Category

Four-year and graduate institutions 1,001 – 10,000 student FTE

Contact

William M. Leahy
Director and Chief Operating Officer
The Institute for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State University
Willimantic, CT
(860) 465-0252
leahyw@easternct.edu

Governance & Administration

As an institution dedicated to research and learning in pursuit of a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable future for all societies, Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) is positioned to address the issue of climate change and environmental sustainability. By incorporating concern for the environment into campus life, Eastern seeks to expand the role universities play in influencing sustainable decisions through its Green Campus Initiative. Eastern has moved from intellectual discourse to direct action as it seeks to realize the vision of a green campus, and the university hopes its efforts will aid in establishing a network of Connecticut universities and communities working together towards the common goal of sustainability.

The Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System established a Center for Sustainable Energy Studies at Eastern and designated it a Connecticut Higher Education Center for Excellence on July 14, 2001. In support of the Center, the Board of Trustees established the Sustainable Energy Studies program and Institute for Sustainable Energy to commence programs which promote and improve the awareness and understanding of energy issues. The Sustainable Energy Studies program is staffed by an Endowed Chair who is tasked with developing an interdisciplinary program which is now an undergraduate minor and later to become a full undergraduate major program.

The Institute for Sustainable Energy was formed to support the development of state energy policy, provide educational outreach, plus identify, develop, and implement practices and technologies vital to achieving a sustainable energy future in Connecticut. The Institute is 100% grant funded, and is staffed by specialists in energy efficiency, education, low-income energy assistance, and demand side energy management. The Institute provides paid cooperative work experiences for two university assistants and ten student interns. The Institute advises the Office of Policy and Management, the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control, Connecticut Energy Advisory Board and in 2005 and 2006 was responsible for facilitating the development of the Connecticut Energy Plan.

In 2004, Eastern has formed a Green Campus committee made up of students, administrators, and faculty charged with conducting a self evaluation and supporting the development of an actionable sustainability plan. At the recommendation of the committee, Eastern became a signatory of the Talloires Declaration. Eastern students have formed a chapter of Roots & Shoots, an international youth organization supported by the Jane Goodall Foundation, to encourage student involvement in environmental issues.

In 2006, the Institute completed multi-year strategic energy plans for three of the four Connecticut State University campuses. The Institute utilizes a twelve step guideline, leadership and technical resources to engage campuses in a comprehensive approach that lowers energy use and cost, reduces greenhouse gases from building systems and transportation, improves water and waste water management, increases recycling and safe hazardous waste disposal, and encourages the procurement of environmentally friendly products. The model uses a team-based approach engaging university administrative staff, students, faculty, and local technical experts.

Other initiatives can be found below.

Operations

Eastern has adopted an aggressive strategy to reduce energy consumption on campus. Eastern recently renovated its High Rise Apartment Complex. The renovation included the installation of an open-loop geothermal heating and cooling system in place of the inefficient electric resistance heating system. Previously, the building was not cooled. Now the building is both heated and cooled for $50,000-$70,000 less per year than it took for just heated by electricity. In summer, the building deposits 100,000 gallons of fresh, clean water per day into the Willimantic River which improves the ecosystem. It is the largest geothermal heated and cooled building in Connecticut. Based on actual building performance, the building qualifies for the Energy Star Award. Eastern’s three new energy efficient residence halls, housing approximately 750 students, were designed to LEED certification standards. During the winter of 2005, Eastern broke ground on its new LEED Silver science building. The new building will house the Sustainable Energy Studies Program, the University’s science departments and the Institute. The high performance design incorporates advanced building controls, day-lighting, and gray water capture systems for flushing the building’s toilets. In 2005, a new Child and Family Development center was built on campus which incorporates many high performance building techniques, with special emphasis on the use of natural light. The 87 year old Burr Hall residence hall is currently under renovation receiving new windows, insulation, building automation and controls, and efficient lighting.

In 2005, Eastern installed two 2.5 kw photovoltaic power systems on two of its dormitories to power perimeter and emergency lighting and six smaller PV arrays to provide LED lighting for bus shelters and recycling stations around campus. During 2006, a university assistant and student interns in the Sustainable Energy Studies program began work on Eastern’s comprehensive recycling program, installing recycling bins around the campus near residence and academic halls. The university purchased hybrid vehicles for use by the President and the Admissions recruiter. During the 2005 – 06 heating season, Eastern heated a classroom building and a residence hall with B20 Biodiesel fuel through a SEP grant from the Department of Environmental Protection.

