reporting by Amanda McKellar ::: interactive and graphics by Sarah Rambeau

Going Green: Ball State University is becoming ecofriendly
by Sarah Russell

Ball State University recently became LEED certified, receiving a silver ranking, the third-highest possible designation. Under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System promotes a plan of sustainability and sets guidelines for producing a “green” building. A point system ranks a LEED building. Out of 61 potential credits that can be earned, the silver ranking allows for 33-38 points. To gain recognition, construction must include water savings, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor environmental quality, as well as sustainable development of the site.
            According to Ball State’s Council on the Environment (COTE), LEED certified buildings cause less damage to the environment during construction and also during the lifetime of the building, cost less, result in a healthier environment, and reduce energy demand.
Ball State is not the only Indiana school that has moved toward becoming more environmentally friendly. Both Indiana University and Purdue University have worked toward having more sustainable campuses.
            Indiana University created the Council of Environmental Stewardship in 1998, which began a waste reduction initiative, as well as working toward becoming LEED certified. Although the Council was dismissed in 2006 and no buildings on campus qualify for LEED recognition, the Bloomington campus is currently working on constructing a science building has been listed as an LEED project.
            Like Ball State University and Indiana University, Purdue University is working on making its campus greener. Actions have been taken such as a recycling program and using local foods in the dining menus. However, the university has not yet become LEED accredited and in one case, construction of a building fell just 10 credits short.
            Along with the construction of the LEED certified buildings, Ball State is hosting a Greening of the Campus Conference September 6-8, presented by COTE and attended by professors and experts in the field. Ball State’s website describes the importance of sustainability and the conference saying, “Management of environmental resources on college and university campuses can have long-term effects on the institutions themselves and on society as a whole. This is a unique opportunity to share effective ideas on environmental issues.”
            All three Indiana universities, with Ball State leading the effort, have environmental organizations that have made ecological sustainability a main concern. The easiest, and most common, is recycling, but other additions to make these campuses more environmentally friendly and LEED accredited are starting to come to the forefront of campus policy and planning.

SOURCES:

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2007/08/27/focus1.html?b=1188187200%5E1510164

http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/profile39.pdf

http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/profile58.pdf

http://www.bsu.edu/cote/media/pdf/091503leedsresolution.pdf

http://www.endowmentinstitute.org/sustainability/

http://www.bsu.edu/greening/categories/