Annual Green Report
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
May 2004

Highlights

The University continues its efforts to incorporate green concepts into all aspects of its planning, construction, renovation and maintenance.

LEED items:

• Newly awarded School of Music/ Performing Arts Center (SOMPAC) is hopeful to achieve a "silver" LEED rating.
• Installation of a new turf athletic field is being planned.
• Renovation of Schmucker Science Center North with the use of a commissioning agent is completed.

The University's Environmental Council has been very active in the past 12 months. Council review of building projects is now mandatory. Council sponsored numerous highly informative guest speakers on campus. Council made progress in preserving the Gordon Environmental Center via some beneficial trade-offs involving construction of residence halls on South Campus. Council lobbied for establishment of an "Environmental House" where students studying ecology will live and conduct research into how to live sustainably. The University administration fully supported this concept, and 814 S. High Street is now the home of several students who monitor their water and energy use and tend an organic vegetable garden; a grant proposal to improve the weather envelope of the building and establish a demonstration solar panel project has been prepared for 2004 submission. (See additional information under Other Initiatives.)

The Facilities Division held LEED workshops focused on two buildings slated for major renovation, and incorporated stringent requirements for sustainable design into the solicitations for both feasibility studies and Department of General Services (DGS) design professionals. These efforts are expected to yield very forward-thinking designs for both the E.O. Bull Center renovation and the Swope Hall renovation. A similar degree of attention will be applied to sustainable site design in a workshop for planning the major axes of the North Campus.

The University was a host for the national Sustainable Design Teleconference broadcast by the Society for College and University Planners on October 9, 2003.

Green Buildings

The University is currently completing a multi-building Student Housing Initiative which accommodates a total of 786 students (261 in a traditionally designed 7-story high rise; and, 525 in eleven 3-story apartment buildings). The development of the project is through a partnership between University Student Housing LLC (USH), a subsidiary of the tax-exempt Fund for West Chester University, and College Park Campus Partners, a private development firm.

While the Resident Hall high-rise is relatively traditional in its design, the apartment complex development offers several unique "green" features. Situated on 18.5 acres, the development is designed to follow existing topography to the maximum extent possible, thereby minimizing site disturbance. Extensive stormwater management is provided through a series of interconnected bioinfiltration swales which outlet into a bioinfiltration level spreader discharging into two contiguous polishing ponds. This allows the runoff to be sequentially and thoroughly "scrubbed" before reaching its final destination into a nearby tributary. It should be noted that many of the elements of this successful stormwater management design is reflective of the recommendations found in the Pennsylvania Handbook of Best Management Practices (BMP) recently released by the State.

In addition, the housing development has been designed to incorporate a geothermal water source heat pump system for its heating and cooling systems. Designed to utilize the ever-present energy of the earth and water to heat and cool the buildings, the system provides 12 wells per apartment building that are over 400 feet deep and which house long lengths of or high density polyethylene pipe in a vertical configuration. The pipes, or earth coils, will then be filled with water, and connected to mechanical heat pumps and circulating pumps within the buildings. During the winter, the water circulated through the earth coil will extract available heat energy from the earth for use in space heating. In the heating cycle, a water- to-refrigerant heat exchanger within the heat pump will function as an evaporator, transferring the earth's heat to the air coil, or condenser. In the cooling cycle, the process will be reversed - the heat removed from the indoors by the air coil (evaporator) will be transferred to the earth coil by the water-to-refrigerant heat exchanger, or condenser. The water then circulating through the earth coil will dissipate the heat to the earth, acting as a natural system coolant. Because the system design does not require energy to manufacture energy for heating or cooling, and by incorporating the use of high-efficiency components in the mechanical portions of the system, it is anticipated that the University will realize an annual energy cost savings of 20% to 50% to that of our traditional Resident Halls.

Recycling

West Chester University Recycling Report (in Tons) for 2003:

Other recycling initiatives:

• All organic waste from Grounds maintenance operations is composted on site. Nothing goes to the landfill. Wood chips and compost are used as mulch and soil amendments.
• Mulching blades have been installed on all mowers. Grass clipping and leaves are finely shredded and left in place. This returns nutrients to the soil and reduces collections.
• Recycling Department is working with the residence halls to collected unwanted clothing & canned goods at move-out. It is then donated to local charities and thus diverted from the landfill.
• Recycling Department has a cardboard baler at the Sykes Student Union Building. Cardboard from ARAMARK food service and SSI bookstore is baled and sold.
• Cardboard containers are in place at the Lawrence Dining Hall. Local vendor collects loose cardboard for recycling, at no charge to WCU.
• Recycling department collects toner and inkjet cartridges for reuse. A local vendor collects them and refills.
• Local vendor is recycling concrete. Concrete with wire or r-bar is accepted.
• Surplus Property is currently delivering all unusable electronic equipment to UNICOR. There is no charge.
• Surplus Property has established several sources for charitable donations: Items donated include house windows, bed frames, furniture and clothing.
• Recycling Department has secured the service of a local recycling vendor for the disposal of sensitive documents. All sensitive paper is loaded directly into WCU packer truck and delivered to the sorting floor. A responsible person then witnesses the paper shredding and packaging as animal bedding. The end product is then composted further by the farmers and distributed on the grower's fields.
• Grounds delivers all used pesticide containers to a local horticultural supplies vendor for proper recycling.

Curriculum

West Chester University (WCU) is a member institution of the Pennsylvania Consortium for Interdisciplinary Environmental Policy (PCIEP). As a member, we are invited to attend the informative and engaging PCIEP events such as on Global Warming at Widener University, March 23-24, 2004.

