Local and Organic Food

Utilizing locally grown and/or organic foods within the dinning service reinforce the sustainable values of LMC. Buying local reduces the amount of fuel used to transport food and subsequently the greenhouse gases released into the air. Food from the conventional system uses approximately 4 to 17 times more fuel than food from close by. Purchasing local food supports small and mid-size farmers who in turn provide many benefits to their communities, including farming in ways that protect biodiversity and natural habitats, local air and water quality, and preserve scenic landscapes and open space.

Upfront Cost: Minimal to Moderate
Instructional Opportunities: Business economics, hospitality, and culinary food management
Physical Impacts: Operations change

Lighting Controls

Multiple devices are used to turn lights off - occupancy sensors, photocells, as well as timer-based controls. All three of these when programmed properly ensure lights are off when not needed.

Upfront Cost: Minimal to Moderate
Instructional Opportunities: Collect & evaluate data
Physical Impacts: Existing lighting could remain

Micro Hydro Turbine

A micro-hydro turbine is located in an area of water where there is either consistent flow and/or height difference. As water flows past the turbine electrical energy is created (minimal output at this small scale). At LMC this could be used to take advantage of the natural spring water or inserted in the vertical storm leads within the building.

Upfront Cost: Minimal
Instructional Opportunities: Collect & evaluate data
Physical Impacts: Minimal

Systems Video Monitoring

Building Dashboard® is a web-based display technology that provides real-time feedback on resource use and helps us to improve the environmental performance of buildings. Connects to virtually all building automation systems and energy management systems. Building Dashboard® offers a wide range of options for displaying the performance of your building. Electricity, water and natural gas consumption, as well as solar electricity production, solar thermal production, rainwater use and greywater recycling can be displayed in real time (just to name a few), in a single location on the web.

Upfront Cost: Minimal

Instructional Opportunities:
· Monitor performance of green technologies
· Set building goals and monitor performance
· Download and track data for research projects
· Make the building a teach tool for students, faculty & visitors

Physical Impacts: Minimal (some data and electrical infrastructure)

Daylight Harvesting

While the existing window openings on the Napier Building are relatively small, the masterplan considers enclosing the area below the third floor overhang on the east wing of the building. The first and second floors in the east wing have the potential to allow in much more daylighting, which can be designed through controls to reduce the dependence on electric lighting. On the south exposure sunshade devices could deflect harsh direct rays while bouncing indirect light deeper into the space. On the north exposure sunshades are not needed. It is now possible to adjust the level of electric light when sufficient daylight is available.

Upfront Cost: Minimal

Instructional Opportunities:
· Comparative analysis of north and south exposure daylight harvesting
· Data tracking of reduced electric lighting usage

Physical Impacts: Required if master planning project proceeds

Rain Water Harvesting

LMC currently collects rainwater in the pond and utilizes for site irrigation. While it is not economically feasible to retro-fit the existing building with new secondary piping for filtered rainwater; it could be incorporated in a new building expansion project. The rainwater would be collected from the roof is routed through roof drains, down roof conductors and through a Vortex filter which separates debris from the roof water directing it to the public storm sewer. The clean rainwater discharges from the Vortex filter and is routed to a storage tank buried outside of the building. A well pump located in the storage tank is activated by a pressure switch located in the water supply line feeding the water closets. A “back up” potable system is employed for times when there is not enough rain to satisfy the demand of the water closets.

Upfront Cost: Moderate

Instructional Opportunities: Collect & evaluate data

Physical Impacts: Requires double piping; best for planning a new facility

On-Site Garden / Edible Landscape / Composting

Community designated garden could allow for the showcase of West Michigan vegetation for educational purposes. Creating an on-site, working garden to supplement produce offers opportunities to advance agricultural and culinary curriculum or lend to the establishment of a food co-op. A raised garden on the existing plaza could allow for convenient access for on-site food use. On-site composting can be sold or shared with local organizations.

Upfront Cost: Moderate

Instructional Opportunities: Biology, economics, and/or food service curriculum support; organize and operate a food co-op.

Physical Impacts: Land must be designated for the development of a garden. The development of it could grow over time.

Solar Options
Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into usable heat for things like domestic hot water. Active solar uses electrical or mechanical equipment, such as pumps and fans to increase the usable heat in a system. Photovoltaic systems convert the sun’s rays directly to electricity and can be used immediately or stored in batteries for later use.

Upfront Cost: Minimal to Moderate
Instructional Opportunities: Data tracking of reduced electric lighting usage
Physical Impacts: No required utility work for LED/Solar site lights. Requires roof reinforcement for rooftop solar hot water system.

Geothermal Vertical Closed Loop System

A Unitary Heat pump located in one of the classrooms could be used as a demonstration tool. The Geothermal Loop would be vertical bores. Students could monitor the performance of the unit with varying loop temperatures and design conditions.

Upfront Cost: Moderate

Instructional Opportunities: Collect & evaluate data

Physical Impacts: Requires wells to be drilled

Geothermal Pond Closed Loop System

A 3 ton Unitary Heat Pump located in one of the classrooms could be used as a demonstration tool. The Geothermal Loop would be dropped into pond. Students could monitor the performance of the unit with varying pond temperatures and design conditions. This system has little or no impact on building systems and would be purely demonstrational.


Upfront Cost: Minimal
Instructional Opportunities: Collect & evaluate data
Physical Impacts: Minimal

While Lake Michigan College is considering expanding its Career Education Programs in areas such as Energy Production, Construction, Alternative Energy, Water Quality, and Chemical Technology, amongst other program expansions, there are also plans for significant capital improvements to campus buildings and site.

