ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
SOLAR PANELS:
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5 residence halls furnished with roof mounted solar panels to heat domestic hot water.
 Knutzen: 2013 (2004 original)
 Burroughs 2012
 Neale: 2011
 Suites@201: 2011
 Pray Sims: 2006
Solar panel fluids are a food grade environmentally safe product since 2010.
RECYCLING:
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Recycling chutes for glass, paper, aluminum and plastic in all residence halls (1992)
Recycle on average 4.5 tons of glass, paper, plastic & cardboard in res halls per month.
Recycle scrap steel, aluminum and plumbing parts (1999)
Recycle batteries (2000)
 All dead batteries get returned to our supplier, Batteries Plus, for recycling
Recycle Mercury ballasts & fluorescent lamps (2000)
Finish samples donated to Interior Architecture & Art department (2001)
Ink cartridges recycled (2005)
2004 Environmental Stewardship award from C&A for recycling used carpet tile.
 As of 7/2009 we have recycled over 234,243 lbs.
Environmental Stewardship recognition from Pat Craft Commercial Carpets for
recycling over 6,000 lbs of carpet (summer 2008).
Expired resident room chairs are returned to original manufacturer for total recycling
(2008).
Baldwin and Steiner hall elevator and ADA renovations and Hyer hall demolition
project have minimally recycled 75% of all building materials from project.
Hyer hall demolition project recycled all window glass to NFAC for student project use
(2008).
APPLIANCES:
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Energy Star Appliances (2005)
Front loading Washer/dryers (2006)
 Manufactured in Ripon, WI
 Laundry View educational tool installed (2010); On-line system that not only allows
residents to view available washers and dryers in the residence halls while also
providing an ongoing tally of the number of gallons of water saved in each laundry
room.
PLUMBING & HVAC:
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Sink aerators reduce water flow to 1.5 GPM (gallon per minute) (1998)
Shower head are rated at 2.5 GPM (1999)
Urinals are set at 1.0 GPF (gallons per flush) (1998)
Toilets are set at 1.6 GPF (1998)
Instantaneous heaters supply on demand hot water –
 Thomson (1998)
 Knutzen (‘04)
 Hyer (‘05)
 Pray Sims (‘07)
 Baldwin (’08)
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ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
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 Neale (’08)
 Steiner (’09)
 Hansen (’10)
Thermostats are turned down during break periods to conserve energy (2008)
New window unit air conditioners are Energy Star certified (2008)
Thermostatic controls in Watson (2006), May Roach (2006) & Smith (2010) and future
renovations.
All toilet paper purchased is manufactured and distributed from Green Bay, WI
Elkay EZH2O bottle filling stations/bubblers installed throughout every hall makes filling
reusable water bottles more convenient. (2011)
CLEANING AGENTS:
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The majority of cleaning products are biodegradable, CFC free, low VOC compliant,
and earth safe formulations. (2005)
Purchased in bulk to reduce the number of shipping containers and allows for reuse of
existing containers. (2005)
 Produced and distributed from Sheboygan, WI
Refillable pump bottles and storage containers used to minimize waste. (2005)
LIGHT FIXTURES:
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T8, T5 & Compact Fluorescent lamps used exclusively. (2006)
Automatic sensors in non-critical areas (kitchens; general bath) (2004)
Minimum code compliant foot-candles for emergency & corridor lighting (1960s)
Independent control switching for fixtures to allow users to only turn on needed fixtures.
(since 2005)
Low mercury fluorescents & no mercury ballasts (1998)
INTERIOR FINISHES:
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Flooring – General (Hard, Resilient & Carpet) (1999)
Low VOC adhesives & constructions; Recycled Content; Reclamation programs
 Certifications sought:
EPP – Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (Silver-Platinum); Minimally
GreenGuard Indoor Air Quality Certified; ISO 14001- Environmental management
system; NSF/ANSI STANDARD 140-2007 – performance requirements for public
health and environment throughout the supply chain; MBDC Cradle to Cradle;
Recycled Content: face yarns and/or backings; Solution Dyed face yarns specified
whenever possible as this method produces less waste water than any other dye
method.
