[HW] It's not easy being "green"

Not to mooch off the wonderful Kermit the Frog who was referring to his vibrantly green flesh, but this iconic phrase can also refer towards the difficultly to live in an environmentally sustainable way. I learned this during my last homework assignment where I used a lot of products that have more potential harm than good toward the earth (Read here, or watch here)

This week I now expand my degree of focus to a larger area - my own college campus - and question its own sustainability. But first things first, how can we define a campus to be "green"? And what are the measurable areas that can determine sustainability?

I needed some help in this endeavor and came across Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges 2011 Edition. Yes the Princeton Review, the same guys who help you out with your SATs, ACTs, MCATs, ABCs, FDAs also help you out when determining colleges, specifically with how sustainable they are.
When thinking of how I would measure my college's sustainability I instantly thought of measuring the waste production. Good enough, right?
STOP! IT'S A TRAP!
Sure - reducing waste production is a huge area to pay attention to (what Princeton refers to "waste diversion rate"), but being a sustainable campus has so much more substance than how we throw away or recycle! For a campus to be "green," shouldn't it provide sustainable products in the classrooms from the lighting to the flooring? How about providing resources that help the students themselves be more aware of environmentally positive choices (like free bus transportation and high education in environmental subjects)? "Green" colleges should be changing how we look at taking care of the earth from how to not only properly "dispose" but also how to properly use (or not use).

(please don't go around saying that I don't care about waste diversion, because I really do! I promise!)

For example, within Princeton Review's helpful booklet I found many ways specific colleges integrate sustainable methods into nearly every nook and cranny of their systems. California College of the Arts was listed as one of these colleges. Not only does this college supply alternative transportation, organic cleaning products and organically maintained grounds, but is also home to a solar facility. In fact, according to Princeton,  "the campus is home to the largest solar-heated facility in San Francisco, named a Top Ten Green Building on Earth Day 2001." CCA also has a facility called the New Materials Resource Center which consists of ecofriendly materials where students are creating sustainable products (like "creating a crop garden of traditional dye and fiber plants," says Princeton).

But enough about other colleges! How about mine? Lil ol' Riverside Community College in good ol' Southern California! In order to accomplish any of my hypothetical tactics, I need to know who to contact. The top people I would focus on contacting would be the Chancellor Dr. Gregory Gray, President of the Board of Trustees Janet Green and the Riverside campus committee for the 2009 Green Initiative toward a sustainable campus.

With the contacts in place, I will be able to interview them about the specific area of assessment. One area I would definitely choose would be the percentage of energy from renewable sources. That is, how much energy does RCC use that can be replenished in a short period of time? Taking from the example of CCA's solar-power facility, how can RCC follow their strides to become a sustainable campus?

To be able to determine where the campus is at with using renewable energy sources, the campus' usage of any source of energy must be accounted for. I would initiate, at the least, a year-long survey to conclude a measurable average of energy usage, the efficiency of the energy spent, and the cost of the energy used. There are some cool tools to help calculate the efficiency and cost of consumed energy. One is the EUI (or energy utilization index). All you do is take the amount of consumed energy and divide it by the area in square feet. The higher the EUI, the less efficient your energy was consumed. The second is to measure the cost of energy that was consumed, or the ECI (energy cost index). To measure the ECI, take the dollar amount spent on utilities and divide it by the area in square feet. (did you get all that? No? Read more here)


With the EUI and ECI figured, it may be easier to persuade "the powers that be" to consider making the college more sustainable on the basis of reducing energy cost and increasing energy efficiency. Sure, this reason isn't the best but it isn't the worst. Not everyone will join the "green movement" because they care about the world around them. In due time that perspective may change, but until them it may be wise to start the change on the basis of funds and efficiency. What do you think? Send me your thoughts, questions, concerns, cookies down below!

Till next week, Tread lightly everyone!