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Energy challenge part of renewable energy push
March 09, 2007
There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to promote environmental stewardship.
That’s just what the student environmental group, GREAN, is attempting to do with the “All Hall Energy Challenge” that began on March 1. The challenge pits the residence halls against one another to reduce their electricity consumption during the month of March. The winning hall with the greatest percentage reduction will celebrate victory at a pizza and ice cream party.
GREAN teamed with Residential Life and the Residence Hall Association to sponsor the challenge. Energy usage will be recorded twice a week from electricity meters connected to each residence hall. The meter readings will be posted in the residence halls, the UC and on GREAN’s Web site.
“The biggest way most halls can reduce their usage is through basic appliances,” said J.P. Kemmick, president of GREAN. “So many people leave their computers on all night and don’t think twice about it.”
Simple actions, like turning off the lights and computers when not in use will reduce energy, he said. Additionally, halls like Tingelstad and Foss have an advantage because both residence halls use electrical heating, and turning the heat down or off will significantly reduce the hall’s energy usage, Kemmick explained.
At the conclusion of the challenge on March 24, the data will be compared to energy usage numbers recorded last March. GREAN didn’t set a goal percentage of energy reduction to meet, but Kemmick hopes the overall reduction is significant.
“We want people to not be able to say it was a fluke,” he explained. “We want there to be a clear connection between the energy challenge and the reduction in usage.”
In addition to promoting conservation, the challenge will also act as an educational tool, Kemmick said.
“The energy challenge will show how much energy can be saved and make a case for renewable energy,” Kemmick said.
GREAN is currently working to convert PLU to 100 percent renewable energy, which is energy generated from natural sources that cannot be depleted. This includes small-scale hydro, wind and solar power.
The club is writing an initiative to increase tuition by $30 to pay for a renewable energy source in all the residence halls. A tuition increase is being sought because it provides a more permanent source of funding versus compared to other options, which could require approval each year, Kemmick said.
The money will be used to purchase “green tags,” also known as “renewable energy credits.” Green tags are part of a new, emerging market to subsidize producers of pollution-free electricity.
According to Kemmick, renewable energy producers are credited with green tags for the energy they generate. Each green tag is equivalent to a specific amount of wattage.
PLU would purchase green tags to offset the energy used by residence halls. Then the green energy attached to the purchased tags would be fed into the electrical grid. The renewable energy may not be used by PLU, but someone else connected to the grid would use it, Kemmick explained.
“The only way to do anything about global warming is hitting it up like a business,” Kemmick said.
If the initiative is completed by the time the ASPLU senate elections are held this April, students will have the opportunity to vote on it, Kemmick said. If the initiative is approved, GREAN plans to ask the university to match the student contribution.
To better inform students about global warming and renewable energy, GREAN will bring two “Climate Warriors” to campus during the School of Arts and Communication Week during the second week of April. “Climate Warriors” are trained by former Vice President Al Gore to give a presentation about global warming that is similar to his slideshow featured in the film, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“I want (the speakers) here to be experts for the students to ask questions of,” Kemmick said.
To learn more, visit GREAN’s Web site at www.plu.edu/~grean or e-mail the club at grean@plu.edu.
GREAN teamed with Residential Life and the Residence Hall Association to sponsor the challenge. Energy usage will be recorded twice a week from electricity meters connected to each residence hall. The meter readings will be posted in the residence halls, the UC and on GREAN’s Web site.
“The biggest way most halls can reduce their usage is through basic appliances,” said J.P. Kemmick, president of GREAN. “So many people leave their computers on all night and don’t think twice about it.”
Simple actions, like turning off the lights and computers when not in use will reduce energy, he said. Additionally, halls like Tingelstad and Foss have an advantage because both residence halls use electrical heating, and turning the heat down or off will significantly reduce the hall’s energy usage, Kemmick explained.
At the conclusion of the challenge on March 24, the data will be compared to energy usage numbers recorded last March. GREAN didn’t set a goal percentage of energy reduction to meet, but Kemmick hopes the overall reduction is significant.
“We want people to not be able to say it was a fluke,” he explained. “We want there to be a clear connection between the energy challenge and the reduction in usage.”
In addition to promoting conservation, the challenge will also act as an educational tool, Kemmick said.
“The energy challenge will show how much energy can be saved and make a case for renewable energy,” Kemmick said.
GREAN is currently working to convert PLU to 100 percent renewable energy, which is energy generated from natural sources that cannot be depleted. This includes small-scale hydro, wind and solar power.
The club is writing an initiative to increase tuition by $30 to pay for a renewable energy source in all the residence halls. A tuition increase is being sought because it provides a more permanent source of funding versus compared to other options, which could require approval each year, Kemmick said.
The money will be used to purchase “green tags,” also known as “renewable energy credits.” Green tags are part of a new, emerging market to subsidize producers of pollution-free electricity.
According to Kemmick, renewable energy producers are credited with green tags for the energy they generate. Each green tag is equivalent to a specific amount of wattage.
PLU would purchase green tags to offset the energy used by residence halls. Then the green energy attached to the purchased tags would be fed into the electrical grid. The renewable energy may not be used by PLU, but someone else connected to the grid would use it, Kemmick explained.
“The only way to do anything about global warming is hitting it up like a business,” Kemmick said.
If the initiative is completed by the time the ASPLU senate elections are held this April, students will have the opportunity to vote on it, Kemmick said. If the initiative is approved, GREAN plans to ask the university to match the student contribution.
To better inform students about global warming and renewable energy, GREAN will bring two “Climate Warriors” to campus during the School of Arts and Communication Week during the second week of April. “Climate Warriors” are trained by former Vice President Al Gore to give a presentation about global warming that is similar to his slideshow featured in the film, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“I want (the speakers) here to be experts for the students to ask questions of,” Kemmick said.
To learn more, visit GREAN’s Web site at www.plu.edu/~grean or e-mail the club at grean@plu.edu.