Colorado State University Facilities Engineer to be Honored with Individual Achievement Award at Renewable Energy Conference

Note to Reporters: A photo of Carol Dollard is available with the news release at http://news.colostate.edu.

The Northern Colorado Renewable Energy Society today will honor Carol Dollard – Colorado State University lead engineer on such projects as the university’s 5.3-megawatt solar plant – with the 2011 Individual Achievement Award.

Dollard will receive the award tonight as part of the annual Colorado Renewable Energy Society conference through Saturday at the Fort Collins Marriott.

“Carol has worked hard to implement the university’s strategic plan to include energy-efficient, cost-saving measures in our facilities as our budget allows,” said Amy Parsons, vice president for Operations who oversees the Department of Facilities Management. “She is a tireless advocate of clean and renewable energy alternatives and is well deserving of this honor.”

Dollard is often the university’s go-to expert on energy-saving techniques. Since 2008, she has led the university’s participation in the American College & University President’s Climate Commitment, which requires universities to measure greenhouse gas emissions. The inventory also helps members of the university community understand their impact on the environment, Dollard has said.

She also oversaw the construction of two phases of the 5.3-megawatt solar plant, which is one of the largest at a U.S. university. The project helps the state meet goals for renewable energy while keeping the university’s utility rates stable and affordable during the next 20 years.

Other major green initiatives at Colorado State:

Biomass: A biomass boiler that burns wood chips rather than rely solely on natural gas to provide hot water for the Judson M. Harper Research Complex.

Composting: Housing and Dining Services this spring debuted the university’s first commercial-sized composting project on the Foothills Campus. The Earth Flow composter can accept up to 2,000 pounds of material per day, largely a mix of pulp from the Ram’s Horn and Braiden dining centers and organic materials from the Foothills Campus.

Recycling: Colorado State consistently places in the top 25 in RecycleMania’s Grand Champion competition with a cumulative recycling rate of more than 52 percent of the total waste generated on campus. RecycleMania is a 10-week recycling competition between about 600 colleges and universities across the nation.

Water conservation: The university has practiced water conservation across campus for decades. More recently, researchers with the Civil and Environmental Engineering department are working with 14 rooms in Aspen Hall, a student residence unit, as a test site for graywater research. Water from sinks and showers in the test rooms is collected in the basement, treated/purified, and then used for sub-surface irrigation.

These efforts have helped the university earn kudos from The Princeton Review as one of the top green colleges in the nation for two years in a row. This year, Colorado State had the highest green score among all Colorado universities in Princeton Review’s “Guide to 311 Green Colleges.”

About Carol Dollard

Dollard obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Colorado State and has worked for the university as utility engineer since 1999. Since 2003, she has worked as an adjunct professor in the Department of Construction Management, teaching mechanical and electrical systems as well as a portion of the Green Building Certificate Program related to HVAC, plumbing and solar applications.

Prior to joining the university, she worked for the City of Fort Collins Utilities and the City of Longmont Electric Department as an energy services engineer.

Dollard is a registered professional engineer in Colorado and a LEED accredited professional. She is a committee chair with the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers and a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, the American and International Solar Energy Societies, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers.

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