Newsletter
Early February, 2004



In this issue:



Campus Energy Toolkit Available!

NJHEPS is happy to announce the publication of the Campus Energy Toolkit. This volume is designed to be a practical resource for facilities managers, with information on energy efficiency technologies, renewable options, administrative and policy suggestions, financing information, and resources for further exploration. It was prepared by NJHEPS staff with the NJHEPS Energy Technical Team's input and review, and is offered through the support of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities.

The document is available as a free Acrobat (PDF) download, or contact Andre Sharrief (sharrief@njit.edu; 973-596-2938) to order a printed copy for $10.




NJHEPS and NJCU Facilities Staff:
Rick Frazier, NJCU Associate Director of Facilities;
Amber Ortiz, coordinating the NJCU Master Plan;
Dr. Donald Wheeler, NJHEPS Executive Director;
Kathy Monteiro, Director of Campus Planning and Development at NJCU;
Carmela Federico, NJHEPS (left to right).

New Jersey City University Becomes Newest NJHEPS Member

NJHEPS welcomes New Jersey City University as its 36th member institution. Founded as a teacher training institution sixty-nine years ago, NJCU now offers more than twenty-five degree programs, in addition to graduate programs and teacher certification programs. Students in all academic areas have the opportunity to work in salaried positions in related fields while studying for a degree. As a major community resource, the University moreover is the focus of many community outreach services in multi-cultural counseling and advisement as well as in concerts, lectures and art exhibits for the general public.

NJHEPS looks forward to working with the staff at NJCU as they infuse sustainability into their evolving Campus Plan that includes extensive community-connected activities. The university is undergoing substantial renovations and a massive expansion, affording substantial opportunities to implement green energy and green design. We look forward to our continuing relationship with Dr. Carlos Hernandez, President; Howard Buxbaum, Vice President for Administration and Finance; Arcelio Aponte, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Construction Management; Rick Frazier, Associate Director of Facilities (a long-standing member of the NJHEPS Energy Technical Team), and many other NJCU staff, faculty, and students.

On a personal note, Don Wheeler, NJHEPS Executive Director, was delighted during a recent NJCU visit to reconnect with Ronald Mompoint, his former student at Kean University, now also a graduate of NJIT and Associate Director of Facilities and Construction Management at NJCU.



Higher Ed Green Design Guidelines
in the Works

Members of the Green Design Guidelines Writing Committee:
Gina Bleck, Rutgers University; Eduardo Del Valle, Kean University;
Michael Kornitas, Rutgers University; Carmela Federico, NJHEPS;
Walter Kanzler, Montclair State University; Dr. Donald Wheeler, NJHEPS
(left to right).

Members of the NJHEPS Green Design Team are busily drafting Green Design Guidelines for New Jersey higher education institutions. These guidelines will set performance-based standards for green design, and will encourage a holistic implementation of high performance design. This work will draw on numerous, high-quality design guidelines already in existence or in the works, but will be tailored to the requirements, needs, and context of New Jersey higher education. The document will incorporate LEED guidelines and recommended practices, and will also include practical implementation strategies for achieving high performance outcomes, from planning through construction and commissioning. The writing team includes New Jersey higher education administrative personnel already skilled in cost-effectively creating high-performance buildings (see photo, above).

These guidelines will be published as The High Performance Campus Design Handbook, Volume Two: High Performance Design Guidelines.NJHEPS plans to debut these guidelines with a workshop in late spring/early summer. We also are working with the Presidents' Council and the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education to ensure high-level endorsement and broad adoption of the guidelines.



AROUND THE CAMPUSES


Eastern University (PA) Makes Major Wind Commitment

Eastern University, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, announced today that it has purchased 37% of its electricity from emission-free, locally generated, NewWind Energy, a product of Community Energy, Inc. Compared with other university wind energy purchases, Eastern's 37% commitment is the largest percentage purchase in Pennsylvania, and the third largest percentage nationally.

This purchase offsets a significant percentage of emissions associated with Eastern's electricity consumption and is the equivalent to eliminating over 1.7 million miles of driving or planting over 135,000 trees annually.



Harvard Business School Students Implement Solar Power on Campus

When Charlie Langston, an HBS alumnus who works at a business which distributes solar panels, e-mailed members of the Sustainable Development Club in October 2002, looking for students interested in doing a field study about the feasibility of installing solar panels at Harvard, Cook and Robertson, co-presidents of the club, volunteered for the job. Before they could install the solar panels, however, Cook and Robertson first had to find a way to pay the $365,000 price tag.

