Campus Green Builder

Educational

The College of Menominee Nation aims to use the new campus green building as a tool to educate the building occupants, and the larger campus community about the reverence for the environment while teaching them about the tribe’s knowledge and history of sustainability practices. While integrating a feel of community within the building, the new library has evolved as a gathering place for students and faculty. Since the building imbues sustainability in various aspects of function and design, the visual display of these features, as well as the art of the Menominee tribe echo the core principles of teaching and practicing sustainability. There are other initiatives within the institution through which the college addresses education for sustainability.

• The administration and the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) are implementing and building courses to teach students about sustainable development. However, the institution is working toward providing further emphasis to the integration of green building principles into the curriculum.
• Also, the institution plans to introduce training sessions for the staff and the management to learn about monitoring efficiency of the building while operating and managing the building systems more sustainably.
• As other capital improvement projects follow the library project, the institution is also working toward emphasizing the importance and impact of sustainable construction by making its efforts more visibility on the campus and across the community. The institution might explore the venues to display the best practices employed during the project by capturing them in the form of kiosks or sharing them with the community via interactive sessions.
• The facilities department also learned that there is an adjustment period for the staff to learn and use the new system. The department has started the task of teaching the staff and the building occupants about the updated energy efficient systems with in-house training sessions. This training period demands patience and perseverance from the facilities staff. However, the training would result in optimum performance of the high efficiency systems saving energy while reducing institutional GHG emissions.

Financial

The majority of the capital improvement funding is generated through federal grants provided by the agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the past, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense have also awarded funds to the college for a few laboratory projects.

• The institution found that bringing together individuals on campus that are familiar with investigating funding opportunities and those with construction experience was an excellent strategy to surmount the initial obstacles presented by limited financial resources.
• Before proceeding with the library project, the administration considered the long-term benefits of building green versus its alternative. Building with energy efficiency and sustainability standards was a natural option in-line with the Menominee practice and guiding principles. It also proved to be the most cost effective option in the long run, considering the life-cycle of the building, estimated growth of the campus community and evolution of the overall institutional needs.
• Observing the lack of funding as a large impediment to capital improvement at the institution, the administration realized that incremental progress on major projects is the most effective strategy to employ available resources with the best results. In the case of the library, subdividing construction into three phases allowed the administration raise more funds and find new sources for financing the project while parts of the building were fully operational.
• College of Menominee Nation is committed to a long-term evaluation of life cycle of buildings and their payback for the campus. This continuous assessment assists the administration in making decisions regarding the building and energy systems that are the most apposite for the programmatic needs.
• By utilizing “LEED^® Shadowing,” the institution was able to design in a way that fit the needs of the campus infrastructure and the community. The administration also experienced the benefits of the prioritization process, since many features could be strategically included or forgone based on the functional needs and concurrent financial situation. It would have been challenging for the administration to implement all the essential features with the limited resources, had it decided to pursue the LEED^® certification.

Social

• This addition to the campus is quite crucial to the Menominee tribe as it reflects Menominee traditions and commitment to sustainability, and provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the American Indian culture among the students while teaching social implications of integrating sustainability into the built environment.
• The library will house an archive of the Menominee literature, art and other materials donated by various entities. The Menominee nation went through termination and eventually through restoration in the 1970s. Because of their history and faith, conservation is a great part of the day-to-day teaching at the institution. This green building on the campus further enhances and reinforces institution’s teaching philosophy and educational outcomes.
• The library at the College of Menominee Nation is open to the public through the Wisconsin library network. This offers the neighboring communities and other higher education institutions a chance to learn from Menominee’s practice of sustainability and the college’s success stories regarding building green.

Technical

• In working on new projects, the institution finds it essential to invite architects and building professionals that have worked on other green projects in the region, as well as those known for their commitment to sustainability. This process allows the staff and administration to learn about their practice and the firms’ work philosophy prior to the actual bidding process.
• Also, in all the capital improvement projects, including this library project, the institution uses a point value system/checklist to set criteria for evaluating the architects and the contractors. This process enables the institution to sift through the proposals and identify the appropriate consultants for the project, and helps the bidding parties understand the project requirements and the mission of the institution.