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October 5, 2007 > News > SA, administration work on green policy

SA, administration work on green policy

By Jocelyn Wright | Thresher Editorial Staff

Environmentalism has been a major campus theme lately, and student and administrative environmental agendas will meet this Monday when the Student Association votes on a resolution requesting President David Leebron to sign the “American College & University President’s Climate Change Commitment.”

This resolution comes more than three years after the administrative adoption of an environmental sustainability policy, the effects of which are now becoming visible on campus.

The commitment in the resolution outlines steps its signatories should take in order to achieve climate neutrality, including making inventories of greenhouse gas emissions, purchasing Energy Star certified products, and having all new campus construction built to at least LEED Silver standards.

But in March 2004, Rice adopted a sustainability policy to foster environmental consciousness and mitigate Rice’s ecological footprint. Thus, Leebron’s office began looking into the climate commitment independently of the SA.

In fact, many measures specified in the commitment have already been achieved by Rice or are in their formative steps on campus, including setting up institutional structures responsible for sustainable and ecologically-friendly development.

Now the groups are working together, and Leebron said his office could reach a decision about signing the climate commitment very soon.

“We’re very positive about the climate change commitment,” Leebron said. “We do welcome student engagement because the success of these things depends on student commitment.”

The climate commitment offers enough flexibility so that the university can take measures without significantly increasing the financial burden on students, Leebron said. Although the administration would be unwilling to take environmental measures that would raise tuition by several thousand dollars, they would consider a plan which would add a couple hundred dollars per student, Leebron said.

Some sustainability efforts, though they might be costly up front, end up saving money in the long run, Director of Sustainability Richard Johnson said.

“For many of these items, there are actual economic paybacks, so it’s possible that, viewed comprehensively, becoming carbon neutral could be net cost neutral,” he said.

Leebron said he sees signing the climate commitment as fitting in with Rice’s current environmental projects.

Rice has already taken several green steps with construction, including with Duncan College. Duncan will achieve LEED-Gold certification, making it one of the most environmentally-innovative campus residential projects in the United States, Johnson said.

By the end of 2009, roughly 20 percent of the total campus building square footage will meet LEED standards, Johnson said.

The Collaborative Research Center will serve as a model for sustainable laboratory design. The North Annex Parking Lot contains a section of water-permeable concrete.

The three homes that will be transformed into the Child Care Center were deconstructed instead of demolished. And Ryon Laboratory will be renovated to include a utility-efficient restroom.

Although it will be operated on gas, the South Power Plant will have many environmentally-friendly features. Photovoltaic solar arrays will recharge the battery systems for the standby and emergency generators and a geothermal heating system, Project Manager for the South Plant Erik Knezevich said. The plant’s vegetative roofing will provide shade in the summer and insulation in the winter, slow the rate of runoff by absorbing rainfall and possibly extend the life of the roof.

“We see the South Plant as a location in which we can continue to add leading-edge energy-efficient technologies as time goes on, and the design of the facility actually envisions such additions,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he views the climate commitment as an opportunity to continue to build with environmental responsibility and conservation in mind.

“If our experiences and successes with LEED are any indication, we’ll be reaping benefits and rewards that we’ve not even begun to envision,” he said.

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