Royal Purple

Issue date: 1/23/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Haley Smith Trash litters the ground outside Upham Hall

Beginning with energy and emissions, UW-Whitewater is planning to make the new campus buildings more energy efficient, Director for Facilities Planning and Management, Greg Swanson said. The university will make a future residence hall to comply with energy efficiency standards.

Compared to other campuses in Wisconsin, UW-Whitewater has been amongst the leaders in energy reduction the past two years. The university has cut energy consumption by about nine percent compared to about 2 percent by UW-Madison.

Gov. Jim Doyle issued an executive order in April 2006 to reduce energy usage by 20 percent by 2010 and establish programs for energy analysis of state-owned buildings. All new buildings should be at least 30 percent more energy efficient and each agency should look into other renewable technologies to generate electricity.

These guidelines will address sustainable operation and maintenance, including green cleaning, green purchasing, waste reduction and recycling, pollution prevention, energy and water efficiency, and light pollution in existing buildings, the order said.

UW-Whitewater is in the process of meeting the goals, Swanson, said.

Since 1997 the university has been using steam energy to heat and cool the academic buildings, saving on both energy and costs.

Before 1997 the university used coal to make the steam. On a cold weekend the plant could have used its entire 250-ton supply of coal to heat the campus, David Floyd, powerplant superintendent, said.

Today only one smoke stack is operationally ready in case an emergency requires it. The plant also keeps 30,000 gallons of fuel in reserve. In 1997, it cost the university about $6 per 1,000 pounds of steam it made. Today the school pays about $3 per 1,000 pounds of steam from Cogentrix, said. He estimated the cost of making steam from coal today between $7-12 per 1,000 pounds of steam.

Other ways the campus can save money and help out the environment is through effective waste management. Last year the campus created about 760 tons of garbage and 216 tons of recyclables. Those numbers put all recycled material at about 22 percent, Swanson said.

Last year UW-Whitewater spent about $130,000 on waste and recycling collections, Swanson said. All the collections are done by local contractor Johns Disposal Service.

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