Progress on sustainability continues on campus
By: Rachel Moore
Issue date: 2/22/08 Section: News
The buildings may look the same. The restrooms may be just as clean. But according to Director of Facilities Ted Fares, many components of the everyday DePauw experience - from light bulbs to recycling bags and cleaning supplies - have changed during the past two years.
"We don't really advertise a lot of these things," he said. "We just go ahead and do them if it's good for the environment and good for the University."
These ad hoc efforts to increase sustainability on campus were formalized in fall 2006 when President Robert G. Bottoms appointed Fares, Vice President of Academic Affairs Neal Abraham and Vice President of Finance Dick Speller to head a sustainability task force. Philosophy professor Jennifer Everett joined the group last summer as sustainability programs coordinator. The task force research and implement measures that minimize DePauw's carbon footprint. Its major focuses thus far have included increasing energy efficiency and expanding recycling initiatives.
"Green" physical measures
The physical plant has had a heavy hand in implementing sustainability measures. Fares said it has replaced 2,500 incandescent lights on campus with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs in the past year. The sustainability task force's record of recent sustainable actions reported that this switch generated annual savings of more than $13,000 - dividends that were put into an energy management account to fund other sustainable projects with delayed payback, such as energy-saving windows.
"When a bulb is going to last seven or eight years instead of having to replace it every six or seven months, it's going to pay off within the year," Fares said.
But energy conservation consists of more than switching light bulbs. Four campus buildings have lights with motion sensors. The housekeeping staff turns on lights for only one room or office at a time, and students have made efforts to reduce energy consumption as well.
"Last semester, there was an initiative on the Environmental Club's part to go on Friday nights and 'Friday Night Lights Out' by turning [unused lights in academic buildings] out," Everett said.
In addition, the physical plant installed waterless urinals at the indoor tennis and track center. Like the light bulbs, this measure saves money - $916 - as well as 68,000 gallons of water annually. Fares said the urinals have brought no complaints or problems.
The custodial department switched to 100 percent green products this month, including washable micro-fiber cloths and recyclable toilet paper.
"All the staff went through a class [about the new products] and are all green-certified," Fares said. "They were worried that the products would not be as effective, but it's just as effective, and that took their worries away."
Recycling has become easier to participate in all throughout campus. All 40 outdoor trash cans are accompanied by recycling bins. University-owned apartments and houses were equipped with bins, and each dorm room was given a recycling bag to keep and empty into containers on the floor, a move that Director of Housing Julia Arnold said has positively affected student recycling habits.
"We put the bags out over fall break and some of the numbers have started to show that people are recycling more because they have those bags," she said. "We have given them a mechanism to do more, and they have."
Sustainability programming
Environmentally themed programming has been virtually nonstop since August, due in part to Bottoms' endorsement of a sustainability initiative. Events included the Boswell Symposium on Environmental Social Justice in September, DePauw Discourse 2007 on Sustainability and Global Citizenship in October, and the Focus the Nation teach-in and policy forum in late January. The Re*Cycling Art project during ArtsFest introduced 100 community bikes to campus last fall in an effort to encourage environmentally friendly transportation, and the newly dedicated Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics and Bartlett Reflection Center were designed to be LEED-certified.
The discourse about sustainability in particular has influenced the curriculum. The spring schedule of classes offered nine courses with an environmental component. This past fall, a group of students in Everett's Environmental Ethics course conducted an initial measure of DePauw's current carbon footprint. Everett said this is an important base from which the university can gauge its sustainable progress.
"We can't really claim any kind of achievement until we're measuring it," she said.
Student involvement and future plans
These trends complement the extracurricular efforts of a number of separate sustainable projects. Freshman Anthony Baratta said interest and involvement in these projects has strengthened since they consolidated into the Environmental Club. Meeting attendance increased from four or five students in the fall to 22 students at a recent meeting. Baratta, who serves as co-president of the club, said raising student awareness of sustainable options has been one of its goals.
"For example, in The Den, students can ask for glass plates, but almost no one does because they don't know about it," he said.
The club also teamed with Fares and the physical plant to make presentations at greek houses, as well as to promote free energy audits for the living units.
Everett said she hopes a sustainability page on the school Web site created this academic year will become more accessible and popular among the student body.
"We're trying to get the Web site so it is visible and up to date and helps get the word out," she said.
The site serves as a virtual hub presenting DePauw's current sustainable actions, future plans and contact information for those on campus who are involved with the sustainability initiative.
But despite the amount of changes made in the past two years, members of the sustainability task force remain focused on future measures.
