University Water Conservation Program

Loyola University Chicago is a private university founded in 1870. Loyola maintains four campuses internationally, serving 15,902 undergraduate and graduate students and employing more than 4,000 faculty and staff members. Their main residential and undergraduate campus is the Lake Shore Campus, which has a population of 3,000 students. Loyola’s commitment to environmental sustainability is particularly evident on this campus, where four of their five LEED-certified buildings are located along with facilities for aquaponics, biodiesel, and geothermal research. Water for the Lake Shore Campus comes from Lake Michigan. Due to a U.S. Supreme Court decree, the amount of water that can be withdrawn per year from the lake is restricted. The metropolitan population relying on that water has steadily increased over the years, driving water costs up and making the need for water and cost saving measures more apparent. The University evaluated opportunities for water savings on the Lake Shore Campus through a combination of programs including retrofits, behavior change campaigns, and incentive programs.Ope