1) The document discusses plans for Bobcat Sustainables Co to make Brewster Academy more sustainable by reducing its ecological footprint and energy consumption. 2) It proposes short term solutions like promoting conservation, installing meters to monitor usage, and purchasing local/sustainable goods. Long term it suggests rebuilding older buildings using sustainable materials and installing renewable energy like geothermal wells. 3) The projections estimate the plan could reduce Brewster's energy costs by over $425,000 annually and pay back investments in sustainable upgrades within 6 years, ensuring the longevity and sustainability of the institution.

1. BOBCAT SUSTAINABLES CO
Sustainable Living
Project By:
Kyzer Gardiola
Domingo Perez
Zifeng Zhu
Browning Wipper
MAY 2012

2. 2 Sustainable Future
Introduction
Without a doubt, we live in the most prosperous and
dynamic society that has ever existed in this world.
However, we have also dragged ourselves into a path to
destruction. This society has an ecological footprint, or a
measure of the waste and resources we use, that requires
5 planets1. Problem is, we only have one. Today, there is a
big debate about oil, energy, and the environment. This is
the story of our time and it leaves no one untouched. This is about you and me. We are part of this
world consisting of 8 billion people and rapidly expanding. The main problem is that everyone will need
energy to live but where will this energy come from? What steps can we take to improve our ecological
footprint?
Sustainability
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability is the ability to prolong this world’s existence. It’s the ability to ensure that our future
generations will enjoy the conditions and resources that we have learned to enjoy today.
Energy
What is Energy?
Energy is nothing but the ability to work or ability to cause motion and change.
Energy Basics
Energy that powers our household is measured in Kilowatts hours and is nothing but an amount of
energy (KW) for every hour we use it. The raw energy that it comes from is measured in Btu, which
stands for British thermal unit. It represents the amount of energy that changes 1lb of water from 39°F
to 40°F. A basic unit of conversion between watts and Btu is 1W = 3.414btu.
Why do we need to be aware about Energy?
With the rising demands for energy, us humans need to be more mindful about our energy usage. In
today’s world a regular 60watt light bulb takes 214 Btus to power every hour. Now if you were to keep
1
Statement made by Alex Steffen http://www.ted.com/speakers/alex_steffen.html

3. 3 Sustainable Future
this light bulb on for a full month, you would have used nearly 43,000 Btus. If a gallon of oil, which has
150,000 Btus, were put into the equation, a gallon of oil and 3.5 light bulbs would hypothetically last
you for only a month.
Gallons of Oil
Typical Household Appliances (based on typical use) Energy Usage Used per month
on avg. use
TV (8h/day) 133 watts 0.21 gallon
Computer (24hr/day) 75-100 watts 0.5 gallon
60 watt light bulb (8hr/day) 60 watts 0.1 gallon
Fridge (4hr/day) 725 watts 0.6 gallons
Oil Heater (4hr/day) 23,000 watts 18.4 gallons
Total 24,018 watts 19.81
FACT: Believe it or not, the United States only accounts for 5% of the world’s population but it uses
nearly 20% of the world’s energy resources, similar to china who accounts for 21% of the population.
Where does all this energy comes from?
Many may be unaware of the fact that it takes more than a switch to make a light bulb glow. Energy is
needed to make something work and cause change. In today’s world, there are diverse sources of
energy, each one having a set of pros and cons. More specifically, these sources can be divided into
two categories- Renewable and Non-Renewable.
Most energy that is harvested doesn’t initially take form as usable electricity. They often go through a
mechanical or a chemical process in order to be usable electricity.

4. 4 Sustainable Future
The most typical way that we get energy from is from the combustion of fossil fuels to power big
turbines that transform mechanical energy into usable electricity.
Unfortunately, energy from fossil fuels isn’t
the most sustainable as it falls into the
category of non-renewable resources. Fossil
fuels consist of coal, oil, and natural gas,
which come from the remains of animals and
plants buried deep in the Earth, from several
thousand years ago. The process also
produces green house gases, which are
harmful to our ecosystem and produce a
larger ecological footprint.
Another popular one is the use of plutonium to produce nuclear energy in order to generate
electricity. Even though this does not produce any greenhouse gases, the process involves dangerous
materials that are difficult to dispose of because it can possibly harm the environment and people.
However, there are other “cleaner” ways in which energy is produced. Biomass is a process in which
waste, wood, organic materials, hydrogen, and alcohol fuels are used to generate electricity. Another
popular one is Wind power, which harnesses wind to power turbine, which then produces energy.
There is also Hydropower where the power and weight of strong water currents are used to turn the
turbine to produce electricity. Solar power is another
common source of electricity, which harnesses
sunlight to produce electricity through the use of
photo voltaic cells. Finally, Geothermal energy is
another renewable source of energy where the heat
from deep within the Earth’s core is used to produce
steam, which is then used to propel turbines that
generate usable electricity. Geothermal energy
could also be used solely for heating and cooling
systems of small homes to large buildings.

