In financial times as tough as these, it’s hard to see the long-term benefits of even the wisest upfront investments. But Scott Lensink sees the big picture when it comes to investing in the future of Lake Land College. By embarking on a number of sustainable projects, this college is taking an innovative step forward, proving that it does pay to go green—in more ways than one.
“We are proud to be working towards reducing our carbon footprint, but honestly, that’s not the only motivating factor behind our green initiatives,” said Lensink, president of the community college. “The real return on this investment will be what it means financially both for the college and for students; it’s a major priority to keep our costs low for them.”
That student-centered mentality has driven Lake Land College since it was formed in 1966 and is one of the reasons it was recognized as one of the top 120 community colleges in the US, a recent recognition Lensik was proud to point out.
It’s also the main fuel and focus behind the college’s sustainable strategies; over the past three years, it has been undergoing extensive renovations to create energy efficiency on its main campus in Mattoon, Ill. But according to Lensink, the college’s journey to go green started long before that—eight years ago to be exact.
“I was the vice president of academic services at the time, so I was entertaining the idea of sustainability from a curriculum standpoint,” said Lensink. “But my partner in crime Ray Rieck, vice president for business services, saw it as means to reduce our energy costs, especially since our 40-year-old buildings were in need of major renovation. The only problem was everyone kept telling us we wouldn’t see a return on such an investment for 20 years.”
Energy-efficient efforts
Not taking no for an answer, Lensink and Rieck continued to search for an engineering/architecture firm that could help them bring their dreams to go green to a swifter and financially viable reality. After finding a firm out of St. Louis that proposed an energy-efficient system that could produce payback in seven and a half years, the college set its sustainable strategy in motion in 2008.
Three years later, those visions are now coming to fruition. The college has configured several of its campus buildings over to a geothermal heating and cooling system and recently completed drilling its third geothermal well field. In addition, two small wind turbines have been installed (one 750 W and one 10 KW), and Lensink expects to have two 100 KW turbines in operation by November.
Naturally, Lake Land College’s innovative efforts won’t end there. It will continue to convert its facilities to geothermal heating and cooling. The college plans to transition one of its larger classroom buildings to the system next summer, along with incorporating daylight harvesting and other lighting efficiencies. There is also talk about creating a 4,000-square-foot, zero-energy office building on campus, which would operate completely off the grid thanks to wind power and photovoltaic solar generation, said Lensink.
“We know we won’t be able to meet our peak demands and be off the grid at all times, but our hope is to be off the grid campus wide for parts of any given week,” he added. “We expect that our efforts will make us substantially more energy independent and will pay off in the long run.”
Potential payback
Lake Land College seems on track with Lensink’s assertion; the college is expected to save $300,000 in energy costs this year alone. When you break that down into savings for students, it averages out to a three-dollar reduction in tuition per credit hour, according to the college president. And the projects couldn’t have been timed any better.
“Right after we embarked on this process, our electrical provider raised its rates by 40%,” said Lensink. “So we will be seeing a greater return in five and a half years as opposed to seven, and we can keep our tuition and fees low for our students.”
Another sustainable effort that’s going to help the college and students save big is in the technology department. Currently, Lake Land College is in the process of transitioning its traditional 2,000 desktops over to thin client technology. These virtual computers will run on one central operating system, allowing the college to cut its energy consumption by 100 W per computer.
Aside from that advantage, the technology will allow faculty members to access their files and programs remotely, a benefit Lensink hopes to provide to Lake Land College’s students in the near future. “Eventually we want to have the system accessible to students, so they can have access to cutting-edge programs without having to incur the additional expense of purchasing the software,” he said.
Sustainable studies
Lensink admits it’s not always easy being ahead of the innovative curve when taking on such efforts, but he believes the benefits will far outweigh any of the burdens. Lake Land College has already received both regional and national attention and acclaim for it sustainable initiatives, helping it attract more funding streams for its projects and the attention of potential students.
And what about those sustainable courses of study? Well, the college has broken ground in that department, too. Today, it offers a variety of technical certifications and two-year transfer programs that include working with wind, photovoltaic, geothermal, daylight harvesting, and passive solar power.
According to Lensink, developing Lake Land College’s green curriculum was worth the wait since the college can now serve as a working model in support of those studies. As the college continues its energy-efficient efforts, Lensink is looking forward to reaping even more benefits.
“This whole project has created so much enthusiasm and inspiration, it’s been quite remarkable,” he said. “From teachers to students to our local community, there has been a tremendous amount of buy in. It has been a catalyst to change our college for the better. Of course, we are looking forward to the financial payback, but I think the lasting rewards will be even greater.”
