Although there is no set time frame or deadline to install new toilets, each building — especially higher traffic buildings, such as Berkey Hall — are continuously monitored to see how much water is used at those restroom facilities, she said.

“We’re looking at the campus as a whole in terms of using resources and then identifying what we are leaving behind in terms of waste,” Boomer said. “Our construction standards at MSU would be to use the eight gallon or even the waterless urinal as part of our experimentation program.”

Low-flow toilets have the potential to decrease the cost associated with the consumption of water on campus, said Susan Masten, professor of environmental engineering.

At Bryan Hall, about $1,800 is saved each month because of the low-flow toilets since some Brody Complex renovations were completed in 2009, Masten said.

A 60 to 70 percent reduction in water at Bryan Hall can result in overall larger savings across MSU’s campus, she said.

“I’ve been asked to try to figure out where water is being used across campus as part of an audit,” Masten said. “The goal eventually is to answer how could we conserve water better (and) when does it make sense to install low-flow toilets.”

Electricity usage also is
targeted to be reduced, Boomer said.

A single classroom in one building, for example, can be consolidated into a larger building where multiple classes take place. In turn, staff can flip off the utilities whenever a building is not being used at its capacity, she said.

For English freshman Bridget Waldron, university initiatives to conserve resources are noticeable, but for such efforts to be effective, people need to participate, she said.

“I’ve noticed in the cafeteria the sign that says ‘If you don’t need a tray, don’t grab one’ and I’ve seen a few signs that say ‘Be Spartan Green,’” Waldron said. “I did a lot more to be green before I was here, but it’s hard to be green on a college campus but I do what I can.”

Staff writer Dillon Davis contributed to this report.