High Performance Facilities

1. High Performance Facilities “Are we embracing the challenge of sustainability?” E. Lander Medlin, EVP, APPA November 3, 2005

2. PURPOSE “To focus on high performance facilities in the broader context of environmental sustainability and the shift in thinking and action needed in higher education, its operations and practices.”

3. What we will cover: • What is sustainability? • Why is sustainability even more important today? • Highlight effective & innovative “greening” practices, the associated cost savings, & funding approaches. • Identify basic design elements of high performance facilities; their cost/benefit. • Discuss importance of these operational activities to the educational experience.

4. Definition of SUSTAINABILITY: “Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,”

5. “We must seek to mimic the way nature operates!”

6. “Sustainability: It’s not just a pretty word, it’s a sobering challenge; maybe the ultimate challenge!”

7. Understanding the Higher Education Market/ Industry • 4,100 colleges & universities • 15M students • 3M faculty & staff • 2% of U.S. Workforce • $300B enterprise • 3% of gross domestic product • $20B Operations/Maintenance and Energy/Utilities, alone • $14B Construction projects estimated annually

8. Understanding Higher Education Facilities • 240,000 existing buildings • Comprising 5B sf of floor space • Median age – 32 years • Current Replacement Value - $500B • Deferred Maintenance backlog - $26B • ALL types of facilities/spaces “Like managing a small city or municipality!”

9. Buildings consume our precious natural resources: • 1/6th freshwater withdrawals • 1/4th world’s wood harvest • 1/3rd of all energy in U.S. • 2/3rd of all electricity generated in U.S.

10. Buildings are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions: • 49% of sulfur dioxide emissions • 35% of CO2 emissions • 25% of nitrous oxide emissions • 10% of particulate emissions • Construction alone generates 136M tons of waste per year Buildings: “A chief pollutant blamed for climate change.”

11. Buildings have a significant negative impact on the environment based on: • Systemic design failures • Poor engineering • Choice of materials & manner used (most energy & materials originate in the “natural” world) • Inefficient technologies & operations • Little relationship to life cycle environmental impacts

12. Fits with culture and values of campus (64%) Good public relations (47%) Cost effective (41%) Student recruitment (17%) WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

13. Upgrade lighting efficiency (81%) Reduce use of hard paper copies (69%) Use native plants (51%) Start micro-scale labs (43%) Restore habitat (36%) Specify recycled with high post-consumer content (25%) What have we been doing?

14. What are we doing today? • Smarter Transportation Practices: • Adequate and protected bike racks (59%) • Free or discounted bus passes for students (23%) and/or staff • Carpooling programs (17%) • Incentives not to drive alone (13%) • Bicycle lanes (13%) • All reducing need for new parking/ roads

15. CURBING EMISSIONS & COSTS • CU eliminated 750 parking spaces and 1,500 car trips per day offering student bus passes saving $8,000/space • Cornell commuters drive 10 million fewer miles annually; reducing CO2 by 6.7 million pounds • Madison, WI used UW-M to assist in solving violation of Clean Air Act

16. What are we doing today? • Improving Energy Efficiency & Conservation: • SUNY-Buffalo • Tulane University

17. CUTTING CARBON? • Over 300 energy conservation projects at SUNY-Buffalo • Save $9 million annually • Reduce CO2 by over 63 million pounds annually • All with help of 200 Building Conservation Coordinators (BCCs)

18. Tulane’s Energy Star Dorm Room • Using Energy Star rated appliances, this model dorm room saves $130/room (times 1700 rooms!) • Student-created leadership position, Environmental Coordinator

19. What are we doing today? • Purchasing Renewable Energy: • Colorado University, Boulder • Georgetown University

20. USING RENEWABLES? • CU Students vote to increase tuition by $1/semester • Purchase output of a wind turbine • Power 3 student buildings • Reduce CO2 by 1,400 tons/year

21. Renewables • Georgetown University, Intercultural Center, uses large solar array to produce 10% of building’s needs, saving $45,000 annually and reducing CO2 emissions

22. What are we doing today? • Curbing Water Waste & Restoring Habitat: • Brown University • Mesa Community College

23. CURBING H20 WASTE? • Students at Brown U audit residences • Replace 750 showerheads • Save the university $45,800 annually • Reduce water consumption by over 12.6 million gallons annually

