Initiatives

Construction

Two buildings on Northeastern’s main campus have achieved LEED Gold certification: Dockser Hall  and International Village, which represent nearly 540,000 square feet of building space. Dockser Hall was a complete renovation project that allowed for expansion of the School of Law. International Village, a 21-story residence hall and home to Northeastern's Honors Program first-year Living Learning Community, opened in September 2009 and features the first college/university dining room in the United States to earn both the 3-star certified Green Restaurant distinction and LEED Gold status. Out of only three 3-star Certified Green Restaurants in Massachusetts, two reside in International Village: the dining hall and the retail area, which houses Jamba Juice and Peet’s Coffee & Tea.

Transportation

The University has acquired several small electric vehicles for use on campus by facilities personnel. Employees and off-campus students are encouraged to use public transportation travel to and from campus. Bicycle racks are located throughout campus, and bicycle storage was included in the plans for International Village.

Landscaping

The University strives to provide a landscape environment that is attractive to prospective students, aesthetically pleasing for the University community, cost-effective, and environmentally sound for both the campus and neighboring communities. In fall 2009, for example, Northeastern retrofitted more than a dozen trees lining the sidewalks of a main campus thoroughfare with permeable asphalt bases to help mitigate storm-water runoff, a major environmental issue in urban areas.

Recycling

Northeastern recycles more than 255 tons of paper, 295 tons of corrugated cardboard, 71 tons of bottles and cans, and 58 tons of computers and electronics a year; in fact, nearly 38 percent of our waste is recycled (compared to 13 percent for the surrounding community). Recycling bins are located throughout the campus to encourage members of the Northeastern community to recycle. The University even recycles many of the canvas banners that appear around campus, turning them into useful items that are given to students and alumni.

Composting

Approximately 660 tons of food waste is now composted annually through the Dining Services’ “Compost Here” program (formerly “Project Clean Plate”), an aggressive food-composting effort initiated by students in 2008. Improved signage, peer-to-peer composting education, and newly designed composting bins have led to increased and more consistent composting campus-wide.

Energy Conservation

Northeastern uses low-flow water fixtures and compact fluorescent bulbs; has reduced its overall consumption of oil, gas and electricity; and burns primarily natural gas in the central heating plant. At the end of 2008, Northeastern replaced nearly 70,000 lightbulbs—or “lamps” as they’re known in the industry—with more sustainable alternatives campus-wide, reducing the University’s carbon emissions by an estimated 686 tons per year and saving Northeastern about $1.2 million over the course of the six-year life expectancy of the lamps.

Green Purchasing

The Purchasing Department selects goods and services that provide the best value to the University while protecting the environment for future generations. For example, since 2005 all cleaning products purchased by facilities for campus use are Green Seal certified Purchasing deliberations consider issues such as energy efficiency, raw materials utilized, manufacturing processes, and the lawful disposition of obsolete equipment.