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Predock-designed building earns coveted U.S. Green Building Council recognition

Colorado College’s Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center has been awarded gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 72,419-square-foot arts teaching and performance building, designed by award-winning architect Antoine Predock and opened in fall 2008, earned LEED points in the categories of sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and innovation and design process.

LEED-certified buildings are designed to protect local ecosystems, conserve natural resources, reduce building operation costs, enhance asset value and profits, have superior indoor air quality and foster occupant health and productivity. Certification is awarded to only those buildings that meet strict performance and sustainability goals.

“We are pleased by this rating primarily because it indicates that we are doing the right thing,” said Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste. “A great deal of credit goes to the many dedicated people who worked on this building from start to finish. And our students deserve credit for advocating strongly for LEED certification.”

Colorado College pursued LEED certification of the arts building as one of the campus’ many efforts toward sustainability. In April, Celeste signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, with a goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2020. The college completed a comprehensive environmental inventory and sustainability plan; its long-term goal is to become carbon-regenerative and a net energy producer.

Specific areas where the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center earned LEED points include the following:

• Erosion and sedimentation control
• Site selection
• Urban redevelopment
• Alternative transportation: public transportation access; bicycle storage and changing rooms; parking sites for low-emission and fuel efficient vehicles; parking capacity
• Reduced site disturbance, protected or restored open space
• Storm water management and treatment
• Landscape and exterior design to reduce non-roof heat islands
• Water-efficient landscaping
• Water-use reduction
• Optimize energy performance
• Ozone depletion measures (heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems do not contain HCFCs or halons)
• Green power (half of the building’s regulated electricity use is supplied by renewable power)
• Construction waste management (67.9 percent of construction waste was diverted from landfill disposal)
• Recycled content (combined recycled content value is 37.4 percent of the total materials by cost)
• Local/regional materials (43.1percent of the total project's materials by cost were manufactured within 500 miles of the project site, and 23.87 percent of the total project's materials by cost were manufactured using raw materials harvested within 500 miles of the project site)
• Carbon dioxide monitoring
• Internal air quality management plans were used before, during construction and before occupancy
• Low emitting materials used (green adhesives, sealants, paints and carpets)
• Lighting controllability
• Thermal comfort and monitoring systems
• Daylight and views for 90.4 percent of spaces
• Innovation in design: educational outreach; exemplary performance for at least 40 percent water use reduction; and exemplary performance for at least 30 percent recycled content; and green housecleaning program

The executive architectural firm working on the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center was Anderson Mason Dale PC, and the contractor was Mortenson Construction.

In 2005, Colorado College’s 54,123-square-foot Russell T. Tutt Science Center was the first building in southern Colorado to earn LEED certification. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments and private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.

The $33.4 million Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center is an interdisciplinary arts teaching and performance building with a 450-seat main theater, screening room, digital media labs, performance studios, costume shop, scene shop, “messy room” and flexible classrooms. The building features the IDEA (InterDisciplinary Experimental Arts) Space, an installation area that hosts a series of exhibitions, speakers, films, workshops and performances that integrate the visual and performing arts into the campus and the broader community. The building encourages interdisciplinary study, collaboration and experimentation.

The arts center is named for Edith Kinney Gaylord, who attended Colorado College, served on its board of trustees and was one of the college’s greatest benefactors. Gaylord, who died in 2001, founded the Inasmuch Foundation to support education, arts and culture, health and human services, historic preservation and environmental concerns. The Inasmuch Foundation donated $10 million to Colorado College for the building.

In September, the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center was awarded the 2009 Honor Award by both the Denver and New Mexico chapters of the American Institute of Architects. The building’s additional recognitions include:

• 2009 Design/Delivery Process Innovation Award Using BIM, Technology in Architectural Practice Building Information Model Awards, American Institute of Architects
• 2009 North American Copper in Architecture Award, Copper Development Association, Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association
• 2009 Best Building, 15th Annual Best of the Springs, The (Colorado Springs) Gazette
• 2008 Gold Hard Hat Award, Outstanding Architectural Design Project, Colorado Construction Magazine

For additional information about the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, visit http://www.coloradocollege.edu/news_events/Cornerstone/.

About LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. Certified, silver, gold and platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.

David Sullivan, Lizzy Stephan, Miro Kummel, George Eckhardt & Emily Wright

The CC Sustainability Awards annually recognize contributions CC individuals make to the campus, local, regional, or global environment. Recipients are nominated by the campus community. In 2009, the Campus Sustainability Council and the Office of Sustainability recognize:

David Sullivan ‘09
Sustainability Founder’s Award

During the last several years as sustainability commitments at CC have taken root, David has been there: the first CC Sustainability Office Intern, co-chair of EnAct, Bike Co-op guru – he has done it all. David demonstrates incisive analysis combined with mechanical skills as well as clear communication with inspiring leadership. He is as good with the nuts and bolts (literally) as he is understanding and communicating the big picture. As he graduates, he leaves a very different and very green campus behind.

