Experts plan to ‘green’ the IMU

With the help of experts, the Indiana Memorial Union aims to become a more sustainable, green center.

IU faculty, students and national experts have come together as part of an initiative called Greening of the IMU, an intensive planning conference, to create a concrete plan geared toward reducing the IMU’s energy footprint, while also protecting its historical roots.

“Thousands pass through here everyday,” said Bloomington Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson. “It is a co-curricular entity, but it is just as important for the education and development of our students.”

It was that feeling of importance that inspired IU’s Office of Sustainability to take action and turn one of IU’s epicenters into a leader for campus sustainability.

“We are looking at the feasibility of upgrading this building without interfering with the historical nature of the building,” said Bill Brown, the director of sustainability at IU.

The main component of this plan involves implementing the Leadership in Energy or Environmental Design Existing Buildings, or LEED EB requirements, Brown said. LEED EB is a national standard of acceptable energy levels that minimize impact on the environment.

More than 100 buildings nationwide have been LEED EB certified, said Michael Arny, president of Leonardo Academy, a non-profit organization that consults with groups on LEED EB certification.

“We only build a few new buildings, but we have an advanced stock of existing buildings,” Arny said. “We have to be able to make existing buildings more efficient if we want to make any impact.”

Greening of the IMU was inspired by IU’s Office of Sustainability and was funded by a $50,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation.

Brown said that the idea for the conference blossomed this summer through the innovative ideas of the sustainability interns who proposed the grant idea to Duke Energy.

The grant money was then used to bring in credited experts including architects and engineers that focus on green building to make the interns’ “green” ideas a reality.

Daniel Hellmuth of Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects was among the experts at the conference.

“We are determining what the hurdles will be for making such a historic, iconic and complex building sustainable,” he said. “IU has already done so much work in energy conservation, we hope to help further facilitate.”

Brown said the remaining funds from the grant were used to meter the entire IMU, which involves getting all of the energy and water statistics nailed down so current problems and potential solutions can be identified. He said this was the first step in the process toward being energy efficient and perhaps carbon neutral.

During the course of the two days the team brainstormed countless ideas to improve sustainability, including ways to decrease water usage and redesign the parking lot.

Though conceptually ideal, the group worries about financing all the new initiatives.

“We want to put a focus on saving energy and water, but also about saving money,” Brown said.

The conference will yield a report in January outlining the action plan, he said. The challenge will be in implementing the plan.

“It is such an important building on campus,” Brown said. “I can’t think of a better place to start.”