ACUHO-I News Blog

Editor’s Note: In an effort to see and hear firsthand what some campuses are doing to implement sustainable strategies on campus and specifically in their residence halls, members of the ACUHO-I Sustainability Committee are issuing reports from the field. The first comes from ACUHO-I Sustainability Director Lynne Deninger, principal with Cannon Design.

Amherst College is a small, private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, and is the third oldest college in the state. It is member of the historic Little Three colleges, which includes Wesleyan University and Williams College. With nearly 99 percent of the current student population living on campus, Amherst is committed to the development of living learning communities and as such has committed to developing more energy efficient and financially responsible renovations and new construction on campus without a lot of pomp and circumstance.

Now, Amherst has not signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, nor do they have a full time sustainability director, a taskforce, or even a sustainable living/learning community. They do however know they want to provide appropriate role modeling while improving their energy efficiency and their bottom-line. I think they are moving in the right direction, one small project at a time.

Tom Davies, AIA, the director of design and construction and assistant director of facilities showed off some of the campus’ recent sustainability accomplishments that reflect the “pragmatic New England Puritan tradition” that built the Amherst campus. Following eight years of residential hall renovation projects, many of these successes were combined during the renovation of Hitchcock Hall. The following eight approaches are not necessarily glamorous or full of hype, but have met with great success.

Efficient Planning: Distinctly low tech with a high sustainability factor is the expansion of a building, even if it’s from 35 to 73 beds. Keeping existing structures and maximizing the number of students that use the existing amenities, social spaces and bathrooms, improves efficiencies.

Building Envelope: Amherst used the latest and best technology for insulating their historic masonry structures, open cell foam just to the right thickness to allow it to breathe in both directions. This took some research as if it’s too thick, the brick will disintegrate from the inside out over time. But with help from a strong design team, Amherst was able to significantly reduce heating consumption. Looking at every detail including all the insulation joints in the system at windows, doors, etc. created a new type of quality control system maximize outcomes. The prototype arrangement will be the norm on future projects.

Solar Hot Water: Hot water accounts for about a quarter of all energy consumed in a residence hall, and the solar system will cut that by more than half. The solar system is complex and expensive, but the key to making it effective is something extremely simple and cheap:  high-quality low-flow shower heads that cut the demand for hot water. Amherst tested a number of the best and settled on a model that was developed for high-end hotels in Las Vegas. They are now in every shower on campus. They’re terrific and even at $60 per they pay for themselves in about a year.

Boilers: Another high-tech hidden item is the use of high-efficiency boilers for building heating and hot water. As Davies said, “it’s not bleeding edge stuff, but is now a practical proven technology”.

Sensors: The use of occupancy sensors for lights to shut off when no one is around. This is a no-brainer. However, the use of humidity sensors to throttle back the bathroom exhaust when no one is taking a shower is a novel approach dreamt up by the design and construction office. They are monitoring the installation now to determine success.

Window Points: As many have experienced, students often leave windows open even when it’s five degrees outside. At Amherst, it is the norm for facilities staff to actually go around to every dorm room the day after winter break starts to close the windows. To address this problem, they began testing a system that senses when a window is opened and automatically lowers the thermostat setting to 60. The idea is that when the student gets cold, they’ll close the window again. Tom notes that with clever students, comes many opportunities to circumvent the system, but he believes it’s “worth a try” and perhaps the best outcome will be a general student awareness of the waste resulting from leaving a window open through the winter months.

LED Lighting: Davies notes, “an interesting story on this one is that our engineers wouldn’t believe the manufacturer’s claims about how much light LED lights generate per watt. When we started to light them up it was clear that they were more efficient than the design assumed, so we actually had to remove some to lower lighting levels.”

Vestibules: Designed appropriately, Davies notes, they actually work as air-locks. So often, vestibules are minuscule spaces between two doors, and even with one person entering or exiting both doors end up open at the same time, throwing away energy. At Amherst, all main entries have been redesigned to actually function as an air lock. It’s not going to get a LEED point. It’s not flashy “green” technology. But it’s high-value. Pragmatic New England design indeed.

What would it take to spur change? President Barack Obama spoke last week brilliantly about where he is hoping to take the nation. In his address he mentioned green jobs and our push toward becoming number one in the green sector. As I watched I thought this was brilliant another opportunity to push a vision. This vision is very aspirational when considering the size and consumption level of this wonderful country. However this is a great idea to pursue with implications towards a bright future.

