If this week's ASM referendum passes and the current Union South comes down, a new green union is set to sprout from the rubble.
The Wisconsin Union Facilities Improvement Plan calls for the hypothetical new south union building to follow certain environmentally-friendly guidelines set by Leaders in Engineering Excellence and Diversity. Buildings that gain a certain amount of points by following these guidelines may be certified as green\ by the U.S. Green Building Council.
""It will be the first LEED- rated building on campus, and one of the few LEED-rated green-building student unions in the country,"" Union President Janell Wise said. ""So it's really kind of a groundbreaking thing for us."" To gain points toward becoming green, buildings must work to maximize indoor air quality and to minimize waste production, energy use and water consumption. This is done by building on certain locations, using specific materials and resources and making efficient use of those materials.
According to UW-Madison graduate student and WUFIP Project Assistant Gwen Drury, LEED provides pre-made plans for green buildings that are ""all laid out, so it makes it easy to go through and tick off the things you want to do. It weighs things out so you can make your decisions in a well-educated way.""
UW-Madison buildings have adhered to certain green standards in the past, but the University has never paid to have them certified and nationally recognized as green.
Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier noted that making the new union green will set an example for other unions nationwide, just as Memorial Union did when it was built in 1928. However, he stressed the fact that the new union's first priority should be to focus on bringing all kinds of students from across campus together.
""[The current] Union South does that to some extent, but we really think taking a fresh approach and creating a sustainable, green, environmentally friendly building will really create a people magnet over there,"" Guthier said.
Although green buildings on average cost 5 percent more to construct, Guthier says that if careful planning is used and reputable firms are utilized, costs can be cut to nearly nothing. Green buildings are also designed to save money in the long run.
""The investment you put into it pays back a lot as far as what you save on energy costs, which are obviously increasing every year because of gas prices and things like that,"" Wise said.
\
