Building a Green Dorm: How Colleges and Universities Across America have Embraced Sustainable Communal Living

Abstract

Building a dorm is hard work. Building a green, sustainable dorm is doubly so. With their extensive lighting, appliances, heating and cooling needs, fans, and laundry machines, traditional college residence halls are notorious for their large energy footprints. Particularly for colleges such as Gettysburg where dorm living is mandatory for some or all four years, the environmental impact of residence halls is particularly large. As leaders with long histories of inspiring change, colleges and universities in the United States have an obligation to promote sustainable practices. Gettysburg College has announced that in the next few years, it is planning to build a new freshman dorm. Looking towards the example of other institutions that have already started down the path towards sustainable living, such as Pitzer College, Vanderbilt, Rice University, and the College of the Atlantic, will best help Gettysburg create its own environmentally friendly residence hall