Page 40 - College Planning & Management, May 2018

Case Histories REAL-WORLD SOLUTIONS
GWoing Green is Golden
HEN NORFOLK State director of Administrative Services, the goal University’s (NSU) facilities of acquiring the GEM vehicles was to reduce management set out to emissions and noise while containing oper-
reduce operating costs, cut emissions
and noise, and improve the safety of their low-speed-vehicle (LSV) fleet, big changes started to happen. The school now owns and operates 22 Polaris GEM LSV vehicles to help with grounds maintenance, utility support, and passenger transportation.
In 2014, NSU acquired a fleet of 10 GEMs that were used primarily for maintenance. By the end of 2017, they added 12 more GEMs, including a six-passenger transport vehicle. Continued attention to improve- ments has meant the addition of great features—including three-point safety belts and larger capacity batteries. These features have expanded the way NSU uses the GEM.
According to Dia M. Hendricks-Hayes,
ating costs and improving fleet safety. GEM vehicles helped NSU meet all those require- ments with the added benefit of street legal features that provide flexibility in day-to- day operations. NSU employees now move around the campus quickly, in traffic, on sidewalks, and even across turf.
Hendricks-Hayes adds that employees who regularly use the vehicles love them, especially the flexibility, range, and maneuverability around campus. As a result, the number of departments purchasing GEM vehicles has increased, adding to the university’s fleet.
By choosing clean and sustainable GEM vehicles, NSU eliminated the need for volatile fuel storage and oil changes within their LSV fleet. Maintenance workers can
By choosing clean and sustainable GEM vehicles, NSU eliminated the need for volatile fuel storage and oil changes within their LSV fleet.
now focus on the needs of the campus, rather than spending time maintaining the fleet that allows them to do their work— effectively lowering ownership costs
by saving on maintenance. NSU is also promoting energy independence by using alternative fuel vehicles with no emissions.
www.GEMCar.com
TBetter Stormwater Management Made Easy
HE LOYOLA University ern areas of the school.
(Loyola) in Chicago, IL, has been Building upon the university’s com- advancing sustainability practices mitment to sustainability, the plaza
across the university for decades and has many accomplishments, including 10 LEED certified buildings. Their commit- ment to sustainability is reflected in their campus, curriculum, and culture.
As part of this initiative they have been recognized as a leader in water conservation, diverting 18 million gallons of rainwater from the Chicago sewers. Permeable pavers are an integral component throughout the campus.
When Loyola expanded its Lake Shore campus to the south, planners decided to buy an entire avenue from the city, close it to vehicle traffic, and replace the street with a wide concrete paver shared-use plaza.
This is one of the first pedestrian-only streets on the city’s far north side. The designers wanted to allow pedestrians and bicyclists safe passage between the south-
features a stormwater management system, which includes permeable pavers, native plantings, and a living-learning labora- tory for students and visitors. Stormwater management is a particularly important component of the campus design due to its proximity to Lake Michigan.
Unilock permeable path systems are found throughout the campus, along the St. Ignatius Plaza, the West Quad, East Quad, and CTA Station. This eliminated the need for underground storage tanks, as rainwa- ter naturally filters back into the ground. This change from impervious asphalt to permeable paving is a more sustainable best practice for the campus. “In the past, runoff pouring from Loyola’s impervious streets and parking lots created flooding problems and sent more than six million gallons of
Building upon the university’s commitment to sustainabil- ity, the plaza features a storm water management system, which includes permeable pavers, native plantings, and a living-learning laboratory for students and visitors.
water annually into Chicago’s storm sewer system and Lake Michigan,” wrote planner Doug Kozma, RLA, principal at Smith- GroupJJR’s Campus Planning practice.
The permeable pavers, he wrote, are part of “a remarkable stormwater manage- ment system” that is a “testament to the university’s environmental ethics.” CPM
www.unilock.com
40 COLLEGE PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / MAY 2018
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