Winston-Salem State University

School details:
Full-time enrollment: 6,100
Location: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Administration

• The Sustainability Committee, which includes students, faculty, and staff, created a policy to incorporate sustainability in planning and design, construction, maintenance, renewable energy, and recycling.
• Winston Salem has committed to becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
• The director of facilities manages sustainability efforts on campus.
• WSSU is exploring switching to environmentally preferable cleaning chemicals.

Green Building

• Due to state building guidelines, all new buildings will adhere to LEED Silver standards.
• The Sciences Building, in the planning phase, will include insulated windows and a solar hot water system.
• Energy-saving technologies include LED and other energy-efficient lighting, lighting sensors, energy management systems, and variable speed drives.
• To save water, low-flow faucets and showerheads are installed in all buildings, and new buildings have water metering systems.

Climate Change & Energy

• The university is conducting its first greenhouse gas emissions inventory.
• To save energy, the school has turned off the lights in drink vending machines, retrocommissioned two buildings’ HVAC systems, and set back building temperatures.
• WSSU is conducting an energy audit on ten major campus buildings to identify more ways to decrease energy consumption.
• The university is exploring the option of generating renewable energy on campus.

Recycling

• The Winston Salem campus recycles many traditional materials, including aluminum, cardboard, glass, paper, and some plastics. Printer cartridges are also recycled.
• Some of the campus’s landscaping waste is composted.

Dining

• Local and organic foods are offered at meals.
• Trays have been removed from all dining halls.
• Cooking grease is recycled for use as biodiesel fuel.

Student Involvement

• The campus community participates in recycling competitions to raise awareness about waste.
• The school’s Green Week engages students with sustainability.

Transportation

• Of the school’s 50 fleet vehicles, seven are electric and two run on biofuel.
• A free shuttle service travels around campus.