bucknell university green fund proposal form · period, and start a campaign for change by building...

Note: For assistance with completion and/or questions regarding this proposal form, please reach out to the Chair of the Green Fund, John Luthi at [email protected]

1 Bucknell University Green Fund Proposal Form

Project Title:

Retrofitting Dana to Low- Flush Toilet Systems

Applicant(s)

Taylor Sheldon (Class of 2017) ([email protected]) Steve Durfee (Campus Energy Manager) ([email protected]) Gregory Koontz (Associate Director of Utilities Maintenance) ([email protected]) Eric Martin (School of Management) ([email protected]) Project Description Bucknell University’s core mission is education. To ensure that this mission is fulfilled Bucknell needs to create a Living Learning Laboratory where education occurs inside and outside of the classroom. The best way to achieve this mission is by completing projects that require collective impact through engaging students, staff, and faculty to have a stronger sense of consciousness surrounding conservation. Bucknell’s campus is comprised of over 50 buildings that each have sinks, water fountains, and toilets. Each of these buildings is used frequently throughout the day contributing to the water bill and the depletion of this natural resource. According to Bucknell’s Comprehensive Environmental Assessment, in 2007 we as a campus used approximately 109,853,523 gallons of water annually. That means that each person used about 20,000 gallons of water per year. The cost of water has been constantly increasing and so have our efforts for attracting a larger student body. More students and a higher water price require immediate conservation actions. A seamless and cost effective strategy to cutting water consumption at Bucknell is the implementation of low flush toilets that only use 1.28 gallons of water as opposed to 3.5 gallons of water per flush. Since retrofitting all of the old buildings is not feasible, focusing our efforts on one often used building can serve as pilot that can create financial gains with a short payback period, and start a campaign for change by building awareness. This project proposal is focused on replacing 16 existing units in the Dana Engineering Building. The Dana Engineering building is the perfect place to kick start the water conservation efforts at Bucknell because the engineers work there around the clock; meaning that the bathrooms are constantly in use. The implementation of these low flush systems would effectively cut water consumption by 3 times per flush and enforce a culture of conservation. Project Origin This proposals origin stems from our MSUS 301 class assignment to design and implement a sustainable project on campus. However, my inspiration for this project idea is rooted in my time spent abroad this fall in Australia. Having just spent 6 months in the Land Down Under I became accustomed to a dual button toilet with a two-flow flush option and a different mind-set surrounding the importance of the need to preserve our natural resources. This piqued my interest in exploring ways to create this notion of a stronger culture of conservation at Bucknell. Project Endorsement

Steve Durfee, Campus Energy Manager

Commented [SPD1]: 15 rather than 16



Purpose of Grant a. Project goals- Save water on campus (150,000 gallons of water each school

year), Save money (approximately $2,150 a school year), and Educate about campus wide resource conservation

b. Project timeline and activity- ○ In- house plumber has already determined that the same diaphragm can

be used with the new system ○ Data Logger, which measures and records movement, will be installed in

each of the stalls in order to determine usage patterns ○ Steve Durfee has already installed a water meter for measurement and

verification purposes. This meter will track water consumption rates before and after installation of low- flush toilets

○ Committee approval and funding will need to happen by the end of April ○ Facilities will order the product by the end of June from build.com (their

usual vendor) ○ Installation will begin in July by our the Bucknell Facilities and

Maintenance team) c. Key Players

○ Vendor- build.com has been a reliable partner and offers the cheapest parts

○ Steve Durfee and Greg Koontz, the Associate Director of Utilities Management are in favor of the project and are willing to help in order to see this plan come to fruition.

○ Michael Patterson, head of facilities, will need to be involved in committee meetings

○ Students- the environmental club and volunteers can help design signs and plaques for updated stalls

Sustainability Benefits The long-term performance of this pilot project is crucial and must be measurable in terms of environmental and economic savings to assess the sustainability benefits. To evaluate the overall effectiveness, various Measurement and Verification metrics need to be in place: As a way to measure water savings we will use:

● Facilities water gauge system that monitors the level of water used for each floor that serves as a progressive tracking system.

● Compare new installations to other similar bathrooms with old fixtures ● Compare annually to previous same months ● Compare monthly before and after installation

As a way to measure monetary returns we will use: ● The GRITS system, which will have the project details entered into the system by Steve

Durfee and can track year to year savings in terms of water and money ● The water bills that facilities receives from the state can also track year to year savings

Sustainability Promotion Opportunities As a way to measure educational impact and promote sustainability opportunities we will: Internally:



● A collaboratively composed Qualtrics survey will evaluate the level of awareness and education that the students and faculty body possess surrounding sustainability initiatives as a result of the units.

● Additionally, informational plaques on walls will act as a method of raising awareness about the innovative culture of conservation at Bucknell along with detailing how the low- flush system operates to the engineers

○ Ex.

● By utilizing the meter-monitoring software for campus water use, student groups such as

the Environmental Club, the Bucknell Innovation Group (BIG) and NET Impact are provided an atmosphere that serves as a living learning lab.

Externally:

• Advertising the new fixtures under the “Bucknell Center for Sustainability & the Environment” section of our website along with the President Sustainability Council is an added promotion

• The new low flush toilets demonstrate our commitment to sustainability to possible new students and faculty

With a payback period of under 3 years your return on investment shows long-terms gains. Bucknell is striving to create a Living Learning Laboratory, which means we need to ensure that all resources contribute to the learning experience. Installing the low flush toilets will not only promote a culture of conservation but also will develop sustainable behaviors and practices while providing students with a broader environmental awareness. Projected Project Cost and Savings/Reinvestment Plan

Total water saved per day

Total water saved per month (avg.

30.4 days)

Total money saved per month (.0142 price per

gallon)

Total money saved per school year (7 months)

714.37 gallons 21,716.85 gallons

$308.38 $2,158.62 Commented [SPD2]: $/gal=0.016 $0.016/gal*21716.85/gal=$347.47 7*$347.47=$2432.29



Total installation cost per toilet

(including labor)

Number of toilets retrofitted

Total installation cost

Payback Period Money generated over 7 years after payback is

complete (add to green fund)

$350 16 $5,600 2.59 years $9,519.51 Estimated Total Cost ($): _______$5,600__________ Estimated Annual Savings ($): ___$2,158.62___________ Simple Payback (Years): ____2.59 years______________ Supporting Material

Proposed Units:

Pre- Existing Units:

Commented [SPD3]: Adjusted=$11,426.03

Commented [SPD4]: Adjusted annual savings=$2432.29 Adjusted simple payback=2.3 years

bucknell university green fund proposal form · period, and start a campaign for change by building...

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