Belmont University Conservation Covenant
At Belmont University, we believe taking care of God’s creation is more than a cause. It’s a charge. Which is why we serve as an arboretum to preserve more than 100 species of trees and shrubs, and carefully manage water usage for irrigation. It's why we build and maintain green roofs and construct new buildings to LEED-certified standards. And why we utilize geothermal energy and other innovative systems to heat and cool parts of campus. We think of it as a covenant – the Conservation Covenant – to take good care of that which takes such good care of us.
Sustainable Practices in Existing Buildings
- The removal of plastic water bottles across dining locations on campus
- Free and available BLINK charging stations in parking garages, bike racks across campus and a campus wide car-sharing program to encourage more energy efficient modes of transportation
- A composting system that converts food and cardboard waste into enriched soil additives through large dehydrators, reducing overall waste from food operations by 45 percent
- A geothermal heating and cooling system under the Dining and Academic Complex that uses the Earth’s natural temperature to regulate interior climate
- The recent designation as a Nashville Tree Foundation Arboretum and USA Tree Campus
- University partnership with Metro Transit Authority (MTA) for students, faculty and staff to use public transportation to and from Belmont for free
- Meters installed in all dorms to track electricity usage
- Office of Campus Security recent switch to hybrid cars for officers
- The use of recycled materials construction, wherever possible, and light harvesting technology to allow natural light
- An innovative and interactive irrigation system that collects run-off rainwater in underground tanks and utilizes current weather data to dictate the need for water
- Five educational and sustainable green roofs which provide learning labs for students, while serving the environment through better building insulation
- A partnership with Blessed Earth that includes the hosting of several sustainability events and Conscious College Tour that brought new information and a town hall meeting to campus to engage students in conversation about sustainability and living in an eco-friendly way
- The formation of a new student organization, Slow Food Belmont, to practice and educate on urban gardening
- The Graduation Pledge Alliance (GPA) that invites students to consider the social and environmental consequences of any future employment
- A multi-pronged approach for recycling that includes labeled receptacles for paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum and glass and designated locations for battery disposal, shredded documents and white paper
- Recovery of ground water to be used for irrigation
- Continuous monitoring of energy consumption
Belmont has increased its physical footprint by 27 percent since 2000, but in just the past 3 years, the University has driven down its electrical consumption by the same rate. That represents a savings of over 14 million kilowatt hours of energy a year, or enough electricity to power 1,349 homes and a savings of over 9,800 metric tons of greenhouse gasses.