Moe Tabrizi, Assistant Director of Engineering & Campus Energy Conservation Officer at the University of Colorado at Boulder led a tour of the ATLAS building, Colorado's first LEED Gold-certified public building.
Completed in August 2006, ATLAS (Alliance for Technology, Learning & Society) was more than 60% funded by a self-imposed student tax. One of the conditions of the student funding was that the building be "as green and sustainable as possible." Tabrizi committed to at least Silver certification—the project far surpassed that goal.
The building features CO2 sensors; hi-efficiency, double-pane windows; and water-free urinals. Sandstone mined from within 500 miles (Kansas) brought LEED points, and the red clay roof, consistent with campus architecture design, was mixed with 20% ash to meet gain additional LEED points.
Air-tight doors with airlocks, occupancy sensors to monitor lighting, super T8 and T5 lights, low VOC paint and carpets, and "certified wood" all create an environment not only "green," but healthy, pleasant to be in and aesthically innovative.
View the ATLAS website at www.colorado.edu/atlas. Visit greenmagonline.com for upcoming information regarding this and other LEED certified projects in the Rocky Mountain region.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Agents of Change
Campuses have an imperative to be "agents of change," said Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, at Thursday's Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit held in Boulder, Colorado. Colleges and universities have the challenge "to lead and to create leadership," she said, a theme repeated throughout the day at workshops and seminars.
Highlights included practical solutions to laying out sustainability goals that can be met, to providing incentives for pursuing sustainability research and best practices, and to forming cross-disciplinary collaborations to define and meet these goals.
Presentations included the "triple bottom line" approach to cost accounting (economic, ecological and social valuation), a hands-on workshop on how to capitalize the conservative values in your community into sustainability resources, building the institutional capacity necessary for water sustainability and more.
Participants from the Rocky Mountain region and beyond (Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, Tennessee, Arkansas, Washington, California, Florida, and, of course, Colorado) to share challenges and solutions to sustainability issues on the campus and within communities.
Highlights included practical solutions to laying out sustainability goals that can be met, to providing incentives for pursuing sustainability research and best practices, and to forming cross-disciplinary collaborations to define and meet these goals.
Presentations included the "triple bottom line" approach to cost accounting (economic, ecological and social valuation), a hands-on workshop on how to capitalize the conservative values in your community into sustainability resources, building the institutional capacity necessary for water sustainability and more.
Participants from the Rocky Mountain region and beyond (Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, Tennessee, Arkansas, Washington, California, Florida, and, of course, Colorado) to share challenges and solutions to sustainability issues on the campus and within communities.
Campus Climate Challenge
Thanh-Thanh, with the University of Colorado Environmental Center, gives free T-shirts to students for AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, www.aashe.org) during the Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit at CU in Boulder. The T-shirts promote the Campus Climate Challenge, a project of more than 30 leading youth organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Challenge unites young people to organize on college campuses and high schools to win 100% Clean Energy policies at their schools (climatechallenge.org).
Thursday, February 22, 2007
CU Boulder Announcement of Carbon-Neutral Commitment
University of Colorado at Boulder Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson today announced his signing of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (PCC). CU Boulder joins 79 other American College and University Presidents in signing this historic document.
"We realize that meeting the PCC goal of climate neutrality—zero net greenhouse gas emissions will require major improvements in the technology necessary to reduce the carbon emissions associated with coal-based electrical production in the Rocky Mountain region," Peterson said.
"But we are working on the premise that, with support from the state and federal government and a growing national and global commitment to alternative energy, these improvements in technology will come sooner rather than later, making what we do today all the more important and far-sighted."
Peterson announced plans to earmark $250,000 annually for projects aimed at reducing campus energy use. Additionally, the Chancellor announced the formation of the Chancellor's Committee on Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CCEES), a working group to be led by CU Boulder Vice Chancellor for Administration Paul Tabolt. Tabolt is charged with setting sustainability goals for the campus and advising the university on all environmental matters.
This group also marks a new sustainability partnership with the city of Boulder. Noting that "CU's and Boulder's fortunes are tied together in moving toward sustainability and the use of renewable energy," Peterson requested that Boulder Mayor Mark Ruzzin appoint a city representative to serve as a permanent member of the committee.
Throughout the day, the addition of other universities and colleges joining the PCC have been announced, bringing the current total to 86.
"We realize that meeting the PCC goal of climate neutrality—zero net greenhouse gas emissions will require major improvements in the technology necessary to reduce the carbon emissions associated with coal-based electrical production in the Rocky Mountain region," Peterson said.
"But we are working on the premise that, with support from the state and federal government and a growing national and global commitment to alternative energy, these improvements in technology will come sooner rather than later, making what we do today all the more important and far-sighted."
Peterson announced plans to earmark $250,000 annually for projects aimed at reducing campus energy use. Additionally, the Chancellor announced the formation of the Chancellor's Committee on Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CCEES), a working group to be led by CU Boulder Vice Chancellor for Administration Paul Tabolt. Tabolt is charged with setting sustainability goals for the campus and advising the university on all environmental matters.
This group also marks a new sustainability partnership with the city of Boulder. Noting that "CU's and Boulder's fortunes are tied together in moving toward sustainability and the use of renewable energy," Peterson requested that Boulder Mayor Mark Ruzzin appoint a city representative to serve as a permanent member of the committee.
Throughout the day, the addition of other universities and colleges joining the PCC have been announced, bringing the current total to 86.
Moving from the Stone Age to the Sustainability Age
We are still firmly implanted in the Stone Age, says Arizona State University President Michael Crow, a participant in a plenary panel at today’s Rocky Mountain Sustainability Summit at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
The Summit has drawn about 400 participants who are interested in “forging sustainability solutions at colleges and universities.” Many universities are stuck in the Stone Age because they are slow to change, selfish and egotistical, says Crow. And one of the big reasons our culture is stuck in the Stone Age is that universities haven’t been changing.
“At Arizona State University we have been rethinking our own design. We are creating a new set of design aspirations,” Crow says. Of vital importance in that restructuring process is “leveraging place.”
Crow says his university is “committed to place in every possible way. We have a duty to be responsible for facilitating social reformation.” That process includes being a responsible knowledge entrepreneur, facilitating use-inspired scholarship by making problem-solving equally important to academic research, fusing sustainability with all academic disciplines.
Crow says it’s important to lead by example. Just two examples he cited: at ASU all new buildings since 2002 have been LEED-certified and the university has bought transit passes for all university staff and students.
At other universities, parking fees have been increased to encourage using transit alternatives, all new vehicles purchased must use new environment-friendly fuels, and computer manufacturers are asked to package lots of machines together to cut down on plastics consumption.
Other panelists agreed with Crow that moving from the Stone Age to the Sustainability Age will take leadership on campus, from students, facility and staff…more on that later.
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