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É«ÖÐÉ« University is proud to announce the first LEED certified building on campus, the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences.  The 56,000 square foot facility will house classrooms and labs to support the many Health Science majors at the college.  The project scores very high marks for site development and community connectivity including access to public transportation.  New water efficient landscaping will further enhance the selected site.  Despite the energy use required to operate equipment within the Chemistry, Microbiology and Anatomy & Physiology labs, the building is still able to optimize energy performance and will undergo enhanced commissioning to ensure the building systems are performing at their peak.  Construction waste generated at the site is being recycled whenever possible with a goal of recycling 75% of project waste. The indoor environmental quality of the building is important to É«ÖÐÉ« University during and after construction. The general contractor is actively managing the indoor air quality during construction and using materials proven to reduce VOCs for the final installation. Recycled materials are again given new life within the building with a goal of 10% of the cost of project materials coming from recycled sources. All of these LEED building components are sure to enhance the everyday experience for the building occupants.  

Occupancy sensors are continuing to be installed throughout campus. They detect the motion and occupancy of individuals in a space allowing lights to be automatically turned on and off, saving energy. Sensors have already been installed in the stairwells of Bernhardt-Wilhelm, Rau-Hassler, and Colonial Hall.
 

In the summer 2016, the Rau-Hassler residence hall was renovated and received new furniture. Sustainability was at the heart of this project including the installation hallway occupancy sensors to reduce power consumption of the building, installing CRI Green Label carpet, using low VOC paint in the rooms and hallways, and installing hydration stations promoting using refillable water bottles. Much of the previous furniture was recycled for use in other areas on campus or donated to Habitat ReStore.

In the summer of 2016, with the construction of the Makuvek Field and the beginning of the Health Sciences Building, É«ÖÐÉ« University invested in extending the chilled water system on campus. The Health Sciences Building will be tied into a central cooling system providing greater sustainability with less equipment and more efficient consumption. When the stand-alone equipment in other buildings need repair, they will be added to the centralized system being more energy efficient in the long-term.

The Sustainability Committee partnered with New Student Orientation, Dining Services, United Student Government, and the É«ÖÐÉ« Activities Council on purchasing reusable water bottles for each incoming student. This encourages students to utilize the hydration stations on campus and reduce the amount of plastic water bottles purchased/consumed.

One of the earliest projects made possible by the GreenHounds Fund was to upgrade the lighting around campus to more energy efficient bulbs, spearheaded by Chad Royer of the Sustainability Committee and FMP&C.

All 210 lamp posts on campus were changed from 100-watt high-pressure sodium lamps to 30-watt LED lamps. This reduced energy usage each year by 99,338,400 watts while saving $7,947 on energy costs and $1,260 per on labor costs. In approximately 2.5 years, the project will have paid for itself.

Colonial Hall was the next area to see a lighting upgrade with the continuous lighting on the ground floor replaced and occupancy sensors installed in the stairwells. Finally, the parking lot lights as well as monument and facade lighting were replaced with LED bulbs. The bulbs are brighter and more vibrant, utilize less energy, and reduces energy costs each year.

All savings from the lighting upgrades will be put right back into the GreenHounds Fund to be used for future sustainability projects.