Paint/Wallcovering: (1999);
 Low to no VOC paints
 Wallcoverings contain only water based inks & coatings
 No ozone depleting chemicals
 No cadmium or mercury based pigments
 Green Guard Certified
 Recycled content
 Reclamation programs
Ceiling: (2005)
 Recycled content ceiling tile
 Low VOC
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ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
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Window Coverings (1999)
 Non-PVC horizontal or vertical blind products and/or recycled content solar
shades whenever possible.
 Coral Fabric Resident room draperies are recyclable
 Maximize daylighting opportunity whenever possible with a selection of versatile
window coverings.
FURNITURE:
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General Furniture (Lounge, Table, Chairs & etc.) (2001)
 Certifications sought:
 LEED IDC1 (Innovative Design Credit 1) purposely sought on all new furniture
purchases.
 Green Guard Indoor Air Quality Certified
 Children & Schools Indoor Air Quality Certification
 FSC certified forests
 ISO 14001- environmental management system.
 MBDC Cradle to Cradle
 Recycled content &/or rapidly renewable construction
 Less than 500 mile radius transit purchases whenever possible
 Textiles contain recycled fibers and/or reduced environmental impact fibers.
 Recyclable packing materials practices sought by manufacturers.
 Refurbish and/or Surplus as much usable furnishings as possible.
 Minimally CFC free and/or soy based foam
Resident Room Furniture: (2001)
 FSC certified wood- wood farmed from sustainable forests
 Laminate tops are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® by Wilsonart
laminate
 Desktop Hutch Lights utilize 3 Xenon bulbs that provide 4 times the lamp life and
produces more lumens per watt than typical halogens. The fixtures are also
equipped with an on/off, high-low manual switch to maximize versatility and
conserve energy when full light output is not needed or desired.
 Damaged hutch-cork boards are recovered by Res Life Upholsterer with a solution
dyed environmentally improved manufacturing process textile.
 Room chairs are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified®
 Frame is made of recyclable material
 Upholstery is made from 100% recycled polyester fibers.
 Manufactured less than 100 mile from UW-SP, in Green Bay, WI
 Mattresses:
 Expired mattresses are donated to non-profit organizations and individuals to avoid
landfill (2005)
 New foam mattresses with vinyl coverings are 100% recyclable.
 Manufactured and distributed from Watertown, WI
MISCELLANEOUS:
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Practices:
 Student room vents cleaned annually to maintain healthy indoor air quality (2006)
 Student room air filters changed annually (2010)
 Fertilizer instead of salt used when possible for snow/ice removal. (2006)
 Computer monitors are turned off after work hours for energy conservation.
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ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
All vending machine extra lighting was removed. (2009)
Landscaping removed from DUC renovation was recycled to other areas on
campus including around residence halls (rocks, plants, shrubs and trees) (2006)
 Tack boards are fabricated in-house using Homasote® fiber board which is a
recycled and recyclable fiber board (paper) and then covered by res life
upholsterer with a 100% recycled content tack-able fabric. (2004)
 Replaced 2 Residential Living vehicles with 2 fuel efficient vehicles (2009)
PROGRAMS:
 Renewable Energy Purchase – NatureWise Program:
 Residence halls participate in the WPS NatureWise Program. The NatureWise which
offers 100 kilowatt-hour "blocks" of renewable electricity which is generated
through wind and biogas renewable resources verses other fuels such as coal and
natural gas. Residence halls are currently at 40% Green Energy. (2006)
 End of Year – Recycle/Reuse Program: Unwanted clothing, furnishings (large &
small), food items, small appliances, computers and etc. are placed in designated
areas for community donation. (2000)
 This program helps to avoid these unwanted items from being landfilled and/or
improperly disposed of.