5. 5 Sustainable Future
FACT: The United States produces about 1.03 billion kW-hr of energy every hour to meet the energy
needs of 300 million people or nearly 150 million homes.
Renewable or
Source of Energy Non- Pros Cons
Renewable
-Abundant -Harmful Emissions (SOx,
-Easily stored and Transported NOx, CO2)
Coal Combustion Non-Renewable
-Proven Reliable -High demand for water
-Low Cost -Ash landfills
-Proven technology
-Huge network of pipelines (easily
transportable) -Public Opposition in urban
Natural Gas Combustion Non-Renewable -Abundant areas
-Uses 1/3 water which coal uses -Non Renewable
-Emits ½ as much CO2
-Clean Fuel
-Expensive Construction
-Low Cost -Nuclear Waste Disposal
Nuclear Fuel Non-Renewable
-No CO2 emissions -Dangerous (Biohazard)
-Huge Public Opposition
-No CO2 -Ecological impacts
Hydro Power (Dams) Renewable -No Fuel Cost -High construction cost
-Never Ending -Limited Resources in rivers
-No fuel cost -Large land needed
-Power produced during peak hours -Produce power less than
Solar Panels Renewable
-No CO2 35% of time
-No storage availability, yet
-Peak power used when not
needed
-No fuel cost
-Large land needs
Wind Power (Turbines) Renewable -No CO2
-Only available less than
40% of the time
-No Storage, yet
-No fuel cost
-Limited availability
-No CO2
Geothermal Renewable -Remote location
-Non Stop Production
-Diminish over time
-Proven
-Public opposition
-Proven -Cheap Landfills
Waste Combustion (Biomass) Renewable
-Make use of waste products -Emissions
-Ash disposal

6. 6 Sustainable Future
A SUSTAINABLE BOBCAT
Our Ecological Footprint
Living in the fast paced life in the Brewster community, many
of us are negligent about our ecological footprint. We have
grown to enjoy consuming the common commodities of life
such as electricity, water, heat, and food, but we constantly
fail to conserve. Even though we do not make up a significant
part of the world’s population, our actions most certainly
have an impact on this planet. After an analysis of our energy
consumption, it is obvious that action towards sustainability is
imperative.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brewster Academy’s population: 450
Average electric use per year: 1,560,000 kWh
Electric costs per kWh: 16¢ usd
Average electric costs per year: $300,000 usd inc. Demand Charge
Average heating use per year: 155,000 gallons
Heating Oil Cost per gallon: $3.55 usd
Average heating yearly costs: $550,000 usd
Average water use per year: 4,734,680 gallons
Water cost per gallon: $3/1000 gallons
Average water yearly costs: $14,204 usd
Average waste production: 1120 tons
Waste management yearly costs: $84,000 usd

7. 7 Sustainable Future
Building A Sustainable Brewster Academy
Having just celebrated our 125th year anniversary of Brewster Academy, we
only owe it to ourselves to ensure the longevity of the future of this
community and academic institution. It is not an easy process but it is surely
possible. We can begin with small changes such as promoting a sustainable
environment and soon progress to the big changes in the future such as
building sustainable facilities, sustainability will be achieved.
Step 1: Small Steps
It is truly impossible to make the transition from the present to a sustainable future if the citizens are
not pro-active about this as well. Before we go ahead and spend our time and efforts building facilities
that will ensure Brewster’s sustainability, it is up to us, its citizens, to live the lives that reflect our
great desires to protect our lone world. These small steps would surely generate a big impact.
One problem that we have noticed is that Brewster Academy promotes little
action towards conserving energy. In none of this school’s policies does it show
our desire to live in an environmentally responsible environment. Because of
this, the citizens of Brewster think that activism about the environment is not
important.
Game Plan
1. We should start off the year with an emphasis on energy
conservation and environmental awareness. This would enable
the citizens to get an initial picture that part of being a bobcat
is being pro-active about making the world a sustainable place.
2. Dedicate an Environmental awareness course into the curriculum, similar to the Environmental
Club. Here, students will not only do work that are beneficial to our planet but would also be
able to influence the entire community as a whole.

