Slippery Rock Sustainability

Slippery Rock University

SUSTAINABILITY 1

Greening SRU

Leading the way in environmental sustainability A sustainability ethic has defined life at Slippery Rock University since it’s founding in 1889, when the citizens of Slippery Rock Borough opened the University as a self-sufficient farm community operated by students and staff. Students helped farm the land, handled dairy and beef production and even mined coal. The sustainability tradition continues today through a variety of academic programs, activities and services, including studentled Green Fund initiatives.

SRU, which pioneered greening education when it launched a master’s program in sustainable systems in 1990, operates The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research.

The center serves as a premier sustainability demonstration program.

It is a living laboratory for the demonstration of wind and solar power, agriculture and many other environmental applications.

Slippery Rock University has saved $16.5 million through sustainable development and energy conservation over the past five years and expects to save at least $5.6 million through energy conservation over the next 15 years.

SRU is leading the green movement in several areas, including: energy management; design and construction; sustainable food systems practices; recycling; solar; water; wind; transportation; and purchasing.

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Energy management ■ SRU has decreased energy consumption 29 percent over the past seven years, resulting in more than $500,000 in fossil fuel cost avoidance.

■ The University’s 2009 energy consumption in BTUs was 125,497 per gross building square foot. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institution average was 126,388.

■ Every academic building on campus has an energy control and monitoring system in place.

Heating and air conditioning are centrally controlled via computers that allow for the shut down of building systems when a building is not occupied.

■ SRU consolidates summer classes in key buildings, allowing reduced use of air conditioning in a number of lesser-used facilities.

■ Lighting upgrades and sensor lighting installed in 10 academic buildings is expected to save $2 million in electrical costs over the next 15 years.

■ Slippery Rock University saves more than $27,000 annually in electricity costs by activating sleep mode settings on 2,000 faculty and staff computer monitors. The Energy Star settings shut the monitor down after one hour of no use.

■ R hoads Hall received low-emissivity windows as part of a renovation. The windows retain heat originating from indoors in winter and deflect the summer sun, reducing energy consumption and saving money.

■ Energy conservation measures installed on campus from 2009-2010 are anticipated to save the University $3,600,000 over the next 15 years.

■ University policy requires the purchase of “Energy Star” appliances when feasible.

■ T he student-led Green Fund program has allocated monies for electric meter installation in the Physical Therapy Building, Swope Music Hall, Spotts World Culture Building, Eisenberg Classroom Building, McKay Education Building and Strain Behavioral Sciences Building. These six electrical meter projects increased by 33 percent the number of buildings on campus that are electrically metered. Electric meters are important as they identify buildings that consume the most energy on campus and help to determine how effective the energy conservation programs are that have been implemented.

■ A new field lighting-control system was installed at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium to reduce waste.

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Design and construction ■ SRU saved up to $16 million in new construction costs by converting Patterson Hall, a former residence hall, into an academic building for exercise and rehabilitative sciences and athletic training. New features include sensor lighting, all natural flooring and motorized projection screens.

Patterson Hall

■ A $250,000 renovation of the Harmony House at the Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research added a new entrance, larger classrooms, operable skylights that add day lighting and ventilation, a green kitchen and a geothermal heat and cooling system. The facility will apply for LEED certification after one year of operation.

■ SRU is participating in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), a national program for evaluating and improving sustainability implementation in buildings and curriculum. SRU is the first Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institution to participate.

Harmony House

■ SRU has implemented a green building policy that mandates that all new campus buildings pursue LEED certification. All major renovations will follow LEED principles.

■ The $140-million Residence Village suites are LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The halls include recycled materials, energyefficient heating and air conditioning, maximized day lighting and windows that reflect heat.

■ The new Art Sculpture Building was constructed with many recycled components and includes a shed dormer roof that allows daylight to come into work areas at a non-blinding angle and insulated glass.

Art Sculpture Building

■ The University’s Regional Learning Alliance workforce development facility in Cranberry Woods is LEED Silver certified.