After watching the speech I wanted to find other discussions or general information regarding green jobs on college campuses. Through a bit of Web surfing I pulled in a blog that highlights the discussion of green jobs. This particular blog did a great job of touching on the transition of brown to green jobs. I think it would be very interesting to see how campuses are creating these jobs and whether they are being fueled by green funding.

During the President’s address I pondered two questions:

Question #1-Have we reached the tipping point in regards to how green jobs are advertised? What I’m trying to say is in this economy are green jobs just jobs? I think we have moved passed the label far enough that we often do not notice the green unless its explicitly spelled out.

Question #2-How well do green positions fold into the housing and residential life organizational chart? In other words are green positions becoming stand alone positions or are they still seen as a collateral assignments for housing and residential life professionals?

Progress is good but with the current economy I could understand why there may be hesitation in reorganizing the organization and adding a position. However there is serious value in recruiting our incoming green students into our greening residential communities.  They will consume less. With this in mind it would be important to consider creatively positioning our organizations now to focus our efforts on attracting these students to live with us now and possibly work for us in the future.

This is my first blog contribution to the sustainability discussion/green movement. I have to admit that just typing this post feels fresh and green.

Hope to post more.

Last week the National Wildlife Federation released Generation E: Students Leading for a Sustainable, Clean Energy Future, The report, sponsored by The Kendeda Fund and the Association of College Unions International and supported by a number of partners including ACUHO-I,  highlights sustainability programs and practices college students are implementing to lower their campus’ carbon footprint.

In the press release, Julian Keniry, the senior director of Campus and Community Leadership for the NWF, said: “We scouted projects at more than 160 colleges and universities all across the country. In more than 20 years of supporting student environmental leaders, we’ve never seen this extraordinary degree of student engagement and creativity around sustainability at every level. Our findings demolish the myth that students are apathetic or sitting on the sidelines. Their voices are rising up in ways we haven’t heard since the civil rights or the peace movements of the ‘60s and ‘70s, but the irony is, we are finding that most campus educators and leaders at the state and federal levels aren’t really listening.”

The projects included in the report include cover the spectrum of recycling programs, inter-residence hall sustainability competitions, sustainability-themed housing, and much more. The programs vary in their scope, but the encouraging news is how the students lead these initiatives. A Princeton Review study back in May reported that 68 percent of the students surveyed valued information about a college’s commitment to the enviornment. These students have oftentimes taken matters into their own hands to make a difference, and that will shape behaviors moving forward.

What are the programs on your campus that will get students leading for a more sustainable future?

Green Builder, launched by Second Nature, is a free resource for colleges and universities interested in building and renovating sustainably on their campuses. The site features case studies on greening operations, financial assistance programs and promising technologies and products.

The Sustainable Endowments Institute is a non-profit organization that produces the College Sustainability Report Card. They are a project of the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisers.

The results of the Sustainable Endowments Institute’s survey, which constitutes the report card, are now fully available online. You can search for campus, dining, endowment and student surveys from responding schools. It’s a handy way to see how your institution is measuring up against its contemporaries in sustainability.

Who would’ve thought that Standard Oil would lead to this?

Editor’s Note: Spotlight is a recurring feature in this blog as well as Talking Stick magazine that focuses on newly-opened residence halls. Whether it is through design, construction, programs, or features, we look to put the spotlight on those deserving halls. To submit a hall from your campus, e-mail talkingstick@acuho-i.org.

Campus: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Name: East Hall
Opened: July 2008
Cost: $33 million (construction)
Architect: Cannon Design

When Worcester Polytechnic Institute set out to create East Hall, it was with the goal of attracting upperclass students to stay on campus. When completed, it certainly did that with 232 beds in a mix of single- and double-room suites and studio apartments. Students appreciated the building’s amenities and services such as laundry facilities, waste removal and recycling, a fitness room, academic study space, music practice rooms, a game room, and a parking garage. But the LEED Gold-certified building also made a strong statement to the campus’ sustainability commitment.

(more…)

Higher education institutions have shown interest in greening their own practices; constructing efficient buildings; using environmentally-friendly groundskeeping methods and cleaning chemicals and going trayless in the cafeteria. But what wbout the students themselves? Some institutions are now offering classes, certificates or degrees in environmental topics. While some of these are stand-alone degrees or courses, others combine with majors the institution already offered, to provide a sustainable lens through which to view one’s career and life’s work. These programs can be combined with many other majors, meaning architecture, interior design and hospitality students can graduate with knowledge about how to utilize sustainable elements in their work.