8. 8 Sustainable Future
3. Providing systems and services that encourage behavior, innovations, and technology that
reduce our resource consumption.
a. Installation of electric and water usage meters in every dorm. They would also be given
an allocated amount of electricity and water that they could not surpass. If successful, a
reward would be given but if the opposite happens, they would then have to reflect to
see how they could reduce their consumption. This would make the citizens more
proactive about environment and believe that a bobcat truly cares about the planet.
b. Implementation of a water fountain system. This would greatly reduce our consumption
without loosing our ability to enjoy drinking water. To go further a water bottle can be
issued to each student at the beginning of the year which would also get the point
across.
c. Transforming the Microbird buses run on left over vegetable oils from our Brewster
Kitchen.
d. Replacing old appliances with more efficient ones.
e. Having baths and faucets that only work through sensors
4. Purchase goods and services that are ecologically responsible.
a. Purchasing locally
b. Purchasing from farms that produce food through sustainable means
5. Empowering current members of the community to be active stewards for an equitable and
ecologically healthy earth. Done by implementing constant recognition awards for actions that
show environmental awareness, which would then eventually turn these actions into daily habits.
Soon, everyone will reduce, reuse, and recycle.

9. 9 Sustainable Future
Payback
If we ever get to a point where we are able to consume less than 20% of our current energy
consumption, we are able to save 312,000 kW h of electricity, 31,000 gallons of heating oil,
and 234,195 gallons of water, which is nearly $175,000 usd of savings. This money could be
then used for infrastructure improvement that would make our campus more sustainable.
Part 2: A Revolution
In order for Brewster Academy to be sustainable, many of its bigger facilities have to be greatly
changed. As mentioned earlier, one of our bigger problems is our consumption of unsustainable and
non-renewable energy. We must partake in a revolutionary movement towards the implementation of
renewable and clean energy along with eco-friendly infrastructures within our school.
The Plan
Rebuilding of The Older and Inefficient Buildings
Its obvious that many of the buildings that stand within Brewster Academy are old in age and no longer
meet the standards of efficiency needed for a sustainable tomorrow. Luckily, there are new ways and
technologies that can be used to make a home nearly 95% efficient with its electric, heating, and water
use.
Passive Solar Design: A way of designing a home so that its
orientation captures the sun’s heat during the winter times and
deflects it at the summer times. If designed properly, it is in tune with
the nuances of climate and temperature, resulting with fewer
fluctuations in temperature. This would reduce heating costs and
incorporate more natural light into homes.
Cost: $0
Straw bale structure and insulation: Straw is a renewable
resource that could be used to build and insulate homes. It is a dense
material that is able to help maintain the indoor temperature constant.
Not only is it reliable and renewable, but also cheap in comparison to
synthetic foam insulations.
Cost: $2,000 for a home

10. 10 Sustainable Future
Natural Clay Interior Walls: The use of plaster made with ingredients that are less highly processed and less
synthetic than conventional wall coverings. Clay and Lime are the typical mixture used. It is non-toxic, low-impact,
vapor-permeable, and can be quite beautiful. It also helps insulate the home.
Cost: $2000
Rainwater Collecting Systems : NH has an average 40 inches of waterfall each year. By installing a low-cost
Rainwater collection system, we are able to help reduce our dependency on the local water distributor and take
advantage of this free resource. This also promotes self-sufficiency and helps conserve water.
Cost: $900
Centralized Waste Collection Systems: By having our waste sorted out
and centralized, we are able to collect waste efficiently so that they can be
transported to a biomass waste site rather than ending up to the landfills. Right now,
Brewster spends $7,000 usd for waste management. A biomass site asks for a $50
fee for every ton of waste. 2
Cost: $2,300 initially and $500 to transport monthly
Return of Investment: 19 months
A rough estimate of the cost of building a more sustainable dormitory to replace the old buildings to be
built by a company called Build It Green NE 3 would cost roughly $130,000 usd. This particular
number is how much this school could save if it cuts its energy consumption by 20% as speculated on
“Small Steps”. Then, by the implementation of these new efficient buildings, which is typically anywhere
between 30-40% more efficient, we would be able to further reduce our energy consumption, leaving
room for more improvements within the Brewster community.
Cost Analysis:
1 Dormitory: $130,000 usd
Dorms needed: 20
Total Cost: $2,600,000 usd
Efficiency on Energy Consumption: 65% on heating; 20% on electricity; 40% on water
Current Total Brewster’s Energy Consumption Cost: $864,204 usd
After Total Brewster Energy Consumption Cost: $438,704 usd
Return of Investment: 6 years
2
This rough estimate was given by Wheelabrator Concord Inc, a company involved in Biomass Energy
Production - http://www.wheelabratortechnologies.com/
3
A company in New England built by Scott Morgan, a Brewster Academy Alumni -
http://builditgreenne.com/index.html

