Campus Rec continues Go Green initiative
In an continuation with its Go Green initiative, Campus Recreation has installed new bathroom fixtures in its three indoor facilities to drastically decrease water consumption, along with installing occupation light sensors on the 12 racquetball and three squash courts to help decrease electrical use.
Water conservation
All toilet flush valves in the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), Campus Rec Center East (CRCE) and the Ice Arena have been retrofitted with a dual-flush handle that maintains 1.1 gallons per flush (gpf) by pushing the handle down for liquid waste and the normal 1.6 gpf by pulling up for solid waste. Instructions for use are placed in all bathrooms and near the handle to ensure that patrons use the new system properly. Additionally, 32 urinals throughout the three facilities have been replaced with a new product that uses just .125 gpf instead of the previous 1 gpf.
Furthermore, sink faucets in the buildings combine a motion sensor with a .5 gallon aerator to minimize water waste.
Overall, 6.5 million gallons of water will be saved per year. For 2009, that will result in a projected 34% reduction in water usage from the previous year.
Lighting project
15 occupation light sensors have been installed on the racquetball and squash courts, allowing the lights to only be on when an
individual court is being used. Previously, all 15 courts had full lights on from open to close with an approximate 20-22 hour burn.
Along with the sensors, all of the lights on these courts were retrofitted with a high-performance T8 system and 96 mercury vapor lights were replaced with high efficiency metal halide.
The estimated savings for this project is approximately 237,771 kWh per year. The annual dollar savings will be approximately $17,500.
Funding
A grant from the Student Sustainability Committee for one-third of the project cost up to $30,000 was used for the water reduction project. Funding for the lighting project came from a $75,000 zero-percent interest loan from the Student Sustainability Committee, which Campus Recreation will pay back within five years.