Energy Efficiency Project Involving Burlington College and the Association of Vermont Independent Colleges (AVIC)

BURLINGTON, Vt., March 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by Burlington College President Jane Sanders:

Today we'll be talking about an energy efficiency project involving six of Vermont's smallest institutions of higher education and the Association of Vermont Independent Colleges. Burlington College is one of those colleges. Congressman Welch has led the effort to initiate this program, with the support of Senator Patrick Leahy.

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to introduce our distinguished congressman. Peter Welch has been an unwavering supporter of higher education in Vermont and a strong leader on energy efficiency and sustainability in many fields. He has secured needed federal funding to improve the energy efficiency of older campus buildings and to explore, design, and implement new technologies in the retrofitting or building of new facilities.

The goals of the Burlington College part of the project are to retrofit existing older buildings on campus to significantly improve energy efficiency, and to carry out a site analysis and design of a new LEED-certified (close to net-zero-energy) building.

We expect to have an overall plan to update heating and cooling systems, replace outdated and inefficient ventilation systems and appliances with high-performance energy-star rated equipment... These improvements will be done on this building, a neighborhood landmark built in 1884, and on residential properties on campus that are used to house students.

Burlington College has always had a community-based mission...we have committed to sustainability as one of our defining characteristics as an educational institution. A greener, more energy efficient environment will enable us to live our mission in a real way. The process of renovating our historic buildings while investigating new green technologies for our future will enable us to serve as a living classroom to students interested in sustainability.

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Source: Burlington College

CONTACT: Maria Delia Zamora-Crosby, Director of Communications of
Burlington College, +1-802-862-9619 ext 350

2008-03-27 18:52:22 0321847 PRNEWSWIRE