News
November 8, 2005 - Orange to go green in buildings
Syracuse University is growing greener.
The university plans to announce Wednesday that it will join eight organizations to come up with ways to protect the environment. The plans call for constructing buildings that don't harm the environment and integrating so-called green principles throughout their organizations.
At SU, the announcement will mean that all new construction or renovation projects totaling $10 million or more will follow U.S. Green Building Council guidelines and seek the council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, Chancellor Nancy Cantor said. Projects under $10 million will be built using green principles but may not be submitted for certification, she said.
"This is one of the more substantial statements any organization can make because what they're saying is, 'We want to walk the talk. We want to do this across the board,' " said Rick Fedrizzi, U.S. Green Building Council president. The council is a coalition of building industry leaders dedicated to promoting environmentally responsible construction.
Fedrizzi will introduce the initiative Wednesday at the council's annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, held this year in Atlanta. Fedrizzi, who lives in Westvale, plans to bring Cantor on stage to represent the nine organizations.
The group of nine will work with the council to develop guidelines and a rating system for businesses and organizations that want to adopt a green culture and seek recognition for their efforts, Fedrizzi said. Organizations were picked because members expressed interest.
The announcement follows SU's creation of a new Energy Council, made up of SU and State University College of Environmental Science and Forestry campus members. The group, which plans its kick-off meeting Wednesday, hopes to educate the campus community about energy issues, including green power.
In July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency named SU to its Top 25 Green Power Partners. The list recognized SU's voluntary commitment to buy at least 20 percent of its electricity in the form of renewable energy. SU tied for 23rd with Santa Monica, Calif.
Cantor said the new initiative won't affect projects such as the proposed Newhouse III building or the Life Sciences Complex that have budgets in place.
Fedrizzi said construction that won't harm the environment doesn't have to be more expensive than conventional building.
"This does not mean that budgets are going to be blown out of whack and everyone is going to suffer as a result," he said.
Cantor said SU should save money in the long run.
Building green is a matter of education and priorities, not just money, Fedrizzi said. Some factors to consider when planning a new project include the position of the building slab in relation to the sun, incorporating natural lighting throughout the building, and using geothermal systems under the floor, he said.
Officials from the Syracuse Center of Excellence and Energy Systems, a consortium of institutions led by SU, plan to seek the highest rating awarded by the Green Building Council for its proposed $26.5 million headquarters at East Water and Almond streets in Syracuse. The building may have bike racks, so people could bike rather than drive there, and may use environmentally friendly biofuels, architects have said.
About 12,000 people are expected to attend the three-day Atlanta conference, including officials from Destiny USA, which plans to be a massive green project, Fedrizzi said.
Center of Excellence officials will have a 200-square-foot booth to talk about research and show off technology being developed by center partners.
"We want to make a face-to-face connection and show them what we have been able to develop and potentially bring some partners and some companies that are not in the Central New York area to come here and do business here and collaborate with the innovative and small companies and institutions that are here," said Suresh Santanam, associate director.
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Publication: The Post Standard
