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Northwestern University 2006 Campus Sustainability Achievement Award Application

Category

Four-year and graduate institutions over 10,000 student FTE

Contact

Julie Cahillane
Manager of Recycling & Refuse
Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
(847)467-1374
j-cahillane@northwestern.edu

Governance & Administration

Northwestern University has made a commitment to Environmental Sustainability stating “Sustainability is an important global issue and we are committed to taking appropriate steps to minimize Northwestern's impact on the natural environment.” The commitment includes the purchase of renewable energy certificates for 20% of our electricity usage. Energy efficiency is central to the commitment with temperature set-points of 68 in winter and 76 in summer. Occupants are expected to turn off lights and equipment when not in use and custodians enforce this on nightly rounds. All University purchases are expected to be Energy Star-rated. Northwestern has committed to LEED certification for all new buildings and major renovations. Our first LEED certified building, the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center, received a Silver rating. The building demonstrates not only a commitment to conserving energy but also one to educate students on the benefits of green building.

NU is a member of the US EPAs Green Power Partnership, leading the Big Ten Conference in green power purchases and ranking 3rd overall in the College & University category.

NU implemented campus wide recycling in 1990. A Manager of Recycling & Refuse oversees campus solid waste operations. It is a mature and active program with continuing education efforts for both students and staff and program development as markets and campus issues change.

The University has also employed various consultants to assess options for lighting retrofits, energy conservation, cogeneration and water conservation.

Operations

Energy efficiency is a major component of NUs commitment to Environmental Sustainability. All new construction projects and renovation projects (where feasible) will include installation of Direct Digital Control (DDC) systems linked to the Campus Energy Management System for all spaces so that the temperature set-point policy can be applied to a larger percentage of University space over time. New construction projects (and renovation projects, where applicable) will be designed to provide at least a 20% improvement over energy code requirements where technically feasible and where payback is reasonable. Occupancy sensors will be installed in offices, conference rooms, classrooms and restrooms to significantly reduce electrical usage by automatically turning off lights when these spaces are not occupied. A de-lamping program is in the works with site surveys conducted by a professional illumination consultant and reduction of the number of light bulbs will be based on their assessment.

A cogeneration facility is being developed for the Chicago campus. Cogeneration, the simultaneous production of electrical power and thermal energy (steam) is an attractive means of lowering NUs cost of electricity and steam while also lowering the overall air pollutants created to provide for the campus' needs. The Chicago cogeneration project is anticipated to have a 10 megawatt gas turbine that would provide 86% of the campus' electricity requirements and 96% of necessary steam loads. The implementation of this project would also provide a redundant source of electricity to meet critical needs in our research buildings. A study is being conducted to determine feasibility of a cogeneration facility for the Evanston campus.

Northwestern has been implementing a water conservation program in administrative buildings on the Evanston campus replacing toilets and installing sink aerators. Initial comparisons show water usage reduced by 8,525 CCF annually, or about 25% when applied across campus. Project payback is expected to be 2.5-3 years with continued implementation of these conservation methods.

With the opening of the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center the University has implemented its’ first green cleaning practices using reusable micro fiber mops and rags, vacuums with HEPA filters, green cleaning chemicals and floor finishes. For landscape operations, the building has an extensive underground drainage system which holds 1200 gallons of ground water for irrigation usage. When this water is not needed for irrigation it is pumped to a storm trap basin for absorption into the ground. This retention basin also captures roof water for percolation back into the ground, diverting water from the city sewer system.

Northwestern’s award-winning recycling program which has been honored by the IL Governor’s Pollution Prevention Awards (1991 & 1996), The American Forest & Paper Association and the Illinois Recycling Association. The program is recycling approximately 28% (based on collections for calendar year 2006) of the waste on campus. The residential food service operation participates in a food donation program through the Campus Kitchens Project. The project utilizes shared kitchen space, food donated by campus food service, and the energy of students, faculty and community members.

Curriculum & Research

The McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science offers an undergraduate, masters and PhD degree program in Environmental Engineering and Science (EES). These are housed in the Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering that is focused on the study of environmental processes, ways to protect natural systems and techniques to mitigate human impact on environmental systems. A number of faculty conduct research that is primarily centered on materials and energy.

The Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences (WCAS) Environmental Sciences degree program is designed to provide students with an understanding of the physical environment and the relations of humans to it. This program is being renamed Environmental Science, Engineering and Policy and is dovetailed with the EES program mentioned above. All the undergraduate students in this program and in the engineering program take a 3 quarter sequence (Env. Sci. 201, 202, 203) that discusses human impact on global systems. More recently WCAS created the Environmental Policy and Culture degree focusing on aspects of environmental concern through social sciences and humanities. The course list for this degree program is drawn from thirteen separate departments across the University.

A Sustainable Manufacturing course is taught for students enrolled in the MMM program (combined Masters in Kellogg (MBA) and Manufacturing Engineering). The goal of the course is to explore how we can conceive, design and develop a product or production facility using principles of Sustainability and why we would do so.

An undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences is also offered through Northwestern University’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) – the evening and weekend program designed to meet the educational needs of working adults.

Community Service and Outreach

The first Green Cup competition was hosted at NU in the spring of 2006. The successful program was a joint effort between Students for Ecological and Environmental Development (SEED) and the Facilities Management Department. The competition’s goal was to get individual residence halls to reduce their energy and water usage during the event. A great sense of competition and campus community spirit was generated through the competition and there are plans to continue the program next year.

The University’s commitment to purchase renewable energy certificates was a collaboration between administration and students. Students, particularly the SEED group, were instrumental in persuading NU to make the purchase and were involved in every step of the process from the early sales process to campus outreach and education. This purchase has put NU at #3 in higher education purchases of green power and they are the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the State of IL. The purchase was promoted on campus through a brown-bag lunch dedicated to renewable energy, an article in the student paper, handouts and flyers.

NUs involvement in Campus Kitchens Project (mentioned above) is a community service and outreach program providing food that would otherwise have been disposed to community members in need.

This month Northwestern University presented the first annual Green City Summer Institute, a three-day program exploring the City of Chicago’s green practices and the concept of making cities sustainable. This program was open to anyone interested in the topic of sustainability, the environment, urban planning and design.

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