ACUPCC 2009 Annual Report - Climate Commitment

Success Stories
Acupcc school innovations
Green Building and Renovation
Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY
President: Thomas R. Rochon • Implementation Liaison: Carl Sgrecci, Vice President of Finance and Administration
Ithaca College recently dedicated our new Peggy Ryan Williams Center. This 58,000 square foot building features a large atrium
overlooking Cayuga Lake and a multipurpose auditorium for admissions presentations. This spectacular facility was designed to
achieve platinum LEED certification. Over 50% of the building’s energy comes from renewable sources, including a geothermal
system to provide heating and cooling. Other sustainable features include: nearly 6,500 square feet of vegetated roof area; natural
convection ventilation that draws cooled night air across a shade garden and relieves it out the four-story light monitor; lighting
controlled by daylight and occupancy sensors and mechanical ventilation systems that reduce energy by automatically responding to
ambient conditions; and a 12,000-gallon tank that collects rainwater for toilet flushing, meeting over 85% of the building’s yearly
water needs. The building is located adjacent to the LEED Platinum-certified Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise,
which opened in 2008.
University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD
President: Thelma B. Thompson
Implementation Liaison: Maurice Ngwaba, Assistant to the Vice President of Administration and Facilities
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), Maryland’s only Historically Black Land Grant University, has prioritized green
building and renovation. By the spring of 2010, UMES will construct a 20-acre photovoltaic solar farm on our campus that will
generate about 2.2 megawatts of clean electricity. This SunEdison construction will be the largest renewable energy project in
Maryland and will provide UMES with long-term, predictably priced solar-generated energy. UMES’ ten-year plan will reduce the
amount of energy used across the campus by more than 20 percent per year from 2005 levels.
We are committed to a minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Rating for our major capital
projects. In the renovation of two campus buildings, the university used a geothermal system to generate heating and cooling in a
residence hall and began a separate $7.2M project designed and constructed to meet LEED Silver Rating. To achieve this goal,
facilities staff members have become certified as LEED Accredited Professionals and are working with other professionals across the
University System to ensure that required LEED rated facilities are constructed. To connect sustainable building with sustainability
education, we’re developing new courses in green building concepts in the Construction Management Technology department.
Utah State University, Logan, UT
President: Stan L. Albrecht • Implementation Liaison: Nat Frazer, Dean of the College of Natural Resources
In June 2009, our Wetland Discovery Point building at the Utah Botanical Center was awarded Platinum LEED certification. Its roof
functions as both a rainwater collector and a tool to provide shade or allow winter sunlight into the building to warm it and provide
abundant natural light. Harvested precipitation is stored in a cistern and used to irrigate part of the landscape and to flush low-flow
toilets. Much of the power used in the building is solar generated, and solar-heated water flows through the building’s heating
system. Extensive use of windows connects visitors with the landscape and improves ventilation.
Not only is the building’s design sustainable, but the facility is also used as an educational site where adults and thousands of school
children come to learn about the importance of conservation and wetland ecosystems, and about how they can implement green
practices into their homes and lifestyles.
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