After submitting a 40-page request in January for a financial proposal to solar panel vendors in the United States, Cook said he and Robertson employed the skills they learned in marketing and negotiations classes at HBS to competitively bid the project to nine vendors. With the help of HBS Chief of Operations Frank Hayes, Robertson and Cook applied for grants and loans to buy the system.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), a state development agency for renewable energy, approved a grant for $143,500. The remaining two-thirds of the price of the installation--about $250,000--was contributed by the Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI) through an interest-free loan. Leith J. Sharp, director of HGCI, called the installation of the solar panel system "one of our most strategically important projects because renewable energy is such an important and challenging area to get the university to look toward."

See greencampus.harvard.edu for further information.



New Resource Book for Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties

Residents of Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth counties scarcely need to throw anything out ever again! The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has sponsored the publication of A Place for Everything: The Ultimate Redistribution Guide for Mercer, Middlesex & Monmouth Counties, a compendium of information on how to redistribute just about everything -- music, makeup, furniture, clothes, glasses, sports equipment, you name it!

Contact NJHEPS or Victoria Kerekes at DEP (609/984-3438; vkerekes@dep.state.nj.us) for a copy of this volume. Then use it to organize a "Leave with Less" event at your campus -- in which students drop off unneeded items at the end of the semester, which can be stored for sale in the fall or immediately sent on to new homes, courtesy of the new guidebook. (See www.njheps.org/newsletters/July2003.htm for information on last year's Rutgers "Leave with Less" event).



Sustainable Campus Design: Three-Day Event

"The Sustainable University Campus:" A three -day focus on the design of the American University Campus
March 28 - 30, 2004
Washington University in St. Louis

A three day focus on the sustainable design of the American university campus will take place March 28 - 30, 2004 on the Washington University in St. Louis campus. Leading practitioners and campus planners will present case studies and moderated discourse on the core elements of an environmentally responsible campus.

The extended focus will kick-off on Sunday, March 28, with a series of practical workshops led by the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology group along with case studies of area projects. The afternoon event will cover three tracks - building, energy and campus infrastructure. Leith Sharp, Director of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, will keynote. This event will be beneficial to all St. Louis region campus planners, facilities leaders, faculty and students, and design practitioners. This portion of the symposium is led by the US Green Building Council along with sponsors Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis Community College, Lewis and Clark Community College. There will be a $35 fee for participation in Sunday's one day workshop.

The Washington University in St. Louis sesquicentennial colloquium, "The Sustainable University," will begin Monday afternoon with the presentation and discussion of a School of Architecture analysis examining the ecological footprint of the university, and will then continue Monday evening with a lecture on the broader themes of ecology, education and social responsibility. Tuesday's day-long events will feature a series of case study presentations and panel discussions with design practitioners - William McDonough and Partners, Laurie Olin Landscape Architects, Arup Associates, and Energysmith Consultants - and campus leaders from MIT, Stanford, and Washington University in St. Louis. Architect William McDonough, world-renowned green design speaker, will anchor the event with an afternoon lecture entitled "Economy, Equity, Environment and Education," followed by a moderated discussion of the day's presentations. These Monday and Tuesday events are free and open to the public.

For further information on the Sunday event, and to register, contact Dan Hellmuth (dhellmuth@hellmuth-bicknese.com) or Mary Ann Lazarus (mary.ann.lazarus@hok.com). For further information on the Monday and Tuesday events, contact Associate Dean Peter MacKeith at the School of Architecture (314/935-6293).



Sustainability Institute for Educational Buyers

N. Charleston, South Carolina
March 8 - 12
Fee: $750.00
Sponsored by The National Association of Educational Buyers

The National Association of Educational Buyers is hosting a Sustainability Institute in N. Charleston, South Carolina from March 8-12.

Faculty include: Kevin Lyons, Director, Purchasing Department at Rutgers - State University of New Jersey; and Brian Yeoman, Director of Education and Development, NAEB. Trish Jerman, Manager of the Sustainable Universities Initiative in South Carolina and former Executive Director of NWF's South Carolina Affiliate organization (South Carolina Wildlife Federation), will be co-leading a session with Brian titled "Documenting the Journey to Sustainability."

Visit www.naeb.org/Institutes/Industry_Focused/Sustainability/Sustainability.htm to access the agenda, hotel information and registration information.



