From Silver to Gold: How Operational Sustainability Strategies Led to Achieving
LEED Gold Certification for the Onondaga Community College SRC Arena and
Events Center
Sean Vormwald, Director of Sustainability and Environmental Health and Safety, Onondaga Community
College
ABSTRACT
This presentation will provide a case study of the LEED certification process for the LEED Gold certified
SRC Arena and Events Center at Onondaga Community College. The SRC Arena and Events Center
hosts hundreds of events and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, allowing many people in
the Central New York Region to experience a green building. The presentation will provide a detailed
overview of the project, highlighting the credits pursued to achieve LEED certification. It will also discuss
in detail strategies for earning additional points based on sustainability-related operational decisions
made by the College, which led to exceeding the original project goal of LEED Silver. The presentation
will also discuss several challenges encountered during the project, and insights into the process of
achieving LEED Gold certification from the College’s perspective. The presentation will demonstrate how
LEED projects relate to an organization’s overall sustainability initiative.
BIOGRAPHY
Sean Vormwald is the director of sustainability and environmental health and safety at Onondaga
Community College where he works with campus stakeholders to implement sustainability-related
programs throughout the College. His role includes integrating sustainability into campus operations,
encouraging sustainability-related curriculum development, and coordinating educational outreach
programs. Prior to his position at Onondaga, Sean provided sustainability consulting services for
municipal, non-profit, and business clients through his company, Sustainable Transitions Inc. He has also
worked for several non-profit organizations where he managed environmentally-focused public outreach
campaigns. Sean is currently a PhD student at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
studying environmental communication. He earned a master's degree in communications and a
bachelor's degree in environmental studies at Ithaca College.