Here's a look at green initiatives under way at four Virginia universities:

Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU has, among other things, pledged to make new buildings more energy efficient. An education building under construction at VCU's Rice Center, a tract along the James River in Charles City County, will include solar panels, geothermal pipes that use underground temperatures to assist in heating or cooling, and a system that collects rain water to flush the toilets.

The green features added about $150,000 to the building's $3.5 million cost. Donated money is paying for the building. Energy savings should recoup that extra spending eventually, said Brian J. Ohlinger, VCU's associate vice president for facilities management.

Also, an upgrade to a VCU steam plant this summer makes it run more efficiently -- burning less natural gas and reducing greenhouse emissions.

University of Richmond

President Edward L. Ayers signed the Presidents Climate Commitment in November.

UR in recent years has begun constructing buildings, and retrofitting older ones, with energy-saving features and other green amenities.

In April, the school provided free GRTC Transit System bus passes to its employees to help them cope with high gas prices and to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. This fall, students can get the passes.

Hybrid vehicles get priority parking spaces at UR, and plug-in spaces have been installed for electric vehicles.

Virginia Tech

President Charles W. Steger did not sign the Presidents Climate Commitment, but in April he directed a campus committee to recommend ways Tech can be more green by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, among other things.

"Virginia Tech will be better served by developing a sustainability plan that is specific to our university community," Steger said.

Other recent developments include the installation of sensors to turn off lights in empty classrooms and the elimination of trays from two dining centers, which discourages food waste and saves energy.

University of Virginia

President John T. Casteen III decided last year not to sign the Presidents Climate Commitment, in part because he thought it would obligate the university to spend public money far in the future without General Assembly authorization.

But U.Va. has worked to reduce energy use, and cut greenhouse gases, in recent years by pledging to make new and old buildings more energy efficient; replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs; buying more food locally; providing bus tickets to faculty, staff and students; and encouraging car-pooling, among other things.

U.Va. has been able to add about 150 students a year and construct several buildings over the past five to eight years without increasing its energy use, said David J. Neuman, U.Va.'s architect.

"We have a flat energy curve now," Neuman said. "The challenge is really going to be to reduce it."

The U.Va. administration plans to propose a 10-year plan in the spring for further cuts in energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions, Neuman said.
Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or rspringston@timesdispatch.com.