Campus Green Bathrooms Project

Sustainable Toiletrooms

In 2005 the Facilities Department remodeled six of the most heavily used toilet rooms on the UMass Dartmouth campus. The re-design of the outdated rooms was based on sustainability, functionality, economics, and community preferences. The new toilet rooms (located in the Ground Floor of the Auditorium Building, the First Floor of the Library, and the First Floor of the Campus Center) are simple and elegant and promise to remain sturdy and attractive for years to come.

Positive community feedback has encouraged us to continue to upgrade more of our toilet rooms to this standard and next year we are planning to similarly renovate the First Floor Toilet Rooms in the Liberal Arts Building (Group I) and the Engineering and Science Building (Group II). The sustainable rooms contain energy-saving appliances, recycled materials, and antimicrobial flooring, low-flow sinks and toilets. We are thus minimizing the use of energy and water and natural resources while maximizing non-toxicity and cleanliness and maintainability.

Energy Savings

The lights are motion detector activated with parabolic shields that increase radiance. They use less energy than fluorescent bulbs and, because they operate only when someone is in the room, there is a significant energy savings.

Touchless electric hand dryers reduce papertowel purchases, which saves trees and sends less waste to the landfill. Although the dryers do use electricity, this Xlerator model has an infrared sensor, which turns the unit off after 35 seconds. These dryers use 80 percent less energy than a typical hand dryer.

Recycled Materials

The partitions and wall coverings are made from recycled plastics. They are homogeneous, easily cleaned, and do not "off-gas" volatile organic compounds when cleaned. Model: Corian

Antimicrobial Flooring

The floors are made of epoxy with an antimicrobial component integrated within. Though epoxy is not environmentally friendly, the major use of toxic chemicals on campus is cleaning products. The antimicrobial feature combined with the floors' solid surface (they are poured in place so there are no cracks to harbor bacteria or clean) mitigate the use of harsh chemicals. They are also versatile, slip resistant, abrasion resistant, and UV stable.

Waterless Urinals

Approved by the Massachusetts Commonwealth, these Sloan Waterfree Model 1000 and Waterless brand urinals require no flush water. This is an estimated savings of 11,000 gallons per year per fixture, assuming 30 flushes per day, which is a very conservative use-estimate for UMD. A deodorizing disinfectant in the drain line is changed every 30 days; otherwise, the urinals are cleaned twice daily like normal.

Low-Flow Toilets and Faucets

The toilets and faucets are low-flow, motion-activated, and touchless. The toilets use 1.5 gallons of water per flush versus the average 3.5 gallons per flush with traditional low-water models. Model TOTO CT 708 with flushometer sensor.

For more information contact Lee Nason at lnason@umassd.edu