Archive for the 'Environmental' Category
(Chronologically Listed)
Richland College seeking top tier among energy-efficient buildings in the U.S.
Be automatically notified whenever there's a new press release by subscribing to our RSS feed
or Email Alerts. Not sure what RSS feeds are? Click here to learn more.
Richland College held a special ground-breaking ceremony last week for its new science building. The event marked the construction of a $40 million, 114,000-square-foot facility that will house Richland’s science programs, Science Corner, bookstore, coffee bar, and conference rooms.
Features will include special sustainable construction to include the ability to harvest sunlight, underground cisterns to collect and irrigate rain water to other parts of the campus, as well as interactive devices in restrooms that users control to save water. Some building and furnishing materials will be made of recycled materials, such as the carpet and furniture, and local vendors will be utilized as often as possible to minimize exhaust fumes and excess fuel consumption from lengthy transports. A hands-on geology pit, green terrace roof, and monitoring stations to showcase energy efficiency will also be integrated, providing “field learning” for students.
The décor will even be eco-friendly, including building integrated science-learning art. World-renowned science artist Larry Kirkland, with the help of Richland science and art faculty and students, is designing science-learning art to illustrate scientific principles and be aesthetically inspiring.
College administrators, architects, and contractors are seeking platinum status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED is a nationally recognized standard for the design and construction of high-performing green buildings. Currently, there are less than 20 LEED Platinum-certified buildings in the U.S.
“The additional beauty in designing this building to LEED Platinum-certified standards is the return on investment Richland College will experience in the operation of this facility–an operational savings we will experience from the first year of operation and throughout its life cycle,” said Mittelstet at the Dec. 6 ceremony.
With reduced operational costs through energy-efficient savings, this building will end up costing less than buildings built through traditional construction methods, saving approximately $200,000 in annual operating costs.
The design and construction of this building is a major step in Richland’s involvement in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s President’s Climate Commitment. This commitment, along with several other initiatives, is part of an ongoing effort to achieve climate neutrality on the Richland campus.
For more information, contact Anitra Cotton at 972-238-6022.
Published by Anitra Cotton on December 12th, 2007 tagged Environmental, News | Comment now »
RLC science building ground breaking/holiday lighting scheduled for Dec. 6
Richland College will hold a special ground-breaking ceremony for its new science building at 5 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 6 in the Sabine/Crockett Breezeway. Following the ground breaking, Richland will host its annual campus Holiday Lighting Ceremony in the Alamito/Crockett Breezeway, where refreshments will be served.
Members of the news media are invited to attend.
Construction preparations for the $40 million, 114,000-square-foot science building are underway. College administrators, architects, and contractors are seeking platinum status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED is a nationally recognized standard for the design and construction of high-performing green buildings.
The new science facility will house Richland’s science programs, Science Corner, bookstore, coffee bar, and conference rooms. Features will include special sustainable construction to include the ability to harvest sunlight, underground cisterns to collect and irrigate rain water to other parts of the campus, as well as interactive devices in restrooms that users control to save water. Some building and furnishing materials will be made of recycled materials, such as the carpet and furniture, and local vendors will be utilized as often as possible to minimize exhaust fumes and excess fuel consumption from lengthy transports. The décor will even be eco-friendly, including building integrated science learning art, a geology pit for a hands-on “field learning” for students, green terrace roof, and monitoring stations to showcase the energy efficient operation of the sustainable building systems.
For more information, contact Anitra Cotton at 972-238-6022 or Whitney Rosenbalm at 972-238-6023.
Published by Anitra Cotton on November 30th, 2007 tagged Environmental, News | 3 Comments »
New policies, construction planned as Richland College goes green
As the threat of global warming and natural resource shortages become more of a reality, more businesses and organizations are going “green” in an effort to preserve our environment. Several educational institutions are also jumping aboard the green train. Richland College is among one the first community colleges in the U.S. to participate in the campaign for sustainability.
Richland’s president, Dr. Steve Mittelstet, recently agreed to sign the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). This agreement solidifies commitments from college and university presidents to contribute to a more eco-friendly world, both locally and globally. Richland will be one of only two Texas higher education institutions, the first in North Texas, to make such an agreement.
The ACUPCC signing means that the participating colleges and universities are to complete a thorough plan to achieve climate neutrality and facilitate policies and procedures like collecting inventory of greenhouse gas emissions and conceptualizing goals to reduce those gases as well as encouraging the purchase of energy-efficient appliances. Richland will also make sustainability a part of its curriculum and other educational experiences for students.
Dr. Mittelstet has also been appointed to lead a consortium of 23 community colleges across the nation in designing an “innovations distributions lab” for curricula, programs, and services that help students learn to build sustainable local and global community at societal, economic, and environmental levels. This multi-year project will be launched this October in a national Wingspread Conference in Racine, Wisconsin, in conjunction with the Johnson Foundation, the Continuous Quality Improvement Network, and IDEO, an award-winning, international design firm that helps organizations transform through innovation.
The college has already made considerable efforts prior to the signing of this agreement. GREENRichland was formed in the fall of 2005 to develop campus practices, policies, and programs to promote sustainability. This group of faculty, staff, and students has hosted a series of events including a sustainability transportation fair last month featuring hybrid cars, scooters, and electric bicycles.
Even bigger plans are in the works, as Richland prepares to construct a $40 million, 141,167-square-foot science building. College administrators are striving for platinum status under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. LEED is a nationally recognized standard for the design and construction of high-performing green buildings.
The new science facility will host Richland’s health and science programs. Features will include special construction for harvesting sunlight, cisterns that irrigate rain water to other parts of the campus as well as interactive devices in restrooms that users control. Some building materials will be recycled, such as the carpet, and local vendors will be utilized as often as possible to minimize exhaust fumes from lengthy transports. The décor will even be eco-friendly and is to include a geology pit for a hands-on “field learning” for the students.
For more details about Richland’s climate commitment, contact Anitra Cotton at 972-238-6022 or anitracotton@dcccd.edu.
» View PDF of “A Natural Commitment” in the Richardson newspaper