Quinnipiac University is committed to building one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in America, announced President John L. Lahey, who unveiled the University's $4 million sustainability plan for its new York Hill Campus.

"The new York Hill Campus will reflect our renewed commitment to preserving the environment and educating our students about these issues," Lahey said.

The 250-acre York Hill Campus will feature two major initiatives that use renewable energy sources to produce electricity and make the campus more sustainable. A wind garden composed of 42 vertical-axis wind turbines will generate about 84,000 kilowatt hours per year. These wind turbines, each approximately 40 feet high, will be built into a garden area complete with stone benches that will provide an area for student gathering and reflection.

The second initiative includes placing 1,232 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the 475,000-square-foot Crescent residence hall that will convert energy from the sun to electricity and generate about 250,000 kilowatt hours per year.

President Lahey also announced that a new student affairs position, an environmental coordinator, will be appointed and whose responsibility will be to educate students, faculty and staff about environmental issues and encourage projects that help protect and preserve the environment.

Joseph Rubertone, associate vice president for facilities administration, is spearheading the project which is designed by Centerbrook Architects and Planners of Centerbrook, Conn. Rubertone said, "York Hill is being designed as a leading example of environmentally sensitive development that will strive to mitigate the impact on the environment."

Among the other notable sustainability initiatives on York Hill are:

• A gas-fired microturbine to generate a portion of the electricity required for the site. The waste steam from this microturbine also will be harnessed and re-used to heat the buildings.
• Use of eco-friendly materials and resources in construction.
• A bio-detention pond that collects and cleanses storm water runoff to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality.
• Full cut-off luminaries and low-reflectance surfaces to reduce night sky pollution.
• Low flow plumbing fixtures.
• A recycling center to promote campus-wide recycling efforts.
• Native landscaping to reduce water consumption
• Green roof terrace to reduce heat island effect

The University is building residence halls for 2,000 students, a student center and a 2,000-car parking garage on York Hill, which is already home to the TD Banknorth Sports Center.

"The parking garage is being built into the natural landscape of York Hill so disturbance to the site will be minimal," Rubertone said. "In addition, we are working to maximize open space by building high-density residence halls. Throughout the construction of York Hill, we plan to protect the existing wetlands, wooded forest, wet and upland meadows and wooded swamp."

Concentrating on eco-friendly initiatives is not new for Quinnipiac. In recent years, the University has joined other private colleges in Connecticut in a consortium that buys natural gas for heating and cooling. For the last two years, Quinnipiac has been purchasing electricity in bulk from Trans-Canada.

In addition, Quinnipiac has converted lighting in campus classrooms, offices and some residence halls to fluorescent lighting. All equipment purchased for heating and cooling buildings is state-of-the-art and is the most energy-efficient available. The University has had a recycling program in all its buildings for more than 10 years.

Learn more about the York Hill Campus (Adobe PDF)