Buildings
Bates is committed to sustainable growth. Here are some of the steps we are taking to integrate sustainability into our campus planning and buildings:
Campus Facilities Master Planning
Construction planned within the coming years will be aligned with the initiatives outlined in Bates’ 2030 Sustainability Roadmap. The roadmap serves as the college’s guide to sustainable practice for this decade, articulating the improvements the college will make in the pursuit of achieving a positive relationship with the environment. Focusing specifically on the areas of energy and climate, academics, operations, culture, and governance and tracking, the roadmap will be used to guide the college toward its 2030 goal of becoming climate positive, meaning that the college will be removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it produces.
Sustainable Renovations & New Construction
Bates has adopted the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2030 Challenge standard as the minimum efficiency requirement for all newly constructed buildings. This standard mandates that all new buildings use 80% less fossil fuel energy than buildings of that same category. The stretch goal of the college is to have all new buildings meet the Passive House design standard. Passive buildings look to reduce energy consumption to 15 kW per square meter by emphasizing the importance of insulation in their design. In addition to implementing these ambitious standards, the college also requires that new construction be solar and EV charging station ready.
We work with architects who specialize in sustainable design to suit specific sustainability features for each new building project.
Rainwater Treatment & Management
Chu & Kalperis Stormwater Maintenance Plan
Dining Project Stormwater Design
Gillespie Hall (formerly 280 College) Project Storm Water
Green Cleaning
Custodial Services have reduced their product menu from fifteen cleaning solutions down to four for everyday cleaning. All four products meet EPA’s Design for Environment Standard for Safer Cleaning Products (SSCP).
All paper products used on campus (bath tissue, paper towels and facial tissues) are Green Seal certified products which use 100% recycled material (88% post-consumer, 12% post-industrial). These products use no bleach and are completely biodegradable.