Connecticut College Green Building Policy

Type: Policy

Status: Adopted in November 2000 (last revision in 2004)

Source File: http://greenliving.conncoll.edu/GreenBuildingPolicy.pdf

Text:

In order to reduce its environmental impact and improve the quality of the residential and work environment and to maintain its position as a model for environmental stewardship and as a resource for environmental education the College will, for new building and major renovation projects, implement the following when appropriate and practical:

• Use a recognized set of green building guidelines, such as LEED1.
• Use green building materials and recycled materials, green cleaning products and maintenance methods;
• Use energy efficient systems for heating, lighting and transportation which exceed local and national standards for conservation and green house gas emissions; where possible use alternative sources of energy;
• Install water-conserving systems and products and do appropriate plantings;
• Improve indoor air quality through the use of appropriate building materials, ventilation and filtration systems.

In applying this policy, the College will:

• Form a “green team” for new building construction and major renovation projects. This team will help sustain the green building objectives throughout pre-design, design, construction, and occupancy stages of the life cycle of the building; after construction, the building will be monitored during the occupancy and demolition stage by the EMC to ensure that the operation and maintenance is appropriate to keep the buildings within the sustainable “green building” frame of reference;
• Use three types of analyses that balance environmental and cost considerations to determine optimal systems and components of a new or renovated building: 1) a life cycle analysis of the environmental impact; 2) a pay back analysis to determine the length of time to recover the investment; and 3) a cost benefit analysis.
• With participation of the Environmental Model Committee, do an assessment of the need for renovation of existing systems and structures in order to improve energy efficiency and reduce green house gas emissions.