Students and housing staff on campus are currently engaged in a number of water conservation-focused projects. Here are just some of those projects at UCSC:
The Campus Housing Office, working with Colleges and University Housing Services (CUHS) facilities staff, has developed a series of water conservation focused clings, magnets, buttons, flyers, a banner, and the template for an announcement letter to be used at various stages of water conservation. Many of these items have been used as give-a-ways at recent events, while others were produced for distribution when the conservation need is greater.
Through the support of the College Residential Life staff, the student group "Kresge Zero Waste" decided to organize a Water Conservation Month in March 2009. The primary component in this educational effort was a pledge process in which participants visited the event web site to pledge their efforts to reduce and reuse water in their households. In return for the pledge, they received a free toilet leak evaluation toolkit, "Kresge suds," conservation tips, and other resources.
Some of the tips they suggest are:
Starting in Summer 2009 and extending into Fall of 2009, Green Campus Program interns will work with Oakes Residential Life and CUHS-Facilities staff to create an educational and minor remodeling project that will reduce utility usage. Interns will collect baseline utility data. During summer, 2009, interns will assist Oakes facilities staff in installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators in the residence hall bathrooms.
As residents return in the Fall the Interns will work with Residential Life Staff to provide an energy/water saving educational program that will include give away' such as tips/checklist magnets and informational pamphlets, and provide an incentive program that will be in residents' move-in packet. During the Fall quarter orientation meeting, interns will provide a 5-10 minute educational presentation about the Green Campus Program, highlighting the importance of energy and water conservation, and providing residents with a conservation checklist and incentive program overview. After move-in, the interns will offer dorm room audits that will help residents reduce energy and water usage. This audit will be provided in support of a dorm competition in which the dorm complex that uses the least energy and water will be rewarded with a prize. During each of these phases the interns will continue to collect and assess energy/water consumption data and compute actual energy and water savings, and provide a report of the findings to the residential community.
Conference Services has a continuing educational program to encourage water conservation measures by all of their Summer Conference guests. Some materials are water specific while others address recycling, etc. as well as water. Some of the water conservation specific information includes a conservation-focused statement in their policies guidebook, information included in a welcome letter placed in each apartment and posted in the Residential Hall restrooms. In addition they have a conservation focused poster in their on-campus satellite offices. In past summers, informational cards were placed on the tables in Dining Halls.
Through the support of the college's Residential Life, the college's Programs Office, and a number of students, "Path to a Greener Stevenson" conducted a Winter-Quarter Competition between the upper- and lower-dorm clusters, and between the apartment rows. This competition was organized in Fall Quarter and was implemented in February, Winter Quarter. Water and other utility usage data were gathered prior to the competition as a baseline, and the final data was gathered in the first week of March. Interest in the competition was created through informational banners, flyers posted in the bathrooms, a creation of a conservation Facebook group, and word of mouth. Tips on the flyers included shortening showers by a minute, turning off the water while brushing teeth, turning off the faucet half way when washing dishes, and waiting for a full load before doing laundry.
CUHS facilities staff has begun to implement a "change out" of all the high flow showerheads and aerators in the residential areas to a 1.5 GPM flow showerhead and a 1.0 GPM aerator. During Winter Break in December 2008, 80 showerheads were changed from 2.5GPM to 1.0 GPM, 2.5 aerators were replaced and five 3.5 GPF toilets were replaced with 1.6 GPF toilets at the Crown/Merrill Apartments.
This area will receive a wide-ranging focus through the Green Campus Program and Facilities staff. Deferred maintenance funds will be used to replace high flow aerators, shower heads and toilets. The Green Campus program will offer a range of education programming, including tabling at the Family Student Housing Green Festival in Spring '09, providing educational articles in the "Loop Line" newsletter, and providing utility audits to residents.
As part of the CUHS Facilities change out of high use fixtures CUHS Facilities Staff replaced six toilets at Graduate Student Housing from 3.5 GPF to 1.6 GPF.
As part of the CUHS Facilities change out of the high flow showerheads and aerators in the residential areas to a 1.5 GPM flow showerhead and a 1.0 GPM aerator, CUHS Facilities staff 50 showerheads changed from 2.5 GPM to 1.0 GPM. 52 toilets
Dining Services is already operating at Stage II water conservation levels. They have implemented these measures in part to meet the Green Business certification guidelines. Dining has developed plans and procedures to meet more stringent conservation goals, should that be required. These include temporary use of recyclable paper dining ware instead of dishes, planning of menus to reduce water usage, and reduction of water usage in cleaning wherever possible.
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