The champions — UI recognized for environmental work on campus

One building, in particular, has become well-known around University of Idaho’s campus — the Energy Plant, or steam plant, which sits just alongside Sixth Street, jetting outbursts of steam throughout the day. Now, the steam plant is acknowledged for its pollution prevention efforts.

On Oct. 16, UI received the Pollution Prevention Award from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The winners of this award are known as “Pollution Prevention Champions,” said Pollution Prevention Coordinator at DEQ, Ben Jarvis.

The Pollution Prevention Award is given out yearly to businesses, industries and organizations who go above and beyond the environmental standards set by the DEQ, Jarvis said.

The award is based on an application with self-reported numbers from the applicants, Jarvis said. The university received the award based on work done at the university steam plant.

“The university has reduced its carbon footprint by 400,081 tons a year from the base of 2002,” Jarvis said. “That’s equivalent to 14-15 cars taken off the road.”

Jarvis said the university has improved the boiler by 20-30 percent, made the fuel for the boiler more consistent and resized the fans, meaning they are now the correct size for the boiler. The boiler is now at a 99 percent combustion rate, Jarvis said.

The steam plant has decreased its emissions by 50 percent and these changes have saved the university over $11 million, said Samir Sahat, the UI director of Environmental Health and Safety. The engineers at the steam plant have also found cedar wood chips were the most efficient fuel source for the boiler, which are bought from nearby mills.

“When we get recognized that we are Pollution Prevention Champion, this means this regulatory agency acknowledges that the University of Idaho did the baseline requirements — and went above that,” Sahat said.

However, advancements on the steam plant are not the only environmental improvements UI has been making.

The university has the only emergency hazardous response team on campus and the entire City of Moscow, Sahat said. The Department of Environmental Health and Safety has a standing agreement with the city, meaning if the fire department encounters a spill of any hazardous material, they can call the department and the response team will assist.

Moscow does not have to wait for a team from Spokane or Lewiston and can obtain help fast, Sahat said. The team is on call 24/7.

The university has also urged professors to use green chemistry products, so there are more biodegradable options in the classrooms, Sahat said.

Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected]

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