■ S RU has been included in “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges,” the first comprehensive guidebook cataloging institutions that have shown above average commitment to sustainability and green building design. The guidebook was published in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council.

Regional Learning Alliance

■ Boozel Dining Hall captured the American School and University Magazine’s Educational Interiors Showcase Outstanding Design Award in the cafeteria/food service areas category.

Boozel also earned “Dining Hall of Distinction” honors from University Business Magazine.

■ Pittsburgh Magazine named SRU’s “Leave It Green” initiative as one of the 50 best eco-friendly finds in the region. The article cited SRU’s growth in green architecture and technology.

■A new air quality and meteorological observatory provides opportunities for students to conduct research on ozone levels and air pollutants, which provides useful pointers to the public about dangerous ozone levels.

Boozel Dining Hall 4

■T he University is installing a $5.8 million bag house filter at its coal-powered boiler plant. The filter will reduce coal emissions by 1,000 percent and will allow the University to use other fuel sources such as wood chips.

Recycling ■ SRU annually recycles more than 245 tons of material that would have been sent to landfills.

■ Sixteen tons of pre-consumer food scraps are taken from the dining halls each year and combined with leaves to make compost that is used for campus beautification projects.

■ Students participate in an annual campus cleanup and “Recyclemania” program. Students recently collected 266 bags of recyclables from the residence halls and divided outdoor litter into trash, recycling and composting piles.

Sustainable food systems practices ■ AVI Foodservices, the University’s food contractor, buys fresh produce for the dining halls from 25 local sustainable growers, including Cool Springs Organics, Mung Dynasty Sprouts, Tom Alexander Hydroponics and Frankferd Farms Organics. Not only does “buying locally,” allow peak-of-freshness harvesting, AVI oversight of suppliers and local-grower support, it also eliminates the harm of longdistance transport that uses fuel and creates unnecessary emission problems.

■ W hen buying in bulk from local farms, AVI requires items to be packed without layers of “filler” cardboard, Styrofoam, paper or any other non-recyclable product that would have to be included in order to safely transport them from other farms across the country.

■ AVI practices many facets of sustainability. Among the most important is the recycling of used products and the use of recycled ones.

■ The operation of flight-type dishwasher machines is minimized and energy efficient, “environment-friendly” detergents and chemicals are utilized.

■ Items such as recycled paper napkins are bought in bulk to minimize packaging waste. The dining halls reduced napkin usage 80 percent by making napkins available at the tables instead of serving stations.

■ AVI’s purchasing department takes into account energy ratings of equipment such as vending machines, banquet carts and holding cabinets; incorporating the U.S. government’s EnergyStar® ratings on efficiency whenever possible.

■ The dining halls implemented a “platinum standard” for food service. Food is batch cooked in small quantities. Chefs start with fresh, whole meats and put none of it to waste. Turkey breasts are roasted and broken down, with bones being used to make soups, stocks and sauces. Pizza dough is made on site daily using no preservatives.

■ Academic and residential buildings recycle paper products. Each wing of the residence halls includes a recycling center for paper products, glass, cans and plastics. Students may request a recycling container for their rooms.

■ The University placed green recycling containers for bottles, paper and waste inside academic and administrative buildings. Each office has recycling containers. Ninety-six-gallon tote containers are located in all buildings to encourage recycling.

■ The dining halls use cardboard balers to compress cardboard so it can be sold instead of hauled to a landfill.

■ The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education and Research operates a number of recycling programs. The Macoskey Center offers workshops teaching the public how to reduce consumption at home.

■ L ettuce for salads is hand cut and washed in small batches, not from a bag or prepared in advance. Soups are made from scratch, and the dining hall serves fresh vegetables.

■ SRU is the first university in western Pennsylvania to use biodegradable containers for takeout food at the dining halls and grab-and-go food station. The dining halls also use green ware cups made from corn resin.

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Solar ■ The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainability Education and Research operates a solar greenhouse and a photovoltaic solar system to generate small amounts of electricity for its Harmony House environmental center.

The Center maintains a live Web site where visitors can track energy generation in real time.

