Horizons Fall 2014

around NSU NSU: A Good Environmental Neighbor Nova Southeastern University occupies more than 300 acres of land in Davie, making its main campus one of the town’s largest areas. As an environmentally conscious neighbor, NSU utilizes recycling programs, energy-efficient building strategies, and, its latest endeavor, a partnership with the town of Davie to make use of reclaimed water. (See story on NSU’s environmental approach starting on next page.) “More than 80 percent of the main campus and the entirety of Grande Oaks Golf Club will be on reused water by the end of this calendar year,” said Peter Witschen, M.P.A., vice president of facilities for NSU. Reused water also will be used in the cooling towers for the central energy plant. According to Phillip Holste, development adminis- trator for the town of Davie, NSU’s participation in the Water Reclamation Program, which uses reclaimed water for irrigation and chiller use, reduces the use of drinking water “by as much as 1 to 2 million gallons a day.” According to Witschen, the reclaimed water program is part of an overall effort by the university in sustainability from “how we design buildings to how we manage the cooling of our facilities; all of which is of a primary concern.” The Shark Recycling Program, part of the “Go Green at NSU” initia- tive, has more than 100 blue, 96-gallon recycle bins located around campus. According to Anthony Iovino, assistant director of NSU’s Physical Plant in the Office of Facilities Management, four to six tons of mixed paper and cardboard are collected weekly. About two tons of glass, aluminum, and plastic also are collected weekly. In 2014, NSU placed fourth in Florida and 89th overall among colleges and universities in the annual RecycleMania Tournament. The Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research at NSU’s Oceanographic Center, which opened in 2012, was recog- nized for its environmentally sound construction and design with the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The facility was constructed by Moss-Miller, LLC, to incorporate the latest green technologies, including water savings, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, sustainable site development, and building materials and resources selection. Witschen said that future university building projects will be constructed with the idea of obtaining at least LEED Silver certifi- cation. LEED certification begins at Certified, then Silver, then Gold, then Platinum. These projects include the Center for Collabora- tive Research, which is currently under construction, and the Sports Center II, which is expected to break ground before the end of 2014. n 17 HORIZONS terrorism, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, tsunamis, extreme heat, structural failure, and power loss, among others. Barnwell makes it clear that FEMA did not draft NSU’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) nor does it claim any responsibility for the plan. “NSU worked with me to further develop its program. NSU was receptive to FEMA’s support and continues to correspond with me, as needed, as its primary point of contact at FEMA,” said Barnwell. “FEMA wants to increase emergency preparedness in higher education and is receptive to any institution that recognizes, as NSU does, that it’s an important investment to develop and maintain a comprehensive emergency man- agement program,” he said. “The investment represents being a stronger community partner and an educational pillar, as well as a resource center for training, education, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. “We do have challenges in trying to convince educational institutions that it’s a logical investment. Schools have legitimate concerns about financial resources, but NSU has a real commitment from the university president,” added Barnwell. NSU is ahead of the national curve in keeping its cam- pus safe, Barnwell said. “Keeping students free from threats is a challenge. Remember that these are very open campuses. We have to consider how to protect environments without visible signs of security. The university has support and a wealth of resources.” Key to keeping students and faculty and staff members safe on any campus is having a solid and diverse communi- cations plan using multiple platforms including computers, public announcements, and mobile phones to keep those on campus informed of emerging or immediate threats. “The real goal is to get a program to a certain point, and then it’s easier to maintain it,” Barnwell said. “These plans are a work in progress and are living documents that need to be revised and updated as the world changes and capa- bilities change to respond to those changes. NSU has the awareness and is well on its way to becoming a leader in the community in changing outcomes for the better for emergency and disaster survivors.” n