THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011
Going "green" pays off!
Hey, guys!
I read a really interesting article written by Amanda Leigh Mascarelli about what college campuses around the country are doing to create a more sustainable environment. About a decade ago, talks of going "green" were just starting to surface, and a lot of people weren't convinced that putting the time, and money, into sustainable buildings was necessary. Now, some college campuses are proving the naysayers wrong.
Mascarelli (2009) says Emory University is a prime example. The school built its first LEED certified building in 2001 and renovated an existing building in 2005. The project cost $95,000, but school workers say the project paid for itself within the first year through reduced energy bills. School officials also encourage incoming freshmen to adopt a sustainable lifestyle by introducing them to it from the minute they walk on campus. At freshmen orientation, freshmen are served food that is locally or sustainably produced. They eat with utensils made from sugar cane and drink out of reusable water bottles. I found this so interesting because the staff at Emory is so dedicated to going green that they have made it a culture at their university. This is something that we can do to help our campaign: start a culture. Let students know how other sustainable-minded schools operate and educate them on the benefits of going green.
Mascarelli (2009) also talked about a revolving $12 million loan fund Harvard University established for sustainable projects. Each project can cost up to $500,000. Officials at Harvard say the work done in a few years has saved them nearly $4 million annually. This is amazing! Yes, going green may cost big bucks at first, but the payoff is tremendous. Mascarelli says the success of Harvard's loan fund has encouraged city leaders to work on establishing a similar fund.
If we can produce the same results by establishing our own green energy fund, this would be a huge milestone for FAMU. This is the type of information we need to tell our peers about.
This was a great article that explained a lot of benefits to going green. I encourage everyone to take a look.
-Demetria Wright
Here's a link to the article:
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1860920651&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1320951137&clientId=20177
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1860920651&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1320951137&clientId=20177
I read a really interesting article written by Amanda Leigh Mascarelli about what college campuses around the country are doing to create a more sustainable environment. About a decade ago, talks of going "green" were just starting to surface, and a lot of people weren't convinced that putting the time, and money, into sustainable buildings was necessary. Now, some college campuses are proving the naysayers wrong.
Mascarelli (2009) says Emory University is a prime example. The school built its first LEED certified building in 2001 and renovated an existing building in 2005. The project cost $95,000, but school workers say the project paid for itself within the first year through reduced energy bills. School officials also encourage incoming freshmen to adopt a sustainable lifestyle by introducing them to it from the minute they walk on campus. At freshmen orientation, freshmen are served food that is locally or sustainably produced. They eat with utensils made from sugar cane and drink out of reusable water bottles. I found this so interesting because the staff at Emory is so dedicated to going green that they have made it a culture at their university. This is something that we can do to help our campaign: start a culture. Let students know how other sustainable-minded schools operate and educate them on the benefits of going green.
Mascarelli (2009) also talked about a revolving $12 million loan fund Harvard University established for sustainable projects. Each project can cost up to $500,000. Officials at Harvard say the work done in a few years has saved them nearly $4 million annually. This is amazing! Yes, going green may cost big bucks at first, but the payoff is tremendous. Mascarelli says the success of Harvard's loan fund has encouraged city leaders to work on establishing a similar fund.
If we can produce the same results by establishing our own green energy fund, this would be a huge milestone for FAMU. This is the type of information we need to tell our peers about.
This was a great article that explained a lot of benefits to going green. I encourage everyone to take a look.
-Demetria Wright
Here's a link to the article:
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1860920651&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1320951137&clientId=20177
Mascarelli, A.. (2009). How green is your campus? Nature, 461(7261), 154-5. Retrieved November 10, 2011, from ProQuest Science Journals. (Document ID: 1860920651). |
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=1&did=1860920651&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1320951137&clientId=20177
