Past Capstone Course Projects
SEMINAR IN ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE AND POLICY
The Capstone Seminar is the culmination of the course work in the Environmental Science and Policy Program. The course is designed to provide students with opportunities to research significant issues of local or regional scale from multiple perspectives. Each fall, one or more research teams are formed to address the topic or topics selected, often at the request and with the cooperation and support of a government agency or an NGO. Teams have assisted a township with Smart Growth planning, evaluated the effects of new on-site waste disposal regulations, and established environmental indicators for the Fox-Wolf Drainage Basin. The projects are not theoretical or broad in scope, but rather focused on the kinds of problems that graduates might expect to face.
2007 Capstone Seminar Project - Sustainability: The Next Step Estimating the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay's Carbon Footprint
The Fall 2007 Capstone Seminar in Environmental Science and Policy (ES&P 763) chose this project as a result of Chancellor Bruce Shepard signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment in September 2007. The commitment requires all signatory colleges and universities to complete and file a carbon footprint analysis within 1 year of signing. We, the capstone class, felt that this project would not only be helpful to the campus, but would also build on the work of past capstone classes. Please keep in mind that this is only a first draft of UWGB’s carbon footprint. The class had only two months to gather the data and analyze it, therefore, some data is missing and other data inputs could be improved.
2006 Capstone Seminar Project: Going Toward our Future: Biofuels and Biodiesel And Bus Unlimited Access
Having a clean physical environment, such as water, air, land, and more, is something no one will rationally argue against. In fact, we all want it and think it is a good thing. However, the means to the ends is always the point at which people start disagreeing on how to either keep our environment clean, or to improve its condition.
One concept encompassing a clean environment goal is “sustainable development.” This concept, sustainable development, or “sustainability,” came into our common vocabulary from a political context. In 1987 the UN World Commission on Environment and Development published Our Common Future, also called the Brundtland Report. Sustainability as defined from the book Sustainability and Cities is “that in a global context any economic or social development should improve, not harm, the environment.” The word ‘global’ is included in that definition because pollution many times knows no borders (Newman and Kenworthy 1999, 1-2).
This year’s capstone class’ consensus was to use “Campus Sustainability” as its focal point, following in the footsteps and building on last year’s capstone class, whose theme also was sustainable development. The “transportation subgroup” of the 2006 Environmental Science and Policy capstone class, ES&P 763, chose to work on two discrete subtopics: biodiesel/biofuels and a bus transit system serving campus with unlimited access1 to all students, faculty, and staff.
Biodiesel, one sustainable idea of the transportation subgroup, is an interesting alternative fuel that comes primarily from vegetable oils, requiring little or no retrofitting. Biodiesel is also a low capital investment because current vehicles can use this fuel. Moreover, biodiesel can be used in individual buildings for heating at a low cost.
The transportation subgroup’s other sustainable idea is an unlimited access transit bus system serving the campus population. A recent survey conducted at UW Green Bay found there was an interest in a shuttle system/transit bus system. Unlimited access transit buses can have benefits for the students, the university, and the local public transit. Once a transit bus system is funded by the University in an annual sum to the City Transit, via student fees or a combination of the university paying and student fees, then all students, faculty, and staff have free access to the buses all year. To name a few benefits, this would significantly decrease parking demand, cut emissions if enough people use the buses, and give students a reliable and safe alternative transportation choice.
2006 Capstone Seminar Project: Campus Energy Independence: Alternative Energy Options and Green Solutions
Energy production is an essential part of our current lifestyle. Fossil fuels are the number one source for energy production, globally. Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource, so as supply declines, prices will raise.
Government subsidies currently exist to help stabilize the prices of various fossil fuel energy sources. This helps reduce the cost of fossil fuels to the consumer. However, these artificial market values do not reflect the scarcity of fossil fuel resources, and consumers remain oblivious to their declining levels. All the while, these subsidies increase dependence on a fuel that is not sustainable.
Renewable resources, such as wood, are an economical alternative to fossil fuels. They free people from the unpredictable, increasing costs of fossil fuels, such as gasoline and natural gas. They provide a source of energy that can be replenished, freeing us from the fears of dwindling energy supplies.
Energy independence could be integrated into the UW-Green Bay system through the adoption of biomass boiler technology. This would strengthen the University’s environmental traditions while providing a way to educate students about renewable energy technology. This would make the campus a model to the neighboring community, while helping it attain future financial security and possible financial profit.
A detailed analysis of energy independence, through the use of renewable energy production, on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus was performed. The analysis can be broken down into three sections. The first section provides background information about the University’s current energy infrastructure and the costs associated with this technology. The second section addresses “campus buildings,” a term which refers to all campus structures except for student housing buildings. It begins with a comparison of renewable energy options and isolates cogeneration wood boilers as the best choice of technology for future energy production. It then describes the process by which cogeneration wood boilers produce heat and electricity. The section ends with a detailed description of how this technology could be implemented into the campus buildings. The third section addresses renewable energy options for student housing buildings and describes how biomass boilers could be integrated into existing infrastructure. We finish the analysis with a conclusion of the Alternative Energy Options and Green Solutions portion of the 2007 Capstone Project report. It summarizes the importance of campus energy independence through the use of renewable fuel sources.
2006 Capstone Seminar Project: Campus Energy Independence: Educations and Conservation Initiative
Moving the University of Wisconsin Green Bay toward energy independence cannot be left solely on the shoulders of utility and transportation infrastructure. In order to achieve the goal of the Governor's initiative, it is imperative to garner the support and involvement of students, faculty, and staff. To this end, the Education and Conservation Initiative has collated the accomplishments of facilities management, provided educational opportunities, and developed recommendations for continuing to pursue sustainability on campus. New technologies and methods employed by Facilities Management are highlighted, lending to the eagerness of the staff to put forth an effort to save energy costs and natural resources. Educational experiences and opportunities organized within the time of one semester are detailed to illustrate the interest and ease of providing more in the future. Finally, we provide suggestions for the incorporation of energy conservation and education into the burgeoning effort and enthusiasm toward a more sustainable campus. It is our goal to provide a framework upon which the goals of sustainability can be coalesced into cooperative, practical efforts. As an institution with a vision for the future, the initiative may ultimately become highly integrated into all activities throughout campus and in each student's life for years to come.
2005 Capstone Seminar Project: "Building on the UW-Green Bay Master Plan: Promoting Sustainability"
2004 Capstone Seminar Project: "Sustainable Development: Design Guidelines for the Town of Scott - City of Green Bay Joint Planning Area"
2003 Capstone Seminar Project: Fox River Restoration: Review and Recommendations