It seems as though the timing is perfect for these sustainable design and energy production initiatives to be made manifest in the building and site improvements being proposed at Lake Michigan College. Small Scale Demonstrational Systems can be planned for to augment and support curriculum while also providing benefit to the building’s energy consumption and sustainable footprint.

In tandem to the College-wide Master Planning by The Collaborative Inc, Progressive AE conducted a Systems Master Plan exploration for the Napier Building to inform future decisions on new projects. Ideas were also generated and collaborated on with staff and faculty about how the building renovations and additions at the Napier Campus could possibly be integrated into the existing and emerging curriculum at Lake Michigan College.

“How can the building itself be a learning lab and a teaching tool across interdisciplinary learning?” In the following posts are some of the ideas generated. Each description explains how the system works, the magintude of upfront cost associated, just some of the potential instruction opportunities, and the physical impacts on the building or site. Many are intended to be considered for small grant opportunities, while others may need to be incorporated with future building or infrastructure projects.

Wind Turbines

Simply stated, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity. For LMC these small turbines could easily be accommodated at any of the Colleges existing buildings.

Upfront Cost: Moderate

Instructional Opportunities: Collect & evaluate data

Physical Impacts: Some structural reinforcing required for roof mounting.

AASHE Update

2 Progressive Employees (both working with LMC!) attended the AASHE 2008 Conference (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) this week. http://www.aashe.org/conf2008/.

We attended a few sessions that focused on some things that Community Colleges around the country are doing. The good news is that LMC is right where most Community Colleges are in terms of the President's Climate Commitment. We did, however, see many examples of institutions that have really accomplished quite a bit.

One of the issues Lee suggested to me is an issue at LMC is that a 2-year institution that primarily has underclass students has a hard time recruiting and developing student leaders to champion the cause with their peers. I asked a roomfull of CC Sustainability leaders, "What have you done to increase student involvement?" and got a number of interesting ideas.

One college has a "welcome to campus" reception and meal event. The only way to get a ticket to the free meal is to first fill out an on-line interest inventory survey: intramural sports, clubs, arts, and sustainability, etc., and only then can a student get a free ticket to the event. Professors and student organizations can then use that input to quickly recruit interested students.

Another college gave all incoming students their orientation materials electronically on a flash drive bracelet instead of as books, pamphlets, or binders. The bracelet included a description of the campus sustainability principles that led to using electronic data instead of print material, and a link to the student sustainability club. Students were then encouraged to continue to use the flash drive for submitting papers, assignments, etc., throughout their time at the college.

Several colleges had bike-sharing programs: a fleet of campus bikes that students can use to get from place to place and leave at the building they just arrived at for others to use. The bikes were marked with web links to campus sustainability initiatives and student clubs.

What else can be done?

More on AASHE will be forthcoming

Biomass?

First, nice job Steve, I hope this gets some play and we get ideas posted.

In the spirit of kicking this off, I can easily visualize something like wind power, solar power, and possibly battery storage as all playing a roll in this plan. The one I'm having a hard time with is biomass. From my limited knowledge base these plants are very large in size and require a constant stream of biomass in order to function in any meaningful way.

While we live in a geographic area where there are large stocks of material suitable for biomass, I can't see a full scale plant fitting into our site.

So my question is, do others see a modeling of this concept into a smaller student operated plant, or are there other means of setting these up that are not readily apparent to me.

Thanks again Steve.

Building as Demonstration Laboratory?

How could a redesigned and or renovated Napier Campus Building function as a demonstration laboratory to support curriculum initiatatives?

For example:

Incorporate a student-managed wind turbine that generates electricity for interior lighting. Have students maintain the turbine and track kilowatts generated against weather data and windspeed.

Install 5 different types of roofs in an area of the building: black EPDM, white EPDM, ballasted, and 2 types of vegetated roofs and have students keep track of surface temperature, stormwater run-off, and life-cycle performance of each type of roof.

What ideas like these should be implemented / considered?

Welcome and Purpose

Welcome to the Lake Michigan College Sustainability and Interdisciplinary Learning Blog!

Lake Michigan College has signed the President's Climate Accord and has established new goals regarding sustainability and environmental design for its buildings and operations. It is also planning for significant capital improvements to the Napier Building.

Meanwhile, on September 18, 2008, Governor Granholm signed the Michigan Renewable Energy Sources Act, or RESA, that will require 10% of Michigan's energy to be coming from renewable sources by 2015. Already, a 46-turbine wind farm is scheduled to be completed in the thumb area of Michigan in December 2008 and another is being considered for Ludington. These new types of energy infrastructure mean jobs and careers for our state and will require new educational experiences for our students.

At the same time as these historic events, Lake Michigan College is considering expanding its Career Education Program Plans in areas such as Energy Production, Construction, Alternative Energy, Water Quality, and Chemical Technology, amongst other program expansions.

It seems as though the timing is perfect for these initiatives to be made manifest in the building and site improvements being proposed at LMC's Napier campus.

The purpose of this blog is to collect and track ideas amongst staff, faculty, and the design team about how the building renovations and additions at the Napier Campus could possibly be integrated into the existing and emerging curriculum at Lake Michigan College. How can the building itself be a learning lab and a teaching tool across interdisciplinary learning, whether specifically for sustainable design or any other type of curriculum?

Please browse the posts and topics listed on this blog and check back often to review and weigh in as part of this important dialogue.