Environmental Sustainability at Gustavus

The Vision: As a reflection of our mission of ..., we envision a Gustavus community that embraces environmental sustainability as a guiding principle in decision-making. We envision a Gustavus community that minimizes its environmental impact by conserving energy and water, limiting waste, utilizing renewable energy, and constructing sustainable buildings.

This web page is a source for recommendations to achieve the above vision and also a source for information on energy and water usage trends on campus. 

Background:  Gustavus spent over $2 million combined on electricity and natural gas in 2005.  In the last ten years, our energy use has increased substantially due to more buildings on campus, the rise in the number of computers on campus, increased campus population, and a general increase in the number of electrical devices in student rooms and campus offices and laboratories. 

The fossil fuel energy sources that we rely on: coal for our electrical needs, natural gas for heating and some air conditioning, and gasoline and diesel fuel for campus vehicles are not sustainable energy sources.  Use of these fossil fuels contribute to global warming, acid rain deposition, mercury contamination, and smog formation. As an institution that teaches students to value community, it is our responsibility to minimize the negative social and environmental impacts caused by our energy use and waste production.

The links on the left will lead you to specific recommendations that have been developed by an Energy and Environmental Issues Task Force.  You can also find information on electricity consumption, natural gas usage, campus vehicle usage, and specific recommendations for individual buildings.