SUMMER 2003 •
VOLUME 8, NUMBER 1
SPECIAL ISSUE: REAPING THE REWARDS OF
THE PLAN FOR MOUNT HOLYOKE 2003
Plan
goals: Promote environmental literacy, research, study, and responsibility
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FRED LEBLANC
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The walkway connecting Clapp
Laboratory to Kendade Hall, a bequest from Shirley M. Carson
'34 |
The devil may well
be in the details, but so too might be the future well-being of
the planet. In two major building projects on the Mount Holyoke
campus--the construction of Kendade Hall and the reconstruction
of Carr Laboratory, both key components of the College's new science
center, and the reconstruction of Blanchard Campus Center--Mount
Holyoke is taking the lead in environmental stewardship in the
most concrete of ways. Kendade and Carr, now complete, and Blanchard,
which reopens in the fall, are "green buildings," built in accordance
with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria
established by the United States Green Building Council. Based
on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes advanced
strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy
efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
In practical terms, it means that the flooring underfoot in Kendade's
dazzling new atrium is not petroleum-based vinyl, but a product
made of rosin, wood flour, and other renewable raw materials that
can be harvested with little energy consumption. It means that
students, faculty, and staff can commute to campus by bicycle,
knowing they can shower in Carr. And it means that 90 percent
of all regularly occupied spaces in Blanchard will have direct
views to the outdoors, lessening the need for artificial lighting.
These details, and hundreds more, put Mount Holyoke in the vanguard
of the movement toward environmentally responsible building. "We
were one of the pioneers with LEED," says John Bryant, director
of facilities management for the College. "We are absolutely committed
to being good environmental stewards." The science center is a
fundraising initiative of the Campaign for Mount Holyoke College. |
