Initial Steps Toward
Sustainability at WSU
Campus
Grounds and Land Use
- Redefine campus beauty by reducing lawn areas
and needed grass cutting.
- Protect woodlands, wetlands, watersheds,
and wildlife.
- Plant native species; implement a tree protection policy.
Campus
Planning and Design
- Locate campus convenient to population being served
and regional public transit system.
- Develop campus master plan which
minimizes negative impacts and disruption of natural ecosystems and
surroundings.
- Preserve and enhance greenspace. Protect natural
areas from development.
- Concentrate buildings and arrange campus walkways
and roads to minimize on-campus driving and create a convenient pedestrian
and bicycle campus.
- Use water-efficient indigenous plantings; landscape
for energy efficiency and aesthetics.
- Subject all new building, renovation
and expansion plans to a public participation process, an environmental
impact analysis, and sustainable design principles.
Energy Conservation
- Create
energy databases which document energy use and completed energy conservation
measures and projects.
- Develop heating and cooling season temperature
policies which promote conservation.
- Minimize HVAC fan and equipment
run times.
- Exploit all cost-effective retrofit opportunities for efficient
lighting, HVAC, motors, drives, EMS, etc., and operate this equipment
to maximize savings.
- For lab buildings, focus on fume hood ventilation
system efficiency including heat recovery and variable air volume
systems.
- Make conservation projects happen by using energy service
companies (ESCOs), third party financing, and demand-side management
incentives.
- Use life-cycle analysis to evaluate conservation projects.
- Organize
an ongoing energy awareness program which enlists the support of the
campus community and encourages respect for temperature policies,
efficient operation of lights, use of power management features on
computer equipment.
- Link energy conservation efforts to quantified
examples of reducing campus carbon dioxide emissions and contribution
to global warming.
Energy Purchasing
- Use energy efficiency measures
to flatten campus load profile to lower electric rates.
- Phase out
use of dirty fuels like coal and oil and buy green power.
Food and
Food Service
- Buy regional produce in season and support local organic
farms.
- Minimize use of disposable dinnerware.
- Implement a reusable
mug program with discounted drinks at dining areas.
