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The Green Grounds Group engages in a variety of initiatives throughout the year. The following descriptions provide an overview of the current initiatives. For more information or to get involved please contact the project leader. Water Quality Monitoring Green Grounds is working in collaboration with UVA's Office of Environmental Health and Safety to test the quality of water at various locations around the University. This effort, the first of its kind at UVA, will assist EHS with data collection in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of environmentally-responsible stormwater management solutions at the University. On a quarterly basis, student volunteers will collect samples and measure parameters such as temperature, pH, and levels of nitrates, phosphates, and iron. During the week of January 15-19, 2007 , students trained by EHS staff tested water at the Dell Pond, Emmet/Ivy Parking Garage, and future site of the South Lawn. Additional testing sites include Scott Stadium, Meadow Creek, and Gilmer Gulch. Bicycle Friendly Grounds In partnership with UVA's Office of the Architect, Green Grounds is investigating bicycle traffic related issues, from bicycle storage to development of bikeways and integration with University and City bus systems to offer a healthy and safe transportation alternative to students all over campus. Recent accomplishments include the publication of the UVA Smart Transportation Map (links below) and the organization of Bike Day 2007. The UVA Smart Transportation Map features bicycle routes and amenities together with University and City bus routes and is being distributed by the UVA Department of Parking and Transit. Smart Transportation Map - Bicycle (Front) Side Smart Transprotation Map - Transit (Back) Side Clemons Green Roof Albemarle County Office Bldg Visit - PICTURES Working collaboratively with the University's Office of the Architect, Clemons Librarians, Facilities Management, Colonnades Ball Committee of the Student Council and the Arboretum Committee, the Green Grounds Group is researching and advocating for the installation of a green roof on Clemons Library. In October of 2005, the Green Grounds Group submitted a proposal to install green roofs on Clemons Library's fourth floor and terrace. After thoroughly researching the environmental and economic benefits associated with planted roofs, we presented this proposal to the parties involved. The Green Grounds Group is pleased to report that the University has agreed to further investigate the possibilities for these projects to come to fruition. The Office of the Architect has requested design proposals from Dirtworks, PC, a New York-based landscape architecture firm. Members of the Green Grounds Group have been invited to participate in meetings as the design process unfolds. Outside the University, we have been in contact with planners for the Albemarle County Office Building , which has recently installed a green roof, and with several local architects who have worked on green roof projects.Energy Conservation Green Grounds is working in collaboration with the UVA's Energy Program Manager, Paul Crumpler, to create a more energy efficient campus. The first of two projects that came out of this collaboration was the "UVA Lighting Reconnaissance Study," in which a group of students dispersed throughout the campus one evening in October 2005 to gather information about lighting in 400+ buildings at UVA. The students identified buildings which had lights left on overnight as well as the number of buildings not using energy efficient bulbs. After the reconnaissance mission was completed, we pooled our data and began to advertise our findings via The Cavalier Daily and other local publications. In April 2006, the Green Grounds Group built and displayed an 8 x 8 x 8 black box representing the estimated amount of coal wasted by students, staff and faculty at the University each week simply by not turning off the lights in unoccupied buildings at night. The project received media coverage in the The Cavalier Daily and Inside UVA. A-School Paper Focusing on paper consumption within UVA's School of Architecture , the Green Grounds Group is working to minimize the notable amount of paper waste that occurs on a daily basis. This project involves not only the conversion of our school's current printers to ones that can duplex print (print on both sides of a single page of paper) but also an awareness campaign of how one can minimize paper use. The second part of this initiative deals with the exchange of all of the school's 8.5x11 white paper to 100% recycled content chlorine free paper. Green Design and Buildings Researched and developed by Green Grounds members Ryan Madson and Reed Muehlman during 2004-2005, the University of Virginia 's Office of the Architect has created Guidelines for Sustainable Buildings and Environmental Design. On September 27, 2006, the Green Grounds Group hosted “Sustainability and the South Lawn,” a brown bag lunch with the UVA Office of the Architect and members of the South Lawn Design Team. Presenters included John Ruble of Moore Ruble Yudell Architects & Planners and Cheryl Barton, Landscape Architect. The design team discussed how the South Lawn Project will address issues of the environment, conservation, and our local ecosystem, as well as their strategies for achieving LEED certification for the project. More than 35 students and faculty were in attendance. |
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