Our Campus Operations
We promote and celebrate best practices for campus operations. These efforts conserve energy and reduce carbon and waste.
Buildings
- 2030 Master Plan calls to "model its commitment to sustainability through efficient facilities and operations management and will make progress toward carbon neutrality."
- Juniper, Butler, and Valcour Halls achieved LEED Gold status and use geothermal heating/cooling systems
- Perry Hall is a LEED Platinum building and uses a geothermal heating/cooling system
- Aiken Hall is a LEED Gold Certified building (see Aiken factsheet)
- CCM earned 3 Green Globes and uses 47% less energy than the national average for a building of its type
- 194 St. Paul Street earned 2 Green Globes and has a 119.3KW DC solar array
- The green roofs at IDX Center and Perry Hall, which ease storm water runoff, keep the buildings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter
- Building rehab and renovations, including sealing building envelopes, upgrading windows, using Energy efficient HVAC systems, and adding other features which have produced average energy savings around 50% - including Bader Hall (2012) and Whiting Hall (2014)
- Partnership with ReSource to donate old usable furniture and salvage building materials when we renovate
Cooling
- Ice storage tank that builds ice for cooling on off-peak rates
- Elimination of ethylene glycol in cooling systems
- Night purge of academic buildings for reduced nighttime cooling
- Buildings put on geothermal heating/cooling systems: Perry Hall, Juniper Hall, Valcour Hall, Butler Hall, Whiting, CCM, Bader, and McDonald
Dining Services
- Local Food Purchasing via Sodexo's Vermont First program
- Fair Trade Coffee, Tea, & Bananas
- Pre & Post-consumer composting
- Heat capture system on dishwasher
- Sodexo Starbucks accepts reusable cups for beverage orders
- Guide to Greening Campus Events
Grounds
- Lawn and garden debris is composted
- All woody wastes go to the McNeil electricity generating plant for fuel
- Fertilizers used on our grounds are organic
- Storm water retention system at Perry Hall (bioswale and permeable walkways), which achieved BLUE Certification in May 2018 for being a watershed friendly building
- Community Garden
- College Apiary
Heating & Electrical
- Digital carbon monoxide monitor sensors for residential life student safety
- Automated classroom controls for class scheduling
- Digital control scheduling for administrative offices
- Holiday mode controls for administrative buildings
- CO2 sensors in large spaces for temperature controls
- Variable frequency drives on large mechanical systems for electrical savings
- Residential Life policy about unplugging appliances during break times
- Increased use of motion sensor lighting and LED lights
Purchasing
- Purchase produce through Black River Produce
- Fair Trade coffee, tea, and bananas available in Dining Hall and EATS dining areas
- Fresh Vending machines (Library, Ireland, and Lakeside)
- Encourage purchase of 30-100% recycled-content office paper
- Green Seal cleaning products used across campus
- Recycled-content can liners used for trash and recycling bins
- LEED certified furniture in new buildings
- Purchase EPEAT Bronze or higher computers and monitors. See IS Statement of Practice.
- Restriction of sale and use of plain, bottled water
- Recycled content toilet paper and paper towels used throughout campus, as part of the Power of Three program. See the video below to learn more
PromoVideo-P3 from Power of Three on Vimeo.
Renewable Energy
- Geothermal heating and cooling in the following buildings: Perry, Butler, Valcour, Juniper, Bader, Whiting, CCM. and McDonald, Listed as an example in the NWF Guide, Going Underground on Campus
- 40,000-watt solar array installed on the Miller Center at Lakeside roof in 2011 (see factsheet)
- 119,000-watt solar array installed on 194 St. Paul Street apartments in 2018 (see factsheet)
Transportation
- Campus Area Transportation Management Association member, including Walk/ride incentive program and FREE rides on GMT buses
- Cyclists have access to shower and locker facilities
- Free shuttle service on campus to off-site parking lots and off-site residence halls
- Host for CarShare Vermont vehicles, offering free memberships
- Discounted Bird bike share rides
Water
- Installation of low-flow shower heads in all residence halls
- Modulation of boiler water temperatures
- Regulate hot water discharge with hot water mixing valves
- Replaced all campus washing machines with high efficiency models
- Water bottle refill stations in many buildings across campus
Waste Reduction & Diversion
- Uphold the Vermont State single-use products law (effective July 1, 2020) on plastic bags, plastic straws and plastic stirrers
- Single-stream recycling for a wide variety of paper products, plastics #1-6, glass, and aluminum. Check out our recycling, composting, and reuse guidelines for more information
- Pre- and post-consumer composting in the dining hall
- Water bottle refill stations in many buildings across campus
- Paper Towel Compost Collection in buildings without hand-dryers in bathrooms
- Move Out collection programs for on and off-campus students
- Book collection program, partnering with Better World Books
- Plastic bag recycling program with NexTrex
- Office supplies recycling program with Terracycle x Casella
Partnerships
- Burlington Electric
- Campus Area Transportation Management Association
- CarShare Vermont
- Casella
- GMT
- Chittenden Solid Waste District
- ReSource
- Vermont Fresh Network
- Vermont Gas
Contact Us
Want to know more about how we're making campus operations more sustainable? We'd love to hear from you:
Nic Anderson,
AVP of Operations & Planning
Kate Cronin,
Assistant Director of Campus Operations & Planning
Holly Francis,
Sustainability Coordinator
Tim Van Woert
Director of Facilities