Living Green at Elmhurst: A Tradition of Sustainability

Living Green at Elmhurst: A Tradition of Sustainability

Elmhurst College: A Tradition of Sustainability Elmhurst College has a long tradition of responsible stewardship of the environment.

As early as 1871, the year of the College’s founding, a working farm on the campus provided students with locally grown produce for the dinner table as well as opportunities for healthy outdoor activity. In 1966, the College established the Elmhurst Arboretum on campus to nurture the natural environment. Today, the College’s core values include a commitment to pursue innovations that respect the environment and foster sustainability in the management of our resources—and we incorporate green principles in every aspect of campus life.

Here are some examples of our commitment to sustainable practices.

The Elmhurst Arboretum Founded in 1966 with the planting of a single oak tree, the Elmhurst Arboretum has grown and flourished. Today, the campus boasts nearly 700 species of trees and shrubs, including many exotic and rare specimens. An inspiring environment for learning and growth, the arboretum is a visible manifestation of the College’s commitment to green principles.

Prairie Garden On an acre of land at the western edge of campus, seventy-five species of native plant life flourish in a recently planted prairie restoration. The grasses, sedges, and wildflowers planted here represent species that once dominated the Illinois landscape. Perfectly suited to thrive in the Midwest’s long, dry summers, the native plants here reduce the College’s use of water, pesticides, fertilizers, and power tools and support the College’s commitment to principles of ecological sustainability.

Green Living Elmhurst’s newest residence hall is also its most ecologically innovative building.

West Hall, which opened its doors to 170 students in August 2008, features an array of sustainable design features, including 42 rooftop solar panels; energy-saving, motion-sensitive lighting; and a network of cisterns to capture and store rainwater.

The U.S. Green Building Council awarded West Hall a silver rating in its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The building is one of the first of its kind in Illinois to achieve that status.

Low-Impact Lighting In 2005, the College won a $102,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Foundation in support of energy-efficient upgrades to the lighting systems in campus residence halls and classrooms. Today, energyefficient bulbs and movement-sensitive light switches are in use throughout the campus. The College also has instituted focused lighting on campus to minimize light pollution.

Permeable Paving In 2007, the College repaved the parking lot at the west end of campus with stateof-the art permeable paving stones that keep rainwater on site and in the water table, rather than channeling it into overtaxed sewers systems.

Local Building Materials In all construction and renovations projects, the College preferences material sources that are within a 500-mile radius of Elmhurst, reducing fuel resources used in transportation.

Reduced Water Usage The campus is committed to building new residence halls with low-flow shower heads and dual-flush toilets to minimize water usage.

Forest Stewardship New construction on campus uses wood harvested according to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, whose certification system recognizes wood production that minimizes habitat destruction, water pollution, and displacement of indigenous people and wildlife.

Recycling The College recycles plastic, glass, paper and aluminum. Waste receptacles throughout the campus encourage students and others to recycle.

Green Cleaning Elmhurst College mandates the use of minimally polluting cleaning products throughout campus buildings.

Environmental Policy Development At the policy level, the College works toward environmental change as a member of Elmhurst’s Cool Cities initiative, which successfully lobbied the city of Elmhurst to ratify the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. And in 2008 the College co-hosted Elmhurst Green Fest 2008 as well as a governmental forum on rainwater management in the DuPage River watershed region.

Reducing Traffic The College recently unveiled a new plan to reduce the number of cars on campus and encourage alternative forms of transportation. Among other elements, the plan calls for prohibiting residential firstyear students from bringing cars to campus; providing free bicycles for upper-level residence hall students, in exchange for written promises not to bring their cars; improving and expanding our student shuttle service to downtown Elmhurst and other popular location; and providing partial reimbursement to employees for regular monthly use of select public transportation systems.

190 Prospect Avenue Elmhurst, Illinois 60126