Black Hawk College: State spurs ‘greening’ at campuses

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By Alma Gaul | Monday, March 24, 2008 |

A wind turbine project on the East Campus of Black Hawk College near Kewanee, Ill., “looks very promising,” said John Kidwell, the school’s director of facilities.

To pay for the multimillion-dollar effort, the district expects to receive a $600,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, with the remainder coming from an interest-free bond, he said.

The college’s Moline campus also was studied for a possible turbine, but the wind quality there is not steady enough, he said.

Aside from economics, much of the impetus for “greening” comes from the state of Illinois, he said.

In 2005, Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed the Illinois Green Government Coordinating Council with the goal of incorporating pollution prevention and resource conservation practices into government management and operations.

In 2007, the council drew up an Illinois Sustainable University Compact and invited the state’s colleges and universities to sign on, voluntarily pledging themselves to as many as 12 goals by Dec. 31, 2010.

Black Hawk pledged two goals: to acquire at least 3 percent of its energy from renewable sources and purchase nontoxic cleaning products whenever practical.

Here are some other initiatives:

** Two new Dodge SUVs using E-85 fuel were purchased for the campus police.

** Custodians began a year-long training program in November to help them learn to use new nontoxic, peroxide-based cleaning products that are considered “green” because they have no residual effect on the environment.

** Lights will be upgraded this summer throughout the district’s nearly 20 buildings in Kewanee, Rock Island, Moline and East Moline, a $200,000 project, Kidwell said.

** A bio-based roofing product will be used this summer to repair the roof of Building One on the Moline campus.

** Four restrooms will be renovated this summer on the Moline campus to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and to conserve water with high-efficiency delivery products such as low-flow toilets and faucets.

** In the area of curriculum, the college offers a two-year associate degree and a certificate in sustainable energy, covering wind, hydro and solar power as well as biofuels.