24. RESTORING HABITAT?Before and After at Mesa Community College, AZ

25. Nebraska Wesleyan restores native prairie grasses St. Olaf College restores wetland Ohio State University constructs river wetland Mesa Community College replaces turf with native flora Texas A&M students study wetland cells University of Florida restores a wetland OTHER HABITAT EXAMPLES

26. What are we doing today? • Recycling Efforts/ Curbing Waste: • MIT • Various materials & percentages recycled: • 83% high grade paper • 78% low grades • 80% cardboard • 87% aluminum • 50% glass • 47% plastic • 49% food • 48% construction waste

27. Recycling Efforts • When the facilities staff teamed up with students, it achieves results and students learn • MIT increases use of post-consumer paperfrom 5-64% percent of campus

28. As you can see, environmental improvements also save our institution’s money!

29. Elements of High Performance Facilities • Sustainable design IS about… • Improving public health & reducing environmental impacts • Maximizing energy efficiency & conserving natural resources • Integrating technology & common sense into building design • Incorporating sustainability issues throughout the design process • Involving key stakeholders in all phases of the process

30. Elements of High Performance Facilities • Sustainable design IS NOT about… • Adding green elements to an existing process • Focusing only on design elements • Relying solely on technological solutions • Focusing on environmental issues at the expense of occupants, health & safety

31. Elements of High Performance Facilities • What can sustainable design do for you? • Reduce capital costs • Lower operating & maintenance costs • Increase occupant productivity, lower absenteeism, & improve employee job satisfaction • Minimize exposure to toxic emissions

32. Elements of High Performance Facilities • Building design, appropriate technologies, siting, land use, materials, equipment, construction methods, and operations & maintenance practices all contribute to a building’s sustainability. • Use LEED (USGBC established guidelines & rating system for green buildings) • Use “Building Blocks” of High Performance School Buildings (developed by the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council)

33. Acoustic comfort Commissioning Daylighting Durability Energy analysis tools Energy-efficient building shell Environmentally preferable materials & products Environmentally responsive site planning High-performance HVAC High-performance electric lighting Life Cycle cost analysis Renewable energy Safety & Security Superior IAQ Thermal comfort Visual comfort Water efficiency “Building Blocks” of High Performance Facilities

34. Green construction addresses challenges such as: • Growing costs of transmission & distribution congestion • Reduced energy demand (from slowing dependence on natural gas markets) • Cut pollution • Meet emission reductions targets • Improved quality of education environment • Superior health & comfort & work environment • Enhance productivity & competitiveness

35. Perception • Green buildings are substantially more costly than conventional design and not worth the extra cost.

36. FACTS • Average premium for green buildings is slightly less than 2% or $3-5/sqft • Average annual cost of energy in buildings is about $2/sqft • Green buildings use 30% less energy • More likely to generate 2% power on-site • Therefore, 30% reduced consumption at $0.08/kwh electric price is equivalent to $0.30/sqft/yr (20 yr NPV = $5/sqft) (NOT accounting for environmental & health costs associated with air pollution & fossil fuel use)

37. Case Studies • Mueller Building at Penn State • “Green Building Costs & Financial Benefits” report of 33 LEED buildings (State of Massachusetts) by G. H. Kats • Harvard’s Revolving Loan Fund for Sustainability Projects

38. Financial Benefits • Energy & water savings • Reduced waste • Improved indoor environmental quality • Greater employee comfort & productivity • Reduced employee health costs • Lower operations & maintenance costs

39. “It’s no longer “green” design – it’s just “good” design!”

40. Why should we lead the way? • Education role for current & future leaders • Collective purchasing power • Collective environmental impacts • Setting an example/ social responsibility

41. Why should we lead the way? Not a problem in education; It is of education. Must not only see ourselves in the community; Must see ourselves of the community.

44. “We cannot solve the significant problems we face today at the same level of thinking in which they were created.” (Einstein)

45. Strategy Requires an approach that is interdependent & integrated, conscious & visible; linking all organizations’ & operations’ sustainability efforts to the formal curriculum;communicating everything we’re doing to everyone.

46. Conclusion • New paradigm • New strategy/approach • Collective change; synergistic effect “What we do individually will never come close to the impact and influence we can have collectively.”