11. 11 Sustainable Future
Installation of Geothermal Wells for Heating and Cooling
One of the biggest expenditures for Brewster
Academy is our energy consumption for heating.
Today, we are using an out of date boiler system that
is probably less than 65% efficient. To make things
worse, these boilers run on oil, which is a very costly
non-renewable resource. One way to save this problem
is to install a Geothermal heating and cooling
system in the Brewster Community.
A Geothermal heating and cooling system uses the renewable heat resource inside the Earth to
heat or cool our buildings. These systems have a lower operating cost than conventional heating
systems, lower air emissions, and it has higher energy efficiency.
How It Works:
1. Water or a refrigerant moves through a loop of pipes buried within
the Earth’s crust
2. When the weather is cold, the water or refrigerant heats up as it
travels through the buried pipes
3. Once it gets back above the ground, the warmed water or
refrigerant transfers heat into the building.
4. The water or refrigerant cools down after the heat is transferred.
It is pumped back underground where it heats up once more,
starting the process again.
This is a very popular alternative to heating and cooling systems to most homes and buildings. Our
next-door neighbor, Kingswood Regional High School uses Geothermal-heating systems and has over
300 underground wells, generating enough heat to keep their students warm within their newly
expanded buildings. Not only would we be able to reduce our carbon footprint but we’d also be able to
save money as it has a relatively fast and reasonable return of investment rate.
Cost Analysis:
1 Geothermal Well: $8,0001 usd
Number of Geothermal Wells needed for Brewster Academy: 300
Heat Pump System: $3,000 usd
1
This estimate was given by Yeaton Associates Company- http://www.yeatonassociates.com/

12. 12 Sustainable Future
Number of Heat Pumps needed for Brewster: 34
Rough Estimate: $2,500,000 usd
Current Heating Costs for Brewster: $550,000 usd
Geothermal System average yearly operating costs and maintenance: $60,000 usd
Return of Investment: 5 years
Installation of Wind Turbines
If Brewster Academy truly wanted to go above and beyond the road towards sustainability, the
installation of a few windmills on our campus could relieve some of our reliance from the energy grid.
The electricity that Brewster currently uses comes from non-renewable resources 94% of the time.
Wind in NH is often found 27% of the time and is blowing at an average speed of 25.4 miles per hour.
Although this may seem like a relatively small number, it is enough for Wind power to be beneficial for
Brewster Academy and our environment in the long run.
For Brewster Academy, most dorms are used within the
nighttime as students settle in and study throughout
the night. Simultaneously, the wind picks up at night,
which causes the windmill to generate more electricity
to power our electric needs.
The Aeoronautica Norwin 29-225 turbine can generate
up to 1,971,000 kWh of electricity every year.
However, due to limited wind availability in NE, this
number drops to 532,170 kWh (27% wind availability).
Brewster’s current electric use is about 1,560,000 kWh yearly, however, if we cut our consumption by
20%, our electric use would only be 1,248,000 kWh yearly. Now, by implementing 2 wind turbines
within our campus, each generating an average of 532,170 kWh, we are able to cut our energy reliance
on the national grid to 183,660 kWh yearly.
Cost Analysis:
225 kW wind turbine: $425,000 incl. installation
Number of turbines needed: 2
Total Cost: $850,000 usd
Brewster’s current yearly electric usage: 1,560,000 kWh

13. 13 Sustainable Future
Yearly Costs: $300,000 usd
Remaining electric needs on National Grid after installation of Turbine: 183,660 kWh
Speculated Costs: $29,385 (90% less)
Yearly Savings: $170,294 usd
Return of Investment: 5 years