VCU Honored with Two Statewide Sustainability Awards

By Leila Ugincius

The Virginia Sustainable Building Network honored Virginia Commonwealth University's eco-friendly efforts with two Virginia Green Innovation Awards at its annual meeting in June.

The VCU Office of Sustainability was recognized as the Most Sustainable Community Program, and the Cary Street Gym won the Best Green Institutional Project - Higher Education award.

The awards recognize the university's ongoing efforts and dedication to providing a sustainable environment.

"Receiving the award for the Most Sustainable Community Program in Virginia recognizes the work of the VCU Sustainability Committee over the past three years as well as the university’s commitment to implementing the VCU Climate Action Plan that was completed in May 2010," said Jacek Ghosh, VCU's director of sustainability. "It also recognizes that VCU is well poised to continue the difficult work of fashioning a sustainable campus for all those who work, teach, conduct research, learn and live at VCU."

For the past three years, VCU has strived to achieve the goals set forth by the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. In that time, the university has begun to conduct greenhouse gas emissions inventory; adopted a climate action plan, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2025 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050; and adopted several university-wide sustainability initiatives.

Also since 2008, the VCU Office of Sustainability has submitted applications for green report cards. The university has garnered a higher score each year, improving from a C- in 2008 to an A- in 2011 — the highest ranking in Virginia.

This year, the university added sustainability as a guiding principle of its strategic plan, VCU Quest for Distinction, and — with a grade of 97 out of 99 — was included in the Princeton Review's Guide to 311 Green Colleges.

The Cary Street Gym, which won the award for Best Green Institutional Project - Higher Education, features water-efficient plumbing fixtures and interior finishes that minimize the amount of VOCs — volatile organic compounds — circulated throughout the building. Approximately 90 percent of waste generated during construction was recycled rather than sent to a landfill, and a quarter of the materials used were manufactured using recycled products.

"Sustainability is a campus-wide effort and many individual projects and programs can go unnoticed. Awards such the VSBN 2011 Virginia Green Innovation Awards bring the attention that these efforts deserve as well as promoting the overall sustainability initiative in the university community," Ghosh said.