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Page 8Goals of the Environmental Sustainability ProposalSustainability involves not only the physical operations of the College, but alsothe degree to which environmental responsibility is infused into the curriculum, theorganizational structure, and the culture of the College. A truly sustainable collegetakes into account the environmental consequences of all of its decisions and actions.In addition, the College can serve as a powerful model for sustainability, and as aresource for environmental efforts in the Lynchburg community and beyond. With thislarger view of sustainability in mind, four overall goals were established for theSustainability Proposal:Goal 1: Facilities and Operations. Develop and maintain a healthy, efficient,and cost effective built environment and promote sustainable functionsand operations.Goal 2: Education, Communication, and Research. Foster an understandingof sustainability through education, communication, and research.Goal 3: College Structures, Administration and Leadership. Enhance anddevelop organizational structures and leadership to promote college–widecollaboration on sustainability.Goal 4: Community. Create a campus culture of sustainability and serve as aresource for the larger community.Data collected through the College’s participation in the Climate Commitmentand the STARS pilot program provides information about the current status of theCollege’s sustainability efforts. Based on this information, recommendations are madefor advancing the College’s sustainability in each of the four goal areas.

Page 9Goal 1: Facilities and OperationsThe way the College manages its energy and resource use has the most directeffect on the College’s impact on the environment. Efficient use of energy andresources not only is beneficial for the environment but also is prudent in terms of theCollege’s financial health. The Facilities and Operations categories were chosenbecause they are similar to those addressed in the STARS sustainability trackingprotocol.

Page 10Objective 1A: Land UseLand Use includes the level of development intensity on the College’s currentproperty holdings, such as encouragement of the preservation of open spaces,expansion of the main campus buildings towards the James River, or the creation ofhiking trails on the north part of campus. Through the preservation of areas such as theRiding Center, the back of the main campus, and the biology reserves in CampbellCounty, Randolph College reduces its carbon footprint through preserving the foreststhat reside on these land holdings. These areas also are used as educationalresources for classes with ecological and environmental foci and could serve as lowintensity recreational environments that are extensions to the constructed campus; suchas nature and exercise trails.The College’s current land use promotes sustainability. The campus wasdesigned as a compact community and incorporates timeless principles of campusdesign: walkability, connectivity, context sensitive buildings, scenic open spaces, smallgardens, and numerous paths and walkways. In this way, it was both of its time andahead of its time. Further, the campus is along a bus line and has always beenconnected to the downtown. Future land use policies should build on this tradition.With Randolph College’s expected growth to approximately 1100 residentialstudents, some open spaces will need to be developed. The 2008 Facilities MasterPlan proposes compact development of the campus in which residence halls areconstructed on the current Maier Museum ridge, but other new campus buildings aresited within the currently developed sections of campus. In this Plan, the front campusis enhanced with a pond that retains storm water and also can be used for the study ofwetlands, and hiking trails are added to the back campus.Strategies: To the largest extent possible, preserve and maintain old growth forests and openspace on the back 35 acres of the Randolph College Main Campus, utilizing it foroutdoor recreation environments; putting in place nature and/or exercise trails, andusing it as an outdoor classroom. Maintain forested reserves in Campbell County as carbon sinks, and continue use ofthese areas for research and teaching Look for opportunities for Randolph College land to serve as a living laboratory,providing hands-on teaching opportunities for the physical and natural sciences, andserving as an inspiration and example for the arts. Maintain and expand the organic garden. The Randolph College organic garden isunique in that it is available for students, faculty, staff, and members of theLynchburg community to work together and learn organic gardening, usingpermaculture and Indigenous knowledge (IK) principles and practices. Futureexpansion plans include development of an adjacent orchard of native fruit trees,which will function both as a means of controlling erosion and a source of organicfruit for the College.