"We haven't even scratched the surface," Fares said.
"We don't really advertise a lot of these things," he said. "We just go ahead and do them if it's good for the environment and good for the University."
These ad hoc efforts to increase sustainability on campus were formalized in fall 2006 when President Robert G. Bottoms appointed Fares, Vice President of Academic Affairs Neal Abraham and Vice President of Finance Dick Speller to head a sustainability task force. Philosophy professor Jennifer Everett joined the group last summer as sustainability programs coordinator. The task force research and implement measures that minimize DePauw's carbon footprint. Its major focuses thus far have included increasing energy efficiency and expanding recycling initiatives.
"Green" physical measures
The physical plant has had a heavy hand in implementing sustainability measures. Fares said it has replaced 2,500 incandescent lights on campus with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs in the past year. The sustainability task force's record of recent sustainable actions reported that this switch generated annual savings of more than $13,000 - dividends that were put into an energy management account to fund other sustainable projects with delayed payback, such as energy-saving windows.
"When a bulb is going to last seven or eight years instead of having to replace it every six or seven months, it's going to pay off within the year," Fares said.
But energy conservation consists of more than switching light bulbs. Four campus buildings have lights with motion sensors. The housekeeping staff turns on lights for only one room or office at a time, and students have made efforts to reduce energy consumption as well.
"Last semester, there was an initiative on the Environmental Club's part to go on Friday nights and 'Friday Night Lights Out' by turning [unused lights in academic buildings] out," Everett said.
In addition, the physical plant installed waterless urinals at the indoor tennis and track center. Like the light bulbs, this measure saves money - $916 - as well as 68,000 gallons of water annually. Fares said the urinals have brought no complaints or problems.
The custodial department switched to 100 percent green products this month, including washable micro-fiber cloths and recyclable toilet paper.
"All the staff went through a class [about the new products] and are all green-certified," Fares said. "They were worried that the products would not be as effective, but it's just as effective, and that took their worries away."
Recycling has become easier to participate in all throughout campus. All 40 outdoor trash cans are accompanied by recycling bins. University-owned apartments and houses were equipped with bins, and each dorm room was given a recycling bag to keep and empty into containers on the floor, a move that Director of Housing Julia Arnold said has positively affected student recycling habits.
"We put the bags out over fall break and some of the numbers have started to show that people are recycling more because they have those bags," she said. "We have given them a mechanism to do more, and they have."
Sustainability programming
Environmentally themed programming has been virtually nonstop since August, due in part to Bottoms' endorsement of a sustainability initiative. Events included the Boswell Symposium on Environmental Social Justice in September, DePauw Discourse 2007 on Sustainability and Global Citizenship in October, and the Focus the Nation teach-in and policy forum in late January. The Re*Cycling Art project during ArtsFest introduced 100 community bikes to campus last fall in an effort to encourage environmentally friendly transportation, and the newly dedicated Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics and Bartlett Reflection Center were designed to be LEED-certified.
The discourse about sustainability in particular has influenced the curriculum. The spring schedule of classes offered nine courses with an environmental component. This past fall, a group of students in Everett's Environmental Ethics course conducted an initial measure of DePauw's current carbon footprint. Everett said this is an important base from which the university can gauge its sustainable progress.
"We can't really claim any kind of achievement until we're measuring it," she said.
Student involvement and future plans
These trends complement the extracurricular efforts of a number of separate sustainable projects. Freshman Anthony Baratta said interest and involvement in these projects has strengthened since they consolidated into the Environmental Club. Meeting attendance increased from four or five students in the fall to 22 students at a recent meeting. Baratta, who serves as co-president of the club, said raising student awareness of sustainable options has been one of its goals.
"For example, in The Den, students can ask for glass plates, but almost no one does because they don't know about it," he said.
The club also teamed with Fares and the physical plant to make presentations at greek houses, as well as to promote free energy audits for the living units.
Everett said she hopes a sustainability page on the school Web site created this academic year will become more accessible and popular among the student body.
"We're trying to get the Web site so it is visible and up to date and helps get the word out," she said.
The site serves as a virtual hub presenting DePauw's current sustainable actions, future plans and contact information for those on campus who are involved with the sustainability initiative.
But despite the amount of changes made in the past two years, members of the sustainability task force remain focused on future measures.
"We haven't even scratched the surface," Fares said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jeffrey Francis Shetler
posted 2/23/08 @ 1:42 AM EST
Of course turning lights out when they're not being used is a good idea. The money going towards environmentally themed programming, however, could be much better spent. (Continued…)
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