| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 61.45 |
| Liaison | Natalie Sobrinski |
| Submission Date | Dec. 23, 2022 |
Muhlenberg College
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Natalie
Sobrinski Sustainability Specialist Office of Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Muhlenberg College’s Parkway Boulevard Building is one of the first 20 projects in the world to pursue CORE certification.
Highlights of the Parkway Boulevard Building’s holistic and deep sustainable design include:
Native landscaping, which does not require irrigation or petrochemical fertilizers and works to restore the natural ecology of the site
Support for low-carbon and human-centered transportation with covered bike storage, shower facilities and electric car charging stations
A rainwater recycling system, which in conjunction with low water consumption flush and flow fixtures, will reduce building water consumption by over 50%
70% energy use reduction through efficient HVAC and lighting systems, a super-insulated envelope, passive-solar orientation and a 60kw rooftop solar panel array
Exceptionally high levels of indoor air quality utilizing continuous fresh-air ventilation and a green cleaning protocol
Utilization of locally sourced low-toxicity and low-embodied carbon materials
A fully accessible building and landscape providing universal access to a corner of campus previously only accessible via stairs
Utilization of a third-party diversity and inclusion assessment tool to benchmark the design and construction teams
Utilization of biophilic design principles to create a space that engages humans in direct and indirect experiences with nature
Educational elements woven throughout the building and site creating a teachable resource out of the building
In addition, Muhlenberg Professor of Ornithology & Conservation Biology Dan Klem—the world’s foremost authority on bird collision and bird-safe glass—and Acopian Ornithological Specialist Peter Saenger, worked with the team at Re:Vision Architecture to ensure that the windows in the building will have bird-safe coatings.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Grounds
Water
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Beginning in Fall of 2019, Muhlenberg College offered a new sustainability studies major, an interdisciplinary program with the goal of instilling understanding, appreciation and thoughtful problem-solving skills with regard to the relationships and interactions of humans and the environment.
The College has offered a sustainability studies minor since 2007 but recently revised the existing minor in response to the rapid growth of this interdisciplinary academic field and increasing student and prospective-student demand.
Sustainability is often defined as meeting the fundamental needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Muhlenberg’s new major will explore effective ways to do this that will also generate economic opportunity and equitable development while ensuring social justice and wellbeing.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Research
Campus Engagement
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
After the covid pandemic many of our student organizations had to be rebuilt and reinvigorated. Durring the 2021-2022 School Year a group of dedicated students in conjunction with the sustainability office reformed the student sustainability group enACT. The members of enACT are an extremely active and dedicated group of scholars who develop and implement peer-to-peer outreach programs and push for institutional change on campus. Their efforts in the past year included but are not limited to recycling bingo & education, updating campus recycling signs, clothing swap, green move-in and move-out, Earth Day celebration, plant-based diet advocacy, succulent giveaway, Halloween candy wrapper recycling, food recovery dinners, recycled bottle cap mosaic art event, and attending Campus Sustainability Committee meetings,
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
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.