Campus Green Builder

The College of Menominee Nation has made stellar progress in the last few years at becoming a sustainable campus. The main campus consists of seven buildings including technology, chemistry and biology labs, a distance education center as well as the new library facility. Improvements are constantly being made to these 7 buildings on the campus to increase their efficiency and living quality and to decrease their environmental impact. “We are gradually raising the bar on other buildings,” says Mr. Joel Kroenke, the director of facilities at the college. Improvement projects include increasing heat efficiency, adding occupancy sensors and retrofitting the facilities with energy efficient lighting as well as incorporating water conservation features.

The college represents its commitment to sustainability by the design of its new library. In spite of the challenges, the institution decided to build its library building to the equivalent of the US Green Building Council’s LEED^® Silver rating, designed to be 29% more efficient than Wisconsin’s Uniform Building Code minimum standards.[1] Also, the Cultural Learning Center, which was built in 2000 and was tripled in size after the renovations and expansion in 2008, includes green features such as updated basement insulation and HVAC and heat recovery ventilation system upgrades.

Challenges in regards to Building Green on Campus

1. Dependence on Federal Grants requires rigorous prioritization
   The primary challenge encountered by the institution was in regards to the available financial resources. College of Menominee Nation already fosters an ethic of sustainability, therefore opting for green building was a natural step. However, funding was limited for this project. And with a tight budget for capital improvements and severe dependence on federal grants, many of the features, including LEED^® certification and documentation, had to be forgone.
2. Dependence on grant writing campaigns renders projects with unpredictability
   Since the institution does not have the benefit of a large endowment, it greatly depends on aggressive grants writing campaigns for its capital projects. This dependence brings certain inherent unpredictability to the process of retrofitting or constructing campus facilities, since there isn’t any certainty regarding which proposals would be funded.
3. Budget restrictions make any building related process incremental
   Because of the financial limitations and dependence on external entities, most of the brick and mortar projects need to be planned and executed incrementally, making capital improvements a long-term and slow process.

Identifying and Assessing Opportunities to Build Green

At the College of Menominee Nation, the internal institutional processes are quite conducive to the planning and implementation of sustainability projects on campus. In regards to identifying potentials of integrating sustainability into the facilities, there are various levels of oversight to assist the process. As far as the committee structure is concerned, the president, the boards of directors, the upper level management team, as well as the internal and external facilities committee evaluate the capacity of and the need for building green on the campus.

The internal facilities team consists of in-house senior managers, whereas the external facilities team, which functions at an arm’s length from the internal one, consists of the head of the community development, tribal experts and other facilities experts. This body reviews facilities project proposals, bids on architects and building contracts, and reports directly to the board of directors. Typically, from the beginning of any bricks and mortar project, the internal facilities team would pick additional people based on the project type and function. For example, if a project pertains to a nursing facility, then the dean of the nursing department would be involved in the evaluation and planning process from the very start of the project.

Following such thorough assessment, the institution realized that the previous campus library with its 2,200 square-feet of space wasn’t adequate to meet the growing needs of the campus community. Based on this, the institution decided to provide a better facility for research, study and gathering to its faculty, staff and students. Also, the institution wanted to create a place where Menominee tribe literature, art and history could be archived and preserved. And, since the principles of sustainability are ingrained in the Menominee tradition, the institution decided to address the new library project by pursuing sustainable design and construction methodologies.

Green Building Protocols

College of Menominee Nation follows the teaching of Menominee tribe and aligns the campus’ mission tightly with its values. Green building was a decision resulting from the inherit culture of the campus since inception. The College of Menominee Nation’s Library is the most prominent green building on campus, built to LEED^® Silver requirements, with the second and third phases of construction to take place over the next few years.

College of Menominee Nation is committed to sustainable practices and principles. Among other sustainability measures practiced at the institution, following are a few that captures the institution’s multifaceted yet committed approach to building and managing green facilities.

1. The institution trains its housekeeping staff to ascertain efficient management of its facilities
2. Recently the institution re-negotiated its energy contract to accommodate its changing needs and commitment to renewable
3. In its effort to use more renewable energy on the campus, the institution plans on expending geothermal wells.
4. The institution is planning HVAC upgrades with 9 furnaces to Glenn Miller Hall.
5. The institution is adding geothermal wells to the infrastructure, and as a part of this project some of the parking lot space will be converted into sustainable landscape for the campus community. This step will help make campus into more pedestrian friendly development.
6. In addition, capital improvement projects on campus are also yielding to the removal of black top surfaces on campus grounds to be replaced by useable green spaces, infiltration surfaces and landscaping.
7. And, last but not the least, the institution involves students in campus research on issues such as energy efficiency and optimal building requirements.

¹ Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. "College of Menominee Nation 2008 Campus Sustainability Leadership Award Application." Retrieved September 2, 2009.