Curriculum & Research

In 2005, Eastern launched an undergraduate minor in Sustainable Energy Studies program. Sustainable Energy Studies is the study of this transition through the perspectives of the natural sciences and the social sciences. Students who minor in Sustainable Energy Studies will be prepared to work as energy policy specialists in government, industry, and education and have a practical understanding of the scientific, environmental, economic, business, political, and social implications of energy and energy policy. The program is nurtured and managed by an Endowed Chair, Dr. Fred Loxsom. Six new courses have been added to the curriculum.

For the campus community, the Sustainable Energy Studies program and the Institute have hosted “lunch and learns” seminars for the Eastern’s faculty as well as “University Hours” in which specific energy and sustainability themes are discussed engaging faculty and students with experts in the field of energy and sustainability.

The Institute’s education specialist, under contract from the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, is developing and implementing a comprehensive energy education curriculum for Connecticut’s public high schools. The web-based resource is designed to support the state’s educational frameworks and includes sustainability lessons in science, geography, English, math and civics.

For outreach to the state, the Institute annually hosts multiple training seminars for local buildings inspectors, focused on technical application information concerning energy related upgrades to the state building code including the 2003 IEEC and ASHREA 90.1 2001. During the winter of 2005-06, Eastern’s Facility Management Department and the Institute conducted a biodiesel pilot in which the campus’s south heating plant, burning B-20 biodiesel in order to collect air emissions data.

In 2005, The Institute completed a High Performance Schools study which brought together thirty stakeholders including: educators, health, environmental, and design professionals, to discuss the benefits and barriers to the implementation of high performance building standards for new schools. In 2006, the Institute also completed a survey titled the Energy Efficiency of Connecticut’s Existing Public Schools. The analysis revealed that Connecticut’s public schools are generally inefficient and fall in the lowest benchmarking quartile nationally. Through cost-effective conservation, communities could reduce energy consumption in this sector by 30 to 35 percent. Both studies were used to craft bills in the Connecticut Legislature to support improvements to public schools. The Institute is also conducting market research on how to better enable low-income residents and multifamily building owners to take advantage of public benefit funded energy efficiency programs.

Community Service and Outreach

In 2005 and 2006, the Sustainable Energy Studies program and the Institute hosted Earth Day at Eastern. Sustainable foods were served and the entire event was made carbon neutral by buying renewable energy certificates as well as employing a mobile PV array.

In 2004, the Institute provided the educational program design and coordination for the International U.N. Children’s Conference on the Environment (ICCE). The event brought 450 middle school age children from 51 countries around the globe to Connecticut to discuss the impact of energy use on the environment. During the summer of 2006, the Institute presented a three week energy and the environment program to the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness Program (ConnCAP) which provided direct classroom support in civics as well as teaching a municipal planning course using the SimCity 3000 design simulator to inner city high school students.

Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management has engaged the Institute conduct benchmarking analysis the state’s largest office facilities. The Institute completed projects using EPA’s Portfolio Manager benchmarking on 180 office buildings under the control of the CT DPW, including: motor vehicle offices, courthouses, regional technical vocational high schools, DEP agriculture laboratories and state police barracks. The project revealed that many recently renovated facilities are approaching the EnergyStar Award level, but most state buildings were inefficient. The State has 1400 office buildings and is facing significant increases in energy costs.

The Institute also utilized benchmarking to assist eight Connecticut communities to identify inefficient public facilities. The work included benchmarking over 150 public schools and municipal buildings in order to help communities with limited capital and maintenance resources identify cost effective energy efficiency improvements. The process encourages communities to participate in utility sponsored conservation programs and to aggregate projects to attract third party performance contractors.

In 2004, the Institute hosted an energy summit at the State Capital which brought together national and regional experts from the energy field to discuss improving energy sustainability in the state. William Leahy, Director at the Institute, has also provided expert counsel to the Energy and Technology and Environment committees of the Legislature concerning the state of Connecticut energy infrastructure. In 2005 and 2006, the Institute was given the responsibility by the Connecticut Energy Advisory Board of bringing together stakeholders from various state agencies to craft a comprehensive Connecticut Energy Plan. The plan addresses energy supply and demand within Connecticut as well as energy sustainability and environmental impact.

Since 2004, the Institute has been awarded EPA and DOE’s 2004 National Energy Star Partner of the Year Award for excellence in energy education, 2004 and 2005 EPA Regional Environmental Merit Awards for Energy Star activities and a 2006 Connecticut Quality Innovation Award.