Serious about sustainability

Central Washington UniversityBill Yarwood and Pat Nahan tell Keith Regan how Central Washington University has dramatically reduced energy consumption, even as its campus has grown. If anyone doubts that focusing on sustainability can help an organizationÔÇÖs bottom line, the story of Central Washington University should change their minds. Since 1998, CWU, based in Ellensburg, Washington, has reduced the amount of natural gas it uses by 13 percent and the amount of electricity it consumes by 14 percentÔÇöreductions that came despite a significant expansion in the campus footprint, with a net of some 280,000 square feet of new building space added in that time. The savings didnÔÇÖt come without a cost. Over the decade, the university invested $5 million directly into energy-savings initiatives as part of the $26 million spent on capital infrastructure upgrades over that time, says Bill Yarwood, director of facilities planning & construction at the state-run institution. ÔÇ£It sounds nice and it sounds green, but when you can point to the cold, hard dollars, thatÔÇÖs really where it makes the most sense,ÔÇØ he says. Of course, energy costs have risen dramatically over the past decade as well. ÔÇ£WhatÔÇÖs really compelling is the amount of money we would have spent had we done nothing in the energy-savings area.ÔÇØThe quest for energy savings had to be balanced along the way, too. ÔÇ£Our philosophy is that we were not going to be turning the lights off, dimming the lights, raising the temperature in the summer and lowering it in the winter, to the point that the end user was uncomfortable,ÔÇØ says Pat Nahan, CWU mechanical engineer, who has helped spearhead sustainability programs. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre trying to make the campus as comfortable and functional as possible while using the least amount of energy.ÔÇØ The universityÔÇÖs energy-savings investments came largely through work done through the State of WashingtonÔÇÖs Energy Services Company (ESCO) program, which allows for a design-build approach. Working with TAC America, CWU has been able to maximize its investment with that program, Nahan says. Projects have ranged from replacing leaky and inefficient piping systems to upgrades to chilled water systems and steam boilers. A significant investment was also made in metering and monitoring systems to help ensure that consumption can be tracked on a real-time basis and adjustments made quickly when any given facility shows a surge in energy consumption. The efforts helped the university win the GovernorÔÇÖs Award for Excellence in Energy Management in 2004. Despite its progress and the millions of dollars in savings, the university has made it clear that it sees the successes to date as a foundation for even more ambitious goals. In 2006, CWU president Jerilyn S. McIntyre signed onto the American College and University PresidentsÔÇÖ Climate Commitment, pledging to reduce the carbon footprint of the campus over time. To address that mandate, CWU Facilities formed a performance operations task force of technicians and engineers to carefully evaluate energy usage on a monthly basis and suggest ideas for further savings. A committee consisting of facility staff, undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty from various departments is developing a plan to reduce the universityÔÇÖs carbon footprint by focusing on heating/cooling, energy and electricity use, transportation, and waste reduction. Still, Nahan says the university knows thereÔÇÖs a limit to how far such savings can take the campus and that to really have a positive impact on the carbon footprint will require obtaining more energy from renewable sources. Wind energy is growing in the region, but given its role as a leading educational institution, CWU is seeking to serve a leadership role in developing new and novel energy sources.┬á ÔÇ£What weÔÇÖre bumping up against now is, once weÔÇÖve tightened the ship as much as possible, if we still intend to reduce our footprint further, that means finding fuels or means of renewable energy that are feasible and finding ways to implement them,ÔÇØ says Nahan. Given its location in the central part of the state, the university is focusing on the potential for biowaste from the areaÔÇÖs various forestry and agriculture products. So-called slash (the parts of a forestry operation not suitable for lumber and other products), grape pumice (leftovers from wine-making), corn waste, mint waste, and hop waste are plentiful in the area. Finding ways to turn them into energy would help the regional economy by creating more opportunities for farmers and loggers and also help produce power that doesnÔÇÖt add significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. Much work remains to be done on the ideas, with everything from how the combustion process would work to how the materials would be processed and transported needing to be worked out. But the university is optimistic it can help develop these new sources of energy, says Nahan. ÔÇ£We know we have a leadership role to play, because weÔÇÖre a major buyer of power. If we can guarantee a supplier that weÔÇÖll buy fuel from one of these new sources, that may help convince them that the economics make sense.ÔÇØAt the same time, work continues to make existing and new facilities as efficient and sustainable as possible. The planning department is growing its number of LEED-certified experts and moving projects through the construction and design process that will meet the stateÔÇÖs mandate that all projects worth $5 million or more receive LEED Silver level or higher ratings. All the efforts overlap in many areas, Yarwood notes. For instance, a new multimillion-dollar Industrial and Engineering Technology building is now being moved through the design pipeline. That facility will not only house labs for conducting research on new sustainable technologies but also help train a future workforce in sustainable practices in business and industry. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre finding the corporations in the area and around the country are really looking for graduates with green technology experience,ÔÇØ Yarwood says. ÔÇ£It all ties into the same big idea.ÔÇØ ┬á