Smart lighting choices and a solar panel provided by Seattle City Light are among the reasons the U.S. Green Building Council gave a silver LEED rating to the UW Botanic Gardens' Merrill Hall, site of today's announcement by Seattle City Light that the university is Seattle's largest Green Up partner.

The announcement that the university will be powered with 100 percent renewable energy was made by Mayor Greg Nickels, University of Washington President Mark Emmert and City Light Superintendent Jorge Carrasco.

It was appropriate that they were standing in the lobby of the first building on the Seattle campus to earn a LEED, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, rating. The silver is the third highest given by the council, the nation's leader in certification of sustainable buildings. Other steps to conserve electricity in the building include offices with sensors that turn off lights when no one is present and that dim the lights according to how much sunlight is coming through the windows.

Partnering with Seattle City Light through its Energy Smart Services Rebate and Green Power programs, the UW saved energy and in effect turned the electric meter backwards, reducing its operating expenses and saving the citizens of Washington money, according to Norm Menter, project manager from UW Capital Projects, and Sue Nicol, who represented UW faculty, staff and students during design and construction.

Features other than saving energy also earn LEED points and included waterless urinals and low-flush toilets, which reduce water use 35 percent, and recycled and renewable materials such as bamboo flooring and strawboard cabinets.

One catalyst for replacing the fire-damaged Merrill Hall with a sustainable building came from students in urban horticulture, architecture and other disciplines who sought grassroot support, endorsement from undergraduate and professional student groups and urged university administrators to give Merrill a chance to go green, according to Tom Hinckley, professor of forest resources and -- at that time -- director of the Center for Urban Horticulture.

For example, Noelle Studer, then a graduate student in urban forestry and public affairs, wrote a white paper on campus sustainability and sought the support of the board of regents, Hinckley said.

At the same time the College of Forest Resources, of which the UW Botanic Gardens is a part, began embracing sustainability as a guiding principle for its programs.

Donations, not tax money, made the sustainable features possible. Key donations were those from the Bullitt Foundation, Peach Foundation, Seattle Garden Club and Patsy Collins. In addition numerous individuals -- including faculty, staff and students -- contributed.

Achieving the silver LEED certificate involved the commitment of people such as Craig Curtis and Norm Strong, with the architectural firm of Miller/Hull Partnership of Seattle, and Bill Satterthwaite, with CDK Construction Services of Duval. Elizabeth Powers and Jane Simmons, from O'Brian and Co. of Bainbridge Island, compiled the LEED documentation required by the U.S. Green Building Council.

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