Purdue University
Contact Information
Education and Research:
As a world class research institution similar in size to a small city, Purdue’s campus provides opportunities for Purdue faculty and students to learn about various management practices related to sustainability. Several classes for students of all majors and education types are offered on campus including sustainable construction, energy, ecosystems, built systems and technology. There are also study abroad classes aimed at increasing sustainability in developing countries such as Ecuador, Costa Rica and China.
Purdue's Discovery Park, which has grown into a $450 million hub for research in just six years, uses an interdisciplinary approach to address research areas in sustainability and the environment and as a result is able to tackle larger issues by sharing resources and expertise. Studies have been conducted, or are under way, on grain and cellulosic ethanol, biodiesel, dried distillers grains with solubles, wind turbines and solar panel improvement. Additional research has been done at Purdue's Energy Center at Discovery Park and the Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering.
Boiler Green Initiative, a student organization, received a grant to build Purdue’s first green roof. The Schleman Hall Green Roof Project, constructed in the spring of 2009, was a retrofit of an existing 1,750 square foot roof in order to make it more energy efficient, environmentally responsible and aesthetically pleasing. BGI members were responsible for obtaining the funding through writing grants, designing the green roof and helping with construction. The purpose of the green roof is to introduce environmentally friendly practices to students and the community. The installment will further also act as a “living laboratory” for various studies on green roof including energy efficiency, insect populations attracted to green roofs and stormwater treatment. BGI’s long-term goal is to install green roofs atop all new campus buildings and retrofit buildings with flat, newly resurfaced roofs. Future plans call for green roofs on the Discovery Park research facility Mann Hall, the Purdue Armory and a portion of the horticulture building.
Purdue University Extension’s Renewable Energy Program offers an array of resources on environmentally friendly energy sources and conservation. This program focuses its efforts relevant to rural areas of Indiana and beyond, such as commercial production of biofuels, wind power generation among rural communities, and on-farm energy and fertilizer production by anaerobic digestion systems.
Campus Operations:
Sustainability at Purdue has risen to the forefront of campus operations. In the past year retro-commissioning of three academic buildings for energy efficiency on campus have been completed, with three more buildings currently underway and 16 additional buildings undergoing optimization of HVAC controls. Construction is ongoing for the Mechanical Engineering Roger Gatewood addition, which will be the first building on campus to be LEED certified (silver). The Mackey Arena expansion includes 430,000 gallon stormwater infiltration basin under the football practice fields.
Two buildings have Qualified Energy Savings projects underway, with multiple phases of metering installation planned for heating, cooling, electric and water for the largest and highest consuming facilities (70% of campus energy consumption). An application has been submitted to the state to obtain a permit to build a new clean coal technology boiler at the Wade Utility Plant. The project includes demolition of the plant’s oldest boiler, resulting in substantial emissions reductions. Addition of new boiler will allow co-firing of biomass to be technically feasible in all coal boilers at Purdue.
Several initiatives are going on through operations to limit energy consumption. There has been replacement of older T-12 fluorescent lights with more energy-efficient T-8 lighting, as well as carbon dioxide sensors that indicate when lecture halls are empty, and occupancy sensors that signal when restrooms are not being used, lessening the need for air treatment.
Purchasing Services is committed to working with suppliers to include, promote and competitively price products and services that represent sustainable alternatives. The "Black & Gold & Green" cleaning program was launched to switch to bio-renewable chemistry instead of petrochemicals, with the pilot program expanding toward larger portions of campus. Purdue is encouraging the use of environmentally preferred products like low VOC-emitting paints, carpeting and resilient flooring made from "green" resources, new technology emergency lighting, can liners, hand towels and mop heads made from recycled materials. Another example is the various elevators on campus, which are operated with soy-based hydraulic oil.
Transportation Service has increased its fleet to 60 percent hybrid and 40 percent flex-fuel vehicles. The university underwrites the cost for all faculty, staff, and students to utilize mass transit through City Bus. The GreenRide carpooling program called “Boiler Ride” was introduced by Transportation Services to the campus community this past spring.
Grounds Refuse & Recycling last year diverted 26% of the waste stream from landfills, increasing the diversion rate to 34%. There are more than 200 Recycling Centers strategically placed in buildings across campus, along with recycling containers that collect office paper in another 1500 work areas. A consult will study Purdue's waste stream in order to plan for increased recycling effectiveness. Cooperation with Boiler Green Initiative and Athletics recycling efforts during football tailgating events have resulted in an average of 5000 pounds of material being recycled. Campus Planning is working with Grounds to develop permanent outdoor recycling receptacles. These and other projects have been rigorously pursued in the past year, and Purdue has high hopes for their continued success.
Administration and Finance:
Purdue’s new strategic plan was approved by the Board of Trustees to include sustainability as one of the key areas. The plan, New Synergies, incorporates sustainable principles in several ways: promoting sustainability consciousness, improving functional and aesthetic campus design, repair and rehabilitation, developing the campus into a “living laboratory” for learning, discovery and engagement, and measuring results on a national grading scale.
Purdue prioritizes investing to maximize profit and is invested in renewable energy investment funds or similar investment vehicles. Purdue University is involved in a $304 million campaign called Access and Success that will expand student aid and programs. The fund drive and internal reallocations will expand the university's student aid contribution to at least $77 million annually. Much of the money raised will be placed in endowments, and endowment earnings will be used to fund the efforts. Purdue’s proxy voting record and a list of endowment holdings are made available to both the university community and the public. This information is emailed to individuals upon request.
Purdue recently formalized a new position, Director of Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship, who oversees the Sustainability Council – a combination of students, staff and faculty from different areas on campus. The Sustainability Council meets regularly to discuss progress on campus and to disseminate information across fields.
Last fall the Sustainability Council helped to coordinate Green Week, an event aimed at increasing on-campus and community involvement with the sustainability initiatives at Purdue. Events are tailored for integration of students, staff, faculty, administration and the local community on sustainability topics. Activities such as the Alternative Transportation Challenge, sponsored by the Boiler Green Initiative, encourage faculty, staff and students to use buses, carpooling, biking or walking to get to classes, work or to run errands. Housing and Food Services sponsored several activities including discounted drinks in reusable containers, power showers and distributing reusable shopping bags. The week concluded with an event to clean up the local Wabash River and an evening presentation by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas Friedman. Green week was very well received by the University community, and awakened much interest from people not aware of the sustainable practices implemented on campus. Current effort is being put to encourage engagement for the long-term as well as planning for making Green Week an annual event. At Purdue, we believe knowledge is power, and plan to pursue every possible effort to involve the faculty and students in living sustainably in our world.
Purdue has a dedicated sustainability website at http://www.purdue.edu/sustainability/.
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