• DePaul's Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Science Building was awarded a Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate by the U.S. Green Building Council in September 2009. Opened in January 2009, the $40 million home for the departments of chemistry and environmental science includes a number of environmentally friendly features that reduce its energy consumption by an estimated one-third. Special green features of the McGowan Science Building design include:
  • Native vegetation that requires no irrigation
  • A storm water management plan to reduce runoff
  • Partial green roof with highly reflective surfaces to reduce heat island effect
  • Limited exterior lighting and controlled interior lights with time clocks and occupancy sensors
  • Energy-efficient heat and cooling plant equipment
  • Dual-flush toilets and low-flow showers, sinks and urinals
  • Recycled products, locally harvested and manufactured building materials and Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood used in construction, with construction waste recycled
  • Use of low-emitting materials
  • Building automation systems that will improve operational efficiencies and save energy
  • A green housekeeping program and chemical resource management plan
    
• In 2009, DePaul installed 34 solar light poles to reduce electricity usage and illuminate the campus using the power of the sun. As a result, 1,314 pounds of carbon dioxide, 7.6 kilograms of sulfur dioxide and 2.55 kilograms of nitrous oxide per light will be kept from polluting the atmosphere each year. DePaul's electric bill will also be reduced through the use of solar panels. The Student Government Association secured funding for the project.

DePaul’s Support for Alternative Forms of Transportation

• Hybrid vehicles are used in DePaul’s Public Safety car fleet.

• DePaul participates in the Chicago Transit Authority’s U-Pass program, which provides a financial incentive for students to use public transportation.  DePaul is the single biggest customer of the CTA.

• The university studies and monitors student, faculty and staff transportation and parking habits to inform its transportation program decisions.

• DePaul has contracted with the "I-GO" program to place two hybrid vehicles on campus for use by students, faculty, staff and local community members.

• DePaul and I-GO formed a partnership in 2008 to bring the innovative, not-for-profit car-sharing service to campus.

• The Chicago Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council gave DePaul an award in 2008 for its participation in the university transportation alternatives program.

Other University Efforts to Support the Environment

• DePaul is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Challenge and has completed in excess of $5 million in energy-related projects in the new millennium, focusing mainly on lighting and HVAC system retrofits.

• The university has installed water-saver shower heads at all residence halls, significantly decreasing the amount of fresh water consumed on campus, and reduced campus landscape watering schedules to limit fresh water consumption.

• DePaul uses refrigerants in its cooling systems that minimize ozone depletion and climate change.

• DePaul has increased use of organic products free of toxic pesticides in landscape maintenance.

• DePaul has modified its cleaning products and has a goal of eliminating all volatile and toxic products.

• The university operation and maintenance programs are developed and performed in a manner that assures optimum efficiency of all primary plant equipment, particularly heating plant equipment to reduce carbon emissions.

• DePaul recycles using an in-plant method through which 90 percent of recyclables are extracted by hand from the general waste stream. As much as 100 tons of material is recycled from the campus waste stream monthly.

• The university supplements in-plant sorting with placement of recycling containers across campus to improve quantities of materials recycled while educating the campus community. DePaul invested $50,000 in 2007 to add more containers on campus.

• DePaul is purchasing three percent of its electrical energy requirement from renewable resources.

• DePaul Information Services employs a technique called virtualization on servers to maximize their processing power. Virtualization reduces the number of servers needed, saving money and energy. As of early 2008, DePaul has saved about $400,000 on hardware that will never end up in a landfill and reduced server energy consumption by 40 percent. Savings in all categories will continue as DePaul expands this technique’s use.

• DePaul hosts an active 30-member student group, Environmental Concerns Organization, which engages in recycling, community service and advocacy. In 2007-08 the students performed weekly service at City Farm, a sustainable produce garden.

Academic Environmental Initiatives

• DePaul’s environmental science program is a field and laboratory science-based curriculum leading to a bachelor’s of science degree. Its mission is to prepare students upon graduation to work in the environmental field, attend a professional school or attend a graduate school in a related area. Faculty members are active researchers in soil and wetland science, restoration ecology and conservation biology.

• Liam Heneghan, an associate professor of environmental science, studies botanical invaders, such as earthworms, that have been linked to the disappearance of rare plant species and which wreak havoc on forests and urban areas, where the problem of invasive species is more prevalent. He and environmental science students have been researching the impact of invaders on native tree diversity in the Chicago Botanical Garden preserves for the past five years.

• In 2007, James Montgomery, director of the environmental science program, and the students in his "Greening the DePaul Campus" class developed a residence hall environmental stewardship campaign to raise awareness among students living on campus about their ecological footprints. Students conducted a garbage audit of Clifton-Fullerton Hall, analyzed water and utility bills for Clifton-Fullerton and Munroe halls, and drafted an environmental policy statement. They proposed improvements, such as recycling bags for individual residence hall rooms and biodegradable plates and utensils for cafeterias, which are currently under consideration.

• Building on DePaul’s widely respected programs in environmental science, urban ecology and public policy, the university’s Institute for Nature and Culture fosters collaboration among the disciplines and among researchers, conservation practitioners and the general public. A center for advanced study, experimentation and practice relevant to the relationship between humans and their environment, the institute is undertaking an ambitious program of research, education and public participation.