{"id":1860,"date":"2009-08-06T09:59:15","date_gmt":"2009-08-06T13:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2009\/08\/transylvanias-thomson-hall-is-first-residence-hall-in-kentucky-to-receive-energy-star-certification-for-energy-efficiency-part-of-the-universitys-crimson-goes-green\/"},"modified":"2020-07-14T13:58:39","modified_gmt":"2020-07-14T17:58:39","slug":"transylvanias-thomson-hall-is-first-residence-hall-in-kentucky-to-receive-energy-star-certification-for-energy-efficiency-part-of-the-universitys-crimson-goes-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transy.edu\/1780\/2009\/08\/transylvanias-thomson-hall-is-first-residence-hall-in-kentucky-to-receive-energy-star-certification-for-energy-efficiency-part-of-the-universitys-crimson-goes-green\/","title":{"rendered":"Transylvania\u2019s Thomson Hall is first residence hall in Kentucky to receive ENERGY STAR certification for energy efficiency: Part of the university\u2019s \u2018Crimson Goes Green\u2019 initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ThomsonLEXINGTON, Ky.\u2014Transylvania University\u2019s Thomson Hall is the first residence hall in Kentucky to earn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA\u2019s) prestigious ENERGY STAR certification for superior energy efficiency and environmental protection. This signifies that the building\u2019s energy performance rates in the top 25 percent of facilities nationwide.\n<\/p>\n

\n“Transylvania is very pleased to receive this recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,\u201d said President Charles L. Shearer. “This achievement demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs. It is an important component of the university\u2019s Crimson Goes Green sustainability effort.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nThomson Hall opened in the fall of 2008 and is named in honor of Joe Thomson and his wife JoAnn. Mr. Thomson is a 1966 graduate of Transylvania and a member of the Board of Trustees. The three-story, 28,000-square-foot dorm provides housing for 61 students in 31 suite-style units. Among its sustainable features is geothermal heating and air conditioning with a heat recovery wheel that captures energy from outgoing exhaust and transfers it to incoming outside air. Thomson Hall\u2019s lighting system performs 20 percent better than the energy code requirement and includes motion sensors in the hallways and laundry room. The building\u2019s insulating values exceed state code requirements by 28 percent, its carpet has 15 percent recycled fiber, showers are equipped with low-flow heads and blacktop in the parking area is made of 50 percent recycled material.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cImproving the energy efficiency of our nation\u2019s buildings is critical to preserving our environment and our natural resources, \u201c said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA\u2019s Climate Protection Partnerships Division. \u201cThe ENERGY STAR distinguishes Transylvania for taking environmental responsibility into its own hands.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Crimson Goes Green<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nTransylvania ramped up its campaign for environmental responsibility last fall, when Shearer kicked off the school\u2019s Crimson Goes Green campaign. Since then, signs of progress have become evident across the 1,100-student campus in downtown Lexington.\n<\/p>\n

\nEach of Transy\u2019s 508 residence hall rooms, for example, has been supplied with a recycling container. The campus dining facilities use mostly reusable dishware, and almost all to-go containers and utensils are made from recycled, biodegradable or eco-friendly materials. A small fleet of bicycles, purchased by the university, is available to the campus community for use around Lexington. An organic Transylvania community garden, started in May, provides a source of fresh food for student, faculty and staff participants. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cAt Transylvania, sustainability is more than an intellectual concept,\u201d said Shearer. \u201cHere everyone can have a hand at confronting important environmental issues and solving real-world problems through personal involvement.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nAlthough Shearer said the university has long been concerned about sustainability, it had not funneled that concern into a specific plan until last year. He got the ball rolling by signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging that Transy will take significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from campus operations and move toward climate neutrality.\n<\/p>\n

\nAt the same time, Shearer appointed a sustainability advisory committee, with subcommittees to zero in on waste management, climate neutrality and campus communication issues. Those committees, made up of students, faculty and staff, quickly began gathering information, conducting research, setting goals and taking action.\n<\/p>\n

Energy conservation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nOn a campus where some heating and cooling systems are at least 45 years old, making great strides in energy efficiency is not always easy. But that didn\u2019t stop the committee.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe\u2019re making progress in this area,\u201d said Darrell Banks, a committee member and director of the physical plant. \u201cWe\u2019re shutting down buildings when they\u2019re not being used this summer.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nBy shutting down the seven-year-old Clive M. Beck Athletic and Recreation Center on weekends when there are no summer camps, for example, Banks anticipates a savings of between $5,000 and $7,000.\n<\/p>\n

\nTransylvania also has begun using spec T-5 lighting, the most energy efficient lighting available for commercial use, in all new construction and remodeling work. Likewise, when broken shower heads are replaced in existing bathrooms, low-flow shower heads are installed. Some buildings already have motion sensor lighting and energy-saving water faucets.\n<\/p>\n

\nAs part of its energy conservation focus, the university also adopted an ENERGY STAR purchasing policy for such products as air conditioners, computers, office equipment and appliances.\n<\/p>\n

