Our Next Discussion: LEED

Join us for a BeHeard forum on the LEED certification for the new residence hall on October 7th! During the 2012 - 2013 school year, there was concern about certification for the new residence hall. The following petition was passed to the Scripps community:

To the Board of Trustees of Scripps College:

I am writing to voice my concern about sustainability at Scripps, regarding in particular the new residence hall currently being designed. As a [student/parent/alumna] and a member of the Scripps community, I am proud of the college's current efforts to implement sustainable practices. My concern is that the new residence hall may not be LEED certified.

I understand your reservations about the extra expense of LEED certification and the flaws of LEED as a certification program. However, all cited figures have been based on an old building plan, and updated information about the actual cost of meeting LEED standards has not been forthcoming. Regardless, I believe that the benefits of LEED certification far outweigh the costs: a more sustainable building will reduce resource use and costs for decades to come, and certification will ensure that green elements of the building plans are retained throughout the construction process while demonstrating in a broadly understood manner the college's commitment to sustainability.

I am therefore petitioning the planning committee to make the new residence hall LEED certified at the Gold level. [If it is not, I pledge to withhold future contributions to Scripps in the hope that the college will recognize the importance I and other members of the Scripps community place on sustainability.] I urge you to create a LEED certification fund to which parents and alumnae can donate, and to which I will gladly contribute. I will notify my friends and my parents about this matter and urge them to take action as well.

Constructing a new residence hall is an investment in the future of Scripps College. I hope it will be one that reflects the college's values and sustainability policy: “using the best designs available that meet building-code-approved energy efficiency standards.”

Sustainability Chair Jessica Ng will be present to answer any questions and hear your thoughts. We want your input before the upcoming Board of Trustee's meeting. We look forward to continuing this conversation and hope to see  you there! Be sure to check out these other resources:

Sara's Scripps Voice article from October 2012 kicked everything off
Kara's Scripps Voice article from December 2012:
TSL article with good info from the panel
Lauren's Scripps Voice article from April 2013 where things left off
LEED website:
An article comparing the newest LEED version with previous versions, with both praise and critique
Sustainability at the 5Cs