With Earth Day right around the corner, many of us are thinking of ways that we can lead more sustainable lifestyles. If you’re looking for a way to reduce your carbon footprint, check out the podcast below. We interviewed Tatiana Sehring, Strategic Manager Environmental Leadership and Sustainability at American Public University System (APUS) about how we can live more environmentally-friendly lifestyles. This is Part 1 of a two-part Earth Day special focused on tangible actions we can each take to reduce our environmental impact.
I am confident that, with Earth Day on the immediate horizon, the nation’s biggest publications have begun to compose those bannerheads that will run on April 22, as the whole news media takes up its annual tradition of, for a day, fixing its gaze on environmental issues. For one day, we will collectively turn our eye to the issue of sustainability, reading retrospectives on the environmental movement, which trace its genealogy, and connect the movement’s past to its present and future, or op-eds on environmental degradation, carbon emissions, and water scarcity. However, I have always found the practice of celebrating the Earth—that blue and green rough-skinned globular object we ride through space—one day a year to be somewhat offbeat. Throwing the Earth a party which, in terms of scale and magnitude, might resemble a Queen’s Golden Jubilee arouse in us the same sense of purpose, excitement and focus as, say, the theme of monarchy, royal nuptials. Admittedly, likening Earth Day to a celebration of the Queen’s fiftieth anniversary trivializes what the day is, and the evocative purpose it serves—Earth Day represents a day on which the world can unite not only in common purpose, but on which humanity can publicly express and reflect on its support of conservation, helping to further embolden and revitalize a movement whose object is to turn “sustainability” and “conservation” into household terms. This analogy does, however, illustrate a point: the Earth deserves more than a Day.
John Viera, Director of Sustainable Business Strategies at Ford Motors, recently contributed an article to GreenBiz plotting the trajectory of sustainability education in America, creating a cultural climate conducive to the growth of sustainability into a corporate imperative. Although, for the most part, the target of Viera’s analysis is rather narrow, his conclusions throw an interesting light on the future of sustainability in American business and education, and implicitly addresses the fleeting attention we pay to the Earth on its day, answering the question, “What happens after Earth Day?”
We’ve been talking a lot lately about the adaptive reuse and green new construction on the American Public University System (APUS) campus in Charles Town, WV. So, yes, we know that many of the buildings are green retrofits, that solar installations are estimated to offset 350 tons of carbon each year, that the appliances are Energy Star certified, and that the faucets and toilets conserve water. But, did you know that both the recently constructed Academics Center and the under-construction Finance Center are built on what has been designated a “brownfields site?”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines brownfields as “real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.” Basically, this means the property has been blighted by past uses—such as, in APUS’s case, a junkyard—and requires special care and investment to make it suitable for use. The EPA estimates that over 450,000 of these properties exist in the United States and has since leveraged more than $14.0 billion in funding for cleanup and revitalization projects.
The City of Ranson and the City of Charles Town, West Virginia, where APUS has one of its campuses, has teamed up and applied for a piece of the funding pie. In 2010, the Ranson-Charles Town partnership represented one of 23 communities selected for the EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Program. The community has been awarded a grant to aid in the area-wide Commerce Corridor brownfields revitalization plan, which is currently underway. The Commerce Corridor plan is a 1.5 mile long corridor where a total of 15 brownfield sites have been identified. Included in these 15 properties are a 100+ year old brass foundry, abandoned chemical fertilizer and pesticide facilities, residences, and shopping areas.
When American Public University System (APUS) re-located its headquarters to historic downtown Charles Town, WV in 2003, the university’s leadership was mindful of the abundant and rich history of the area. Rather than purchase land outside of the city center to build a standard office building, the university system undertook a comprehensive adaptive reuse policy. To date, the university system has “recycled” 5 historic buildings in Charles Town’s downtown area for office space.
What is most notable about APUS’ adaptive reuse policy in Charles Town is the dual nature of the undertaking. Considering the historic nature of the properties and the entire downtown area, the university’s leadership was careful to maintain as many of the historic features of each building as possible. At the same time, however, cognizant of its commitment to reducing its environmental impact, the university upgraded specific areas of each building to make them more efficient. Below are some specific examples of adaptive reuse projects at APUS.
Etter Hall – Etter Hall (named for APUS’ founder, Major James P. Etter) was the first building that APUS purchased in Charles Town and serves as the university’s main administrative offices. The building now known as Etter Hall was originally built in the late 1800s and served as a private residence and office for physician Charles Taylor Richardson. By the early 1900s, the house was being used as Charles Town’s first hospital, a capacity it served until the late 1940s when a new hospital was built and the house was converted to a retirement home. APUS kept the original elevator in the property (which was the first in the area and quite a novelty) but upgraded the circuitry and wiring to meet current standards. Though the original floors remain in the building, the windows were upgraded to provide greater energy efficiency and a high efficiency HVAC system, motion sensor lighting, and low flow toilets were also installed.
Adaptive reuse is reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than that for which it was built or designed. Frequently reused buildings include industrial buildings and community buildings such as churches or community centers. While usually seen as a way to reduce urban sprawl and environmental impact, adaptive reuse also has its controversies. A short article from College Planning and Managementconsiders the pros and cons of adaptive reuse, and examines what should be considered when deciding between “reuse” versus “build new.” Colleges often have limited facilities maintenance and renovation funds, and adaptive reuse can become an option for both maximizing those funds and for creating a teaching moment on the concepts of sustainability and smart growth.
First, consider the pros of adaptive reuse. Reusing an existing campus or community building helps to foster community involvement in campus activities. Students, faculty and community leaders can become involved in the research and planning process for the renovation, perhaps even assisting in seeking out buildings for reuse. Adaptive reuse is environmentally friendly. According to the EPA, building-related construction and demolition accounts for up to 160 million tons of construction debris each year in the United States. In addition, consider the “embodied energy” of a building. Embodied energy includes all of the energy used in raw material extraction and processing, product fabrication, transportation and the assembly of a building. The demolition of existing buildings adds waste to local landfills, but also throws away all of this energy that was used to build them. More, historic buildings are-contrary to popular myth-actually quite energy efficient. Including such properties as heavy masonry walls, natural ventilation systems and natural use of light, older buildings are inherently energy efficient. In addition to all of these benefits, buildings that can be reused utilize idle space, support sustainability goals of a college campus, and provide opportunities for Federal tax incentives and credits, further allowing straining budget dollars to be fully utilized.
As a signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), American Public University System (APUS) is committed to developing methods to reduce the organization’s carbon footprint. Additionally, APUS is dedicated to sharing information and best practices with others who may be interested in developing “greener” practices for their own organizations or in their personal lives. This blog will provide a forum to discuss topics related to sustainability in higher education and in general. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
