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Maroon Going Green By NICOLE PRIOLO

Whether in a lab, a classroom or the dining hall, it’s clear that Maroon is going Green. Through its many diverse initiatives on campus, Texas A&M is leading the way in conservation and sustainability efforts, which have resulted in a 20 percent reduction in total energy and water consumption over the last five years.

While it may not seem like turning off a light or raising your thermostat a few degrees will have much of an impact on the global environment, Jim Riley, Utilities Director at Texas A&M University, would argue otherwise.

“If you have millions of people making a small difference, it makes a big difference,” Riley said, and though he is speaking on a global scale, the same is true for Texas A&M and the Bryan/College Station area.

Perhaps one of the most unique initiatives has been undertaken by Campus Dining Services, which recently hired a third-party company to recycle their waste oil and turn it into fuel. “It’s your french fries turning into fuel on campus,” said Kelly Wellman, Texas A&M University’s first Sustainability Officer.

Campus Dining Services hosts a farmer’s market every Thursday around lunchtime at Rudder Fountain where local produce is sold. They have also added The Tomato Bar in the Commons, which offers a selection of organic produce. According to Wellman, these efforts have been well-received by students.

She also pointed out Transportation Services and their effort towards environmental friendliness by citing the fact that their bus fleet runs off a bio-diesel blend, which is a renewable fuel source for diesel engines derived from natural oils. “The transportation system in and of itself obviously encourages ridership rather than everyone driving a vehicle to campus, and so that is one way that we’re conscience about carbon emissions.”

In the area of construction, Texas A&M has committed to construct major new buildings on campus to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification. This certification is administered through the U.S. Green Building Council and provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures.
“The LEED building silver on the campus is a very big commitment, and it really makes a statement about the university’s commitment to sustainability and energy conservation,” said Homer Bruner, manager for Energy Services at Texas A&M. Riley added that even though there are additional costs up front, it’s a worthwhile investment when you look at the life of the building.

Besides these on-campus initiatives, Texas A&M is also contributing to the national “green” movement through research efforts in several departments on campus. One such example is the Energy Systems Laboratory. “The lab has developed the Continuous Commissioning® process that is the least expensive way to reduce energy use in large buildings by 15-20 percent without the necessity of installing new equipment for heating and cooling,” explains Dr. David Claridge, director of the ESL. “This process is being applied in buildings on the A&M campus and across the country today, and typically pays for itself in energy savings in two years or less. Energy cost savings from implementing CC© to date exceed $100 million.”

Ming-Han Li, assistant professor of Landscape Architecture, has brought the “green” movement into the classroom. Li, who also serves as a Technical Advisor to the Green College Station Action Plan, informed his students about the city’s efforts and assigned a semester project related to it. “Students studied sustainable irrigation techniques and put together an educational package. We hope that this is a starting point for the city to develop an education package for local citizens,” Li said.