OUR CAMPUS, OUR HOWARD IS MA K I N G ST RI D ES I N BEI NG A S U S TAINA BL E C A MPU S While Howard students often leave imprints of their years for future students to follow, one mark Howard does not want them to leave is their carbon footprint. For the past decade, Howard has been ramping up its on-campus sustainability efforts, both large and small. In the beginning, the University had some serious catching up to do. “When we first got serious about sustainability some 10 years ago, I would say that the University was behind universities like American, George Washington and Georgetown who already had established Offices of Sustainability,” says Alfonzye “Chip” Chisholm, AIA, LEED AP, director of capital planning for Howard. “However, we quickly started getting involved in the local sustainability scene, including working with the Consortium of
Universities.” That helped Howard collaborate with the local universities, District of Columbia government and other organizations to identify sustainability opportunities and needs at Howard. Funding these projects and initiatives, however, was an issue at Howard, as with most HBCUs. However, Chisholm says the University was able to take advantage of grant and rebate opportunities to kick-start some of the initiatives, such as lighting retrofits. With almost $3 million dollars in grants, rebates and with substantial University investment, Howard now competes on a level field with others in Washington, D.C.
SUSTAINABILITY GOALS Along with several projects and initiatives, Chisholm says the University has several goals:
1.
Re-establish the Sustainability Council. To reach across silos, the council will allow for sustainability direction and decision-making to be more inclusive.
2.
Decrease grid energy dependency. Procure off-campus solar, wind and hydro-electric projects. On-campus solar will provide only a small percent of the University usage demand.
3.
Complete a Sustainability Strategic Plan. Currently in the procurement/planning stage, this plan will document past achievements and establish a baseline against which to plan the future.
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