The U.S. continues to deplete the global resources at an alarming rate. Yet, the steps being taken to move our society towards sustainability have been quite small. Sustainability in our country would require a restructuring of how our country is powered, how our cities are designed, and how our citizens think. This move towards sustainability is a critically important one because the current patterns of living are jeopardizing the future well being of all creatures on the planet. The goal of this service learning project was to produce one small step towards sustainability.

A new bank, the People's Bank, is currently in organization at my hometown of Elkhorn, Wisconsin. This bank will be locally owned and intends to stress personal service to the customers and the community. This bank’s commitment to the community suggested to me that they would be interested in sustainable development as a way to show they truly are concerned about the Elkhorn community. I initially contacted two founders of the bank and they assured me that they would be willing to listen to my ideas and try to work them into their design. This first encouraging conversation allowed me to intensify my research on green building. The service learning project had developed. The goals were to research green building, to present it to the designer/builder of the bank along with some of the founders and then to provide additional information and services requested by them as the project moves forward.

The area of sustainable building is rather new and always changing. For that reason the web became my best source of information in this area. I contacted an “energy expert” at the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse about my project, and he responded to me by sending me a large list of web sources that he thought would help my research. I was amazed at the amount of information available to me. I did a considerable amount of basic research about green building and its benefits along with some product research. I was directed by Rachel Smit, the 5th year ENTS intern, to become acquainted with the Minnesota Sustainable Design Guide. I looked at this guide and at a variety of other design guides that I found on the Internet and gained a better sense of the most important areas of green building. These design guides helped me develop a list of 31 points about sustainable development (attached to write up). These 31 points were further segregated into 5 categories: siting and landscape, design, materials, energy and water, and “not business as usual”.

I had one opportunity to travel home during the term and give my presentation in Elkhorn. I was fortunate in that I was able to speak with two founders of the bank, one of whom is also the builder of the bank. I talked with these two gentlemen for about two hours, and presented a short introduction to sustainable building, stressing the importance and benefits of a “green” approach to the proposed bank building. We then proceeded to discuss my list of important things to consider when building green.

The final section of my presentation was under the category of “not business as usual”, which had us discuss ways the bank could engage in business practices once up and running that showed their commitment to sustainability. This included giving tours of the bank to help increase others’ knowledge of sustainable development.

The two founders were extremely receptive and encouraging. They showed a great interest in the majority of the points we discussed. I presented green building not only as a way to help the future generations through limiting environmental impact, but also as a marketable aspect of the bank. This greatly increased their enthusiasm and let them see this as a win-win situation not only for the community, but also for the bank shareholders. The founders I talked to presented my information at their weekly meeting to the rest of the founders, and I feel that I am gaining the support of all the founders.

I successfully persuaded the People's Bank to develop a green building. Once this commitment was made we discussed some possible products that I had researched. Of course, my knowledge of the products was limited, and they wanted more detailed literature. This is where my project stands today. I have a continuing relationship with the bank and the designer. I am now in contact with a variety of companies that offer green products and am receiving information and samples on these products. I will be passing this information on to the designer so he can make informed decisions about which green products to use. I plan on working with the People's Bank throughout the spring and onto the summer as final blueprints and bids are granted for this new bank building.

My service learning project was a wonderful addition to my education by allowing my to put to use what I had learned. I was initially intimidated by the idea of working with professionals because of my limited experience in the area. However, the research I did on green building made me feel comfortable presenting the ideas. I was encouraged by the founders because of their willingness to listen to my ideas, and I am optimistic about the incorporation of sustainable design into the People's Bank building. Nonetheless, I know that had I not approached the founders with the information on sustainable building the bank would have been designed without many of the aspects of sustainability. There is a need for more education about green building and its advantages because most buildings are being constructed without sustainability being taken into consideration. The benefits of sustainable building could be used to encourage the country’s initial move towards a sustainable society.

Siting and Landscape

• Proper landscaping also can help reduce heating energy consumption by 30 percent, air-conditioning energy consumption by 75 percent, and water consumption by 80 percent.
• Design tree and shrubs locations that will help with passive heating and cooling of the building. For example, planting deciduous trees (whose leaves fall off during winter) can provide shading during the summer without interfering with solar gain during the winter.
• Evergreens make good windbreaks but are not appropriate for south-facing locations since they prevent solar gain.
• Plant native vegetation on the site to conserve water, reduce pesticide use, lower plant mortality, and possibly reduce maintenance costs.
• Try to limit car dependence to the site.
  • Bicycle parking areas should be conveniently located.
  • Pedestrian friendly design

Design

• Smaller is better. Minimize materials of construction and resources for operation.
• Design for entire life of the building
  • Consider long term effects of design.
  • Create a building insured of a long life.
• Design responsible water run-off management. Do not direct all water to the sewer system.
  • Minimize paved areas and use porous paving materials
  • Minimize roof run-off by planting sod on roof to absorb some of the water

Materials

• Be an informed consumer and be aware of how the products are produced.
• Buy locally produced building materials. Show interest in the community as well as reducing pollution impact by transportation.
• Use salvaged materials when possible. Reduce pressure on landfills, cut energy consumption and save natural resources.
• Use materials and products with recycled content.
• Seek responsible wood supplies. Be sure that wood is produced in a sustainable manner.
• Choose the most durable materials. Longer lifetime means fewer materials reinvested later.
• Use materials that have low volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission. This applies to sealants, adhesives, carpets solvent-based finishes, paints, particleboard, etc. These can negatively affect workers' health as well as the environment.
• Focus on materials that are reusable, recyclable, or biodegradable.
• Insulation - avoid foam because of HCFC’s contribution to ozone depletion.
• Reduce packaging by buying supplies in bulk.
• Reduce waste by donating to local theatre groups, construction schools, etc…

Energy and Water

• Maximize the use of passive solar gains in heating and lighting by windows, atriums, reflective flooring and ceilings, shading, and good insulation, etc.
• Use photocell-dimming sensors, which can adjust the amount of electric lighting provides based on the amount of daylight available.
• Use high efficiency lights.
• Use occupancy sensors in rooms such as bathrooms so light is used only when necessary
• Use solar panels.
• Heat recovery systems and heat sinks.
• Install water-efficient equipment. Efficient toilets, sensor sinks and waterless urinals.
• A gray water system. Reduce the use of potable water for non-potable uses.

Business Not as Usual

• Purchase recycled office products/supplies
• Have several recycle bins in office and common areas
• Mugs available rather than disposable cups.
• Offer customer choices limited to environmental products. Recycled checks is one example.
• Print all company literature on recycled paper.
• Encourage company carpools.
• Tours of the building emphasizing its efficiency and sustainable design.