Lizzy Stephan ‘11
Be the Change Award

Lizzy co-organized Earth Week as a first year at CC and co-chaired EnAct as well as served as a Sustainability Intern during her second year. She and Beth Kochevar wrote a successful grant that established tangible resources for campus energy conservation and brought the prestigious Sustainable Endowments Institute to campus. SEI liked her so much they offered her an internship. One of her peers writes, “Lizzy is the change she wants to see in the world and that is why she is so effective in fighting for progress on campus. She walks the walk. She has taught me everything I now know about how to achieve change on a college campus.”

Miro Kummel, Assistant Professor of Environmental Science
Cultivating Sustainability Award

While seven separate CC students were nominated for their work on the CC Farm, every single one of the nominators named Miro for special recognition. The success of bringing the CC Farm onto campus, its vital student participation and the plan for long-range viability of the project can all be traced to the guiding spirit Miro provides this community. Known for his ability to integrate his far-reaching ecological understanding with his commitment to innovative practices, it is his generosity of spirit and willingness to go above and beyond that endears him to his students and colleagues alike.

George Eckhardt, Assistant Director of Facilities
Sustainability Champion Award

Some peer colleges report having to push or coerce their facilities operations to take sustainability seriously. At CC, the Campus Sustainability Council has a hard time keeping up with Facilities and all agree the George is at the head of the pack. Whether it is seeing creative technical solutions where others see obstacles or enthusiastically recruiting allies from every campus building and department, George is one of the earliest and most untiring champions of sustainability at CC.

Emily Wright ’04
Sustainable Excellence Award

Emily may go down in the CC green record books for the most nominations ever. A 2004 CC grad, Emily returned to CC last year to guide the development of our comprehensive energy inventory and sustainability plan. That would be enough work for anyone, but Emily has become central to nearly everything sustainability at CC. Next year, she will coordinate sustainability efforts at CC. One colleague describes Emily as the "workhorse", "glue", "traffic-cop", "motivator", who excels at "walking-the-talk", as well as "talking-the-walk". A student nominator writes, “Emily knows all there is to know about sustainability and is constantly pushing herself to know more, but the thing that is most amazing about her is her ability and willingness to teach others what she knows. Needless to say, Emily gets stuff done. She is a model of commitment. “

aCClimate14 yields results.

Colorado College estimates that during the course of its 14-week “aCClimate14” conservation campaign throughout the spring semester, the college saved nearly $100,000 in utility costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 378 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The "aCClimate14" effort was a campus-wide resource conservation campaign designed to achieve a 14 percent reduction in electricity, heat and water use through behavioral change. Each of the 14 weeks in the semester focused on different daily habits, such as computing, bathing, transportation or studying.

The campaign included various communal tools to encourage behavioral shifts, including drying racks, outdoor recycling receptacles, shower timers and plug-in electric meters.

The initiative was launched by the Campus Sustainability Council and EnAct, the student environmental action group. The acclimate14 report, compiled at the end of the semester, looks at electricity, natural gas and potable water usage for January through April of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008, as well as a 14-week recycling initiative.

The resulting savings are impressive, especially considering that the figures for 2009 include the addition of CC’s new 72,000-square-foot Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, which went online in May 2008. If the comparison is made without the interdisciplinary Cornerstone Arts Center, the Campus Sustainability Council estimates savings of $130,000 in January through April 2009, with a greenhouse gas emission reduction of 613 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Waste reduction also was one of the campaign’s goals, and in 2009 Colorado College participated for the first time in Recyclemania, a friendly, nationwide competition aimed at promoting waste reduction on campuses. The college finished in the top 5 percent of the nearly 300 participating colleges and universities.

In late January, students from Colorado College built a “Trash Peak,” a 30-cubic-yard mountain of trash on the central quad, representative of the amount of solid waste that CC generates in a single day. During lunch, student organizers conducted an audit, dividing the trash into reusable items, recyclables, compost and actual trash destined for the landfill. From the audit, it was estimated that CC could improve its waste diversion rate (the percentage of the waste stream diverted from landfills) by close to 45 percent, and the Campus Sustainability Plan includes a goal to achieve a 50 percent waste diversion rate. Prior to this year, CC’s waste diversion rate was estimated to be between 15 percent and 20 percent.

The entire report can be viewed at: http://sustainability.coloradocollege.edu/files/aCClimate14%20Report.pdf

CC Places in Top 10 Percent in RecycleMania Competition

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: With Initial Work Done

Colorado College already meets carbon neutrality pledge's requirements for first two years.

Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste didn't sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment two years ago, when it was initiated nationwide.

But when he signed the carbon-neutrality commitment yesterday, CC won't have lost any time at all, already having completed the pledge's first two years of requirements.

Celeste chose not to sign in 2007, preferring first to have more information in hand, including the college's carbon footprint and the efforts necessary for it to reach carbon neutrality. In the meantime, Colorado College has completed a full study of its carbon footprint and drafted a sustainability plan to meet the full goal.

"I purposely did not sign the Presidents Climate Commitment when first asked, as I wanted to ensure that if Colorado College made this commitment, we would fully follow through with it," Celeste said. "The progress we have made on the initiatives is concrete and extensive, and we now enter confidently into this commitment."

American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment spokesperson Lee Bodner said, "President Celeste and his team have not only done their homework - they've earned extra credit. By doing such extensive advanced investigation and planning, Colorado College is farther ahead in fulfilling the terms of the Commitment than almost any other school in the country."

Colorado College's proposed goal for achieving climate neutrality is 2020. The college's long-term goal is to become carbon-regenerative and a net energy producer.

The Presidents Climate Commitment, signed by 620 college and university presidents and chancellors across the country, enlists institutions of higher education to shape strategies and create models for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Presidents signing the Commitment pledge to eliminate their campus' greenhouse gas emissions over time. This involves:

Within two months of signing, creating institutional structures that can develop and implement a plan for carbon neutrality. Those structures are already in place at Colorado College, in the form of the Campus Sustainability Council and the President's Advisory Council on Sustainability.

Within one year of signing, conducting a comprehensive inventory of greenhouse gas emissions. Colorado College has three years of greenhouse gas emissions reports, from fiscal year 2006 to 2008, with plans to continue tracking emissions annually. CC hired The Brendle Group, a local external sustainability consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive environmental inventory and make recommendations for managing sustainability at the college.

Within two years of signing, submitting an action plan for achieving carbon neutrality.
In recent months, CC's Campus Sustainability Council, with the input of all sectors of campus, drafted the Colorado College Sustainability Plan, which includes initiatives to better manage energy, increasing energy efficiency and conservation, and transition to renewable energy sources. The plan, accepted by the Colorado College Board of Trustees in February, may be viewed at http://sustainability.coloradocollege.edu/plan.

While the plan is being developed, carrying out two or more of the seven tangible actions set forth by the PCC to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of these, CC already is credited with providing access to public transportation and with numerous initiatives that minimize waste.

Creating interim targets for goals and actions that will lead to climate neutrality. CC aims to reduce emissions approximately 5% per year through efficiency and conservation measures. In addition, the college is conducting feasibility studies for a large-scale renewable energy project that will cut all emissions associated with electricity and offset other sectors.

Taking actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experience for all students. Colorado College has well-established environmental science and policy programs, with global climate change courses accessible to all students. In addition, the college is conducting a campus-wide resources conservation campaign that is tied to the energy conservation goals set forth in the college's sustainability plan.

Taking actions to expand research or other efforts necessary to achieve climate neutrality. Research related to climate and energy issues is thriving at CC. For example, the college is erecting an educational solar array to study the potential for solar photovoltaic in the region.

Establishing mechanisms for tracking progress on goals and actions. The Colorado College Campus Sustainability Council utilizes the Clean Air - Cool Planet tool to calculate and track emissions and will draft an annual report card to demonstrate progress toward carbon neutrality.

Initiating two or more of the following tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed:

• Establish a policy that all new campus construction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Silver standard or equivalent. This policy is informally in place, as demonstrated by CC's two newest buildings, the Russell T. Tutt Science Center, which is LEED certified, and the Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center, which is pending certification.
• Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist. All major appliances purchased through CC's Facilities Services are ENERGY STAR certified. The department is drafting an official purchasing policy that will feature sustainability standards and metrics, including ENERGY STAR guidelines.
• Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors at the institution. Colorado College supports the a free public shuttle system known as the Downtown Area Shuttle, or DASH, that accesses the south end of campus and runs through downtown Colorado Springs.
• Establish a policy or a committee that supports climate and sustainability shareholder proposals at companies where the institution's endowment is invested. The CC Campus Sustainability Council has a subcommittee comprised of faculty, staff and students that research and make recommendations on climate-friendly investments.
• Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition, and adopt three or more associated measures to reduce waste. Colorado College is participating in RecycleMania and has institutionalized several waste minimization measures, including a single-stream recycling program, a GoPrint software initiative to limit paper use, and incentives for reusable containers.