Green Roofs Pay; Food Waste Turns to kWh

The Earth Pledge Foundation has been making various contributions to green design, green energy and bottom lines in New York City! On November 6th, Earth Pledge hosted "The Business Case for Green Roofs," a symposium for corporate building owners and real estate industry professionals. The event was a great success, attended by representatives from more than fifty companies. Presentations by building owners and developers highlighted the top- and bottom-line benefits of green roofs, from huge stormwater management cost savings at the Ford Rouge Center, to lucrative amenity space at the Heinz 57 Center and Solaire, to positive media attention, food production for the restaurant and more profitable room rates at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The first event of its kind, the symposium highlighted the growing value of green roofs for the private sector.

They also are helping to turn food waste into electricity. With a grant from the EPA’s Innovation Work Group and other private and corporate sponsors, Earth Pledge is building an anaerobic digester to process food waste at the Community Food Resource Center, a Harlem based not-for-profit. CFRC serves 750 meals a night, five days a week. When it is running early next year, the anaerobic digester will process 500 pounds of food waste and provide about 2 kilowatts of electricity each day, which will save the Center over $250 a month on heating bills, and prevent food from ending up in landfills. CRFC is working on many fronts to make its entire operation sustainable: In the next growing season, CFRC will source produce from five local farms. Food preparation for the Center is part of CRFC’s Community Culinary Training program, which enables unemployed and underemployed Harlem residents to learn real-world skills in the food services industry. The BIOGAS project will "close the loop" of food production and preparation at CFRC, enabling table scraps and food waste to become a source of renewable energy.

In coming months, Earth Pledge will implement additional anaerobic digesters as part of its BIOGAS project, sited at public schools and public housing projects. Anyone interested in green roofs, or in the BIOGAS project, should contact Earth Pledge, www.earthpledge.org.



New Swedish Master's Program: Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability

The Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH, Karlskrona, Sweden) announces a unique, new international master's programme entitled "Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability". The one-year programme starts September 2004. It is being designed for students, early and mid-career professionals, resource management professionals and executives wishing to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of playing a leadership role in this emerging field. It will also be of interest to political leaders. Upon successful completion of the degree, a "Master's of Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability" will be granted.

Leading the programme development is Dr. Karl-Henrik Robčrt, internationally recognized for his contribution to the understanding of sustainability, founder of The Natural Step and Blue Planet Prize Laureate. A wide network of sustainability leaders will bring training from outside the university that is integral to the overall programme.

For more information on the "Strategic Leadership Towards Sustainability" Master's Programme, contact David Waldron, Project Leader (David.Waldron@bth.se, Phone: +46 (0)455 385522) or visit the programme website: www.bth.se/tmslm.



EPA Launches Student Competition to Find Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Challenges

To respond to the scientific and technical needs of the developed and developing world in moving toward sustainability, EPA Assistant Administrator for Research and Development Paul Gilman and President of the National Academy of Engineering William Wulf today launched the P3 Award. This national student design competition will enable college students to research, develop and design sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. Support for the competition includes more than 30 partners in the federal government, industry, and scientific and professional societies.

Up to 50 awards will be made for a maximum of $10,000 per team in the autumn of 2004. The money will be used for research and development of the team's sustainable design during the academic year. In spring 2005, all teams will be invited to bring their designs to Washington, D.C. to compete for the P3 Award. The National Academy of Engineering will convene a panel of judges for the competition.

The P3 competition is scheduled to open in January for students attending colleges, universities and other post-secondary educational institutions. Interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged, including representatives from multiple engineering departments and/or departments of chemistry, architecture, industrial design, economics, policy, social sciences, business, etc.

More information about the competition: www.epa.gov/ncer/P3, or contact Julie Zimmerman (202/564-1589; zimmerman.julie@epa.gov).




UPCOMING EVENTS

Living With Nature: Everyday Actions to Sustain Our Planet
A Roundtable Discussion and Resource Fair
Wednesday, February 11, 2004, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
(Resource Fair begins at 6:30 p.m., Roundtable Discussion at 7:30 p.m.)
New York City, American Museum of Natural History (Main Auditorium)
Enter via the Museum's 77th Street Entrance (between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue)

Moderated by Brian Lehrer of WNYC Radio, this discussion will explore manageable ways to sustain biodiversity while still benefiting from and enjoying it. Tundi Agardy, a conservation biologist; Eric Chivian, founder and director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard Medical School; and Betsy Taylor, founder and president of the Center for a New American Dream, will offer their expertise and insights during a thought-provoking and inspiring evening.

