Water Initiatives


Ongoing and in-progress initiatives will continue to cut Stanford’s water use, and ultimately, recycled water could become our main source of “new” water. Technical and systems innovations designed to reduce and reuse water include:

  • In early 2009, cooling tower wastewater from a new recycled water–treatment plant at Stanford’s Central Energy Facility began flowing to the new Environment + Energy Building for use in flushing toilets and other nonpotable needs. Upcoming new buildings will also use recycled water.
  • At the Central Energy Facility, one of the largest potable water users on campus, cooling tower water treatment improvements are expected to increase the degree to which we concentrate mineral content through evaporation in the cooling towers, saving 15,000 gallons per day.
  • A new parking lot on the west side of campus will incorporate permeable pavement to reduce runoff. We are installing various designs so we can determine the optimal solution.
  • Stanford is studying recapture of storm runoff to tap that water resource and more closely approximate natural drainage flows.

Encouraging Conservation

Technical fixes can only take us so far. Raising student, staff and faculty residents’ awareness of water conservation needs and methods—and increasing water-efficient habits—is essential: student housing, dining facilities and faculty and staff residences account for nearly 50 percent of water use.

Students have risen to the challenge with the annual Conservation Cup (formerly the Energy Bowl and Water Derby) competition between student residences to see which can cut energy and water use the most, compared with the previous spring. Organized by Student Housing and Students for a Sustainable Stanford, the contest rewards residences with the lowest energy and water use on a per-student basis. Get the latest results at the Conservation Cup website.

In the faculty and staff housing area, the university created the Waterwise Demonstration Garden, with drought-tolerant plants, to illustrate and educate about alternatives to water-intensive landscaping. Outreach initiatives include providing information with water bills and promoting rebate incentives for water-efficient appliances to faculty and staff homeowners.

“If we are to leave our children a better world, we must take steps now to create a sustainable environment. So it is critical that we model sustainable citizenship on our own campus.”
— John Etchemendy
Provost, Stanford University
The Energy Retrofit Program has delivered an estimated cumulative savings of over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993—and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
Stanford is developing global solutions to climate change and putting them into practice on campus.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
Systems retrofits to the most energy-intensive buildings on campus are expected to save $4.2 million a year and cut energy use by 28 percent.
About 40 percent of Stanford Dining produce is organic or regionally grown; some is even grown on campus.
About 60 percent of Stanford’s total contiguous land remains undeveloped.
Recycled paper is less expensive than virgin paper under the campus-wide office supply contract.
From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of Stanford employees driving alone to campus dropped from 72 to 51 percent.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
Stanford completed 50 major water efficiency retrofit projects from 2001 through 2008, pushing down average domestic use from 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) in 2000-01 to less than 2.3 mgd in 2007-08, despite campus growth.
The goal of Sustainable IT is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our IT infrastructure.
The goal of Sustainable IT is to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our IT infrastructure.
Stanford invests IN sustainability through a broad range of initiatives in research, education, efficiency improvement, conservation systems, new technology, student-led projects and more.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.
Systems retrofits to the most energy-intensive buildings on campus are expected to save $4.2 million a year and cut energy use by 28 percent.
About 40 percent of Stanford Dining produce is organic or regionally grown; some is even grown on campus.
From 2002 to 2008, the percentage of Stanford employees driving alone to campus dropped from 72 to 51 percent.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
Stanford diverted 64 percent of its solid waste from landfills in 2008—more than 14,500 tons.
The Energy Retrofit Program has delivered an estimated cumulative savings of over 240 million kilowatt-hours of electricity since it began in 1993—and prevented 72,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.
Stanford completed 50 major water efficiency retrofit projects from 2001 through 2008, pushing down average domestic use from 2.7 million gallons per day (mgd) in 2000-01 to less than 2.3 mgd in 2007-08, despite campus growth.
New buildings must use 30 percent less energy and 25 percent less potable water than similar traditional buildings.

Get details about Stanford’s water conservation efforts at the Water Conservation website.

Download the Water Conservation Program Fact Sheet.