RADFORD -- Starting Monday, Sept. 7, RU Green and RU’s Sustainability Steering Committee (SSC) will be distributing a weekly email, called “You have the ABILITY!” to the campus community about how each student and faculty or staff member can help reduce RU’s operating costs by saving electricity, water, and supplies.

Last year, RU spent more the $140,000 in electricity, $35,000 in water and $7,000 in paper costs every month. Every kilowatt of electricity, gallon of water, or sheet of paper saved is money that can be used for instructional and support services at RU. For example, a 10% annual reduction in electricity costs alone is the equivalent of three faculty positions or 12 additional courses offered.

“We want to provide simple, but practical, tips and action steps each of us can take that will make a difference,” said Julio Stephens, RU’s sustainability coordinator. “And the cost savings and benefits to the RU community are real.”

The SSC, created in 2008 by President Penelope W. Kyle, is the catalyst for RU’s sustainability activities and is committed to making RU a model for sustainable practices and policies and earning recognition for stewardship of economic, social and environmental resources. Among its sustainability initiatives, RU:

• Has retrofitted older residence halls with high-tech energy-saving devices that shut off lights and heating/air-conditioning when rooms are unoccupied – measures that led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in December to award Energy Star certification to two residence halls;
• Fuels all buses and diesel grounds equipment with a biodiesel blend (B20);
• Utilizes six electric vehicles and one solar-electric vehicle;
• Employs a Building Automation System that includes equipment setbacks/shutdowns and cycling, ice storage and load shedding;
• Employs a Certified Energy Manager, Sustainability Coordinator, Recycling Coordinator, Recycling Technician and Sustainability Work Study position;
• Features tray-less cafeteria dining that lowers food waste by 25 to 30 percent and reduces the amount of water used by half a gallon per tray;
• Uses spring water for certain irrigation needs and several Green Seal products for housecleaning.

For more information on RU’s sustainability activities, visit www.radford.edu/rugreen.