»Current Sustainability Programming and Projects

The standard issue gym equipment that once graced the Henley Fitness Center has been replaced with state of the art equipment from SportsArt. The SportsArt equipment allows the exerciser to not only work up a sweat, but produce electricity that is fed back into the electric grid of the building.

In addition to selecting equipment that has a positive impact on the carbon footprint of the building, the flooring is made from recycled rubber stripped from old tennis shoes.  A new daylight harvesting and occupancy sensor system will be also be installed to help keep the space as energy efficient as possible.

An environmental audit was completed as the capstone project of the first Environmental Science and Policy graduating class. This project served to determine a baseline for Chapman University and provide support for the current sustainability programs and future sustainability planning. The students looked at ten areas, including, but not limited to; dining, waste and recycling, energy management, and water use. The first section of the audit can be read online. A full version of the audit will be available online this summer. 

Chapman University just installed the EnviroPure Food Digester in an effort to reduce waste leaving campus and decrease expenses associated with organic waste management. The EnviroPure digests all organic waste leaving the Randall Dining Commons using bacteria whose natural processes are aided by the introduction of water and air to reduce the waste into an environmentally benign effluent that can be safely released into to the sewer system. The EnviroPure is allowing the University to revamp its waste management strategy across many areas on campus and in turn is contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste hauling expense.

Chapman University recently added four electric vehicle charging stations on campus. The GE WattStation charging units found in Lastinger, Barrera and Miller Parking Structures and the Knott Studios Parking Lot are the very first stations of their kind to be installed on a college campus in America!

Combining functionality with inspired design, the WattStation decreases the time needed to charge a vehicle, and using smart grid technology, allows the University’s Sustainability Office to manage and track the impact of EVs on its electricity consumption.

Using the WattStation Connect Website users can see which stations are available, make reservations online, receive alerts when their car has finished charging, and track their own consumption. Better yet, they can do it all from their smart phone through the WattStation Connect App available in both iTunes and the Android Marketplace.

These stations are free for the campus community and public use!

As part of a pilot project Chapman University recently installed three Big Belly Solar Trash Compactors on main campus. These three dual trash and recycling units replaced 8 trash bins and 7 recycling bins on main campus. The bins that the Big Bellys replaced, had to be checked twice a day, every day. Now the Big Bellys send an email to the custodians when they are full. The bins are now empty roughly 1.3 times a week, so our custodial staff has been able to re-allocate the saved time to other projects.