We were "green" before it became a buzzword, and we're proud of being at the forefront of this movement.
“Our energy conservation is the best in the state, and compared to other campuses our size, we’re one of the best in the entire country," said Gary Reed, director of EIU Facilities Planning and Management.
Here are a few facts with information about some of what we've done to reduce our energy consumption and therefore become a better neighbor, on both a local and global scale. We'll be happy to provide more information on anything that catches your eye. You can contact Ryan Siegel, campus energy and sustainability coordinator, at 217-581-8395 or rwsiegel@eiu.edu.
We've reduced our environmental impact by...
- Switching to electric vehicles: We recently purchased two electric vehicles and secured approval from the city to operate them on streets adjacent to campus. These vehicles have the carbon equivalent of getting 40 mpg, a significant improvement over the 12 mpg of the typical van during in-town use. We will continue to purchase electric vehicles as funds become available.
- Using hybrid vehicles: Since 2006, we have owned two Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles.
Reducing servers: Information Technology Services is moving forward with its project to virtualize servers, which will reduce the number of physical servers and therefore drastically reduce energy consumption. In addition, a central file server system will replace a number of servers that do no real processing but consume a significant amount of power to idle. - Donating boiler ash: We give boiler ash (339 tons in 2007) to local road supervisors to provide better traction on snow- and ice-covered roads.
- Recycling: Our recycling program was established in 1992. In 2007, with the voluntary efforts of more than 13,000 students, faculty, and staff, we diverted 32 percent of on-campus waste (by weight) through recycling efforts. This is over 1 million lbs. of material.
- Sharing unneeded office supplies: Campus employees can take extra office supplies to the surplus office supply store for others on campus to use. Items include reams of paper, file folders, toners, etc.
- Conserving water: The installation of new toilets, washing machines and shower heads cut the campus's water consumption nearly in half from 1999 to 2007.
- Conserving energy: Many energy-conscious changes have been made throughout campus, including using high-efficiency motors, upgrading lighting systems, installing temperature-control programs, changing to new LED-powered “exit” signs, and sharing air conditioning between buildings.
- Building responsibly: We're keeping the environment in mind when renovating or building on campus. For example, when Blair Hall was rebuilt following a 2004 fire, energy-efficient, technologically advanced features were installed throughout -- sensor faucets and water closet flush valves were used for water conservation measures; the roof was shingled with a slate-look-alike material made from recycled materials; and state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting systems were installed.
Future plans at EIU
- Making our own bio-diesel: We plan to recover the waste oil from campus dining centers and the Food Court and convert it into bio-diesel to be used by our grounds fleet.
- Replacing our steam plant: We plan to replace our outdated steam plant with a new plant that will use biomass instead of coal. This plant may also produce some electricity in addition to the steam. A new steam line will connect to Carman Hall to eliminate the natural gas boiler from the 1960s.
What you can do
- Recycle your paper, No. 1 plastic and aluminum in our recycling bins throughout campus.
- Think about whether you can reuse items before throwing them away or recycling them.
- Donate your unwanted office supplies to EIU's surplus office supply store for others to use.
- Turn off lights and cut power to electronics (using a power strip is handy) when not in use.
- Utilize power-saving options on your computer.
- Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Walk, bike and use the Panther Express shuttle when you can.
- Buy recycled and/or environmentally friendly, energy-efficient products.
- Carry your groceries in paper sacks or, even better, your own canvas bags.
- Buy food locally — each summer, there is a weekly farmers market on the Charleston square.
- Use real dishes and utensils, not disposable ones.
- Print on both sides of the paper, and use low-quality printing when you can to save ink.
- Use refillable binders instead of notebooks.
- Use window shades/blinds to control natural light to help heat or cool spaces. Don't use space heaters -- they use a lot of energy and can be a safety hazard.
- Reduce your water use by taking shorter showers, using less hot water, and shutting off the water while brushing your teeth and shaving.
Help us make EIU greener
See a waste of energy on campus or have ideas on to how to cut costs at the University? Please contact Ryan Siegel, campus energy and sustainability coordinator, at 217-581-8395 or rwsiegel@eiu.edu so we can look for ways to minimize or alleviate the problem.
Awards
Our efforts have won many awards, including:
- Outstanding College and University Recycling Program award from the Illinois Recycling Association (2009)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's College/University Partner of the Year award (one of 10) for comprehensive waste reduction program (2006)
- ASHRAE Regional Technology Award, First Place for Institutional Buildings - Existing, Region VI, (2002-2003)
- Efficient Building Awards from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity State Building Energy Program (1997, 1999, 2002)
Media Coverage
Our energy-saving accomplishments have been reported in several publications. Here's a sampling:
- Forbes, “Picking a Renewable Energy Path" (June 2008)
- College Planning and Management, “Battling Utility Costs” (October 2002)
- 2003 Illinois Energy Success Stories, by Safe Energy Community Council (Department of Energy-sponsored publication)
- Charleston Times-Courier, for national recognition of EIU lighting upgrades (Feb. 27, 2003)
- Association of Energy Engineers online article (March 2003)
- DCEO Report to 93rd General Assembly of the State of Illinois, “A Report on Energy Costs and Energy Efficiency at Illinois Public Universities," about EIU have the lowest energy cost among all public universities (December 2003)
- Distributed Energy, “How a University Changed Some Light Bulbs and Saved a Bundle" (January/February 2004)
- American School and University (May 2004, December 2005)
- College Planning and Management, “Making Tight Facilities Budgets Perform" (March 2005)
- Today’s Facility Manager, “Energy Performance Contracts Address Deferred Maintenance" (November 2005)
- Spirotherm Inc., company brochure “Spirotism" (2005)
- Engineered Systems Magazine, article on Spirotherm equipment applications at EIU (May 2005, January 2006)
