What the sustainability team has accomplished

The Sustainability Team has implemented various environmentally friendly initiatives including green cleaning and the installation of touch-less soap and paper dispensers in all administrative and academic buildings. We have implemented nighttime temperature setbacks in large areas and have begun replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights. We have committed to building all future buildings according to LEED certification standards. Additional efforts are under way and include conducting a campus-wide sustainability assessment, reviewing our recycling program, testing occupancy sensors and waterless urinals in facilities as well as providing informational materials and awareness events for our campus community. Since signing the President's Climate Commitment in 2007, Rose-Hulman has achieved a 17% reduction in electrical consumption and a 24% reduction of natural gas consumption, resulting in a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

In the fall of 2010, Rose-Hulman adopted a five-year plan with the following goals:

• Reduce electrical consumption by 15%
• Reduce natural gas consumption by 7%
• Increase recycling efforts by 5%

These goals will help Rose-Hulman reach an 11% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2015.

HERE Program

In addition, an academic endeavor, the HERE sustainability living-learning program, has set goals to develop student-designed projects aimed at a more sustainable campus. Many projects are meant to be implemented in conjunction with Facilities Operations.

In this way, the Facilities department aids in offering students experience with real-world sustainability challenges so they can begin to claim ownership of the sustainable future.