For more information about the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, see http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org

The National Farm to School Program, a collaborative program of Center for Food & Justice (CFJ) and the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), launched a national K-College challenge to produce a video that informs, inspires, and encourages student advocacy to restore connections to community, food, land, and place through Farm to Cafeteria programs. Participants were prompted by the following questions:

1. What does real food mean to you?

2. How does what we eat affect our culture, health, economy, or environment?

3. Make the case for why your cafeteria should start or continue buying local food.

Entries were narrowed down by a panel of judges and then subject to a national voting contest.

The Colorado College Farm Club took first place in the College category!

CC's food provider, Bon Appetit, directs around 45% of its spending to local, organic and natural foods throughout the year, with up to 75% devoted to local food producers during the summer.

You can watch their winning video online.

Students from the Colorado College displayed “Trash Peak” on January 29, 2009.

The event featured a 30 cubic yard mountain of trash on Worner Quad, representative of the amount of solid waste that CC generates in a single day. During lunch, student organizers conducted an audit, dividing Trash Peak into reusable items, recyclables, compost, and actual trash destined to be landfilled. CC’s current waste diversion rate (the amount of waste not headed for the landfill) is estimated to be 20%. From the audit, it was estimated that CC could improve waste diversion by close to 45%.

The event received widespread attention from the broader Colorado Springs Community.

ABC's NewsChannel 13 Report and Video

Fox 21's Report and Photos

The event marks the starting point of Recyclemania, a friendly, nation-wide competition to promote waste reduction on campuses. Reducing waste and increasing the waste diversion rate is one goal of “aCClimate14”, a resource conservation campaign currently underway at the College. The effort is spearheaded by the Campus Sustainability Council and EnAct, the student-led environmental action committee. aCClimate14 targets behavioral change and challenges the CC community to reduce the campus energy, water, and other resource use (such as demand for landfill space) by 14% by the end of the Spring 2009 semester. aCClimate14 embodies the theme of the mountain region in which the campus is situated and encourages the community to adapt to shifting local and global environments.

For more information about waste and recycling and the resource conservation campaign, visit the aCClimate14 site.

CC Students Lizzy Stephan and Beth Kochevar were chosen as one of ten recipients in the Climate Crews Contest.

The contest is sponsored by the UN Foundation and Sustainable Endowment Institute. They will receive $500 for their project proposal, Conservation Tools for Behavioral Change, and a trip to the UN Foundation headquarters in Washington, DC.

Lizzy & Beth will attend training on February 25^th and 26^th, just days before Energy Action Coalition's large scale Power Shift conference in D.C. The UN Foundation will pay for round-trip airfare and two nights at a local hotel.

The proposal has also received funding through the CSC Ecofund.You can read it here.

CC scores a "B" on the Sustainable Endowments report card and a 97 in the Princeton Review green rating.

Each year, the Sustainable Endowments Institute grades Colleges and Universities on their efforts related to energy and climate change, food and recycling, green building, student involvement, investment priorites and more. This year CC received a B grade, up from a C in 2008. Check out CC's 2009 report card.

The Princeton Review’s new green rating evaluates several key topics, including "whether the school’s students have a campus quality of life that is healthy and sustainable, how well the school is preparing its students for employment and citizenship in a world defined by environmental challenges, and the school's overall commitment to environmental issues".

The result is a numerical score on a scale of 60-99. For 2008, CC received a 97 out of 99, falling only 2 points short of the 11 college honor roll.

Focus on sustainable cleaning services benefits environment, students and faculty

November 14, 2008 - Sodexo facilities management experts helped propel Colorado College to a leadership position in sustainable cleaning practices by being named one of only two colleges honored by American School & University magazine, the Green Cleaning Network, and the Healthy Schools Campaign for the 2008 Green Cleaning Award for Schools and Universities.

Sodexo reduced the number of cleaning products by half at Colorado College. By switching to microfiber cloths and mops, Sodexo reduced custodial-cleaning water use by about 247,000 gallons per year in residential and academic areas. The Green Cleaning Award also recognized Sodexo's effort in piloting environmentally preferable chemicals and installing chemical-dispensing systems that reduce waste and prevent the “more is better” pitfall. Sodexo technicians retired harsh floor-stripping chemicals by introducing new technology that uses water instead, which improves student and employee health by reducing toxic chemical use. Indoor air quality also got a boost by switching to dual filtration units instead of using vacuums. Tent cards in all dorm rooms let students know their rooms are cleaned using environmentaly friendly products that are Green Seal™ certified, a third-party endorsement of environmental responsibility.

“Sodexo congratulates Colorado College for championing effective methods to support sustainable initiatives,” said Al Allen, president of education facilities management at Sodexo. “Sodexo managers, employees and vendor partners also made this award possible by applying their expertise in sustainable performance.”