Over the years, it has been brought to the table several times that Adrian College should dedicate one of its on-campus housing options as a “green living” space. However, as of now this idea has not yet come... [ view full abstract ]
Over the years, it has been brought to the table several times that Adrian College should dedicate one of its on-campus housing options as a “green living” space. However, as of now this idea has not yet come to life. I have spent this past year studying the living habits of a group of students in regards to electric, gas, and water usage, as well as their attitudes toward environmentalism in general and the extent of their “green” behaviors in order to determine what steps students would need to take to mitigate their environmental harm resulting from normal living habits. The purpose of this investigation is to formulate my findings into a sustainable management action plan for a future Adrian College “green” house. Therefore, my guiding research question is: “What is the relationship between student attitudes toward sustainability and their actual utility usage in Adrian College-owned houses?” and my plan of action was to 1) collect utility usage data, 2) survey student attitudes regarding sustainability, and 3) propose steps for a more environmentally conscious campus through a comprehensive Sustainable Living Action Plan.
For my research, I am analyzing the electric, gas, and water bills from the past Fall semester of 7 Adrian College-owned houses on Michigan Avenue; I have some prior experience analyzing utility bills from my most recent internship with ABM Building Solutions. I have also provided the research participants with attitude & behavioral surveys featuring questions about how they perceive the concept of “green” living as well as their typical diet, recycling efforts, shopping habits, etc. in order to gain a more comprehensive view of their environmental attitudes and overall environmental impact. This survey may be used in the future as a preliminary measure for students moving into the green living house to identify early on where they can improve their footprint.
During my preliminary research, I looked at various sustainability management studies on other campuses as well as the details of implementing LED lighting upgrades, solar panels, HVAC controls, and more. I also learned about “Next-generation Buildings” at the GreenBiz VERGE Conference for Sustainable Technology which I attended in California in September. At this conference I had the opportunity to speak with professionals in the field of net-zero and regenerative buildings. Overall, I would like for this project to be as beneficial as possible to the potential future of a green living house on campus, and I feel that this concept would be taken more seriously once it has some sort of quantitative research and cost analysis reports for support.
