We’d like to introduce you to our next two Sustainability Champions: Gabriel Ornelas and Mike Peterson! Every two weeks, we will be revealing two more champions, so please visit the page and keep your eyes out in Horizon for the newest pair. Help us give a big thanks to these eco-friendly folks, and let them inspire you to become more sustainable!
Gabriel Ornelas, Ragsdale Center Manager: With so much happening in the Ragsdale Center, it might be easy to let sustainability slip through the cracks. But as the Ragsdale Manager, you make sure that doesn’t happen. The summer conference program uses compostable disposable linens instead of cotton bed sheets, which not only work well for guests but cut down on the hundreds of gallons of water that would be used to launder over 1,000 lbs of traditional linens each summer. You’ve also teamed up with Bon Appetit and Jo’s Coffee to ensure that any possible food leftovers are given to the residents at Casa Marianella, a local housing and resource center with anywhere from 40-60 residents at a time. You arrange to pick up leftovers and deliver them to Casa yourself so that they can incorporate them into their kitchen, which minimizes food waste and maximizes the food resources we have. At home, you compost all food scraps, use four 125 gallon rain barrels, purchase organic food and grass-fed meats whenever possible, and maximize recycling efforts. Keep it up, Gabriel!
Mike Peterson, Associate VP for Facilities: As the Vice President for Facilities, you keep the lights on at St. Edward’s. But perhaps more importantly, you work to make sure those lights are being used as efficiently as possible, helping the university reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You oversaw the implementation of the 2000 performance contract, which included improving building controls, water conservation, lighting upgrades, a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system for the chilled water, and improvements to the central steam system (which has now been replaced by more economical hot water boilers). As a part of this contract, all new campus buildings are specified with more environmentally-friendly systems, from reflective roofing, to occupancy lighting sensors, to low-flow water fixtures. And thanks to your leadership, we have been adding more green buildings on campus as the years go on. A few buildings now have water bottle fillers, and as more buildings receive them, our plastic recycling can be drastically reduced. It’s almost a given that after addressing a problem, you’ll suggest improvements as well. Off-campus, you and your wife recently built a home with many sustainable features, including energy-efficient windows, HVAC with a higher seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER), and reflective roofing. You also have a large garden and are currently in the process of installing two 600 gallon rainwater harvesting tanks. We appreciate and admire your dedication to keeping things flowing as safely and sustainably as possible here and at home, Mike!