"Living With Nature" and the Resource Fair are FREE and open to the public. Reservations are strongly recommended. Please visit research.amnh.org/biodiversity/ or call 212/496-4323 to reserve your place.



Free Student Northeast Climate Conference
Sponsored by The Climate Campaign, A Coalition of 8 Student Networks: ECO-Northeast, EnviroCitizen, Free the Planet, Greenpeace, Sierra Student Coalition, Student Environmental Action Coalition, SustainUS, The Student PIRGs
Harvard University, Boston MA
February 20-22, 2004

Join us for a weekend of education, strategizing, networking and FUN!

Housing will be provided for all conference participants! Bring a sleeping bag and get ready to share floor space. Vegetarian food will be provided for all. Bring a bowl & silverware to reduce waste. Students are responsible for securing their own transportation to the conference, but we will help out with arranging carpools, rides from the airports and train stations. Let us know if you need a ride or can give one!

More information and registration: bparish@climatecampaign.org; 203/773-4991; www.climatecampaign.org/forms/feb-reg.html.




Interfaith Environmental Roundtable
Catholic Student Center, Rutgers University
March 3, 2004 (Wed.), evening.
Sponsoded by Partners for Environmental Quality and the Rutgers Catholic Student Association

Having just conducted an energy audit at the Catholic Campus Center, Partners for Environmental Quality and the Rutgers Catholic Student Association will discuss results, and the connection between religious traditions and environmental action, at an interfaith roundtable.

Contact Partners for Environmental Quality for further information (609/394-1090; info@peqnj.org).




New Jersey Environmental Federation's 18th Annual Conference
Saturday, March 20th, 2004, 9 AM - 5 PM
Princeton University's Friend Center

Registration Fee: $25 before March 10th, $30 afterwards for groups of 4 or less; $15 student.
Information and registration: www.cleanwateraction.org/njef/events.htm

FEATURED WORKSHOPS: Drinking Water Protections; Children's Health & Precautionary Principle; Environment & Labor Working Together; Healthy Schools; Environmental Justic; Water & Sprawl; Food Safety; Using NJDEP Right to Know Data. KEY NOTE SPEAKERS: Governor James E. McGreevey (Invited) Ted Schettler, M.D., M.P.H.: Science Director, Science and Environmental Health Network; Practicing physician, Boston Medical Center & East Boston Neighborhood Health Center; Author, In Harm's Way:Toxic Threats to Childhood Development.

Coffee, snacks and lunch included. Reception to follow.



All Day Seminar: Green Building Design
Customs House, Battery Park, NYC
March 18, 2004
Sponsored by ASHRAE, NY Chapter
Fee: $175 before March 1st; $200 after. Breakfast & Lunch included.
http://ashraeny.org/gbd040318/introduction.htm

Co-sponsored by the US Green Building Council, this all-day event will be a "practical training of green design techniques." Attendees will also receive an update on ASHRAE's current work to develop and implement green guidelines. Information on DoE funding opportunities will also be presented. Online registration available (payment through PayPal).



Nuts and Bolts: Do's and Don'ts of Successful Green Building
February 24, 2004
Hilton Garden Inn, Philadelphia, PA
Sponsored by SDK Environmental and Energy Consulting

This workshop will provide you with a practical "how-to" guide to procure or provide the design and consulting scope of services required for a successful green building design development. Learn specific and detailed approaches to getting green building requirements into project specifications, drawings and construction contracts that deliver the desired green building results while minimizing cost and schedule impact.

For further information, contact Resource Dynamics at 215/428-9655.



U.S. Green Building Council - New Jersey Chapter: February 2004 Program on Photovoltaics
Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 2:30 to 4:30 PM
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 269, Trenton, NJ
Cost: $20 NJ Chapter members, $30 non-members, $40 at the door

Program Speakers Include:Mike Winka, Director, NJ BPU Office of Clean Energy; Cassandra Kling, NJ BPU Office of Clean Energy; Cliff Reisser, Training Director, IBEW Local 269; Amelia Amon, Alt. Technica.

Mike Winka will update us on activities at the of the NJ Clean Energy Program, including funding opportunities for clean energy. Cassandra Kling will present an overview of cost-effective building integrated solar technologies available as retrofit options or as part of new construction. We will also hear from Cliff Reisser, the IBEW Training Director, on their commitment to clean energy and the education of their members. Amelia Amon will discuss the design and installation of the PV tracking system and will discuss opportunities to incorporate aesthetic aspects into PV installations in general.

For more information:
http://ibew269.com, www.powerlight.com/company/press-releases/2002/7-15-02-union-nj.shtml, or contact Marianne Leone (marianne1013@comcast.net).

