Green Buildings & Practices
Water Efficiency
Housing & Dining Services uses many strategies for reducing water use while increasing water efficiency. We have concentrated our efforts on low-flow showers and toilets, zeroscaping, and the installation of pulpers in the dining centers to reduce water use when renovating buildings, repairing and/or replacing equipment, and building new facilities. These strategies have reduced water use as much as 50% and are instrumental in keeping utility cost down.
Energy & Atmosphere
Most of the energy used today originates from non-renewable sources. Conservation of energy in its various forms is not only cost effective but a smart approach to maintaining future options. Housing & Dining Services optimizes energy performance in its buildings through regular maintenance, renovations, and the university-wide building system commissioning programs. Housing & Dining Services has utilized daylighting, energy-efficient lighting systems, and energy conservation programs to lower utility consumption and ozone depletion.
Materials & Resources
Waste management and reusability are areas where Housing & Dining Services has taken reduce, reuse, and recycle to the next level by serving as an ardent supporter of recycling and composting through community partnerships, purchasing programs, and reuse of existing materials. Tons of waste has been diverted from the landfill annually by our active recycling program, composting program in the dining centers, and reuse programs like Live It Behind. Where economically feasible, Housing & Dining Services purchases sustainable and/or local products.
Indoor Environmental Quality
Housing & Dining Services continuously works towards indoor environmental quality with policy implementations, adopting new products as they become available, and during renovations. The quality of life for both residents and employees has improved significantly from these endeavors. Operations Management has converted all custodial staff to environmental technicians adopting green cleaning practices and policies.
LEED Certified Buildings
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. A commitment to LEED certified buildings was embraced by Housing & Dining Services in 2009 with Aspen Hall opening with a LEED Gold certification. To learn more Aspen's green features,watch this Construction Management video.
We are currently pursuing a LEED EBOM (Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance) for Summit Hall, which opened in 2004 as well as LEED Commercial Interiors for the Durrell Center remodel, which is slated for completion in late spring 2013.