A Greener Campus For A Greener Future

Elmira, NY (11/09/2021) — The operations team at Elmira College are beginning to check off improvements that, under the new leadership of Josh Campbell, will strategically enhance the grounds and buildings in a way that sets them up for a greener future.

According to Campbell, many of the plans were underway when he joined, and he has been keen to listen to his team's input. "My focus is on baking efficiencies into the process," said Campbell, director of Facility Operations. "I am always asking my team what can I do to help them be more efficient at what they do."

Right now, Buildings & Grounds is focused on four main goals.

1. Implement a clean and green aesthetic plan for the campus exterior
2. Refresh interiors, particularly floors
3. Install greener lighting, heating, and cooling systems
4. Automate, automate and automate

The exterior plan is all about simplicity. For the Buildings and Grounds team, showing off the building's architectural features and keeping a clean visual presence is more appealing and traditional. It's also safer, easier to maintain and more cost-effective. For example, the team recently removed vegetation growing in front of the statue outside Meier Hall. With less visual competition, people notice and admire the statue which had almost become invisible in the greenery.

"I'm really excited to revamp and make things look simpler and easier to maintain," said Kevin Cook, grounds supervisor. "I've been here 30 years and things that started out small are now tall. It will take time, but we will simplify the vegetation across all 80 acres, not just around buildings."

"Faculty, students and staff have already noticed areas around the campus where we have simplified the grounds and complimented us on the changes," said Cook.

The team is also partnering with the EC Environmental Club to compost and recycle the plants that are being removed. They will build a 20-foot by 20-foot pad that the Environmental Club will use for composting. In turn, the composed soil can be used in the sustainability garden that is being designed by a First-Year Seminar class.

"The students really wanted to begin composting and this is a great way to begin the process," said Trevor Browning, assistant professor of Environmental Science. "We are also working to identify low maintenance, native plants that do not need excessive watering and fertilizing to replace those being removed. We are very excited to be collaborating with Josh and his crew, they have been doing a fantastic job so far."

Investments in some new equipment have also made the landscape work go more quickly, allowing the team to focus on more projects, such as the building interiors. Here, too, the team found ways to make small improvements and invest in equipment and solutions that reduce the time spent purely on maintenance. A particular focus is on improving the flooring, which quickly gets run down with all of the foot traffic. Campbell noticed older materials and processes that were costly and time-consuming. He introduced a new coating to seal the stone and prevent staining. This new process is more durable so the coating will take longer to get run down.

While the team is quickly checking off small wins in their first two goals, they have their sights on longer-term activities that require bigger investments. These initiatives will ultimately set the College on a path towards energy efficiency and reducing its environmental impact.

For example, the team would like to install electric car stations and hope to find government grants to cover much of the cost. Another project in the wings is to move to individual, high-efficiency boilers for each building. Today, the campus uses a high-temp pressure boiler system. Individual boilers will reduce heat loss from the central system while increasing the temperature control for each building. This will allow the team to turn the heat down for a building that gets more sun or is less occupied, yet maintain warmer temperatures in other buildings.

Whether they are items being addressed now or ideas for the future, the team's focus is clear. They want to honor the tradition while modernizing the campus in ways that will make it safer, environmentally friendly, and easy to maintain.

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