Page 11 Work with City of Lynchburg planning staff to coordinate master planning for thecampus with planning for Riverside Park and the residential and commercial areassurrounding the College. Involve the College’s immediate neighbors in plans for the development of thecampus, so that the College’s land use will relate well to the surrounding community. Limit the College’s negative impact on the surrounding community by limiting light andnoise pollution, and by taking steps to minimize the impact of student and staffparking. Consider conducting a scenic viewshed analysis of the campus

Page 12Objective 1B: BuildingsRandolph College’s buildings embody quality construction that has stood the testof time. Many of the campus buildings have served the College for a century or moreand continue to be adapted to modern educational practice and institutional uses.Members of the campus community develop strong emotional attachments to theaesthetic beauty and quality design of the campus. The maintenance and adaptivereuse of our existing facilities is in itself a strategy for sustainability.Buildings are among the greatest consumers of energy and other resources suchas water, which in turn makes them one of the largest sources of greenhouse gasemissions. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings in the U.S. accountfor 40% of primary energy use, 72% of electricity consumption, and 13.6% of potablewater consumption (www.usgbc.org). A building may be defined to be any structure onRandolph College property that is connected to utilities. Randolph College’s studentpopulation has remained constant for the past several decades and new buildings havenot been constructed since the 1970s. However, Randolph College plans to increaseenrollment to approximately 1100 residential students. This will necessitate theconstruction of new buildings. Through the use of sustainable building designstandards, such as the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design(LEED) standards, and innovative technologies that reduce energy and water use,Randolph College can construct and maintain buildings that are safe and healthy indoorenvironments while decreasing the building’s energy cost and impact on the naturalenvironment.Strategies: Maintain the College’s tradition of architectural design excellence in all new buildingsand renovations. Emphasize adaptive reuse of existing buildings for new purposes to minimize the needfor new construction. Consider acquisition of nearby apartment buildings forretrofitting as apartment-style dormitories for students. To minimize the need for new building construction, improve classroom usage bycreating a more effective class schedule, and by using the different classroomspaces more efficiently. Continue and expand routine energy efficient and conservation measures; such asweather stripping and window calking Consider LEED certification or other environmental standard when planning for newbuildings and renovations to existing buildings. Establish a policy that new campusconstruction will be built to at least the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Silverstandard or equivalent standard Use salvaged materials and a minimum waste policy for all new construction andrenovations. Consider the lifespan cost of buildings in financing of new buildings and renovations.

Page 13Objective 1C: LandscapingLandscaping addresses the use of ground cover on Randolph College propertyand the implementation of more sustainable landscaping practices. These practicescould include the use of native and drought-resistant plants, the reduction of pesticides,or a reduction of the amount of water used to water plants and natural ground cover;such as grass. Currently, the college utilizes cultural pest management practices andsince 2000, has been phasing out the use of insecticides and fungicides. Mostfertilizers are based on petrochemicals and organic alternatives have not been found tobe as effective as chemically based fertilizers. The Buildings and Grounds Departmentis committed to becoming more organic in grounds upkeep, but is waiting for organicoptions to be cost competitive and equally effective. Through the use of sustainablelandscaping practices Randolph College may be able to reduce the amounts of water,pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides consumed by landscaping practices. Not onlywould this decrease the impact that Randolph College has on its natural environmentthrough the release of these chemicals into the local watershed, but it could also reducethe amount of work and man hours required to maintain campus grounds.Strategies: Work with the City of Lynchburg to implement stormwater management policiesconsistent with the City’s Combined Sewer Overflow project. Install rain gardensaround major campus buildings to reduce the flow of stormwater off site. Implement drought-resistant (and if possible native) landscaping practices in order toreduce water consumption and man hours required for upkeep. Preserve old growth forest on back campus (and other properties) as a legacy and acarbon sink. Minimize use of pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides Use low noise or electric blowers (as the gas ones create noise and air pollution andare disrupting to classes). Utilize campus landscaping to maximize infiltration of storm water and minimize runoff. Reduce need for mowing by planting alternatives to grass such as moss, ivy,pachysandra, or periwinkle. Gradually replace grass cover in organic garden with bark and stone pathways toreduce the need for watering and mowing. Continue composting of landscaping waste.

