Campus Projects and Initiatives

In an effort to reduce the university’s operating costs and to help reduce our potential negative impact on the environment, over the past few years, the departments under Administrative Services have undertaken the following initiatives:

• Bulb Eater (2009)
  The purchase of a Premium Bulb Eater provides both product and service that exceeds the highest standards of compliance, safety, efficiency and cost. The Bulb Eater crushes fluorescent lamps and filters mercury for proper disposal. A fluorescent lamp consists of a glass shell, a high vacuum, a small amount of liquid mercury, evaporated mercury, some phosphor powder, the metal end-caps and heated filaments. When lamps are sent to landfills or incinerated as an alternative disposal method, mercury vapors are released that can travel over 200 miles. Each year, an estimated 600 million fluorescent lamps are disposed of in U.S. landfills; they produce an estimated 30,000 pounds of mercury waste. Proper disposal of lamps together with the recycling of the lamps will greatly reduce the mercury dilemma and create a much safer environment. Although ACU purchases ECO friendly fluorescent lamps that are approved to be disposed of in the landfill, they still contain a small percentage of mercury.
  
  They will be collecting bulbs at the University Purchasing Warehouse (ACU map, building 48). They need your assistance to gather all used fluorescent lamps and deliver them to the Warehouse for disposal.
• Battery Recycle Program (2009)
  The university uses an abundance of batteries. University Purchasing and Physical Resources Transportation Shop are working with a local vendor for proper disposal of batteries. Please drop off all of your used batteries at the warehouse. Example of batteries to turn in: D, C, AA, AAA, 9 volt, etc. All vehicle batteries need to be dropped off at the Physical Resources Transportation Shop.
• Parking Lot Asphalt Recycling
  The existing base and asphalt from the old Campus Center/Bible Building parking lot were recycled and built into the new parking lot base saving 1450 cubic yards of asphalt from going into the landfill.  The base and part of the asphalt of the Mabee/Edwards Halls parking lot was also recycled, again saving approximately 1450 cubic yards from going into the landfill. This process adds some time to the project but allows for recycling a usable product.
• Environmentally Friendly Asphalt
  The asphalt used for our recently paved parking lots at the Bible Building and Mabee Hall is called AEP, a more environmentally friendly asphalt that does not contain kerosene as it uses a water base.  AEP asphalt saves kerosene from being introduced into each cubic yard of asphalt. This process keeps kerosene, a toxic chemical, from being introduced into our environment. 
• Lighting Fixture Retrofit
  A number of years ago, virtually all existing florescent light fixtures on campus had their standard ballasts replaced with new electronic ballasts.  We were then able to install smaller more efficient bulbs. Based on our estimates, this retrofit saves approximately 1.2 million kWh per year in electrical usage and keeps the toxins used in the original style ballasts from being introduced into our environment. Further, these new electronic ballasts produce less heat which allows us to reduce the heat load in the rooms and thus we use less electricity to cool each room.  Less electrical usage translates into less electricity needed so production can be reduced. Electrical production is most commonly done by burning fossil fuels. In Texas most electricity is generated by natural gas fired turbines.
• Energy Savings Initiatives
  Energy savings with our HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system has been accomplished by replacing the old style water pumps with Variable Speed Pumps, and standard drives with Variable Frequency Drives, digital controls in lieu of pneumatic and the installation of the TRANE operating system.  Based on our estimates, these initiatives save approximately 3.6 million kWh per year by using less electricity to operate our systems and the system allows us to reduce the amount of water we have to pump into each building in order to heat or cool them as we use hot water to warm our buildings and chilled water to cool them. (Not all buildings have all of the systems). 
• Outdoor Lighting
  Energy efficient metal halide outdoor fixtures are used saving more kWh per year over standard exterior lighting.
• Campus Drain System 
  A natural bacterium is introduced into the campus drain system to control a grease buildup in the lines in lieu of detergents.
• Building Design
  Our newer buildings are designed to be more energy efficient and to take advantage of our available light.  The benefit again translates into less operational energy required per square foot of building space. 
• Vehicles 
