As a student on campus, I try to be continuously aware of the different measures that the campus and the community as a whole have taken to reduce the overall ecological footprint of the campus. While I understand that implementing a campus-wide change may be a daunting task, there are a number of small, relatively easy changes that can be made to campus policy to reduce the overall ecological footprint of the college community. This will reduce costs to the school in the long run, and also provide students with the skill set necessary to reducing their ecological footprint in their own lives. The purpose of this project is to reduce the overall ecological footprint of the college community. This will, in turn, increase energy efficiency.
Current Situation
Currently, there are a number of things that can be changed to alter the way that the college administration runs the school. These changes will seriously reduce the waste and the overall costs to the school in the long run. Because they do require incurring some costs at the beginning of the program, a scaled approach to changes can easily be made.
Perhaps the most important change that can and should be made is the switch from halogen bulbs to low-energy use LED bulbs. Many states are phasing out the use of high-energy halogen bulbs; the change may be required within the next decade.
In addition to the changes that can be made in light bulbs, changes can be made to bathrooms around the campus to make them more economical and energy efficient. The current bathrooms on campus use paper towels and high-flow toilets, but other options exist for the college if the college is interested in reducing costs and changing things for the future. Finally, changes can be made to the dining areas of campus to reduce waste and increase the campus-wide participation in the school’s recycling program (Hobson).
Benefits of a New Approach
Each year, the school spends an unnecessary amount of money on waste and wasteful activities, because the school’s amenities have not been upgraded to reflect new technologies and opportunities that have arisen. By implementing a new approach to the campus-wide policies on environmentalism and care for the environment, the college can save money over the long run, easily offsetting the costs that must be forfeited by switching out old technologies for new technologies. When considering the fact that halogen light bulbs may be completely phased out in the next decade, for instance, it makes perfect sense to consider phasing out halogen light bulbs in the school in favor of the newer, more energy-efficient LED light bulbs (Hobson). LED light bulbs have a higher starting cost, but a long-term implementation of the policy will offset the costs and save the school money in energy expenditures.
In addition, changing and upgrading bathrooms can appear daunting, but in a college campus, there are always problems with the amenities. Again, if the school chooses more energy-efficient options as changes must be made, rather than changing all the amenities at once, the changes will have relatively little financial impact on the school
Primary Implementation
Small changes to the efficiency policies at the school can be made relatively quickly and at little cost. However, larger projects must be done incrementally, rather than all at once, to keep costs low for the school. As development on the campus is completed, choices should be made by the administration that encourages the use of energy-efficient appliances and building techniques. Although there may be higher initial costs, the long term energy-efficiency of purchasing and utilizing these appliances will easily offset the cost to install them (Hobson).
Solar power and other forms of alternative energy are sometimes utilized by institutions of higher learning, as there are many governmental grants and loans that can be provided to these institutions when they wish to implement energy-efficient policies. Changing appliances and utilities to low-flow and energy efficient utilities and appliances can also reduce the overall, long-term amount that the school pays in taxes, as providing an energy-efficient environment and environmentally-friendly space is increasingly important.
Future Developments
Although the program for energy efficiency may begin with the switch from halogen lights to LED bulbs, the program cannot stop there. The ecological footprint of many institutions of higher learning-- ours included-- is far too large, and must be reduced. There are ways to implement a program that encourages community participation in energy-efficient policies and programs, but the school must engage wholeheartedly with the effort first. Making it easier for students to be energy-conscious than for them to be inefficient is one of the primary ways to change behavior in students. In the future, the school should implement a number of programs that reduce the ecological impact of the community on the environment, including a more robust recycling program, and even a program that encompasses alternate forms of energy, such as solar, wind, or hydro-energy.
Works cited
Erskine, John M. "Sustainability measures for natural resources." Indiana Univ., (1997): Online.
Hobson, Kersty. "Bins, bulbs, and shower timers: on the ‘techno-ethics’ of sustainable living." Ethics Place and Environment, 9. 3 (2006): 317--336. Online.
Midilli, Adnan, Ibrahim Dincer and Murat Ay. "Green energy strategies for sustainable development."Energy Policy, 34. 18 (2006): 3623--3633. Online.
