APPA Library

"Truly Green: A Look at the Advantages of Maintaining Historic Campus Buildings"
Author: Brown, Julie Paul,Hillman, Luce R.,
Published In: Facilities Manager
Date: November/December 2010

Most colleges and universities have taken great strides in recent years to embrace "being green." As part of this process, many institutions have established an Office of Sustainability or similar department to implement these practices and foster the image of environmental consciousness that the universities want to project. Institutions are realizing that being green is not only better for the environment, but it makes fiscal sense as well. The idea of "green building" is not a new concept, having taken root in the 1970s, but in the last few years, it has finally become what its early promoters have longed for: accepted. No longer does the argument need to be made as everywhere one looks, buildings, cleaning supplies, shoes, appliances, etc., are being marketed as green. This flooding of the market tends to water down what really constitutes being green, and the general inclination tends to be that all things green must therefore be new. The problem with that is people lose sight of what is right in front of them: historic buildings are green by their very nature. In this article, the authors discuss how historic buildings contribute value to campuses and explore the advantages of maintaining historic campus buildings.

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