Newswise — It doesn't matter what a school's traditional colors are " today's students want colleges to be "green." St. Lawrence University is known for its environmental studies programs as well as its eco-friendly practices and activities raising awareness of the natural world. Many of its programs and policies arose from student initiatives.
When the fall 2007 semester begins at St. Lawrence, students and faculty will have full use of the new Johnson Hall of Science, the largest construction project in its 151-year history. The $36.9 million, 115,000-square-foot facility features modern, spacious state-of-the-art facilities, including teaching labs, research labs, conference rooms, departmental and faculty offices and informal student spaces that will transform the teaching of science at the University. It has been planned with the latest advantages of sustainable design, or "green" architecture, to qualify for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.
No surprise there, given that the University's core values include a commitment to environmental awareness, environmental education and the pursuit of environmental sustainability in its operations, as affirmed through a resolution of its Board of Trustees. The commitment is just one of many initiated by St. Lawrence students.
Other examples:
- St. Lawrence will purchase half of the electricity necessary to power the Johnson Hall of Science as wind power. In addition, the University's student center, which accounts for about 7 percent of total electricity use on campus, will be completely powered by sustainable energy beginning with the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The buildings are the University's two largest.
- Beginning in 2005, the University library began a program of loaning out bicycles, the same as loaning books or computer equipment, which has been enormously successful. The "green bikes" (which are actually blue) get checked out again as soon they're returned.
- St. Lawrence has joined with hundreds of American colleges and universities in committing to "carbon neutrality" in its campus operations, with President Daniel F. Sullivan signing the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
- In addition to academic programs including environmental studies, outdoor studies and a semester-long program of study in the Adirondack Mountains, the University's co-curricular offerings include an outdoor program and the Outing Club, believed to be the second-oldest such group in the country. Annually, the club organizes Peak Weekend, in which they seek to place students on all 46 of the Adirondack's "high peaks" at peak foliage time.
- Students also initiated a program several years ago called SLU Re-Uses, in which items that would typically be thrown out at the end of the academic year are instead collected and stored in donated trailers, then sold or donated when the next academic year begins. Everything from clothing and household items to furniture gets re-used through the program.
- The SLU Environmental Action Plan is a work-in-progress, designed to provide the community with a description of the ecological challenges that face the University and a set of actions that may be taken to address the issues. The intention of the document is to encourage a University-wide dialogue.
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