Jim Brassord, the director of facilities planning and management, cited the desire to set an example for others as one of the motivations driving these efforts to make the campus green. "As a leading institution of higher education, we have a responsibility to be a leader in protecting the environment," he said. Conserving energy is also economical. "By reducing our environmental footprint," Brassord continued, "we can save money for the College that can be redirected to core issues such as scholarships."
Throughout the summer, custodians made a series of changes on campus. They replaced hundreds of incandescent light bulbs with significantly lower-wattage, longer-lasting compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs as well as hundreds of low-tech light fixtures with energy-efficient ones in all campus buildings. Ten percent of the campus, or approximately 200,000 square feet, has been retrofitted with these energy-efficient CFL bulbs.
Sensors have been installed on the vending machines so that they go into sleep mode when not in use. Computers, too, are programmed to enter the sleep mode when idle.
The College recently added two hybrid vehicles to its fleet and has plans to purchase more hybrids. The College has also replaced passenger vans with mini-vans that have better gas mileage.
All of the College's heavy equipment now runs on bio-diesel, which does not emit carbon dioxide, as opposed to diesel, a fossil fuel that releases exorbitant amounts of carbon dioxide.
North, South, Appleton and Williston dorms all include an outer structure that has been preserved in order to reduce material waste. All outer structures from James and Stearns dormitories that could not be preserved due to code issues were recycled.
The College's efforts to achieve energy efficiency are ongoing. Plans for a co-generation plant that will produce electricity using an internal combustion engine and a generator are underway. The plant will be able to capture and reuse the heat produced by electricity for hot water and steam. The co-generation plant will enable the College to be independent of the utility power grid, saving a half-million dollars every year and decreasing greenhouse emissions by 50 percent. Construction of the plant is set to begin about one year from now.
Brassord said that he hopes for student involvement in the College's attempt to become more environmentally friendly. In order to foster student involvement, the Physical Plant is planning a campus-wide event during the first weeks of the semester in which students can exchange their inefficient, store-bought bulbs for the more environmentally friendly CFL bulbs at no charge.
Brassord emphasized the importance of a community effort to conserve energy. "Collectively, we can have a huge impact on the College's energy use and on the environment," he said.