Resource use
Virginia Commonwealth University's utilities – including electricity, natural gas, water, sewage and fuel oil – are purchased and managed centrally by VCU Facilities Management, Engineering and Utilities. In an effort to conserve resources, VCU has implemented a variety of technologies and efforts to reduce natural resource consumption. VCU employees and students are also encouraged to incorporate these sustainable behaviors into their daily activities on campus to help reduce resource consumption.
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Water
Virginia Commonwealth University has instituted a variety of water conservation technologies to reduce water usage on both campuses. It has also implemented efforts to conserve and protect water quality in the local bodies of water such as the James River that ultimately flows into the Chesapeake Bay. Continue reading to learn about some of the water conservation technologies and efforts.
VCU Rice Rivers Center
VCU Rice Rivers Center, Virginia’s first U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified building, features the following water conservation technologies:
- Urinals and water closets that use captured rainwater and grey water
- Dual-flush toilets that use 1.1 gallons per minute (gpm)
- 1.5 gpm shower heads
- 2 gpm kitchen sinks
- On-site wastewater treatment
Eugene P. and Lois E. Trani Center for Life Sciences
At the Trani Center for Life Sciences, bayscape landscaping (i.e., bayscaping), a form of conservation landscaping, benefits wildlife, the James River and, ultimately, the Chesapeake Bay. Bayscaping uses native plants to reduce the quantity of stormwater runoff, filter pollutants and reduce landscape maintenance costs at VCU.
Bayscaping reduces the amount of time needed to care for a landscape since all of the plants are locally adapted. It also reduces the amount of water used for irrigation and the use of chemical fertilizers. By installing bayscapes in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the aim is to improve the water quality of local streams, the James River, the Chesapeake Bay and the habitat that the area provides for its wildlife.