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.
(more…)

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.

In response to the comment on the last post, Ron Tola, director of facilities management, tells me that the two units are ground source heat pumps, with one unit for the second floor and another for the third floor of the residence. The lines are buried about 70 feet deep in a “cone” configuration with about 8 vertical members for each unit.

Want to know more about Haverford College’s geothermal wells? Ask the green squirrel.

The word geothermal comes from the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). So, geothermal energy is heat from within the earth. We can use the steam and hot water produced inside the earth to heat buildings or generate electricity.  Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source because the water is replenished by rainfall and the heat is continuously produced inside the earth.

1 College Circle has two geothermal wells. They are used to provide 2/3 of the heating and cooling for the house. While modified systems, they provide enough energy to heat and cool the second and third floors.

Other geothermal facts of interest:

• California has 33 geothermal power plants and is the largest producer of geothermal energy in the world.
• The EPA has determined that geothermal heat pumps are the most energy efficient, environmentally clean and cost effective systems for temperature control.