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• Aspects of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED guidelines are applied to <br />every project on campus. <br />• The best opportunities to save energy come during the design phase. UNC <br />selects designers who can help the campus meet its sustainability goals. <br />• Other public agencies have taken sustainable design to heart. The federal <br />General Services Administration budgets 55,00o BTU's per square foot in its <br />building design process. <br />• School districts can compare their facilities' energy consumption against <br />national averages (normalized for differences in climate) using two tools <br />developed by US EPA through its Energy Star program. Target Finder is used <br />during school design, and Portfolio Manager is used for existing buildings. <br />• Highly recommended reading: The Ecological Engineer (Volume One: KEEN <br />Engineering) by David R. Macaulay and Jason F. McLennan (Ecotone <br />Publishing Company). <br />• Pickard's Mountain Eco- Institute, located eight miles west of campus, is a <br />field site for UNC students pursuing degrees in Environmental Science or <br />Environmental Studies. It focuses on renewable energy, sustainable <br />agriculture, natural building, and biodiesel production. <br />Following the presentation, Dr. Pedersen asked Ms. Shea about grant sources <br />that the districts might tap to fund sustainability projects. She said that students <br />have voted to raise their own fees in support of campus sustainability. First <br />collected in fall 2004, the fee generates some $193,000 annually. She added that <br />the State Energy Policy Council approved a $137,000 Clean Technology <br />Demonstration Grant in support of a solar hot water heating system on the <br />renovated Morrison Residence Hall. Also, the Higher Education Bond provided <br />$ro million for stormwater management on campus. Finally, she suggested that <br />officials research the Kresge Foundation and the McAdams Group <br />[http: / /Nvww fundinggreenbuildings.com]. <br />Mr. Link asked how much of green building design is incorporated into the <br />specifications during the public bidding process for design and construction <br />services. Ms. Shea said that it is normal, for example, to document in <br />specifications the percentages that are desired for recycled steel. She said that a <br />government can specify a radius for locally sourced materials (UNC uses 500 <br />miles), to reduce materials transportation impacts. Specs also can call for <br />minimal off- gassing from paints, carpets and adhesives. Third party certification <br />bodies, such as the U.S. Green Building Council, provide standards that can be <br />incorporated into design specifications. <br />Mr. Jacobs asked about the cost of green roofs relative to more traditional roofing <br />and stormwater retention methods. Ms. Shea said that there are added costs with <br />green roofs, but that they add value from their thermal insulation and the green <br />space they provide. The School of Nursing had its own funding to support their <br />green roof'. <br />County /Schools Collaboration Meeting (April 8, 2005) 3 <br />