Harre Union upholds LEED Silver standards

"Sustainability is an integral part of who we are at Valparaiso University,” says Fred Plant, executive director of facilities management.

Constructing buildings to LEED standards, encouraging recycling by members of the campus community and investing in clean energy initiatives are just some of the ways Valpo has made sustainability a major component of campus life.

“Sustainability has been part of the University’s fabric for more than 20 years,” Plant said. “We were going green way before LEEDs and before any of the buzzwords for sustainability appeared.”

Plant says that Valpo’s green efforts are rooted in its Christian/Lutheran tradition and the relationship between Christianity and respect for the earth. That connection is one of the reasons why sustainability is an element in decisions and actions taken on campus.

The University recently broke ground on the latest addition to its lineup of buildings constructed to LEED standards: the Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center, a new facility designed to providing a comprehensive education for future engineering leaders. The University’s goal is to achieve LEED Gold certification with the building, scheduled to open for the fall 2011 semester. Five existing buildings on campus also have been built to LEED Silver standards, including Harre Union and the Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources.

Among its other green efforts, Valpo has developed three rain gardens on campus that reduce the amount of pollutants entering local waterways and converted boilers in all buildings to more efficient models, a project that alone resulted in a 12 percent decrease in energy costs. In addition, Valpo purchases food from local producers and processors, along with fair trade coffee.

Valpo also has expanded its recycling program to include soiled food containers, like pizza boxes, paper cups and even waxed paper cups, things that students readily use.

Plant said the University’s successes have much to do with creating programs that are fun and fit in with the lifestyles of the members of the campus community.

“We try to harness the enthusiasm of the students, faculty and staff,” he said. “We talk to them, find out what motivates them and don’t weigh them down with a lot of rules.”

Plant said Earthtones, a student-run organization, has been a major force in the awareness of sustainable practices on campus. During Earth Week 2010, the group plans to educate students on food and garbage waste, showing students what items left on their dinner trays will end up in local landfills.

Donald V. Fites Engineering Innovation Center
Occupancy sensors for energy efficient lighting
Co-mingle recycle bins for metal, aluminum,bi-metal, steel, lids, plastic #1-7, paper (clean & soilded), card/paste board and newsprint/slick