Campus "Green Team" Committee Continues to Expand Sustainability Initiatives

William Paterson’s ongoing commitment to sustainability continues with a variety of initiatives

William Paterson’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and to becoming a fully green campus, which was solidified as a goal in the University’s Strategic Plan 2012-22, continues to expand with a variety of initiatives on campus.

The University’s “Green Team,” appointed as one of the implementation committees for the Strategic Plan, has developed a series of recommendations that are charting the direction for ongoing sustainability efforts.  The group is chaired by Greg Mattison, IRT, one of the founders of the University’s Climate Action Committee, a group of concerned and dedicated faculty, administrators, staff, and students who launched many of the institution’s first environmental awareness and advocacy efforts.  That committee, currently chaired by Claire Chomiak, Hospitality Services, continues its work targeted at community action events, including organization of the Annual Green Affair, as part of the Green Team.

“As part of the strategic planning process our team has proposed 20 priority initiatives, culled from close to 100,” says Mattison. “These were given priority by impact, cost effectiveness, and achievability and span a range of implementation timetables over the next 10 years.”

The result is a campus-wide effort uniting professional staff and volunteers from numerous areas all seeking to engage the community in environmental sustainability. “Volunteers are a valuable resource and an important part of all the university’s green initiatives,” says Kevin Garvey, director of physical plant operations. “The outcome of the University’s green initiatives are in many ways reliant on the ability of the campus community to work willingly together for the betterment of the University and themselves.”

Recent energy conservation initiatives include the installation of filtered water fountains in the University Commons for students who wish to fill water bottles, leading to less use of plastic water bottles. The University is also working to reduce the use of non-recyclable items, including sending food waste out for composting instead of as trash.

Campus construction projects are also designed to maximize efficiency. The parking garage recently garnered a Green Design Award from the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders for its energy-efficient LED lighting technology. In addition, the University intends to seek LEED Gold accreditation from the United States Green Building Council for both the new academic building currently under construction, as well as upcoming renovations to Hunziker Wing and Hunziker Hall.

The University is in the process of pursuing an Energy Savings Improvement Program, which would investigate energy usage in most campus buildings. Potential outcomes could include solar thermal systems for each building’s hot water, standardization for outdoor lighting, and the replacement of existing fluorescent lamps with LED lights.

The University continues to pursue opportunities to enlarge its nationally recognized solar panel installation by expanding to additional locations on suitable building roofs on campus. In addition, based on the results of a campus-wide survey that sought to gauge interest in electric charging stations, plans are underway to provide a five-bank solar-powered electric solar charging station in a parking lot on campus to be determined, with the potential for additional stations.

Planning is also underway for the University’s seventh annual Green Affair, scheduled for April 1, 2015. This signature campus event offers an opportunity to learn about various environmental and sustainability initiatives. For updated information, visit facebook.com/wpucac or twitter.com/wpucac.