> SFU earns international ‘Go Green’ status
SFU earns international ‘Go Green’ status
January 9, 2008
Simon Fraser University’s decades-long commitment to energy management and conservation is paying off – and not just in cost-savings.
SFU is the first post-secondary institution in North America to achieve Go Green certification from the international Building and Owner Managers Association (BOMA International).
The 26 principal buildings on the Burnaby campus meet all of BOMA’s criteria for environmental best practices in:
Sam Dahabieh, SFU’s director of facilities services, says the certification acknowledges the significant energy conservation measures SFU has been implementing at the Burnaby campus over the past 20 years.
The university began installing automated building-control systems in the mid '80s that optimize heating and cooling cycles to correspond with building use; they also switch off lighting at specific times. Carbon dioxide sensors installed in many of the buildings monitor air quality.
More recently, the university completed a two-year retrofit to improve the energy efficiency of the campus lighting system, switching to lower wattage fluorescent ballasts and changing incandescent pot lamps to compact fluorescent lamps.
These and other initiatives save enough electricity to supply annual light and energy for 1,069 homes. Annual natural gas savings are equivalent to heating 285 homes.
A long-established recycling program annually recycles 232 tonnes of cardboard and mixed paper, 25 tonnes of wood and 200,000 units of plastic and glass, as well as a wide range of other materials.
SFU’s recent construction projects are all built according to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green-building silver rating. Contractors, for example, must implement waste-reduction practices that will divert 75 per cent of total project waste from the landfill.
And despite the addition of five new buildings, Dahabieh says the university hopes to reduce energy consumption by a further 10 per cent over the next five years.
SFU is the first post-secondary institution in North America to achieve Go Green certification from the international Building and Owner Managers Association (BOMA International).
The 26 principal buildings on the Burnaby campus meet all of BOMA’s criteria for environmental best practices in:
- energy and water use
- construction waste and recycling
- hazardous materials, material selection and ozone-depleting substances
- indoor air quality and HVAC maintenance
- a sustainability/communication program for building occupants
Sam Dahabieh, SFU’s director of facilities services, says the certification acknowledges the significant energy conservation measures SFU has been implementing at the Burnaby campus over the past 20 years.
The university began installing automated building-control systems in the mid '80s that optimize heating and cooling cycles to correspond with building use; they also switch off lighting at specific times. Carbon dioxide sensors installed in many of the buildings monitor air quality.
More recently, the university completed a two-year retrofit to improve the energy efficiency of the campus lighting system, switching to lower wattage fluorescent ballasts and changing incandescent pot lamps to compact fluorescent lamps.
These and other initiatives save enough electricity to supply annual light and energy for 1,069 homes. Annual natural gas savings are equivalent to heating 285 homes.
A long-established recycling program annually recycles 232 tonnes of cardboard and mixed paper, 25 tonnes of wood and 200,000 units of plastic and glass, as well as a wide range of other materials.
SFU’s recent construction projects are all built according to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green-building silver rating. Contractors, for example, must implement waste-reduction practices that will divert 75 per cent of total project waste from the landfill.
And despite the addition of five new buildings, Dahabieh says the university hopes to reduce energy consumption by a further 10 per cent over the next five years.