Universities all over the country have established special housing for students interested in ‘green’ living. Starting this fall, Northwestern will join them with a new environmentally sustainable residential college for 20 students.
The Group Residence for Environmental Engagement at Northwestern, or GREEN, House might include features such as eco-friendly cleaning supplies, low-flow shower heads, independent composting and halogen lighting fixtures, said Weinberg junior Jesse Sleamaker, a co-chairman of Students for Ecological and Environmental Development.
The GREEN House will be located in an existing North Campus dormitory, said Mark D’Arienzo, associate director for university housing. D’Arienzo said he will announce the name of the dorm after speaking with the building’s residents Monday night.
“At first I thought jumping into this in April for September might be cutting things really close, but SEED wanted to strike while the iron was hot,” D’Arienzo said.
The community will center on “three pillars” – examined lifestyle, education and service, said Sleamaker, a Daily columnist.
Prospective residents, including incoming freshmen, will have to answer a few short essay questions regarding their interest in sustainability as well as their lifestyle and “environmental background,” Sleamaker said. A student committee will evaluate applications and select residents.
Prairie Project coordinator Jackie Beard said residents hope to organize service trips to the northern branch of the Chicago River to restore prairie areas, hold student-lead seminars and strongly encourage residents to take classes in environmental science or environmental policy.
“Our idea is for residents to look critically at how they use resources and be aware of the choices they’re making because everything you do has a greater significance,” said Beard, a Weinberg freshman.
Sleamaker said he wants the house to develop a personality separate from SEED and other environmental student groups, even if group members plan to live in the dorm.
“This is not the SEED House,” he said. “One of our challenges is to be creating that distance and creating our own identity.”
Residents will have to re-present the project to the housing committee for the 2009-10 year, D’Arienzo said..
“They will have to provide concrete empirical data to show what impact the house has had,” D’Arienzo said. “We will be very excited if they can fill it.”
It is likely that the house will change locations after next year, Sleamaker said. He and Beard envision significant renovations being made to another building to make it more environmentally-friendly, and possibly an eco-friendly dining facility for residents.
“I’m optimistic for the next year, but the start will be less than smooth,” Sleamaker said. “This is the largest step NU has taken in a long time, equal to or greater than establishing the environmental science program.”
While NU is beginning its first environmentally sustainable dorm, other schools, such as University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University and Tufts University, have much larger collaborations already in place.
The Stanford University Living Green project is a collaborative effort between Stanford’s housing offices and several student environmental sustainability groups. The project was instituted seven years ago, and includes upgrades in infrastructure to campus dormitories as well as educational outreach opportunities for students. Dormitory upgrades include new shower heads, toilets and modifications to faucets to reduce water consumption.
The program was started through a combination of student interest in saving resources as well as the housing offices’ interest in increasing efficiency to cut spending.
Living Green has saved the university almost $6 million since it was instituted seven years ago, said Nik Kaestner, Stanford’s student housing sustainability coordinator.
“There’s a growing awareness of these issues,” Kaestner said. “We’re trying to create a movement here. There’s been an increase in awareness, since there’s a representative from the Green Living Council at every dorm.”
Student groups such as Students for a Sustainable Stanford and the Green Living Council partner with student housing to run education programs about the importance of changing behaviors, such as decreasing water and heat consumption, and run events such as the school’s annual Conservation Cup.
Though it’s unclear how many students will end up applying to live in the GREEN House, one incoming freshman, Rebecca TeKolste, said she might choose NU’s newest housing option.
I’m going to try to do a lot of things (at NU), and I don’t know if I’ll have the time,” TeKolste said. “We’ll see what next year brings.”
Read the student proposal submitted to administrators for the GREEN House by clicking here.
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