Completing its semester-long audit of environmental sustainability at the UCC's national offices, a team from Baldwin-Wallace College presented their report and recommendations to building personnel and covenanted ministries staff Dec. 1.

Nearly 25 undergraduate students in Baldwin-Wallace's Green Business class were part of the project. Each was assigned to a team that surveyed various operational aspects of the UCC's Cleveland operations.

The teams, directed by Professor David A. Krueger, were divided into six functional areas for analysis: Water and Waste; Social Sustainability; Mission, Values and Vision; Materials and Purchasing; Aesthetics and Energy Consumption.

Seeking to train students to meld "ecology and economics in a world that is ever changing and ever challenged," Baldwin-Wallace is one of only a handful of institutions offering an undergraduate degree in environmental sustainability. Emphasis tracks include science, social sciences/humanities and business administration.

The Rev. Catherine Rolling, UCC minister for environmental justice, called the group's effort "an honest look from the outside" at how closely the mission and objectives of sustainable and green efforts compared to the actual practices employed.

"It's wonderful for me to figure out how the UCC is doing and for you to refer to our mission statement and resolutions," Rolling told the students. "Your work helps us qualify our commitment to sustainability."

A scorecard approach wasn't used by the teams to measure alignment with the UCC's vision and values for sustainability, although they did give high marks for current efforts while presenting the building and staff with opportunities for additional ecological and cost savings.

A sampling of the environmental recommendations included converting the building's rooftop to a garden or solar panel array, the installation of air-force hand driers instead of paper towels, using natural lighting and lower-voltage light solutions, installation of dual-flow toilet flush devices and replacement of the heating and cooling system.

Of equal importance to the team's recommendations were aesthetic considerations and social sustainability. Aesthetic recommendations included reconfiguration of office space for maximum utilization, adding color and art to the offices' otherwise "industrial gray" walls, installing more efficient storage systems and the addition of live plants to decrease building toxins.

Social sustainability points toward the hope that area businesses would become aware of the UCC's presence and their green efforts, joining with the UCC to encourage local sustainability.

"So much [of the benefit] is about local sustainability," said Krueger. "Too many of your downtown neighbors perceive you in a non-existent way. They have no concept of what the UCC is doing and advocating for regarding sustainability."

On this point, Derek Duncan, Wider Church Ministries associate for global advocacy and education and a member of the UCC's sustainable purchasing team, noted possible difficulties in merging the many areas of responsibility present in global and local ecological connections.

"Because we deal with national and international issues, we sometimes miss our connectivity with the local community," said Duncan. "It's helpful to see how we can be a good neighbor to our immediate community in addition to our national and international partners."

As with many sustainability efforts, the initial outlay of capital for these modifications is a consideration that may influence the speed of deployment said Alan Wolf, the UCC's business manager for property and insurance. Other factors are cultural such as the positioning and use of recycling containers and using alternative water filtration systems.

Overall, Wolf called the group's work "very impressive," and added, "It's good to see the backup for some of the things we've been trying to do to fulfill our environmental sustainability goals. Your report supports those efforts with its research and facts."

Wolf noted lighting replacement, insulation and other energy efficiency measures have been undertaken by his building services team over the last several years. A new cooling system is scheduled to be installed over the 2009 Christmas holiday. All these efforts are major energy and cost saving moves for the building.

Rolling noted education and behavior changes will provide additional savings and bring staff in alignment with the UCC's sustainability goals. "It's an ongoing commitment," she said.

No timeline has been set for implementing the group's recommendations. No-cost and low-cost items will be considered first with capital intensive projects considered for later. "I'm especially excited about the possibility of a rooftop gardening project," said Rolling, conceding it was one of the more costly projects.

"I'm just thrilled to think that all this is possible," she said.

The full report from Baldwin-Wallace is available at <Baldwin-Wallace Sustainability Audit>. Slides from their presentation can be found at <Sustainability Presentation>.