■ James Stitt, a sustainable systems graduate student, recently obtained $1,800 from the University’s student-led Green Fund to add a solar-powered inflation station at the Macoskey Center.

■ Student researchers at SRU are experimenting with a solar panel they hope will provide a new method of capturing solar energy.

While most solar panels capture direct sunlight on roofs, students are attempting to construct a device that can capture sunlight that passes through a window and then convert it to usable electricity.

Wind ■ A wind turbine at the Macoskey Center produces a small amount of clean electricity for the laboratory’s Harmony House.

Water ■ Nearly all campus locker rooms, residence hall showers and restrooms save water by employing restricted-flow showerheads or faucets. SRU’s water usage declined by 4.1 million gallons from July 2009 to March 2010, after the program was implemented.

It is anticipated that this program will save the University approximately $94,700 in annual sewer and water fees.

■ The Robert A. Macoskey Center for Sustainable Systems Education and Research operates a rainwater catchment system. It also has a composting toilet.

■ Drilled a well to irrigate the soccer field to avoid using potable water.

■ Installed an underground storage facility to capture storm water runoff and spring water to irrigate the field hockey fields. If necessary, water can be drawn from well.

This avoids use of potable water.

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Transportation

Green purchasing

■ A $6,900 biofuels processor will convert up to 240 gallons of used French fry oil per week into bio-diesel fuel for powering University diesel tractors and lawnmowers. Each gallon of biodiesel used will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by 17.32 pounds.

■ SRU standards call for all cleaning supplies, such as glass and window cleaner, floor cleaners, bathroom cleaners and general-purpose cleaners purchased by the university to carry the “Green Seal” of approval.

■ Students launched a Green Bike Initiative that makes loaner bicycles available for use on campus, minimizing reliance on automobiles.

■ Bus ridership on campus has increased more than 300 percent since students launched the “I Ride the Bus” program, also part of the Green Fund.

■ Pittsburgh 250 Community Connections awarded SRU $5,000 to buy 10 new bicycles for the Green Bike Initiative. SRU was one of 14 grant recipients out of 100 to be honored by Pittsburgh 250 for its greening program.

■ Building custodians use green cleaning agents (green seal approved), microfiber wiping cloths and vacuum cleaners with filters that capture 99.7 percent of particulates.

■ The University considers the use of post-consumer content of paper in purchases for on-campus use.

■ A ll bachelor’s and master’s degree graduation gowns are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. Each gown keeps an average of 23 plastic bottles from winding up in a landfill.

■ The Student Government Association Bookstore offers 100 all-natural cleaning and hygiene products as well as recycled school supplies and ecofriendly greeting cards.

Sustainability leadership ■ Robert Smith, SRU president, signed the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment, which requires that universities do their utmost to neutralize global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

■ Developed a strategic plan to establish SRU as a leader in promoting environmental stewardship, and that: • Incorporates energy efficiency and sustainability principles in all capital projects, renovation projects, and operations and maintenance practices, within budgetary constraints and program requirements.

• Supports alternative means of transportation to, from and within the campus to improve the quality of life on campus and in the surrounding community.

• Provides affordable, attractive on-campus housing to reduce the volume of commute trips to and from campus.

• Leverages the University’s purchasing power to meet sustainability objectives.

• Minimizes the amount of SRU-generated waste sent to landfills.

• Tracks and reports sustainability goals.

■ Herb Carlson, assistant vice president for construction, design and management, has been named senior officer for institutional sustainability initiatives and will serve as the University’s liaison to ACUPCC. Carlson became a certified carbon reduction manager and is using the additional knowledge to help the University further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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1 Morrow Way Slippery Rock, PA 16057

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www.SRU.edu

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A member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

Slippery Rock University provides an environment that respects, encourages and promotes the talents and contributions of all. Slippery Rock University values a community with a shared sense of purpose, where people demonstrate mutual respect and appreciation.

Slippery Rock University values diversity that honors and includes all persons regardless of age, creed, disability, ethnic heritage, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status in academic and extracurricular endeavor, in the working environment and in the daily life of the University community.

Respect for Individuals in the Community