Sustainable Residences

In my previous time lapse video, I showed my view looking out of Alice Cook House.  But as it turns out, there's a lot more to where I live then just the view I have out the window next to my bed.

  

Alice Cook House is a dorm building on West Campus, all the way down the slope.  Unlike Jameson, where I lived last year, it's a really new building, and it isn't riot-proof.  And instead of living in a cramped triple on a lofted bed, this year I live in a double with one of my roommates from last year, and I have a whole half of the room to myself. 

My room is a mess, I know

What's great about living in Alice Cook House is that I get to live with my best friend, and a few more of my best friends from Jameson live right down the hall.  Alice Cook House is where I study, do my homework, hang out with my friends, eat (it has its own dining hall), sleep (way too much, and often times way too late), stay up all night, and do all of the other things I enjoy doing in my home.  

But what's even better, Alice Cook House is, according to Sustainable Campus at Cornell, "the first residence hall in New York State to receive LEED certification by the US.  Green Building Council, and the first achieved by a univeristy.  All future residential construction to take place on Cornell Campus will utilize the same green standards and principles that went into the construction of Alice. H. Cook House."

LEED stands for "Leaderhship in Energy and Environmental Design."  It is a rating system designed by the US Green Building Council to encourage the development of more sustainable buildings.  The ratings include five categories:  Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.  Alice Cook House was tested in these categories and scored high-enough overall to qualify for LEED certificaiton.

In building Alice Cook House, a lot of sustainable practices were used.  These included:

• using recycled steel
• using locally manufactured carpet, tile, and doors
• using Green Housekeeping practices
• using natural light rather than artificial to save on energy where possible
• using native plants in landscaping
• planting green roofs to provide insulation and reduce water run-off
• and in demolishing the old dormitory, diverting 50% of the waste from the landfill.

Although I have lived here for almost two semesters, it wasn't brought to my attention until I started researching that Alice Cook House is a the most "green" residence hall on campus.  It's great that Cornell is concerned with the environmental and ecological impacts we have on the world around us, and takes the appropriate measures for combating these impacts.  Alice Cook House for the win!