Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.54
Liaison Tavey Capps
Submission Date Oct. 18, 2013
Executive Letter Download

STARS v1.2

Duke University
ER-T2-3: Model Room in a Residence Hall

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.25 / 0.25 Tavey Capps
Environmental Sustainability Director
Office of the Executive Vice President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have an occupied, formally designated model room in a residence hall that is open to students during regular hours and demonstrates sustainable living principles?:
Yes

A brief description of the model room:

During the summers at Duke, prospective students on campus tours view a model Green Dorm Room that show them how live sustainably at Duke. The Green Dorm Room is a project by Sustainable Duke and three students from the Students for Sustainable Living program.Green Dorm Room

Funded by a $500 grant from the Green Grant Fund, the room is furnished with about 20 sustainable items purchased from Whole Foods Market, Target and Etsy.com, a website that sells sustainable goods made by artisans around the world.

According to results from Duke's Green Devil Challenge - a monthly effort to promote sustainable behavior at Duke - students at the university average about one metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions annually from dorm room energy and water usage.

Biodegradable toiletries and cleaning products, and a power strip that automatically turns off electronics were some items featured in the room. A sign accompanied each product and explained what the item was and how it made the room more sustainable. Some items will also be shown in a Few Quad common room when students arrive on campus in August.

Due to a shortage of rooms for residential students, the Green Dorm room is not currently available during the academic year. However, in true sustainable fashion, all items are reused each summer as a highlight of Duke campus tours.

What's in the room?

* Organic sheets & pillows
* "Smart" power strip that turns off electronics
* Lamp made with recycled bottles
* Area rug made of recycled plastic
* Clothes drying rack
* Aluminum water bottle
* Biodegradable laundry detergent
* Reusable shopping bag
* Compact florescent light bulbs
* Bike helmet
* Chemical-free cosmetics
* Biodegradable cleaning supplies
* Wall art printed on recycled paper with soy inks


The website URL where information about the model room in the residence hall is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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