 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Rise in Tornadoes, Floods Poses Risk to Colleges
What if the sort of extreme weather that has left the University of Iowa inundated in floodwaters is not a freak event? What if it is a sign of things to come? (Photograph by AP Images)
Art & Architecture Renovations Near Completion at Yale U.
Paul Rudolph's 1963 Brutalist icon is getting a makeover, plus an addition by Charles Gwathmey.
Guest Blogger: Anne Stephenson
Even the greenest construction project increases a college’s carbon footprint.
Other News
Land-Rich Universities Weigh New Options for Real-Estate Development
Universities are taking advantage of new ways to develop their holdings through corporate partnerships, a new report says.
U. of Iowa Begins Mucking Out and Assessing the Damage
The university's insurer spent the weekend starting to assess the damage to the auditorium and 19 other flooded buildings.
U. of Iowa Flooding Takes Costly Toll in Research and Equipment
Parking lots are under water, some roads leading to the campus are closed, and the campus utility infrastructure is damaged.
New campus buildings
Multimedia
A Green Building as a Billboard for Science
(A 2006 Chronicle video)
Subscribe
Subscribe to Buildings & Grounds in a feed reader.
Get the Buildings & Grounds widget for Facebook, Myspace, or your own blog.
About Buildings & Grounds
Buildings & Grounds is written by Scott Carlson (left) and Lawrence Biemiller (right). Scott Carlson writes about architecture, facilties, energy, and sustainability, among other topics. Lawrence Biemiller writes about architecture and facilities and contributes to Notes from Academe. What's happening on your campus? Let us know.
U. of California at San Diego Plans Projects in Renewable Energy
The University of California at San Diego has announced a set of renewable-energy projects that will provide 10 to 15 percent of the university’s power.
Solar arrays on the tops of campus buildings and parking structures will provide up to 2 megawatts of electricity. Purchasing power from Southern California wind farms will provide 3 megawatts. And burning methane from the Point Loma sewage treatment plant will produce 2.4 megawatts in fuel cells. That methane is currently flared at the plant.
A release from the university says the various projects, at 7.4 megawatts, make the university “the leader in renewable energy solutions among U.S. universities.”
However, there are larger efforts either planned or underway. The University of New Hampshire recently announced a project to draw power from landfill methane to produce 7.9 megawatts, or 85 percent of the university’s power; the university plans to ramp up to 11 or 12 megawatts. With the help of a private wind-power company, Colorado State University is planning a wind farm that will produce 65 to 200 megawatts, well enough to supply 100 percent of the university’s peak demand at 16 megawatts.
As admirable as UCSD’s efforts are, they also highlight the challenges facing the university — and large research universities in general — in becoming climate neutral. The alternative-energy projects will generate less than a sixth of the university’s annual electrical needs — far short of the climate neutrality the university pledged when signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
A stark illustration of the challenge can be found on one of the university’s sustainability pages. It features a meter showing consumption versus conservation on the campus; the conservation figures tick off slowly, while the consumption figures shoot up.
Gary Matthews, the vice chancellor of resource management, said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that drawing on university research in, say, algae-based biofuels would help the university move toward climate neutrality. —Scott Carlson
Scott Carlson | Friday April 4, 2008 | Permalink | Contact usComments
Previous: 3 University Leaders Testify on Efforts to Cut Greenhouse Gases
Next: U. of Illinois Arena Lands on Endangered List
Eliminate 40% of faculty offices and assign them on a floating as-needed basis. This super-green agenda has actually been done in businesses. Can faculty take the leadership role?
— Green guy Apr 7, 08:36 AM #