The idea of sustainability has been discussed frequently within the last decade as people and industry have been making the move to reduce their carbon footprint and any negative effects on the environment. The University at Buffalo has been actively doing its part in reducing its footprint by using more efficient computer servers, reducing the consumption of paper products, and using solar power.
UB has decreased its footprint in relation to its website operations by purchasing wind energy certificates. The wind certificates offset the negative effects of energy consumption for the hosting power of their website.
The school is currently in the process of clearing land adjacent to Flint Road on the North Campus for the installation of “The Solar Strand.” The solar strand was designed by landscape architect, Walter Hood with a cost of $7.5 million and is funded by the New York Power Authority. The installation will power more than 700 units of student housing using 5,000 photovolatic panels. In addition to a massive reduction in the carbon footprint (500 metric tons per year) the Solar Strand will also serve as a work of art, which people can interact with.
The array will create a visually stunning gateway to the North Campus with panels stretching in three polished rows from north to south between Audubon Parkway and Maple Road east of Flint. Hood’s concept will embed public spaces within the landscape with trails and walkways connecting the installation with wetland gardens featuring ground covers, stands of trees and shrubs that attract birds and other wildlife.
Two of the tallest panels in Hood’s design will act as roofs shading public gathering spaces in the style of the giant solar pergola on Barcelona’s Forum Esplanade. These tilted panels will rise at a 30-degree angle, with one end four feet off the ground and the other stretching to a height of 25 feet. Underneath, guests will have the opportunity to study the panels’ circuitry in “social rooms” furnished with seating and lighting. University officials expect visitors, including students and local residents, to use the space for classes, tours and casual activities.
“I’m hoping it dispels the idea that power generation technologies, particularly for solar and even wind, need to be autonomous in our lives — that they need to be somewhere separate, out of sight, out of mind,” says Hood. “What this project suggests is that these structures can be integrated in our lives. They can be beneficial, not only to a power company, but also beneficial to a neighborhood, a community. They don’t have to be ugly. We don’t have to be fearful that they will be distasteful.”
Other changes have occurred within the dining services and shops in order to cut down on water usage. “We have recently changed 17 spray heads that are used in our kitchen dish rooms to rinse dirty pots, pans and dishes. The old spray heads were using 4.25 gallons per minute (gpm), while the new spray heads only use 1.24 gpm. This savings equates to over 50 gallons of water per minute.” UB has also stopped using Styrofoam products and has switched to paper based dining ware in addition to using silverware and china in their dining halls to cut down on the use of paper plates and plastic utensils.
In order to entice students to also go green, UB has used incentives like their refillable hard plastic coffee mugs. Each mug comes with one free refill and students get a 10% discount on every refill over the cost of a normal cup of coffee. The dining services also strive to use as much locally grown and produced food as possible and last year purchased $1.4 million of locally grown food.