Edu-leaders

The Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of thepresent without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. The
words—sustainability, green and environmental stewardship—are being heard in every industry conversation. Campuses are not an exception. Ideally, they should form the heart of such conversations.

At its core, sustainability needs to address three inter-related areas: environment, economy and culture. Sustainable perfection may be difficult to achieve, but every step towards it is significant. Remember that campuses are micro-communities with macro impacts and that as communities within themselves, our campuses use resources intensely. Reducing the use of these resources is an important step towards environment conservation.

Indeed, some colleges and universities are taking this step, designing structures to meet standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Such awards are great stimulation to get people moving in the right direction. In the US recently, presidents of over 600 higher education institutions signed a common commitment to climate sustainability.

However, it is important to recognise that sustainability is not an added ingredient that we wear on our buildings, it’s a cultural change. It is perhaps central to higher education because it requires cultural change, and because seats of education affect society. Universities are centres for innovation and development of new technologies and shape future leaders and citizens. With more than 12 million students, faculty and staff in higher education, the sector has significant disproportionate
leverage power.

Small, Significant Steps
Even the bricks and mortar of our campuses affect the environment. For capital construction projects (greenfield or renovation) it is important to establish sustainability
goals. Usually, administrators see sustainabilityas an added project cost. Such a concern is unnecessary. Simple design tactics can go a long way to modify temperature, humidity and airflow, increasing the number of comfortable hours and days without running costly mechanical systems. By reducing the mechanical systems of cooling or heating, architects can design buildings that contribute to a better environment at no added cost. These simple solutions provide a considerable payback without additional capital investment because not every solution requires sophisticated technology.

Make Better Use of Light
Smart environmental planning has been achieved in India for centuries. In historic times, buildings were planned with environmental sensitivity to improve human comfort without sophisticated mechanical means or high operating costs. Using non-renewable resources to run air-conditioning systems to mitigate the heat was not a possibility, so smarter planning was a necessity. A building design team needs to research and clearly understand the micro-climate of the site. A building’s site is cardinal—place a construction where it takes full advantage of the available renewable and natural resources. Daylight harvesting to provide natural light for classrooms should be achieved while simultaneously providing shading to reduce heat gain and mitigate glare. Shading can be aided with overhanging roofs, sunshades and smart landscape planting.

How the building sits, the manner in which it is shaped and how its windows are organised, affects its natural ventilation that may be increased with the use of wind towers and/or tunnels.

In arid climates, moisture can be added to the air with fountains, pools or water bodies placed nearby a building. In humid climates, measures can be taken to dehumidify—both naturally and mechanically—the air prior to its entry to the building. People can be made comfortable in natural settings within certain temperature and humidity ranges. Technologies such as thermal glazing, cavity-wall construction, thermal breaks and increased insulation marginally increase building costs, but the pay back in terms of affordable comfort is quick. These construction techniques are the norm in many parts of the world because they are also known to reduce maintenance and increase building life.

If we have the ability to invest even more upfront capital we can further push sustainability measures with technologies such as green roofs, double skin walls, photo-voltaic panels and solar panels, geo thermal cooling and other more advanced innovative approaches

As these technologies and new materials continue to advance; their first installation costs will continue to quicken the payback.

Solving The Water Woes
The availability and usage of water is a major issue for the globe. And the issue takes a critical proportion in India. A large percentage of water is contaminated, both on the surface and below. If we don’t change our ways it is estimated that our demand for domestic water will double by 2030. The design team needs to focus on how to reduce the use of water, be able to harvest rainwater, and make sure it goes back into the system without contaminants. In humid environments, dehumidifying the air will result in harvesting water from the air—capturing that water for use is prudent. Using grey water for irrigation is a must, and the consideration should be given to pipe grey water for use where potable water is not required. Landscapes are the heart of many college campuses. These need to be planned to use indigenous plantings that require less water.

Recycle This
Constructing buildings out of materials of recycled content and from materials that are available locally without needing to unsustainably ship them from afar is also becoming easier. This is an exciting time and many technological advancements are being innovated on our engineering and material science campuses. The cultural shift to focus more on our environment is likely to succeed much faster if it is owned, heralded, and championed by the younger generation. College campuses, therefore, need to set the model for which our students can learn and practice a higher level of sustainability. As communities in themselves, our campuses are demonstrations of how we should live, work and recreate together in a more sustainable way—if they are green campuses. We need to ensure that we make our campuses as motor vehicle free as possible, and that we mandate recycling, and prohibit any form of littering.

Culture Of Change
It is difficult to keep the earth clean considering the number of people our land is supporting. The question is—can we use the sheer number of people on this planet to an advantage? What could occur if we were to reverse the habit of littering into one in which each person picks up one piece of someone else’s litter every day? Environmental stewardship need not have large capital investment backing it. But, it does require a mental investment. An investment that the idealistic and enthusiastic bunch of people who we know as students may be willing to make.

If you would like to write to Mr Schwarz he can be contacted at aaron.schwarz@edu-leaders.com
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect that of Nine Dot Nine Mediaworx Pvt. Ltd.