 Bunk/Loft Rental Program: RHA, through a combined effort with Residential Living,
offers custom made to fit UW-SP bed frames lofts and bunks. The rented loft/bunks
are returned at the end of the year for future residents to rent and/or purchase.
(2004)
 This rental program aids in minimizing the amount of potentially un-sustainable
wood products and/or other landfill material being purchased and/or brought in
by residents to construct their own loft/bunk systems.
 Greenest Resident Room –An interactive demonstration of how residents and
general public can live a comfortable and affordable environmentally friendly
lifestyle. (program established 1/2009)
 Vermiculture-Worm Composting: The vermiculture 100% recycled plastic content
composting bin was officially added to Knutzen’s hall lobby in 2005. Residents add
their food waste to the bin for composting and are free to utilize the nutrient rich
base for their plantings in the lobby and individual resident rooms. This program is
managed by Knutzen Hall’s Environmental Programmer.
 Smith Hall Vermiculture: A vermiculture station similar to that in Knutzen was added
to this hall in 2010.
 AmeriCorps UWSP Green Associate: Residential Living hosted an AmeriCorps
position focused on increasing environmental education to residents through
programming events (2010 - 2012). The AmeriCorps position was discontinued by
the city in 2012.
 Green Associate: Part-time student position that assists with the development and
coordination of the Green Advocate position and assists with research and
development of green initiatives for Residential Living. 2012-Current
 Green Advocates: A Green Advocate is a government member in each hall that
provides environmental programming as established by the S.U.N. (Students United
for Nature) Committee, actively participates in the SUN committee and serves as a
knowledgeable environmental resource to the Hall staff responsible for additional
environmental programming as per the SPECIES programming model. (2010)
 S.U.N. Committee: The S.UN. Committee is comprised of the Green Advocates,
Greenest Resident Room Ambassador (Knutzen Hall Environmental Programmer),
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ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
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interested Hall Directors and UWSP residents and is facilitated by Residential
Living. The S.U.N. committee hosts, promotes and supports the Greenest Resident
room and Greenest Resident room Open House tours, develops environmental
programming for the Green Advocates and provides additional environmental
opportunities in the Residence hall by way of competitions, presentations and etc.
(2010)
 Energy Competition: competition between the residence halls to decrease their
energy usage over the course of a month (2011)
 RecycleMania: An international competition with other colleges and universities,
promoting increased recycling efforts. This is an annual 8 week competition where
the residence halls compete against one another to see which is able to produce
the greatest poundage of recyclable material. (2008)
 Composting Program: Residents individually collect compostable food waste
material in their rooms and deposit it in a centralized composting bin conveniently
located within each residence hall. Residential Living-Building Services delivers the
collected compostable material to the UWSP Waste Education Center where it is
then composted by Waste Education Center staff and students. The final product is
a nutrient-rich soil which is available for use by campus. (2012)
 Planting Program: Buildings and Grounds delivers 600 perennial “starter plants” to
the residence halls in March. The plants are delivered in recycled plant containers
filled with composted-amended soil made on campus. The plants are cared for
and grown by residents throughout the remainder of the semester, collected at
semester end and then planted around campus during the summer months by
Building and Grounds.
LEED CERTIFIED BUILDINGS:
 LEED-NC - Suites @ 201 Reserve:
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction; Gold rating
certification through the US Green Building Council is in progress for the new suite
style residence hall. It promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by
recognizing performance in sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and
atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, awareness
and education innovation in design, and regional priority.
LEED CERTIFICATIONS IN PROGRESS:
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations &
Maintenance; Silver rating certification through the US Green Building Council is in
progress for Neale Hall. This certification promotes high-performance, healthful,
durable, affordable and environmentally sound practices in an existing building.
 LEED EB - Neale Hall:
 LEED-EB – Burroughs Hall
 LEED-EB – Knutzen Hall
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