Page 14Objective 1D: Infrastructure and Energy UseThe campus infrastructure supplies the buildings and grounds with necessitiessuch as water, electricity, and heat. Infrastructure and energy use constitute the largestoperations expense for Randolph College. This expense can be reduced through theimplementation of conservation and efficiency measures and technologies, as well asthe employment of cleaner, more renewable energy sources. Randolph Collegecurrently uses electricity supplied by American Electric Power (AEP). According toAEP’s 2008 Annual Report, 66% of AEP’s power is generated by use of coal, 23% withnatural gas, 6% with Nuclear, and 5% with wind, hydro, and pumped storage(http://www.aep.com). In 2011 Virginia will deregulate electrical utilities, allowing theopportunity for alternative electricity sources to be considered. The College currentlyuses a natural gas fired boiler system to supply heat to the college. Through reducingenergy consumption and/or switching to alternative sources of our energy RandolphCollege can reduce its energy costs, while also reducing its greenhouse gas and otheremissions.A separate infrastructure master plan was completed in 2008 by Wiley andWilson as part of the Facilities Master Plan. That plan details improvements needed tothe college’s electrical distribution system, steam heating system, water system, andother infrastructure.Strategies: Upgrade the College’s existing electrical service to provide sufficient power for currentand future power needs. Continue the current energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchaseof Energy Star certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist Retrofit existing light fixtures with higher-efficiency options, including LED lights wherefeasible. Implement a full chilled water loop system. Consider converting the current steam heating system to a more efficient hot watersystem. Consider the feasibility of replacing the current steam boilers with a more energyefficient system. Explore options for automatic water leak detection systems. Continue voluntary efforts to reduce energy consumption in classrooms, laboratories,offices, dorms, and other spaces. Look for opportunities for on-site renewable energy generation to partially offset ourpurchase of power generated off campus. Possible projects might include small rooftop wind turbines on the Main Campus, a large wind turbine at the Riding Center;installation of solar hot water for PER pool and dorms, roof-top solar panels on MainCampus, and generation of biodiesel from the dining services oil to be used incampus vehicles. Purchase “green power” blocks through American Electric Power.

Page 15Objective 1E: PurchasingPurchasing includes the process of product acquisition for the campus as well asthe environmental impact of the products purchased. Currently Randolph College doesnot have centralized purchasing and there is no central tracking system for purchases.Purchases are made separately by each department and are charged to thedepartment's budget line. Dining services conducts their own purchasing throughARAMARK (see Objective 1G). However, the Building and Grounds Department hasmade it a priority to only purchase EnergyStar qualified products whenever that rating isavailable. In addition, the College is evaluating the feasibility of shifting to 30%postconsumer recycled paper when possible. The Admissions Office, the Office ofCollege Relations, and other administrative offices have begun implementing the use ofrecycled-content paper for some purposes. The Environmental Studies departmentpurchases 100% post-consumer content recycled paper for its own use.Environmentally friendly products have been purchased for assorted other purposes aswell, such as outdoor seating in public areas made from recycled plastic.Strategies: Explore the feasibility of a centralized purchasing system to allow the College to takeadvantage of volume discounts and to explore options for environmentally preferableproducts. Savings from centralized purchasing could offset the cost of a half-timepurchasing agent. Give preference to purchase of Green Seal or Environmental Choice cleaningproducts. Give preference to purchase of computers that are Electronic Product EnvironmentalAssessment Tool (EPEAT) compliant. Explore the feasibility of purchasing 30% or 100% post consumer recycled paper andother paper based products) through paper products cooperatives. Establish criteria for purchase of environmentally preferable furniture for offices,classrooms, residence halls and lounges. Give preference to purchasing furnituremade from sustainably harvested wood. When feasible, refinish or reupholsterfurniture rather than buying new. Establish a system

Plan. Development of the Facilities Master Plan was guided by a Master Plan Steering Committee along with campus planning consultants from the architectural firm Hanbury, Evans, Wright and Vlattas. One component of the Facilities Master Plan is an assessment of the College's infrastructure, including electrical and water utilities, and HVAC.