From the greenhouses in St. Paul to the toilets in Middlebrook Hall, the University finds ways to be environmentally conscious.

The University saves money by being green and administering environmentally friendly services.

The latest initiatives

Kathleen O’Brien, vice president of University Services, said that last year the University signed the Chicago Climate Exchange agreement.

The exchange is a voluntary organization of corporations and institutions that step forward to operate within the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which was signed by 156 countries but not the United States.

The exchange was founded by University economics graduate Richard Sandor.

“Sandor gave a lecture to the economics department and met to discuss his idea with faculty and staff to assess the University’s involvement,” O’Brien said.

Jerome Malmquist, department director for Facilities Management, said the result of the University signing the agreement is a reduction of greenhouse gases.

As a member, institutions commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent each year.

Organizations and institutions that have signed on can buy and sell their emissions credits.

“I don’t know if the “U’ is going to sell their emissions,” he said. “We went into this with no desire to make money, but to get involved on the academic side and allow students to follow the development of the market.

“We wanted people to be able to make contributions (and) commit themselves to a cleaner environment,” he said.

John Carmody, director of the Center for Sustainable Building Research, said the University’s architecture building already is committed to a cleaner environment after it was given solar panels by Xcel Energy. There were 72 panels installed three or four years ago on top of Rapson Hall, he said.

“The “U’ recently received a grant to build a facility in the back of the architecture building to convert solar energy from the roof to make hydrogen and store it in a tank and be used in fuel cells to generate electricity,” he said.

Chemicals, electronics and printing

The University’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety operates a chemical redistribution program that finds users for unwanted but usable chemicals within the University community.

Andy Phelan, assistant director for the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, said the chemical redistribution program will go to people’s homes and pick up any unwanted chemicals.

“After picking up any unwanted chemicals, we let the University order them,” he said. “This saves them money as well as us by not having to pay to dispose of the chemicals.”

Phelan said the University also collects electronics waste.

The University’s electronics waste management, managed through the Como recycling facilities and partnered with the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, collects electronics and offers repair services.

He said the electronics waste management system repairs computers in order to resell some of them or dissembles them for parts.

“We can recover chips, copper, lead, plastic from outside and circuit boards,” he said.

Phelan said one year it collected 600,000 pounds of electronics.

Dianne Gregory, executive director for University Printing Services, said she continuously is looking for opportunities to recycle and reuse in the production process.

She said that together, the printing services and other University departments use about 400,000 reams, or 45 truckloads, of recycled paper a year.

“Paper scraps created during the manufacturing process are baled and sold for pulp to make new paper,” she said.

To get rid of some of the chemicals associated with printing, a computer-to-plate system has been installed to eliminate film and film chemistry.

“The chemicals that we continue to use in other processes are recycled and reused,” she said.

In an effort to help departments reduce waste, University Printing Services provides on-demand printing which enables departments to print only what they need through the use of electronic files and high-speed printers.

Facilities management does its part

Jenn Rowe, who works in communications for Facilities Management, said the University no longer uses latex paint for building operations, to be environmentally conscious.

“Since 2000-2001, the University no longer uses high-mercury light bulbs and recycles any fluorescent light bulbs,” she said.

Les Potts, grounds superintendent for Facilities Management, said his department is doing its part by reusing or composting all organic waste to make soil mixes and for other “useful purposes.”

He said the irrigation practices give the University better control of where its water goes.

The University also is evaluating the use of computer-centralized systems that can measure soil moisture.

Students pitch in

Kristen Nelson, professor in the forest resources department, said her students have focused on tree planting and rain garden development on the St. Paul campus.

“There are a lot of cleanup and recycling projects,”

she said. “Lately several students have been trying to get the “U’ involved with green roofs.”

Chris Guevin, operations and project coordinator for Housing and Residential Life, said his department is proactive when it comes to promoting environmentally friendly choices for students.

“During move-in and move-out, we put extra bins for students to dispose of any unwanted items,” he said. “We set out recycling bins all over the place.”

For construction, housing tries to use all Energy Star-rated products for lighting and computers. This keeps utility costs down and conserves electricity, he said.

Also, the residence hall bathrooms are equipped with low-flow showerheads and water-reducing toilet flushers with toilet paper made of one-third recycled paper.