  Maintenance has replaced many of their pickup trucks and vans with the smaller “Gators” and electric carts.  This has saved over 3,170 gallons of gasoline per year and reduced our oil consumption. The amount of oil needed for oil changes is reduced or removed completely and these vehicles produce very low emissions when compared to full-size vehicles.
• Recycling Oil 
  The used oil from our vehicles which is collected by our maintenance transportation shop is recycled saving 425 gallons per year from going into waste disposal.
• Paper, Plastic Bottle & Aluminum Can Recycling 
  ACU offices may voluntarily participate in paper, plastic bottle and aluminum can recycling through the City of Abilene.  Over 5,000 bags of paper, bottles and cans are picked up annually.  University Purchasing picks up about 258 sixteen-gallon containers of paper per year from various offices, shreds it and takes it to the city’s recycling center.  The Central Warehouse picks up bags of shredded documents from various offices and takes it to Disability Resources, Inc. for them to use as packing material for shipping.
• Paint 
  Water-based paint is used wherever possible instead of oil-based paint. All unneeded paints and stains, approximately 55 gallons per year, coming from the maintenance paint shop are picked up by a licensed hazardous material disposal company for proper disposal and does not go to the landfill.
• Chemical Disposal 
  All unneeded chemicals from our academic departments like the science’s as well as our maintenance/grounds departments are disposed of by a licensed hazardous material disposal company.
• Algae Control 
  Natural barley bales, instead of chemicals, are used in the effluent water pond to control algae.
• Effluent Water for Irrigation 
  We use effluent water (treated waste water) for irrigation purposes on the main campus and ACU owned property around campus. We also supply it to Christian Village and Abilene Christian Schools (they reimburse us for the amount used). The use of recycled water saves in excess of 85 million gallons of fresh water being used each year. The fresh water would have come from Fort Phantom Lake which is the amount that would have been needed to accomplish the same level of health for our plant materials. Since the effluent water has already been pulled from the lake, our irrigation has no effect on the lake level. In addition to using effluent water, rain sensors are being installed on the irrigation system to help control water usage.
• Water Runoff 
  The new pond on the east side of campus will capture water runoff on that side of campus saving the water for reuse as irrigation water. 
• Yard Waste 
  Lawn clippings are recycled back into the soil adding one pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of ground cover.  Dead trees and trimmings are recycled into our mulch or compost, saving 215,000 cubic feet of material from going into a landfill annually.   The byproduct provides natural nutrition for our plant materials. 
• Fertilizer 
  We use natural fertilizer saving hundreds of pounds of chemical fertilizers from being introduced into our immediate environment as well as our water supply each year. This natural product encourages microbial growth and activity which translates into a healthy soil over time.
• Water Savings 
  By using water-saving shower heads and toilets we reduce the amount of fresh water we would use each year over traditional units. 
• Food Waste 
  Food waste from the food service locations is sold to local hog farmers, when the farmers are available. This is unpredictable. 
• Vacuum Cleaner Filters 
  HEPA filters are used on the residence hall vacuum cleaners to help control airborne particles from being reintroduced into the air. 
• Recycled Paper   
  Recycled paper is available for purchase in The Campus Store.  Approximately 476 packages of recycled paper and 3,455 recycled Blue Books are sold annually. As of summer 2007, all of the 20 pound copy paper ordered by Central Purchasing has recycled content.
• Undeliverable Mail Reduction Project 
  For many years, University Mail Services has worked with off campus mailers, especially direct marketers, to keep their mailing lists clean by removing the undeliverable addresses (recipient has moved and the forwarding address has expired or an unknown person, etc.).  This project has saved thousands of mail pieces per year from ending up in a landfill.
• Energy Efficient Copiers 
  The copiers used across campus go to sleep after a period of inactivity and eventually turn themselves off, saving electricity.

Related Initiatives:  

• Fair Trade Coffee (acu.edu/fairtrade)
  Beginning spring 2007, certified fair trade coffee became available at the food service locations and the central warehouse. ACU uses about 4,884 pounds of coffee (almost 2½ tons) per year.
• Clothing Purchases
  The Campus Store clothing suppliers affirm that they are in compliance with the sweat-shop labor laws or we do not purchase from them.