University scrutinizes sustainable practices

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth article in a five-part series looking at local initiatives to become more environmentally-friendly.

CMU is taking sustainability seriously by examining and modifying every aspect of the university.

“We’re making some progress, but CMU still has a ways to go,” said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management.

Future major renovations and the new Education Building will follow the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified standards, Lawrence said.

The U.S. Green Building Council Web site defines LEED certification as providing verification that a building project is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to live and work.

Lawrence also said all new appliance purchases will be Energy Star rated and the university’s cleaning products are beginning to convert to green-certified products made of hydrogen peroxide and citrus.

“The green-certified cleaning products are actually cheaper,” he said.

As environmentally friendly ideals spread throughout campus, Lawrence said more university employees are jumping on the bandwagon.

“More buildings are asking for a recycling bin,” he said. “It’s been a really positive change.”

Current and future sustainable projects listed by Lawrence include motion sensors for lights, hand dryers instead of paper towels, computer automatic shut off and increased recycling, including a project in progress to recycle all of CMU’s fluorescent bulbs.

“For $10,000 a year we can keep the bulbs out of the trash,” he said.

Lawrence said one of the most effective ways for CMU to be more sustainable is to improve on how it produce and uses it energy.

“If we would make all our own electricity, we could eliminate a large part of our carbon footprint,” Lawrence said.

Recently the Powerhouse restarted a steam absorber in order to produce more electricity internally. This will save the university $600,000 per year, Lawrence said.

To continue sustainable efforts on campus, University President Michael Rao has organized a Campus Sustainable Advisory Committee to develop an Institution Action Plan for Campus Sustainability, said Thomas K. Rohrer, professor and director of the environmental science program.

“One of the goals of that plan is to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by a certain percentage each year,” Rohrer said.

Simple changes of lifestyle by riding a bike or walking, along with turning off computers that are not in use and buying more fuel efficient vehicles, are ways people can make a difference, Rohrer said.

“Reducing our carbon footprint may require a lot of changes by students and faculty in terms of how they use energy,” he said.

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