Four hundred colleges and universities signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. So now, 400 colleges and universities must submit their plans for meeting that promise. It’s a challenging time to set ambitious goals, since the economy is still in a slump and the higher education world is suffering from this as much as any other sector. For now, most institutions are hoping to start meeting their commitments through reduced energy use and increased efficiency, and may apply carbon offsets later to make up the difference.

Reminicent of a recent post about green rankings, here’s another one, with pretty pictures. What do you think of the many rankings? Are they meaningful?

Everyone wants to get their two cents in, via rankings. The Sierra Club has its rankings of “Cool Schools,” which orders institutions by their sustainability efforts. This is the third year for the Cool Schools list. On the Sierra Club website, one can read the list, see the cool factors that determined the rankings, read students’ accounts of the coolness of their institutions, see a list of cool community colleges  and schools that specialize in particular areas of sustainability.

This Discovery Channel site has tips for green residence hall living, including technology issues and fabulous statistics that might be useful for all sorts of purposes. This could serve as a resource for information packets on move-in day or a hall program.

Inside HigherEd is highlighting green efforts institutions are making in a feature called “Green Ideas.” Perhaps there’s something worth copying here…or perhaps you can contribute?

An article from The New York Times today takes a look at the not-new-but-growing trend of putting white roofs on buildings to combat global warming. Whether it is for a home, a Wal-Mart, or (just possibly) a residence hall, the article says studies show that the white-topped buildings can reduce air-conditioning costs by a fifth or more in hot, sunny weather. And it does so by costing as little as 15 percent more, depending on materials.

The concept got an additional endorsement from United States’ Energy Secretary Steven Chu when he appeared on the television program, The Daily Show.

So, do you know what’s happening on your rooftops? Share suggestions and plans in the comment section.

A selection of college housing and student affairs headlines from InsideHigherEd.com. This week’s edition features two reports from the 2009 ACUHO-I Annual Conference & Exposition in Baltimore. Look for these on a weekly basis in the ACUHO-I news blog.

THE 3 A.M. PHONE CALL: College housing officers identify tactics to avert disaster and to respond after the fact:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/29/acuhoi

LEEDING THE PACK: While Duke showcased its new platinum-rate residence hall at an annual meeting of college housing officers, other campus reps talked getting certified on a budget:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/30/leed

OBAMA’S PUSH FOR FREE ONLINE COURSES: Administration may propose “open” classes and create a “National Skills College” to coordinate offerings at high schools and community colleges. Other measures for two-year institutions may include $10 billion facilities loan fund:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/06/29/ccplan

SUPREME COURT PUNTS: Justices opt — for now — not to resolve dispute over right of public universities to bar anti-gay bias and right of Christian groups to be recognized as student organizations:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/01/truth

Duke’s Smart Home, the first LEED certified platinum residence hall, will not be easily replicated, said Duke’s dean of residence life and executive director of housing services, Eddie Hall. And that’s okay. Hall’s presentation, with his colleagues Gary Thompson, director of facilities planning and operations, and John Duncan, manager of apartment operations, is meant to serve as more of an inspirational story than a paint-by-the-numbers book. They discussed the Smart Home on Monday at the ACUHO-I Annual Conference and Exposition. Inside HigherEd reported on the session.

Hard work, dedication to the project and a common vision helped, but there was also serendipity and opportunity involved. The trick wasn’t the specific circumstances, but recognizing a benefit when it presented itself.

A Duke student’s graduate thesis, based on the concept of a sustainable residence hall, attracted the attention of a member of Duke’s Board of Visitors, who also sat on the board of Home Depot. This happy circumstance set the planning process in motion. The Smart Home came for free, but it won’t stay free. There’s a lot of new and experimental technology in it with which the facilities department will have to familiarize themselves. The appliances were donated, which is great, but that also means they didn’t come with warranties.

The home also includes two laboratories where residents can innovate further. Their first innovation? It concerns an issue that is heavy on the hearts of all college students: beer theft. Students developed a thumb-print identification censor for kegs. Many smart projects have come out of the Smart Home, or are in process. Students have been toying with ways to improve the home’s function, appearance and utility. A list is available on the Smart Home’s website.

Hall, Thompson and Duncan advised session attendees to do what works best for their schools and what is most sustainable for them, rather than aiming for a specificLEED rating.  As The Chronicle of Higher Education reported last year, sometimes the LEED rating has its own financial and environmental costs. They acknowledged that the Duke Smart Home could not be easily replicated elsewhere. The important thing is to know the resources and technology available, and be open to opportunities.