Hartford Business Journal

24 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 27, 2023 FOCUS: CLEAN ENERGY help achieve its goals, she said. A broader movement Other Connecticut colleges also have sustainability initiatives underway. Earlier this year, Southern Connecticut State University finished construction of its new $52.4 million School of Business building, which was designed with sustainability in mind. The SCSU building is powered by solar panels and geothermal wells for heating and cooling. It uses smart lighting, with lights automatically dimming or brightening based on available sunlight. The building also has occupancy and vacancy sensors, and lights turn off automatically when a room remains unoccupied. Victoria Verderame, assistant director of media relations at Southern, said the university has fuel cells and now produces about 60% of its own energy. It also has solar panels in its Fitch Street parking lot. Yale University has indicated it is committed to emitting zero greenhouse gases by 2050. Yale anticipates it will require "large-scale" investments in buildings, equipment and technology. Yale is among about 1,600 institutions worldwide on the Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Commitments Database. In a recent example of its efforts, in October, Yale Divinity School broke ground on a new zero-carbon resi- dence hall called the "Living Village," slated to open in the summer of 2025. The project has been designed to meet the standards of the Living Building Challenge, an international certification system that promotes sustainable design and construction. The new building will have features such as a net positive carbon, energy and water footprint, and construction that uses recycled and "environ- mentally benign materials," the university said. Quinnipiac University also has sustainability efforts underway, including in its building projects. Its new under-construction School of Business is designed to optimize energy use, including using energy-ef- ficient LED interior and exterior lights. United Illuminating and Southern Connecticut Gas provided Quinnipiac with nearly $1 million in incentives for energy efficiency investments on campus, and the university has made upgrades such as kitchen hood and exhaust-fan controls, new LED lighting, and demand controls on ventilation systems. The upgrades cost about $1.5 million, though after the incentives and an anticipated annual cost savings of $172,000 from the improvements, Quinnipiac expects the investment will pay for itself in about three years. Quinnipiac University President Judy Olian said the university, which has a Sustainability Imple- mentation Committee, has an ongoing effort to "reduce energy waste by being more efficient with its energy consumption." Students organized a rally on Nov. 14, calling for the University of Connecticut to be more transparent about its plans to reduce its carbon footprint. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED/LILLY ADAMO

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