Going Green @ Haverford

The Facilities Management Department has developed an Energy Conservation Awareness Initiative to help mitigate the unprecedented escalation in energy prices that has occurred globally in recent months.

As we face this challenge, we are calling upon our campus community to support this campus initiative by implementing simple changes in energy utilization behaviors that can positively affect operating costs and the environment while relieving some pressure on institutional resources.   We have identified four major awareness components of this program below.
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By going trayless at your next meal …………….                            

-You could possibly waste 25-30 percent less food.

-For each tray that is not washed it saves between a third to half-gallon of water.

Haverford is one of a growing number of colleges and universities going trayless. While Haverford’s program is voluntary many other institutions around the country are not so kind. Middlebury College made the decision in August 2007 to go completely trayless. Mathew Biette, Director of Dining Services, evaluated the wastefulness of using trays and decided to eliminate them. “I talked with some students who suggested we just go with the idea rather than waiting to have long, drawn-out discussions” Said Biette. “Their feeling was the more discussion that would happen, the less likely we would be able to make an impact or implement taking the trays out of the dining hall.” Other schools have taken a lesser approach by instituting “Trayless Tuesdays”.

So, the next time you’re up at the DC, or for that matter any restaurant, think of the environment before taking that tray.

Delfino and John install added wind protection to the edges of the roof.

The last step is to secure the biodegradable wind scour blanket. This prevents the sedums from shifting due to environmental conditions. It also keeps them moist during the establishment period. The brown coir (coconut husk), is situated between two layers of biodegradable mesh, both of which will break down over time.

By participating in the President’s Climate Commitment, there are certain milestones that we have to adhere to. Below is the link for the green house gas emissions inventory.

View our green house emissions report.

For a more comprehensive overview of the commitment, please visit www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/index.php.

In the next several weeks we will be conducting transportation surveys via email. To make it as accurate as possible we are asking that you complete the survey and return.

The College Sustainability Report Card provides in-depth sustainability profiles for colleges through out the United States and Canada.

The report card is an excellent tool for determining where your school stands on sustainability/environmental issues and how you compare with both your peer schools and schools nationwide. It is also an excellent tool for schools to learn from one another’s experiences.

Haverford College improved over last year going from a C to a B. While we did improve, there are so many more challenges ahead of us. Check out the full report card and compare how we did with our sister schools.

Any questions about Haverford College’s Sustainability program, please contact Claudia Kent.

Green roofs have been around for thousands of years and precursors to the modern green roof, such as sod roofs, have been used in many cultures for centuries.

The modern day green roof uses modern technology such as root barriers, drainage systems and lightweight growing media which allows healthy growing environments at much lighter weights. Lightweight green roofs allow systems to be installed on roofs which normally would not be able to sustain heavy loads, as is the case with Stokes Hall. While some roofs can withstand weights up to 60+ lbs per square foot, Stokes has only been rated for 21 lbs fully saturated.

The system selected for Stokes Hall is an Aromatic Garden “Roofmeadow” system. Because the “soil” or growing media is only 3-4” thick, drought tolerant plants were selected, namely sedums. Sedums will withstand long periods of drought and won’t need supplemental irrigation.

The photograph to the right is Friends Center at 15th and Cherry streets in Philadelphia.  Their system, which is the same as ours, is two years old. This roof is in full bloom.*

Green roofs provide many ecological, aesthetic, and financial benefits, including:

• Controlling stormwater runoff, erosion, and pollution
• Improving water quality
• Mitigating urban heat-island effects, cooling and cleaning the air
• More than doubling the service life of the roof, reducing both costs and landfill
• Conserving energy
• Reducing sound reflection and transmission
• Creating wildlife habitat
• Improving the aesthetic environment in both work and home settings.

*Courtesy of Nate Johnson and Roofscapes Inc.