Denison University: Green Hill Fund

Author: Shoshana Blank
Published: April 2014

Denison University’s Green Hill Fund began in 2011 and was the product of collaboration among sustainability, facilities, and finance staff. The Fund has leveraged both Denison’s commitment to reduce energy use, and the number of opportunities for efficiency projects on campus, to become a key driver for capital improvement and achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. The Fund has drawn primarily from a project pipeline established by facilities staff through auditing from an outside company and is overseen by the Campus Sustainability Coordinator.

Throughout its design and implementation, the Green Hill Fund has benefitted from the support and encouragement of decision makers at all levels of Denison’s administration. This has allowed the Fund to identify projects, build its operating and accounting structure, and invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a relatively short amount of time. Initial projects focused on lighting, HVAC, and improving metering on campus, and staff are beginning to consider more comprehensive retrofits as well as solar and geothermal for the future. Looking forward, Green Hill Fund managers are focused on improving their ability to measure and track energy usage to calculate savings and also further engaging students to plan and propose projects.