| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.28 |
| Liaison | Michelle Seppala Gibbs |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2023 |
Hope College
OP-21: Water Use
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.18 / 4.00 |
Michelle
Gibbs Director Office of Sustainability |
Level of ”Physical Risk Quantity” for the institution’s main campus as indicated by the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas:
Total water withdrawal (potable and non-potable combined):
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal | 78,170,680.80 Gallons | 97,382,868 Gallons |
Potable water use:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use | 78,170,680.80 Gallons | 97,382,868 Gallons |
Start and end dates of the performance year and baseline year (or three-year periods):
| Start Date | End Date | |
| Performance Period | Jan. 1, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2022 |
| Baseline Period | Jan. 1, 2005 | Dec. 31, 2005 |
A brief description of when and why the water use baseline was adopted:
This was to align with our GHG 2005 baseline.
Figures needed to determine "Weighted Campus Users":
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Number of students resident on-site | 2,595 | 2,433 |
| Number of employees resident on-site | 12 | 12 |
| Number of other individuals resident on-site | 20 | 0 |
| Total full-time equivalent student enrollment | 3,155 | 3,205.80 |
| Full-time equivalent of employees | 771 | 675 |
| Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education | 0 | 0 |
| Weighted campus users | 3,616.25 | 3,521.85 |
Potable water use per weighted campus user:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per weighted campus user | 21,616.50 Gallons | 27,651.05 Gallons |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per weighted campus user from baseline:
Gross floor area of building space:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Gross floor area | 1,984,235 Gross square feet | 1,625,506 Gross square feet |
Potable water use per unit of floor area:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Potable water use per unit of floor area | 39.40 Gallons per square foot | 59.91 Gallons per square foot |
Percentage reduction in potable water use per unit of floor area from baseline:
Area of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Vegetated grounds | 150 Acres | 150 Acres |
Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds:
| Performance Year | Baseline Year | |
| Total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds | 521,137.87 Gallons per acre | 649,219.12 Gallons per acre |
Percentage reduction in total water withdrawal per unit of vegetated grounds from baseline:
A brief description of the institution's water-related behavior change initiatives:
Increased plantings of native, perennials, and grasses that need reduced care and water.
Mulch with native hardwood bark.
Subsurface and drip irrigation.
Uses water management software and monitoring systems for irrigation and employs a full time irrigation technician.
Install bubbler zones for new plantings and remove them when plants are established.
Rain gardens…
Signage installed on campus near the stormwater retention areas to bring awareness to the projects.
During the 2021-2022 academic year our Hope Advocates for Sustainability interns launched two projects focused on educating students about stormwater. They launched these as the “Stormwater Stewards.” One of the projects they worked on was getting student volunteers to help stencil all of the campus stormwater drains. Another project they worked on was creating and distributing informational hang tags on the doors of Hope College cottages to bring awareness to the students about the importance of helping to keep the stormwater drains in front of their houses clean of litter, debris, and ice/snow. Both of these projects were supported by Physical Plant, Grounds Team, and the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council.
In October 2021 The Office of the Dean for Natural and Applied Sciences welcomed Dr. Sherri "Sam" Mason, one of the foremost experts in the field of Freshwater Plastic Pollution, to campus. She delivered two lectures: "The Perils of Plastic" (open to the campus and greater Holland community) and the "Plastic Paradox" (open to Hope students, faculty, and staff).
Global Water Research Institute launched - Global Water Day March 24, 2022
https://hope.edu/news/2022/academics/hope-colleges-new-global-water-research-institute-addresses-acute-need.html
A brief description of the institution's water recovery and reuse initiatives:
Worked with the Holland Board of Public Works (HPBW) to install a gray water line for use in our core campus to reduce the filtration level for irrigation.
Use water bags for the first year and during high-stress times.
In 2016 Hope installed a green roof on the DeWitt Cultural and Student Center; in 2019 Hope installed a 2nd green roof on the LEED Certified Campus Ministries Building, and in 2021 Hope installed a 3rd green roof on the entrance of the renovated Haworth Hotel.
During the 2021-2022 Academic year a team of 4 students in the Engineering Department worked with staff from the Physical Plant, Grounds Team, and Office of Sustainability to explore sustainable stormwater management options for campus. One area they focused on was the basement of the DeWitt Center and ways to reduce the amount of water being sent from the basement to the stormwater system in the City of Holland and find new ways to use that water on campus. The students designed a recovery system that would store up to 10,000 gallons of water from the basement sump pump to be used for irrigation of potted annual plants on campus.
Over the 2020-2021 winter break we had an extended break as a way to mitigate the spread of covid on campus (we started and ended the fall semester earlier and started and ended the spring semester later) so our physical plant team had a longer time period to work on campus without the full campus community around. During this time period they implemented a number of energy efficiency and water conservation projects across campus (light bulb changes, water aerators, low flow products, etc…)
A brief description of the institution's initiatives to replace plumbing fixtures, fittings, appliances, equipment, and systems with water-efficient alternatives:
All showers on campus have been retrofitted with low-flow shower heads. Also, older 6-gallon toilets were replaced with 1.2 gallon toilets in 4 residence halls: Kollen, Gilmore, Phelps and College East.
As other renovation projects come up or toilets need to be replaced from the older 5 or 6 gallon/flush toilets they are replaced with 1.2 gallon/flush toilets.
Website URL where information about the institution’s water conservation and efficiency efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.