The Campus Master Plan hosted an open forum Wednesday to talk about improvements and aspirations to better the MU campus and increase environmental sustainability.
MU’s master planner Linda Eastley led the open forum. The purpose of the forum was to commemorate 30 years of master planning at MU. For three decades, the program has worked to change the focus from advancing graduate programs and an open space framework to becoming more environmentally friendly.
The committee is currently integrating the Climate Action Plan into the plan. Last year, two different speakers presented the Master Plan and CAP, and this year they presented the information in two different handouts. Next year, the two will be presented together in one handout to represent how the two plans are merging, Campus Planning Committee chairwoman Patricia Okker said.
The presentation gave several examples of how the committee has and will improve campus life. Since the start of master planning in 1982, the campus has added 9 million square feet and 10,203 students. Master planning has also been responsible for improving landscapes such as Carnahan Quadrangle, Kuhlman Court and Lowry Mall.
The objectives of the current Master Plan include compactness, such as a 10-minute walking radius from the MU Student Center to any point on campus. Another objective is environmental, social and fiscal accountability.
According to the Campus Master Plan Update, the aspirations and accomplishments of the 2011-12 master plan included the merge of the athletics, hospital and residential life master plans with the campus master plan. MU has also made a deliberate decision to integrate sustainability into the master plan that Okker said is central to master planning.
The Climate Action Plan is a rolling five-year program with new goals are added every year. The subjects of the CAP goals for 2016 are waste, food, transportation, landscape, education and research, outreach, planning design and construction, purchasing and energy.
As discussed in the forum, CAP has also seen progress. The percentage of recycled waste has grown since 1992, and 14 percent of MU’s annual food procurement is local. There has also been a 43 percent reduction in total water use since 1990. MU has water-efficient landscaping and irrigates 90 percent less than other campuses.
The Campus Planning Committee has also been using tools such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System and LEED Master Site, which takes constituents from campus and evaluates and compares goals. These rating systems show where the campus is improving and what needs improvement.
The plan benefits students because it boosts efficiency, using resources well and saves money. Okker said reducing fuel consumption and waste will ultimately allow for savings in MU’s overall best interest.
Okker also said students enjoy sustainability efforts because they appreciate having a beautiful campus.
“Caring for the space in which we work and live is absolutely essential in having a positive experience for current students and future students,” Okker said.
