Building a greener Gustavus

Since being hit by a tornado in the spring of 1998, Gustavus Adolphus College has rebuilt, and updated many of its facilities. This disaster, although extremely unfortunate, created an opportunity for Gustavus to become more environmentally friendly. Since then, Gustavus has proposed and implemented many new energy-efficient alternatives to the campus.

In 2004 the President’s Task Force on Energy and Environmental Issues was formed to generate ideas by which the institution can become more environmentally sustainable. The task force, consisting of Gustavus faculty and staff and directed by Jeff Jeremiason (chair of the Environmental Studies program), has already suggested or implemented many changes on campus.

These changes, and others, can be seen in the recent renovation of Old Main and the ongoing updating of other campus facilities. Building projects across campus are planned to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which recognizes and promotes buildings that are environmentally responsible, cost-effective, and healthy places to live and work.

Leading some of these efforts for a greener Gustavus is the Physical Plant, which has taken an active approach with many new initiatives. Recent examples involve fuel and hybrid vehicles, which have already been introduced to the Safety and Security fleet. The college has plans to eventually use E85 (85% ethanol) and other bio-fuels for college vehicles. In addition, Gustavus became the first commercial customer of an integrated waste management system developed for south-central Minnesota, and created an “in-source” collection and hauling of waste and recycling that provides better control over resource destinations.

Other campus environmentally friendly issues include wind turbines. Currently the school is working on plans to purchase two 2.1 megawatt Suzlon turbines. It is anticipated that two turbines of this size would save the college $600,000 every year. Campus turbines will allow the college to replace nonrenewable resources with renewable wind energy, lowering costs and decreasing pollutant emissions.

Interested in a wide array of environmental issues, Jeremiason and some of his students have been making and testing biodiesel fuel, which is a less expensive, more environmentally friendly alternative for diesel-fueled vehicles. Jeremiason hopes to eventually introduce the biodiesel fuel to diesel-fueled college vehicles, or others as possible. On top of all his responsibilities and commitments, Jeremiason is also the faculty adviser for the Gustavus Greens, which is a politically unaffiliated, environmentally minded organization of students at the college that sponsors local activities and events as well as taking part in larger initiatives to promote environmental awareness and action.

When asked about the Environmental Studies program Jeremiason says, “It offers an ideal liberal arts experience, combining environmental science, policy, philosophy, and writing.” In 2000, the Environmental Studies program was honored as the recipient of a Rockefeller Brothers Fund grant, which allowed for the creation of two specific, semester-long environmental studies courses. Then in 2005, the program received a three-year NSF (National Science Foundation) grant to support a common research site for water quality issues. Recently, another gift has been given to the program by Glen ’50 and Lavonne Johnson, which will provide the financial resources to create a Center for Environmental Innovation.

Other examples include:

• The St. Peter Community Garden, which was founded in 2000 by Gustavus faculty and St. Peter citizens. Gustavus contributed the land necessary to launch the garden, which was originally created to cater to the needs and desires of the large Somali and Hispanic populations in St. Peter. It continues to grow and thrive.
• The Gustavus Market Place has joined the campus environmental effort by making recycling a top priority and intentionally choosing “green” shipping processes.
• The Gustavus Quarterly is being produced using environmentally friendly paper and non-petroleum-based inks.