Amherst College

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Amherst College

• Terras Irradient

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Background Information

• www.amherst.edu
• [phone]
• Founded in 1821
• 1,648 students and 212 faculty
• Located in Amherst, Massachusetts
• Member of five colleges
• Diversity
• Liberal Arts

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Recycling

• Very good online resource
• Separate links for recycling in offices, public
  spaces, and resident halls
• Ban in Massachusetts on land-filling or
  incinerating batteries, landscaping waste,
  aluminum, glass, recyclable paper, metal, wood,
  etc.
• In resident halls central recycling bins on each
  floor with smaller bins by each persons desk
• Decrease in amount of trash from 04-05 FY to
  05-06 FY
• 39 of waste is recycled

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Energy Conservation Policy

• Cooling season (May 15 Sept 20)
• During occupied hours the temperature will be set
  to 76ºF for academic and administrative buildings

• Heating season (Oct 15 April 15)
• During occupied hours the temperature will be set
  at 68ºF for academic and administrative buildings
• During unoccupied hours the temperature will be
  set back to 60 F in academic and administrative
  buildings and dormitories will be set back to 65 F

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Green Power

• Million monitor drive
• All student computers run on zero-emission wind
  generated green power
• Last yr. offset 215 tons of greenhouse gas
  emissions
• Students, faculty, and staff take pledge to
  enable power management settings on computers

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Local and Organic Foods

• Contracted with 10 different local providers
• Supports local business and decreases
  transportation distances for delivery
• Organic fruits and vegetables are purchased when
  available through a local provider
• Coffee is organic
• Adams Farm, Carlas Pasta, Deans Beans Organic
  Coffee, Prospect Hill Farm, Ragged Hill Orchard,
  Squash Inc, etc.

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Additional highlights

• Air Quality Management Plan
• Toxic Material Use Reduction Policy
• Bio-diesel and two hybrid cars
• Mini-vans instead of 15 passenger vans
• In process of designing and constructing a
  cogeneration plant
• Deconstruction reuse and preserve existing
  buildings every piece of old buildings that can
  be reused is recycled

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Downfalls

• Website
• No specific sustainability policy found
• Very few classes, clubs, or groups about
  environment and sustainability
• Very little information on green cleaning and
  grounds keeping
• Green and/or LEED buildings
• While some colleges subscribe to the theory that
  they should build their new building according to
  LEED standards, the College has developed its own
  high performance building design standards that
  result in buildings that may be more efficient
  than many LEED designated buildings

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Key Learnings for Rice

• Local Foods
• Energy Conservation Policy
• Keep temperature at 76ºF in the summer and 68ºF
  in the winter
• Green Power
• Students sign pledge
• Recycling
• http//www.amherst.edu/phyplant/recycling/