Register online: www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=61674.



NESEA Events

Northeast Green Building Awards
Entries are due by 4:00 PM at the NESEA office on Tuesday, February 3,2004.

The Northeast Green Building Awards recognize outstanding achievements of high-performance architecture throughout the northeast. The annual competition is open to built works - either new construction or renovations - completed after January 1, 1998 and before January 1, 2004 in the northeastern US, as well as to student projects. Award categories include: places to live, places to work, places to learn, and student projects.

Winners will be announced in many professional magazines and all project boards will be on display at the Building Energy 2004 conference held on March 10-13, 2004 at Boston University in Boston, MA. All projects will be featured on the NESEA website. Cash prizes in the amount of $1,000 will be awarded for first place in each building category. In addition, those in the student projects category who place second will receive $500 and those who place third will receive $250.

For more details about how to enter, please visit the NESEA website at www.nesea.org or contact Anissa Sanborn (413/774-6051 ext 30; asanborn@nesea.org.


Building Energy 2004
March 10-13, 2004
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
www.nesea.org/buildings/be/04home.html

The Building Energy 2004 Conference and Trade Show will take place at Boston University on March 10-13,2004. Mark your calendars now so that you don't miss the premier professional conference on green building and renewable energy.

Building Energy focuses on the intersection of renewable energy and green building. Featuring four full days of workshops, tours, over 100 world-class speakers in over 50 conference sessions, a trade show, special networking opportunities, and a chance to meet, mingle, learn, and share, Building Energy 2004 will be an event not to miss. A.I.A. Continuing Education credits will be available for all workshops, conference sessions, and tours.

Organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), Building Energy 2004 will provide the information and contacts that you need to stay competitive in the rapidly-changing fields of high performance building and clean energy generation. Save these dates now and don't miss this exciting event next March in Boston.



Geothermal Technology Training
Offered by The Geothermal Project at Stockton
February 11, 2004, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1 PM - 4 PM (Lunch provided)
JCP&L, Morristown, NJ
Registration Fee: $75 - $195 (see below).

GEOTHERMAL TECHNOLOGY II: FOR DESIGN PROFESSIONALS
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Architects earn 3 AIA Learning Units
Registration begins at 8:30 with a Continental Breakfast

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will review Geoexchange Technology giving overviews of two case studies. Life cycle cost analysis will be discussed in detail. Project design details will be taught: Heat/Gain Loss Data; Test Bore & Thermal Conductivity Test; Borehole Layout; Software Applications and Ventilation Issues.

(Suggested Perquisite: Some knowledge of Geothermal Technology is assumed. Quick overview will be given.

INSTRUCTORS: Lynn Stiles, Ph.D. Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, and Howard Alderson, P.E.

Course Fee $ 125.00 (Cost reduced to $100.00 if 4 or more employees from same firm attend).


GEOTHERMAL CONTRACTING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Useful for engineers, construction managers and contractors. This course provides details on marketing, proposal writing, budgeting and bid process. NJ regulatory & classifications. Vendor and trade ally information. Covers issues related to grouting materials and size of piping. Details on construction site management; completing a job on time and under budget.

Course Fee $ 95.00 (Cost reduced to $75.00 if 4 or more employees from same firm attend).

DISCOUNT FOR ALL DAY TRAINING $ 195.00 (4 or more employees $ 150.00)

Directions to JCP&L in Morristown: www.neep.org/boc/MrstownDir.PDF; 973/455 8200. For further information and to register, contact Diane Hulse-Hiller (609/652-4677, diane.hulse-hiller@stockton.edu).


***
NJHEPS
Dr. Donald Wheeler, Executive Director
Dr. Daniel Watts, President

Want to share progress towards sustainability on your campus? Please send news items to Carmela Federico (973-596-2938; cfederico@njheps.org) for inclusion in our newsletter.

NJHEPS gratefully acknowledges the support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Educational Foundation of America, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the AT&T Foundation, AT&T, Inc., and the NJHEPS 33 Member Institutions.

This newsletter is available online (from www.njheps.org/press.html). This newsletter is sent out twice a month by NJHEPS via an announcements-only listserv, NJHEPS-news@listserver.njit.edu. If you no longer wish to subscribe to this listserv, please use the tools available on the listserv's homepage, at http://listserver.njit.edu/mailman/options/njheps-news/* (replace the "*" with your email address), or notify Carmela Federico, NJHEPS Program Manager.