there is perhaps an opportunity for TCC to engage its community in better understanding how decisions impact all three. Sustainable Behaviors The survey tool asked respondents about their behaviors when at TCC. In the chart that follows, respondents indicated the frequency with which they engaged in a variety of resource conserving behaviors. The responses are organized with the responses that got the greatest number of “always” responses furthest to the left and the responses that got the greatest number of “never” responses to the right. The three most common sustainability behaviors respondents use at TCC are: • Turning off the lights when they leave a room • Recycling bottles, containers, and paper products • Using reusable water bottles, coffee mugs, etc. The three least commons sustainability behaviors respondents use at TCC are: • Commuting using public transportation • Participating in activities on campus that promote sustainability • Participating in cultural or civic engagement activities Readers should seek out the results of TCC’s periodic Transportation Survey for more information on public transportation usage. The lack of participation in campus activities that promote sustainability and/ or cultural and civic engagement may be either the result of a more limited number of opportunities to engage in such opportunities or poor advertising and/or accessibility for events that do exist. There are opportunities for future study as a result of the responses to this question in the next phases of sustainability planning at TCC. Sustainability Awareness Building on themes of awareness and engagement, respondents were asked the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “I am aware of TCC’s efforts to reduce our environmental footprint.” While 40% of respondents indicate they are at least somewhat aware of TCC’s efforts, 29% indicated they were neutral in their awareness and 31% indicated they were at least somewhat unaware. These results indicate slightly higher levels of awareness than were anticipated given initial visioning sessions discussions that highlighted how much of the information presented was new information. The survey further asked respondents what areas contribute to sustainability at TCC and which topics they’d be interested in learning more about. Across both questions, the top three responses are the same – respondents are most aware of and interested in learning more about energy and water conservation, green building, and waste minimization and diversion. The next four topics shuffle slightly between questions. Respondents are more interested in learning about communications, engagement, and academics than they are currently aware of those topics’ contributions to TCC’s sustainability efforts and more aware of how grounds and landscaping and transportation contribute Page | 54 to sustainability at TCC than they are in learning more about those topics. Respondents are least aware of and least interested in learning more about sustainable housekeeping and procurement practices. Sustainability and Academics The last five questions are most compelling when responses are filtered to include only respondents who primarily identify as students and focus on sustainability in curricular offerings. Just over half of student respondents at least somewhat agree that learning about sustainability will increase their ability to advance their careers. By contrast, only 35% at least somewhat agree that their studies at TCC are preparing them for sustainability-related careers. These results suggest that TCC’s students see opportunities for career advancement through learning about sustainability, but to a lesser extent see how their coursework at TCC is helping them to access those opportunities. More clearly articulating how existing academic courses teach sustainability or adding more readily identifiable sustainability-related courses may help to close this gap. The survey also asked students about the importance of adding more sustainability-related academic courses to TCC’s course catalog. Of the 1,239 respondents, 78% think it is at least somewhat important for more Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 800 200 500 0 700 900 1,000 Always Most of the time Sometimes Rarely Never Do not have the opportunity at TCC When at TCC, how often do you: Turn off the lights when you leave a room Recycle bottles, containers, and paper products Use a reusable water bottle, coffee mug, etc. Turn off your computer at the end of the work day Use the power saving settings on my computer Print double- sided Avoid using a disposable single use item Participate in cultural or civic engagement activities Participate in activities on campus that promote sustainability Commute using public transportation Which areas currently contribute to sustainability at TCC? (N = 2,038) Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 900 200 500 0 1,200 1,500 700 800 1,100 1,000 1,300 1,400 En e r g y an d W a t e r Co n s e r v a t i o n Gr e e n Bu i l d i n g (i e , L E E D ce r t i f i e d bu i l d i n g s ) Wa s t e Mi n i m i z a - ti o n a n d Di v e r s i o n Gr o u n d s a n d La n d s c a p i n g Tr a n s p o r t a - ti o n Co m m u n i - ca t i o n s a n d En g a g e - me n t Ac a d e m i c s Ho u s e k e e p - in g Pr o c u r e m e n t 71% 61%61% 43% 38% 33% 61% 43% 38% Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 600 400 900 200 500 0 1,200 700 800 1,100 1,000 Which areas would you be interested in learning more about? (N = 1,941) En e r g y an d W a t e r Co n s e r v a t i o n Gr e e n Bu i l d i n g (i e , L E E D ce r t i f i e d bu i l d i n g s ) Wa s t e Mi n i m i z a - ti o n a n d Di v e r s i o n Gr o u n d s a n d La n d s c a p i n g Tr a n s p o r t a - ti o n Co m m u n i - ca t i o n s a n d En g a g e - me n t Ac a d e m i c s Ho u s e k e e p - in g Pr o c u r e m e n t 53% 41% 38% 55% 51% 34% 30% 22%21% Page | 56 Agree Strongly Somewhat Agree Neutral Somewhat Disagree Disagree Strongly Students, how much do you agree or disagree: Learning about sustainability will increase my ability to advance my career. (N = 1,330) My studies at TCC are preparing me for a career related to sustainability. (N = 1,330) 25% 26%31% 10% 8%16% 19% 33% 16% 16% sustainability-related courses to be added. As noted previously, this could be accomplished through a combination of both evolving existing courses as well as adding new opportunities. The planning team hopes to engage more on this topic in future phases of sustainability planning at TCC. The next question in this set about sustainability-related academic opportunities more broadly asked how many courses at TCC students have taken that address the topics presented in the survey tool. This question was asked near the end of the survey and as a result respondents had a good familiarity with the topics addressed by the survey by the time they arrived at this question. This question also very specifically did not use the term “sustainability” to support students in more broadly connecting their academic experiences at TCC with the range of topics discussed in the survey. More than half of respondents – 58% – indicated they have never taken a course at TCC that addresses the topics covered by the survey. Another 21% indicated they’ve only taken 1 course related to the survey’s topics. These responses show a clear opportunity to both more articulately communicate about how sustainability presents in existing courses at TCC and coupled with the responses to other questions suggests that new courses related to sustainability would be well- received by TCC’s students. The last question in this set about sustainability-related academic opportunities was phrased differently and asked, “As a student, how often do you take classes that have a focus on social, economic, or environmental sustainability?” While these results are presented sequentially, this question came at a different point in the survey tool with sufficient space between questions to support independent responses to this question and the prior responses discussed. Despite the sequencing in the survey, the responses are consistent – 44% of respondents indicate they never take classes on these topics or they do not have the opportunity at TCC. Another 23% indicate they rarely take such classes. Conclusion The 2021 Sustainability Assessment’s results are notable for a variety of reasons. As the first assessment of its kind at TCC, it was unclear what kind of response Page | 57 How important do students think it is for TCC to add more sustainability-related academic courses for them? (N = 1,239) Very Important Somewhat Important Neither Important nor Unimportant Somewhat Unimportant Very Unimportant 36% 42% 12% 4% 6% As a student, how many courses at TCC have you taken that address the topics presented in this survey? (N = 1,241) 0 courses 1 courses 2 courses 3 courses 4+ courses 58% 21% 13% 4%4% rate the survey would garner – especially given that the survey instrument was relatively long and complex. Receiving 2,763 responses was more than was anticipated and a strong indication that the topics of the survey are of interest to the community. To put the respondent pool in perspective, the Spring 2019 Transportation Survey garnered 3,099 responses. Looking across the results as a whole, the responses indicate a higher level of interest and shared literacy in sustainability than anticipated. Initial visioning sessions indicated much of the data being shared was new information for participants and many visioning session participants indicated sustainability was a secondary or even tertiary community concern. The survey responses indicate far more understanding of sustainability and interest in the topic than those initial visioning sessions suggested. While the survey asked a series of filtering questions that asked about respondents’ primary classification (student, faculty, staff), primary campus, degree program and/or major if respondents identified primarily as students, first enrollment timeframe if respondents identified primarily as students, age range, and time spent on campus during a typical day, these filters were almost entirely unused because the pool of respondents as a whole demonstrated such strong consensus in their responses. Responses also highlight the information disconnect between sustainable campus operations and campus community awareness. In alignment with visioning session discussions, 43% of respondents indicate they are neutral, somewhat, or strongly disagree with the statement, “I believe TCC values sustainability.” This suggests the broader campus community is not aware of at least some of the resource conservation TCC has achieved over the last decade. Last but not least, the questions related to sustainability in academic offerings highlight a need for greater Page | 58 As a student, how often do you take classes that have a focus on social, economic, or environmental sustainability? (N = 1,031) Nu m b e r o f R e s p o n s e s 300 100 400 200 0 350 250 150 50 Always Most of the Time Sometimes Rarely Never Do not have the opportunity at TCC 7%6% 19% 23% 34% 10% sustainability’s integration into academic programs. Students see opportunities for career advancement by learning more about sustainability but have lesser agreement that their studies at TCC are preparing them for sustainability-related careers. More than half of student respondents indicated they’d never taken a course related to the topics of the survey. The 2021 Sustainability Assessment provides a unique snapshot in time that helps TCC become more self- aware about its own sustainability knowledge as well as its attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to sustainability. The planning team recommends this survey be re-administered at minimum every three years to track changes over time. If new outreach and engagement programs are deployed or new sustainability-related courses are developed, such pre- and post-intervention data can be useful in measuring the efficacy of those efforts. Page | 59TCC has renewed infrastructure to ensure the continuity of high- efficiency operations, however TCC’s campuses are infrequently leveraged as living laboratories for applied learning.