Not Quite The College Dorm You Remember
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 09. 6.07
While it’s become apparent recently that college students’ have been turning to thrift stores in drastically increasing numbers as a way to save both cash and the environment, some at Pitzer College in Southern California have been hard at work along with members of the faculty and administration to plan and see through the construction of their new, eco-friendly dorms.
The dorm itself, according to one student, “looks like a resort”, with muted colors to help it blend in with the mountains behind it, organic gardens run by students, a cactus landscape to conserve water, and rooftop gardens to help conserve energy and reduce runoff. They’ve also chosen to include a solar energy system to both create electricity and heat the pool, low-flow shower heads, dual-flush toilets, and even windows that include an automatic shut-off that cuts the hi-efficiency heating and cooling systems when the windows open.
It’s been built to Gold LEED standards, using recycled modular steel, carpeting, insulation, cement, and gypsum board, over 80% of the materials used were sourced within 200 miles to cut down on the high amounts of energy required to ship them long distances. And with such a high amount of recycled material, I suspect it must have been an interesting treasure hunt to locate the stuff…
Now it’s true that they’re just a small school with enrollment under 1000, but student Alec Lentz told NPR, “By construing these buildings in such a so-called green fashion we’re making a statement that yeah, we’re serious about it and we want others to follow in our footsteps.”
Go Pitzer!
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Colorado State University has also been on a green building kick as of late, and their new dorms are supposed to be green as well. I'm not sure if they're LEED certified or not.
http://today.colostate.edu/index.asp?url=display_story&story_id=1001108
when are they going to start using non-flush toilets in these places? Even low-volume flush toilets waste gallons of water. Is there a waste treatment plant that serves this area?
This is such a great idea..and truly an inspriation! I'm very happy to see people jumping on the green bandwagon.
Hey guys! I've mentioned this article to my school since i think it such a great idea. I would like to create some sort of program or club activity as well at college. Do any of you have any suggestions on what I can do that would really get students involved?? I was thining if some sort of recycling activity but i dont know how well that would go. I would really like to find ways to create some great DIY green dormware! Fun ways to make dorm rooms more green!
It's funny when you google your name and see what comes up. Anyways, thanks for all the props for our green dorms. Pitzer is growing, and we're going to be building another set of residence halls in a few years. The ones that just opened, while are very environmentally sound, are kind of like a "test" for the future dorms, which will incorporate even more green features. So stay tuned!
Oh, and if anyone has any questions or wants to visit, I'd be happy to accommodate that.