"Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them day after day."
- Arthur Gordon

• Brown has the capacity to increase the performance level of new campus buildings.
• Facilities Management staff understand the benefits of implementing high performance building design.
• Higher performance buildings are a rational expectation for Brown University.

What is missing? Explicit Administration support.

The Importance of Top-Level Leadership

Without the clear commitment and active involvement of Brown University Trustees, President Ruth Simmons, and Provost Robert Zimmer, any campus environmental program will be ineffective in achieving substantial environmental improvement. Currently, Brown does not have comprehensive building performance criteria. In order to approve high performance plans, the Department of Facilities Management needs the full support of Brown's Administration. Top-level leadership will allow Brown's high performance building design (HPBD) program to reach its full potential.

Signing the Talloires Deceleration, 1991 President's Environmental Proclomation, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan, and approving the recent Environmental Change Initiative have been positive Administrative actions, but the Administration needs to do more. Implementing effective programs is harder than simply signing documents or reading proclamations. There is much room for improvement.

HPBD provides a tangible opportunity for the Administration to support a program that is economically, socially, and environmentally robust. Brown's HPBD program will thrive when members of the Brown community know our Trustees, the President's Office, and the Provost's Office are interested, on board, and involved. The Administration's leadership example will result in increasing support from Brown's vice-presidents, directors, and deans. In turn, comprehensive and effective implementation of HPBD policy will be greatly expedited and less problematic.

The Need for Written Policy

Top-level campus administrators need to support HPBD by communicating clearly with campus stakeholders through explicit written policy. The faculty, staff, lower-level administrators, students, and alumni need to know Brown University endorses responsible buildings practices as part of its commitment to environmental change. Recognizing Brown's definite interest and commitment to environmental improvement will prompt campus planners to address environmental concerns in their work.

Examples of Written Policy Statements

Here are some written policy statements signed by Trustees and Administrations at other schools:

• At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Administration devotes a lot of attention to the natural environment. MIT's Environmental Programs Office, maintained by a senior administrator and an office manager who report to the Executive Vice President, Provost, and Chancellor, is responsible for environmental sustainability initiatives, service, and compliance. The results of this coalition, exhibit the power top-level leadership lends to environmental campus initiatives. The Stata Center, MIT's 713,000 square foot LEED Silver candidate, is an example of high performance building.

Brown University needs this same level of administrative support to facilitate its own HPBD initiatives.

• Yale University 's commitment to the environment is evident. A formal written set of Environmental Principles inform all university operations:

"The actions of Yale University 's faculty, staff and students in the conduct of the University's activities affirm our commitment to protect and enhance the environment through our teaching, research, service, and administrative operations. Our decisions and actions will be guided by the University's Mission Statement, reflective of the University's resources, and informed by the Yale University Framework for Campus Planning."

In addition to thie ideological commitment, Yale also follows specific facilities strategies:

•  Managing its operations and facilities in a manner that protects and enhances the local and global environments, assesses the impact of its operations and facilities on the environment, sets quantitative goals for environmental performance, and monitors its environmental progress.

•  Striving for outstanding environmental performance in the design, renovation and construction of its facilities.

Brown University should learn from Yale's example and include environmental concerns in its Strategic Framework and Environmental Policy.

• Middlebury College excels in generating top-level support for improving the environmental impacts on campus. Middlebury's Campus Master Plan (1996) includes several references to sustainable development. Middlebury's Administration backed its Environmental Council which developed an Environmental Policy that was adopted by the Trustees in 1995 and Academic Approval in 2003. An except from it reads,

"Middlebury College as a liberal arts institution is committed to environmental mindfulness and stewardship in all its activities. This commitment arises from a sense of concerned citizenship and moral duty and from a desire to teach and lead by example. The College gives a high priority to integrating environmental awareness and responsibility into the daily life of the institution. Respect and care for the environment, sustainable living, and intergenerational responsibility are among the fundamental values that guide planning, decision making, and procedures. All individuals in this academic community have personal responsibility for the way their actions affect the local and global environment."

The bold phrases in Middlebury's Environmental Policy directly correspond to the type of support recommended for Brown's HPBD program.

In preparation for a period of unprecedented campus growth, Middlebury also developed a set of Guiding Principles, similar to Brown's recently approved Strategic Framework. Unlike Brown, however, Middlebury's plan includes many references to constructing efficient, buildings. In the planning stage, Middlebury requires,

"The College and its appointees to consider: energy systems, life cycles, water use, scale and location, light pollution, recycling and waste management, materials, community and product sources, community and regional impacts, transportation, aesthetics, indoor air quality, construction site management, open space and other issues related to the campus."

Middlebury College exemplifies top-level support, environmental responsibility, and efficient resource use. Brown's facility project managers need similar direction to carry out their HPBD goals and save even more money for Brown.

Many other universities and colleges that act as environmental campus leaders have similar policies and principles backed by their Administration and Trustees. Be sure to check out Environmental Actions at Other Schools for more examples. Brown should join them in becoming a leader in environmental campus design.  

In the early 1990s, Brown University led the nation in development of campus environmental programs. In its first year, the Provost chaired Brown's Environmental Committee and much progress was made. A series of plans, proclamations, and policies were proposed. They include policies, Brown President's Environmental Proclamation, and 1991 Brown is Green accomplishments. Lack of funding and administrative attention, however, has left these policies largely ignore. It is recommended that Brown sign a general Environmental Mission Statement and a document directly supporting HPBD on campus. 

Brown University Administration needs to express its support for HPBD. Specifically for:

•  Adopting High Performance Building Design Guidelines

•  Considering Life Cycle Costs

•  Including High Performance Experience Criteria in Design Team Selection

•  Hiring a Fulltime Energy Manager

•  Implementing Integrated Design Process

Begin with the first recommendation: HPBD Guidelines.