Grand Valley participates in national sustainability initiative

Grand Valley is participating in a national initiative to improve energy efficiency and reinvest funds in higher education.

Led by the Sustainable Endowment Institute, the Billion Dollar Green Challenge encourages institutions to invest a combined total of one billion dollars in self-managed, revolving funds that finance energy efficiency improvements. Participating schools will achieve reduction in operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating regenerating funds for future projects.

Grand Valley maintains two reinvestment funds that serve the purpose of investing in sustainability projects on campus. “Being part of this challenge demonstrates the university’s commitment to decreasing energy consumption, saving money and continuing to apply sustainable best practices,” said Norman Christopher, director of the Sustainable Community Development Initiative.

The Sustainability Reinvestment Fund, totaling $45,000, provides mini-grants to faculty members and students to use toward sustainable development projects on campus. Christopher said the fund returned 166 percent of its disbursed investments since October of 2011. Some of the mini-grants have gone to projects such as new water bottle filling stations that save more than 10,000 bottles of water each year, the Sustainable Agriculture Project, and reusable theater production materials.

The Energy Reinvestment Fund was created in 2006 by investing $450,000 into energy projects, and the university contributed an average of $600,000 over the last five years, making the current total $3.5 million. Christopher said utility savings across campus have been recaptured and have been the source of funding for recent additions to the fund.

“We have learned that reducing energy consumption is a good business investment and a good social investment,” said Jim Bachmeier, associate vice president for Business and Finance. “Our students are telling us its time to pay more attention to the environment and we agree with them.”

For more information about the challenge and to view a list of Grand Valley’s reinvestment funds, visit www.GreenBillion.org.