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Penn State Study Finds Ecological Improvements Can Save Money

2 October 2001

On 11 October, a research team of the Penn State Green Destiny Council will release a report on the ecological analysis of Mueller Laboratory, the biology building on the Penn State University Park campus. "The Mueller Report: Moving Beyond Sustainability Indicators to Sustainability Action at Penn State" will be presented at 12:15 p.m. during a brief ceremony on the patio of the Old Main administration building.

Christopher Uhl, Head of the Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, directs the group called the Penn State Green Destiny Council. Joshua Pearce, a graduate student in the Intercollege Materials Program, joined Uhl in coordinating the report of the research team, which includes 2 graduate students and 18 undergraduate students. The goal of the research was to identify ways to cut the ecological impact of Mueller Laboratory in half while creating healthier working conditions for all occupants of the building.

"The Mueller Report is a practical list of changes that will result in concrete applications of the Faculty Senate resolution recently approved by President Graham Spanier to promote ecological literacy at Penn State by modeling sustainable practices," Uhl says.

The analysis revealed that, by increasing efficiency, using "smart" technologies, and increasing environmental awareness among the people who work in Mueller Laboratory, the University could, among other things:

  • Cut coal consumption by 755 tons and in the process cut CO2 emissions by nearly 2,000 tons

    per year.
  • Cut water use by over 100,000 gallons a year.
  • Cut paper consumption by 67 percent.
  • Dramatically reduce waste associated with the disposal of transparencies, diskettes, computers, carpeting, furniture, and printer cartridges.
  • Significantly reduce volatile organic compounds and other toxic and caustic chemicals associated

    with carpeting, paints, cleaning agents, and pest control.

"The most surprising result of the report is that changes that foster environmental stewardship will save the University significant amounts of money--over $45,000 per year in electricity savings alone in just this one building and millions per year if all Penn State buildings on the University Park campus are included," Pearce says.

"All these things could be done while in no way compromising the research, teaching, and administrative functions of Mueller occupants. In fact, in most cases, Mueller occupants would see noticeable improvements in their work environment," Pearce adds.

Uhl continues, "If it is assumed that Mueller's resource consumption and waste generation for basic materials like paper, computing devices, and electricity are typical of other Penn State science buildings, then the Eberly College of Science has the potential to reduce its ecological impact by half, thereby decreasing its greenhouse gas emissions by over 20,000 tons. This reduction in energy use could save the University nearly half a million dollars per year."

Deans and department heads both in the Eberly College of Science and in other administrative units at Penn State reviewed the report prior to its release. "We have received overwhelming support from the Mueller Report reviewers. Everyone likes a win-win situation," Pearce says. "By integrating the "Mueller solutions" into common practice, Penn State would be well positioned to take a leadership role in modeling sustainable practices for the entire country, while reaping some enormous monetary savings."

Uhl concludes, "The biggest beneficiaries of the "Mueller Solutions" will be Penn State students. If academic departments can make ecological responsibility manifest through their daily practices, Penn State graduates will learn life's important lessons the best way possible--through example."

The full text of the Mueller report is available on the web at <http://www.bio.psu.edu/greendestiny>.

Contact:

Christopher Uhl, Head of Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, cfu1@psu.edu

Joshua Pearce, graduate student in the Intercollege Graduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Mueller Project coordinator, (814) 865-2063 or jmp228@psu.edu

Barbara K. Kennedy (PIO), (814) 863-4682 or science@psu.edu