Just under a year ago, Paris hosted COP21, or the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. The product of this conference was the Paris Agreement, which outlines the way countries who sign the agreement need to alter their waste to reduce emissions, prevent pollution and protect the planet for future generations. Last year at BU, I had the privilege of attending a conference between Dean Adil Najam of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and Laurence Tubiana, the French ambassador to COP21. As an international relations major, it was fascinating to see the diplomatic process at work on an issue as important as climate change. What I learned through the conference was that the French are very serious about battling climate change, but I did not truly understand it until I began living here in Grenoble.
To say that Grenoble is a green city would be an understatement, given all of the measures Grenoble has taken or is taking to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Being in the center of the Alps, with a heavy focus on outdoor sports and activities, preservation of the environment is very important to both the citizens and the government. Luckily, BU is right here in the center of the action just by having an office in the district around La Caserne de Bonne, old military barracks on the edge of downtown. In 2001, the city of Grenoble revitalized the district, not only to save the barracks that had fallen into disrepair after the military had vacated them, but also to create a new shopping center focused on the eco-friendliness of the city. The shopping center — housing businesses ranging from the popular French supermarket chain of Monoprix and small independent clothing stores to the fantastic bakery of Paul and my personal favorite store in the world, H&M — is very energy efficient.
First, the buildings do not use air conditioning or heating, but instead use a clever system of insulation and natural airflow to keep the buildings warm in the winter and cool in the summer. This means that no matter what season in which you are shopping, there is no bickering with the temperature. This not only reduces energy consumption, but also takes away the need to burn oil or gas to produce heat, major contributors to global warming.
Second, the buildings are built with an intense rainwater drainage system on the roofs that redistributes water collected during storms to the watering system for the parks in the district, to nearby natural wells and ponds or to storage wells. So, instead of drawing from the city water system to keep the parks green and fresh, the district uses their own collected water.
Finally, the buildings are equipped with solar panels to create electricity for the district, a growing trend here in France. The energy production for the shopping center is listed every day outside on one of the building support beams, and most days, it shows that energy production is more than energy consumed. This excess is stored for future use, sold to nearby green residences in the district or sold back to the city for a small profit. So with all of these eco-friendly tools, La Caserne de Bonne is both green and economical.
The BU building is right in this district and shares many of the traits as La Caserne de Bonne, such as the system of insulation and airflow, water collection and solar panels, but goes even further with more features. All of the lights in the office are run on motion and light sensors, so they automatically adjust based on the needs of the room. If there is no movement, the lights turn off, and even if there is movement but it is adequately sunny, the lights will remain off. Within the main workspace of the office, if movement is concentrated on one side of the room, the lights on the other side of the room dim to save energy. This works cohesively with the window blinds, which automatically open and shut based on the amount of sunlight outside, as well as the temperature inside and outside of the building. Of course, if you have an ardent desire to look outside, you can always open the blinds manually.
If BU Study Abroad can take advantage of this smart building, the rest of BU can surely follow suit with its buildings on the Charles River Campus. The College of Arts and Sciences, as well as several dorms, are in desperate need of upgrades, so BU can take the opportunity to actually pursue its goal of being eco-friendly.
