JALC Campus “Greening” Initiatives
What is Campus Greening?
Campus Greening projects establish environmentally sustainable practices on campus, helping the college save energy, money, and increase efficiency. With these projects and practices JALC is seeking to become a leader in sustainability and a model for the community. This effort requires the support and participation of the college administration, faculty and staff, and most importantly, our students.
The JALC campus has initiated a comprehensive array of green initiatives, including:
- Temperature adjustments for summer schedule: raised 2 degrees F across campus
- Thermostats will be lowered by 2 degrees F during the heating season.
- Reduced lighting – monitored weekly
- Decorative fountain use: cut from 12 hrs./7 days to 9 hrs./5 days (2 fountains – 3 and 5 h.p. motors)
- HVAC equipment: ran 5 days until midnight. Will now shutdown 10:00 p.m.
- On/off hours of peak electrical demand studies are being conducted.
- DCEO and Ameren funding is being used to assist with lighting upgrades throughout campus. Exit lighting has been changed to LED, and corridor, gymnasium, and parking lot lights have been replaced with energy efficient T-8 bulbs.
- HVAC primary chiller replacement: current 350 ton chiller 30 years old (900 lbs. of Freon) will be replaced with new 385 ton chiller. In-house project, with JALC soliciting bids, contract labor with assistance from JALC HVAC staff
- Revised facility scheduling: JALC will no longer run HVAC equipment for one classroom in a wing. Facility scheduling will now be zoned and classrooms combined.
- Four day summer instructional schedule (10 weeks) begins end of May.
- Replace roofing – gym, multi-purpose room, and North “C” wing areas: Stripping off old roof which will be re-cycled and used as ballast for landscaping projects. New roof being installed now is Polyiso Roof Insulation with a TPL white, reflective membrane.
- Twenty six new welders were purchased for the welding lab with an Ameren grant, replacing inefficient welders between 20 and 40 years old. Savings is estimated to be 188,160 KWh per year, with a projected payback period of two and one-half years for this project.
- Pervious concrete parking lot planned for new classroom addition under construction.
- The campus Technology Implementation Committee is studying various ways to implement sustainability practices with respect to computing, printing, and paper use on campus.
- JALC Custodial services is now using all Green Seal certified cleaning products. Bio-renewable products are used in floor finish stripping.
- The college now uses Buckeye “Smart Center” mixing stations which allows for the use of highly concentrated products, preventing waste, and limits custodian exposure.
- Efforts are underway to reduce the inventory of custodial products by 25%. Custodial staff use of chemicals and procedures to ensure safety and conservation of chemicals are reviewed semi-monthly.
- All bathroom paper and towels meets federal guidelines for recycled content. Roll towels used throughout campus are Green Seal certified. These dispensers control waste by properly dispensing so therefore saves paper.
- Cleaning equipment, including carpet cleaners and vacuums meet specifications for “green” equipment.
- JALC Waste Reduction Plan was filed with I-CAP, DCEO by our Recycling Manager.
- Extensive efforts are being made to control erosion and reduce storm water run-off on campus.
- The JALC Grounds department is planting vegetation native to So. IL that requires less watering.
