Seattle University, Seattle, Washington
www.seattleu.edu


Contact:
Karen Price, Campus Sustainability Manager, Seattle University, 901 12th Ave, P.O. Box 222000, Seattle WA 98122; kprice@seattleu.edu; 206-296-6997; www.seattleu.edu/sustainability

President Stephen V. Sundborg, SJ, is a signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. The purchasing department encourages the use of green products. A campus sustainability manager has been hired, and a student initiative led to the creation of the Environmental Advisory Council to advise environmental policies for the university. The EAC acts as a seed bank and catalyst for campus sustainability and environmental initiatives coming from administrators, staff, students and faculty. See http://www2.seattleu.edu/sustainability/council.aspx for more about EAC.

Seattle has incorporated green building techniques into its facilities master plan, which include favoring renovation over demolition and designing projects to meet LEED (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19) Gold standards. The new student center is LEED-certified for its use of locally manufactured and recycled products. Two renovated homes for student housing were built according to Built Green standards.

Water management is a priority at Seattle U. Low-flow showerheads, and faucet aerators, dual flush toilets and pint-flush urinals are the norm throughout the campus. Dual flush toilets and waterless and pint-flush urinals are being tested. Water requirements for garbage disposal in dining facilities has been reduced from 18 gallons per minute to 2.5 gallons per minute and campus facilities staff devised a method that allows maintenance staff to repair an area of the swimming pool without draining it which saves approximately 189,000 gallons of water every time the pool needs repair. Water infiltration on campus is encouraged as opposed to stormwater runoff. The biology building has a green roof that supports grasses and trees. Runoff is limited to occasions when soil becomes saturated. A rain garden was constructed in 2007 to hold and transpire runoff from neighbors that previously had flooded university buildings. Only excessive runoff is diverted to the public storm sewer system.

Seattle has installed energy-efficient lighting and occupancy sensors and has implemented energy conservation projects, including night setbacks. The university buys 15 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources and has installed solar panels on the student center's roof and south wall.

Dining services sources locally from 20 farms and a dairy that provides milk free of antibiotics and artificial Bovine Growth Hormone. Thirty percent of produce is organic and local. Seasonal vegetables and fruits, organic if possible, are utilized as first choice and are purchased fresh. An organic herb garden was planted by the Grounds Department for use by chefs. Serves Fair Trade, shade grown organic coffee and Fair Trade bananas. beverages and fruit not available in the U.S. are available. Poultry products are from cage-free eggs, antibiotic–free systems and seafood
meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines. Beef is natural, hormone free and range-fed. Baked goods use local, sustainably harvested grain. Soups, sauces and stocks are prepared from scratch which means the food is free of chemical additives and high fructose corn syrup. Vegan options are always available.

Seattle practices waste reduction including an extensive recycling program, including the reuse of furniture and office equipment. Student Anyone who brings a reusable mugs to the dining center receives a 20 cent discount on all coffee hot drinks and fountain soda. Cooking oil is donated to a farmer for to be refined for biodiesel. A composting facility turns kitchen food waste and tree trimmings into compost. Mattresses that have in the past been land-filled are sent to St. Vincent de Paul Society’s facility where core materials (polyurethane foam, steel, cotton and wood) will be recycled. Seattle plans to switch to increased use of recycled-content paper products in 2009.

Special efforts are being made by Seattle to enhance indoor environmental quality. Cleaning practices throughout the campus moved to environmentally safe approaches in 2004. The majority of cleaning products used are Green Seal Certified. A dilution control system uses only the amount of cleaning supply that is needed, minimizing residue and waste of cleaning supplies. Electric carts are used to transport supplies and waste eliminating exhaust concerns. Automated paper towel dispensers promote hygiene and reduce the amount of paper used. A new liquid free carpet cleaning method (low moisture encapsulation) is being tried to reduce liquid carpet shampooing. Crystal polymers remove oily soils and are removed by vacuuming.

New students attend a Welcome Week barbeque that is a zero waste event as all plates, utensils and left over food is composted and beverage containers are recycled. uses biodegradable plates and utensils and recycles other containers. There are job opportunities working for the grounds and recycling department, and on special projects with the sustainability manager. Four environmental engineering and activism student groups raise environmental awareness and complete sustainability projects on campus. Several educational initiatives with the dining service draw attention to social justice, environmental, and economic concerns of a globalized agribusiness system and advantages of local food systems.

Seattle has uses a blend of 50 percent biodiesel and 50 percent petroleum diesel in the mowers and backhoes, in addition to 14 electric vehicles in its fleet. The university offers subsidized transportation passes, van and car-share programs, preferential spots and lower fees for carpooling, and emergency taxi rides home for carpoolers.

Portions of the above information was provided by Seattle University and were excerpted with permission from the College Sustainability Report Card. For more information about Seattle University’s sustainability innovations, visit
http://www.seattleu.edu/sustainability http://www2.seattleu.edu/sustainability/default.aspx and http://www.greenreportcard.org/report-card-2009/schools/seattle-university