Using recycled materials in construction and installing a runoff irrigation system for surrounding lawns are just a few examples of how Northwestern’s Facilities Management department is working to make the new Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center more environmentally friendly.
This aim is not limited to the Ford building next to Technological Institute, which is set to open next fall. The push for more ecologically-safe practices at NU’s campuses is part of the department’s goal to save energy and preserve NU’s natural resources, said Ronald Nayler, associate vice president for facilities management.
“(Implementing these features) will actually cost more money than not doing it at all,” Nayler said. “We need to try to live with the resources that are available and to try to minimize our impact on the environment wherever we can.”
The university will follow design and construction standards set by the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Nayler said. These restrictions work to reduce the destruction of natural areas and habitats as well as air pollution, water pollution and solid waste.
LEED also ranks buildings based on how energy efficient and environmentally friendly the designs are. The rankings range from certified, to silver, to gold, to platinum.
The Ford Engineering Design Center’s design will reach at least the silver level, Nayler said.
NU also is implementing energy-saving policies and studies to further its commitment to environmental sustainability, which aims to maintain the vitality of the ecosystem, according to a press release e-mailed Nov. 17 to members of the university community.
“(Environmental) sustainability is an important global issue, and we are committed to taking appropriate steps to minimize Northwestern’s impact on the natural environment,” University President Henry Bienen wrote in the e-mail.
A water conservation program was implemented in academic buildings on the Evanston campus about a year ago, saving the university more than $150,000 — about 20 percent of its sewer costs. Nayler wants this program to spread to residential halls and athletic buildings in 2005.
Nayler also is considering a “cogeneration” program where steam-powered energy will provide backup to electrical power. It will help decrease NU’s electricity costs, Nayler said.
“(There would) certainly be a lot less pollution for the same amount of energy and heat,” Nayler said. “Most older medical school buildings don’t have emergency power. A lot of experiments might be lost, so we try to look at other benefits that come with cogeneration.”
NU’s new policies also require that university equipment purchases be Energy Star rated, or highly efficient. The department also has lowered temperature ranges in academic buildings. Academic building temperatures will range from 73 to 76 degrees Fahrenheit in the cold seasons and from 68 to 71 degrees during the warmer seasons.
The facilities management department also is concerned about electricity wasted on lighting.
In addition to reducing the number of lamps and replacing old light bulbs with more efficient lighting, Nayler is hoping to place occupancy sensors in 6,500 rooms on the Evanston Campus and 1,300 rooms on the Chicago Campus by fall 2005. Occupancy sensors automatically turn off the lights in empty rooms.
Students for Ecological and Environmental Development co-chairwoman Tiffany Grobelski said these new policies and studies are positive first steps, calling them “future-looking.”
“I really hope it’s more than just a nice sounding statement,” said Grobelski, a Weinberg junior.
Reach Helena Oh at [email protected].
