University Unions & Student Activities

University Unions & Student Activities is Going Green!

UUSA is committed to sustainable operations in all four of our facilities:

  • Squires Student Center
  • Johnston Student Center
  • War Memorial Chapel
  • Graduate Life Center at Donaldson Brown

The following steps have been taken as part of UUSA’s strategic plan: 

  • Develop and initiate a “green” facility conservation plan with emphasis on trash management, recycling, water use, electrical consumption, and environmentally friendly cleaning products. This includes:
    • Facility-wide recycling programs
    • Renovation of restrooms with sustainability focus
    • Use of non-polluting cleaning products
    • Bulb replacement to reduce energy costs
  • Complete a Facility Condition Study and complementary maintenance/sustainability action plan for all UUSA facilities.

Specific green projects currently underway include:

  • The ceiling recycling program in Squires’ Commonwealth Ballroom and in the Graduate Life Center:  We have approximately 10,000 square feet of old ceiling tile in the Commonwealth Ballroom and another 4,000 square feet at the GLC that will be replaced by the beginning of fall semester.  By participating in the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program, UUSA will keep more than 14,000 square feet of old ceiling tiles out of the local landfill.
  • Flooring and lighting in the Perspective Gallery: Perspective Gallery plans to install bamboo flooring this summer and complete its transition to more efficient lighting.  Bamboo is a sustainable resource. Bamboo flooring is made from quick growing bamboo stalks, found throughout most of Southeast Asia. Bamboo grows to a height of 60' within the first several months of growth, and thereafter is harvested every 5-6 years. It is cut into strips, and then laminated into flooring planks. In order to further our efforts toward sustainability we have chosen to work with a local provider, Lumber Liquidators in Salem, Virginia.  We are recycling the old carpet by donating it to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore in Christiansburg. For lighting, we are switching to low watt halogens to reduce energy consumption.  These have the same lighting output as incandescent but are a better choice for the environment. Compact fluorescents are not an option for the gallery due to dimming limitations and the more “natural light” appearance of halogen bulbs.
  • Bathroom renovations on in Squires and the GLC: Bathroom renovations are undertaken with the objective of making them more energy and water efficient.  Innovations include:
  • Low flow toilets
  • Auto flush toilets
  • Auto shutoff lighting
  • Auto faucets that save water
  • Compact fluorescent lighting