EMS Steering Committee

Meeting Minutes

Discussion Record
May 9, 2006

Attendees: Dale Hennessey, Ellen Shukis, John Bryant, John Fortini, Mary Jo Maydew, Sean Decatur, Nancy Apple, Rick Bigelow, Lauret Savoy, Emily Wheeler

I. Working Group Reports and Discussion

1. Green Building Design and Construction
   

   The Mead Hall Renovation is the first project to use the MHC Environmentally Responsible  Green Building Worksheet.  Use of this tool will also help develop campus standards for certain  materials such as carpet and low volatile organic content (VOC) products.

   The new residence hall will be a “green” building with LEED certification. The current design  includes 28 LEED points in project with 20 additional points under consideration. Features include:

   • optimize energy performance – energy modeling
   • design case 46.4% cost savings over ASHRAE 90.1-1999 (7 LEED points)
   • lights and plug load account for 50% of energy cost (41% of  energy use)
   • exhaust air heat recovery
   • variable flow exhaust systems
     • time, occupancy, humidity
   • radiant heating
     
     • feeling comfortable at lower temperature
   • includes solar domestic hot water
     
     • 900 sq feet collectors
     • reduce domestic hot water load by 30%
     • store 1500 gallons
   • various options for improving insulation
   • energy display in common area showing building performance
     • measuring electrical use in each cluster
   • recycled content synthetic slate
   • interior finishes: bamboo flooring
     

We are also planning signs to communicate ‘green’ design and construction features to the community during construction.

2. Energy Conservation
   

   A draft Cooling Season Energy Conservation Policy is under review and will be taken to senior  staff. Facilities Management(FM) is also doing a trial of motion sensors in Otto Kohler.  FM is  now using biodiesel in off-road vehicles (e.g., lawn mowers). Dale reported that Dining is  purchasing biodiesel in Holyoke for their 2 main trucks.

3. Grounds Practices

   A draft of the Policy on Vehicles Leaving Campus Roads was distributed. Each department should develop more specific guidelines for their operations. FM will include in contract language with outside contractors.

4. Waste Reduction and Recycling

   RecycleMania 2006 included both the national competition for the entire campus and an inter-dorm competition. Nationally, we ranked 15 out of 87 in the per capita recycling rate and 29 out of 43 in waste reduction (measured as the amount of trash per capita). Dickinson won the inter-hall and received an ice cream party courtesy of FM. As part of the campaign the ECO-Reps made a slide show should in Blanchard, and available on the Environmental Stewardship web page. EAC had a ‘Trash on the Lawn’ day with an audit of hall trash to determine what recyclables were being put in the trash, and Office Audits to look and recycling and energy conservation practices in offices.

   At the suggestion of the Working Group, Cable, Card, and Telephone Services polled campus offices to determine how many phone directories were needed. Directories distributed were reduced from 566 to 258. The Working Group also suggested we look at catalogs as many remain to be recycled at the end of the year. Jane Brown and Patricia Vandenberg have been asked to look at the order quantity.

   As of July 1st the state has instituted a landfill ban on construction and demolition debris. FM plans to sort collect on campus for recycling. Large projects, such as Mead, will be the responsibility of the contractor.

II. Environmental Stewardship Web Site

Topics on the web site have been expanded and operational information previously on the Center for the Environment site moved. Nancy is currently working on office Best Management Practices as recommended by the EAC office audit.

III. Dining Services Report

Dining has been actively pursuing a sustainable food initiative with the five colleges. In February  they met with local farmers to discuss availability and delivery issues. Lauret reported that an NPR report indicated that Mount Holyoke was not participating in the five college initiative; Dale will check into this erroneous report.

IV. CE Report
 
The Annual Report is on the CE web site. The ‘Green Partners’ has developed a trifold brochure discussing the role of each of the partners in environmental education and performance.

V. EAC Report 
 
Trash on the Lawn day discovered that 32% of the trash could have been recycled, and that a  large part of the trash was ‘to go’ containers and coffee cups. In addition to the education component, the office audits distributed recycling containers, help staff set computers on energy  saver settings, and encouraged double sided copying and collection of scrap paper for reuse. They also participated in the ‘Green Parade’ as part of the May Day celebration on the green. They will  be doing a clean-up of the River Valley Academy school site in Holyoke in collaboration with the school. A local foods festival in April was well attended, about 175, with proceeds going to Arise  for Social Justice.

VI. Environmental Stewardship Organization

Next year Working Group chairs with be:

• Roger Guzowski: Waste Reduction and Recycling
• Todd Holland: Energy Conservation
• Ellen Shukis: Environmentally Responsible Grounds Practices
• Nancy: Green Buildings

The Administrative Fellow position at the CE working on the Kill-a-Watt program will move to Environmental Stewardship in Environmental Health & Safety.