Southeastern Sustainability Center receives Innovation Award
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 
by: Tonya Lowentritt
SOUTHEASTERN’S SUSTAINABILITY CENTER RECOGNIZED - Southeastern Louisiana University’s Sustainability Center has been awarded the Innovation Champion Award by the Louisiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainability Manager Alejandro Martinez, right, and Graduate Assistant Gina Howell accepted the award on behalf of the Southeastern Physical Plant team for its innovative hybrid geothermal residence halls.
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University’s Sustainability Center has been
awarded the Innovation Champion Award by the Louisiana Chapter of U.S. Green Building
Council. The university received the award for its innovative hybrid geothermal residence
halls.
The two new state-of-the-art residence halls, Ascension and Twelve Oaks, are
cooling and heating using energy from the ground.
Sustainability Manager Alejandro Martinez explained that with this type of system,
pumps move heat from the ground to the building when the weather outside is chilly.
When cooling is needed, the process is reversed. The result is a sustainable, environmentally
friendly, and economical solution to heating and cooling. Given the conditions in
Louisiana, he said, geothermal is a highly effective system for the South.
“Over time, it is projected that savings greater than 50 percent will be captured
on energy expenses compared to a traditional method and build,” Martinez said. “Equally
important on a university campus, the system also serves as a learning laboratory
for real-world ready experiences for Southeastern students in various disciplines.”
USGBC is a nonprofit organization that houses Green Business Certification Inc.,
the only group to administer project certifications and professional credentials and
certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System. LEED designation
is the international standard for environmentally sound buildings.
For more information about Southeastern’s Sustainability Center, visit www.southeastern.edu/sustainability.
