Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Green Construction & Technology
They Say They Want A Revolution
10/1/2008
As sustainability efforts gather steam on campuses nationwide, educators find eco-friendly dorms an effective way to educate students about environmental issues.
EVEN IF YOU DON'T believe-- and it's getting increasingly difficult not
to-- that the "green revolution" on college campuses is akin to the great movements for
social change that rocked universities in the 1960s and '70s, there's no denying that it
has taken root in such a way that no campus administrator can afford to ignore it. And
unlike the flower children of yesteryear, today's students are pragmatists: Their environmental
activism is actually spearheading what many social scientists and business leaders
herald as the next major grassroots movement to effect social change.
In fact, educators emphasize that green technologies are exceptionally suited to an academic environment, since they offer a major opportunity to teach students how ecofriendly principles apply to daily life. Houston's Rice University, for example, is set to build a green residence hall that demonstrates sustainability in operation.
"We have a strong educational commitment to this building," says Rice's Director of Sustainability Richard Johnson. "We want this to be a teaching tool, not just a structure to live in. We've looking for ways of educating students. This is a university. It's about pedagogy. Why can't buildings be pedagogical?
Dorm as Green Model
The new residence hall will be the first structure at Rice-- and among the first buildings in Houston-- to receive gold-level certification from the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards program. (LEED certification is a nationally accepted standard for the design, construction, and operation of eco-friendly buildings. Scores are awarded for performance in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. Buildings are deemed "certified," "silver," "gold," or "platinum," depending on the number of credits they earn in each category.) Funded by former US Energy Secretary Charles Duncan and his wife, the $30 million residence hall (to be christened Duncan College when it opens in 2009), will measure roughly 110,000 square feet and house 324 students.
According to Johnson, the university is taking "quite a lot of time and care to select the right materials," using recycled, regional, and organic materials wherever possible. Selections include low-emission paints and hardwood or cork flooring, which eliminate the chemicals and other contaminants found in carpeting. One of the building's many green features are energy-saving interlocking thermostats from Smart Systems International (acquired in 2007 by Telkonet). These thermostats shut off air conditioners when windows or doors are open, whether or not the student is in the room. While this concept is not new, "The linking of known technologies is unique," says Johnson. "We haven't seen it done quite this way."
Recommended Reading
- Get Users on Board
- Greening IT
- It's a Zinch
- Meeting up Virtually
- Online Tutorials to the Rescue
Now's the time to use online tutorials to streamline professional development and help desk management.
- Retention Rx
