Zachary Sutton Make Up Lab 6 Campus Scavenger Hunt- Green NAU

LAB 6 Make Up: CAMPUS SCAVENGER HUNT: GREEN NAU Student Answer Sheet EXERCISE: Sustainability Scavenger Hunt QUESTION 1 (1 point): Along the west side of this building, just south of the main set of doors, there is a depression that is filled with rocks and mulch. This infiltration basin col- lects water from the roof and the pedway and allows it to slowly soak into the ground. What are some potential benefits to constructing an infiltration basin, as opposed to a tra- ditional storm drain to divert excess rainwater and snowmelt? The benefits of an infiltration basin oppose to a storm drain include that the water is being used to water the plants and soil instead of just being swept away and becoming useless. Also, it would help prevent flooding. QUESTION 2 (1 point): How would the addition of vegetation improve the effectiveness of this stormwater control measure? The addition of vegetation would improve effectiveness because it would provide another way to absorb the water and stop it from eroding the soil. QUESTION 3 (1 point): In general, do you think Flagstaff is a good location for harnessing solar energy? Why or why not? I feel as though Flagstaff would be a decent place to harness solar energy because the high elevation provides strong sunlight. QUESTION 4 (1 point): Information about The Big Belly recycling system can be found at their website: https://bigbelly.com/platform/ . One selling point for these units is that fact that they are equipped with sensors that transmit real-time data to waste management per- sonnel on campus. From a sustainability standpoint, why is this useful? This is useful because the sensors tell waste management when a trashcan is full prevent- ing overflowing and saving things like gas and time from being wasted picked up half full trashcans. QUESTION 5 (1 point): How do these bike maintenance stations help promote campus sustainability? These bike maintenance stations help promote campus sustainability by giving people a place to fix their bike so that they don’t use less eco friendly transportation options. QUESTION 6 (1 point): You’ve probably seen the brightly painted yellow bikes around campus. This program is designed to get more students riding bikes instead of driving cars or taking buses. How does this program work? Go to the program’s website ( https://in. - nau.edu/green-nau/yellow-bike-program/ ) and provide a brief (1-2 sentence) explanation of how the program works in the space below.

The program works by giving students the ability to rent bikes for free on campus to reduce carbon emissions. The students have 7 days to keep these bikes and if they aren’t returned the students receive a fine. QUESTION 7 (1 point): The plants used in this building’s landscaping are all species native to Northern Arizona. How does native landscaping contribute to sustainability? Give sev- eral examples/reasons. Native landscaping contributes to sustainability because they require less water and don’t need things like lawnmowers or weed whackers to keep them in check. Also, these native plants they prevent water run-off and improve air quality. QUESTION 8 (1 point): Additional information regarding the design of this building can be found on NAU’s website: https://in.nau.edu/facility-services/native-american-cultural-cen - ter/ . According to this site, the building design takes advantage of a passive solar design. What is one advantage to this type of design? One advantage of this type of design is that it optimizes solar heat gain and daylight har- vesting potential. QUESTION 9 (1 point): How does the production of wind energy affect the building’s car- bon impact? The production of wind energy affects the building carbon impact because the wind turbine produced zero carbon emissions saving the environment. QUESTION 10 (1 point): This building is certified at the highest level, Platinum, by the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership is Energy and Environmental Design) program. Information about the building can be found here: http://in.nau.edu/facility- services/applied-research-and-development-building/ . What is special about the composition of concrete used in the floor tiles and elsewhere in the building? Why is this important in terms of sustainability? The composition of concrete is special because it is 40 percent fly ash. This ash being used in concrete keeps it out of landfills and reduces the need for cement. QUESTION 11 (1 point): This building is designed to be “net zero”, meaning on average, it produces more electrical energy than it consumes. The energy is produced by a 35kW solar panel array that is installed on the roof. What are some design features of this building that minimize the consumption of electricity? (NAU has an excellent website with information about this building: ( https://in.nau.edu/facility-services/international-pavilion/ ). Some design features that minimize electricity consumption are motion lighting and radi- ant heating that uses hot water to provide heated floors. QUESTION 12 (1 point): This building is also certified by LEED at the Platinum level. Us- ing some of the sites you’ve previously explored for this assignment, how many buildings are currently LEED certified at NAU? 2

Two clubs that focus on sustainability are the Green Jacks club and Thrift Jacks club. QUESTION 20 (1 point): Hopefully, thinking about the ways in which each one of these sites contributes to a more sustainable campus community has also raised some additional questions in your mind about the Green NAU sustainable initiatives. What are three ques- tions that you have thought of while completing this assignment? Three questions I have are “How can I help better the environment?”, “Is it cheaper or more expensive to build sustainable buildings?”, and “Out of all the sustainable things being done on campus what is the most impactful?” 4