\nMost of the current and future energy conservation projects at Transylvania were identified after the sustainability committee commissioned an energy audit. The audit now serves as a baseline from which the group works, Banks said.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThe next step is to develop a master energy plan using the information we\u2019ve already gathered. We will build a road map of where we want to go next,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Waste management<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nAlong with the recycling bins placed in each residence hall room, recycling containers have been placed in faculty and staff offices, and soon the containers will be placed in each classroom and each indoor and outdoor public area. Robert Brown, director of residence life and chair of the subcommittee on waste management, said the recycling efforts are a prime example of a cultural shift at Transy.\n<\/p>\n

\nIn developing a waste management campaign on campus, Brown\u2019s committee established three ways to measure the amount Transy recycles. One was to track the number of recycling containers and the weight of material collected weekly by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government. During fall term 2008, 277 containers of recycled waste were collected, representing 15,235 pounds.\n<\/p>\n

\nTo put that in perspective, Brown points to the national Recyclemania competition, in which Transy participated for the first time last school year. Recyclemania is a component of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The university participated in a noncompetitive division but was able to use the results as a \u201cmeasuring stick,\u201d Brown said.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cOf the 36 colleges in our peer group, Transylvania reported the ninth highest pounds of cumulative recyclables per person. We recycled 12.82 pounds per person,\u201d Brown said.\n<\/p>\n

\nAnother measure of Transy\u2019s recycling efforts came from the Information Technology division and pertains to electronic waste, or e-waste. Prior to implementing the Crimson Goes Green campaign, Transy\u2019s e-waste was deposited into landfills. Over the past year, however, 51 pieces were recycled with a depreciated value of $47,773. Every portion of equipment, from the plastic casing of printers to computer hard drives, is recycled.\n<\/p>\n

\nA third measure\u2014the amount of paper used in computer labs and across campus\u2014was also established.\u00a0 According to Shearer, in a message to all faculty, staff and students, Transylvania consumed three million sheets of paper last year.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe all need to think before we print, and don\u2019t print if it isn\u2019t absolutely necessary,\u201d he wrote.\n<\/p>\n

\nTo help reduce the paper waste, Transy, in cooperation with the Student Government Association, bought three adapters that enable front\/back printing on printers in the school\u2019s computer labs. Through such actions, the committee expects to see improvement in this area, Brown said.\n<\/p>\n

Green dining<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIt doesn\u2019t take long to see that sustainability is a top concern in the dining facilities across Transy\u2019s campus\u2014from the use of those eco-friendly to-go containers to the inclusion of locally produced foods.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWe are constantly looking for areas to improve,\u201d said Kevin Rogers, general manager of Sodexo Campus Services at Transy.\n<\/p>\n

\nSodexo, a national dining service provider, has been increasing its sustainability efforts for about 10 years. At partnering schools like Transy, where sustainability is likewise important, it\u2019s much easier, Rogers said.\n<\/p>\n

\nAlready, Transy\u2019s 1780 Caf\u00e9 offers only organic and sustainably produced coffee. Jazzman\u2019s Caf\u00e9 offers the option of organic, fair trade coffee. Bulk and bottled water are purchased from a local spring water company, and flour and cornmeal used in baked goods are purchased from a local mill.\n<\/p>\n

\nIn the school\u2019s four dining facilities, most all dishware is reusable, and Styrofoam products have been eliminated. Sodexo has replaced dishwashing products and systems with the new Ecolab Apex dishwashing system, which reduces water usage, power consumption and packaging waste. The Apex management approach uses wireless technology to communicate with the system\u2019s controller to download, process and analyze data to establish \u201crack-to-guest ratio.\u201d By monitoring and improving this ratio, this system saves 15 gallons of water per eight-hour service period.\n<\/p>\n

\nWaste reduction is likewise important to Transy and Sodexo. Recycling bins are placed in all dining locations, and\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\"Transylvania's<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Corn grows in Transylvania’s community garden. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\nSodexo recycles cans, cardboard and other items daily. Napkins are made from recycled, biodegradable or eco-friendly materials. And discussion is underway to implement a composting program to manage dining hall food waste, which could include using the compost in the university\u2019s organic community garden.\n<\/p>\n

Living and learning<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nWhile creating a more sustainable campus is the ultimate goal of the Crimson Goes Green campaign, creating a \u201claboratory for learning\u201d about sustainability is equally important, according to Michael Vetter, dean of students.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cAs students live in the residence halls, they learn what it means to use energy wisely and to recycle and to reuse. So those habits and practices can be carried with them as they leave Transylvania,\u201d said Vetter, who chairs the sustainability advisory committee.\n<\/p>\n

\nIn addition, Transy is committed to helping students explore environmental issues within the liberal arts context. Faculty from various divisions teach courses that allow students to complete a multidisciplinary Environmental Studies minor, which supplements work in all majors and prepares students for lifelong reflection on environmental concerns.\n<\/p>\n

Other initiatives <\/strong><\/p>\n