There are a large number of courses offered at West Chester University that focus on environmental issues. The following is an abbreviated list.

• Humans and the Environment
• Conservation of Natural Resources
• Conservation Biology
• Ecology
• Environmental Geology
• Environmental Planning
• Environmental and Resource Economics
• Environmental Regulations
• Water Quality and Health
• Science, Technology and Environmental Systems: Sustainability through the Lens of Agriculture

The West Chester University Environmental Council is actively engaged in the process of reviewing building and planning projects on campus. Education of staff, faculty and students about campus greening efforts is ongoing. Below a list of some of the events held on campus this academic year to educate the University community about ways to 'green' the campus.

• North Campus Plazas and Vistas Workshop April 2004 One of the important ideas from the Comprehensive Campus Facilities Plan (CCFP) is that the intersection of Church Street and University Avenue should be made a significant place. This would involve closure of Church Street between University Avenue and Rosedale Avenue and resultant changes in streetscape to make it a pedestrian way; changing University Avenue to 1-way traffic heading east and eliminating parking on University Avenue; creation of a drop-off zone for buses at the intersection (serving Hollinger Field house among other purposes); consideration of guidelines for facade alignment, window rhythms and other architectural features intended to create a coherent and unified vista on University Avenue; and linkage to projects now in construction or design at the west end of University Avenue. Sustainable design features to be considered include stormwater system changes to mitigate, reduce or eliminate runoff; consideration of bicycle paths; and coordination with a possible geothermal field for the renovation of Swope Hall.
  
  Sustainable design principles are central to the Facilities Division's mission in delivering buildings, site design, "outdoor rooms" and transportation networks. The concept of a "Sustainable Design Landmark" at the northeast corner of University and Church, which could include the geothermal field, a green roof for Swope Hall highly visible from the new plaza at this intersection, rainwater gardens, and a "north terminus" for a bicycle path; all of this would be "advertised" as sustainable design, through a combination of the design itself and signage.
• Workshop focusing on LEED scoring presented by Paul Ziegler of the Governor's Green Governance Council
• Southeast Regional Farm to College Networking Session-On December 9 PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture hosted a southeast regional Farm to College meeting at West Chester University's Graduate Business Center. Food service directors from the southeast region were invited to meet farmers in the area who might be able to supply colleges with fresh, local products-dairy, meat, produce, or value-added products. The workshop was multifaceted combining economical, social, and environmental goals.
• March 2004 - The West Chester Birding Club, under supervision of the Brandywine Conservancy, began monitoring avian populations in the Gordon Area to augment our biodiversity database.
• April 2004 - An undergraduate student in the Ecology Curriculum began a study of the reptiles and amphibians of the Gordon Area.
• Long term research by Dr. William Overlease on the vegetation of the Gordon Area marks its 33rd year.
• On-going research by Dr. Gerard Hertel in two areas: (1) forest health study, and (2) effects of deer browsing on vegetation study (in collaboration with PA Audubon and our local Henderson High School).
• Plans are moving forward for the Administration to annex an additional 40+ acres to the Gordon Area.

Hazardous Waste

West Chester University continues to reduce the hazardous waste generated and disposed of on campus each year. Three new programs are: A Silver Recovery System was installed to remove silver from the photo-processing solutions used by students and faculty in the Art Department. "Green" cleaning products, which contain no hazardous materials are being used in select buildings. A campus wide Battery Disposal Awareness program and collection procedures were implemented to clarify which batteries are hazardous and not permitted to reach municipal landfills.

Energy Reduction

• Replaced 90,000 square feet of old T12 fluorescent lighting with energy efficient T8.
• Started a GESC, currently soliciting Letters of Interest.
• Installed motion sensing light switches in the Grounds Building. Lights are no longer left on in the crew lounge or office areas.
• Purchased one electric utility cart for Grounds Department.

Other Environmental Initiatives

The 'Gleaning Garden' was again designed, planned, and planted by students as part of a service project component for the course 'Science, Technology and Environmental Systems: Sustainability through the Lens of Agriculture.' The produce from the garden goes to homeless shelters in the West Chester Borough. The rain barrel has been tested in its ability to provide rooftop runoff to water the garden; it is working well.

A charette concerning a sustainable landscape design for the house at the Sustainability Center was held on June 6, 2005. Volunteer design professionals from the Sustainable Busieness Network met with a University Project Manager, members of the Environmental council, and students, and developed a detailed phased plan which can guide implememntation by the University's Grounds department. The design features a rainwater garden to capture stormwater and direct it to groundwater recharge; native plantings throughout the site, selected from the bioregion, The Sustainability Center, as part of a public institution, will be available to the public to serve a regional need for education about sustainable living practices for a typical suburban residence.

• Grounds has begun to use new deicing products. Salt treated with agricultural by-products is being used to reduce salt usage and corrosion. Liquid applications are being considered for the coming winter.
• Grounds Pesticide Applicator uses a small utility cart with electric spray tanks for outdoor pesticide applications. Electric pumps are quiet and clean and the small tanks reduce the total volume of pesticide transported on campus.
• Grounds has purchased a golf course fairway reel mower for use on athletic fields. The unit is a turbocharged diesel with a 10 foot cut. Less time and fuel is used to maintain the athletic turf. Generally, grass clippings are finely chopped and left to decompose on the fields.
• Grounds uses endophyte enhanced grass seed on athletic fields. The naturally occurring symbiotic fungus lives in the grass blade. The grass thus becomes distasteful to various insects and animals, reducing the need for pesticide applications.
• Grounds has planted a 1/2-acre wildflower meadow. This reduces mowing to 1 time per year. It is being expanded to one acre and more native grasses will be introduced.