2008 Woodie Awards
Green team plans to track use of utilities
Michelle Dreiling
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: Collegian Front Page
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Have you ever wondered just how much of an impact you have on global warming? How about the entire college? Well that is precisely what the Green Team is trying to figure out.
Richard Cowlishaw, assistant professor of biology, is the Green Team adviser. He has been teaching science for six years. He said the idea for the team came from a conversation with Dick Merriman, president, about the American College and University President's Climate Commitment. In the program, participants track the carbon footprint of each college.
Team members include Paige Gaskill, business senior, Albert Ong, biology freshman, Daniel Joiner, business education senior, and Hayley Vogt, theatre and psychology senior.
Cowlishaw said the Green Team sets Southwestern College apart from other colleges. "It makes Southwestern a greener campus." It will help prepare not only the college, but also for future energy costs. This initiative will save the college money, which can be used to fund academics rather than going to energy costs.
The commitment to this program involves putting together what is called a Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This involves tracking all electricity, gas, and water used from year to year. The team has two years to complete this inventory. It will include the overall energy usage, along with the usage of specific areas on campus. The team will select one year out of the past seven years. This year will serve as a benchmark by which to compare future costs and progress.
Cowlishaw is excited that this new way of looking at energy is involved so closely with education. "It's something that's not really taught in the classroom," he said. The future of energy lies in alternative methods of energy generation. By investigating the college's impact, the team hopes to educate students and prepare them for the future.
The team has many ideas for the future. Right now, they are in the preliminary stages. The college is making minor changes such as replacing energy inefficient light bulbs and making sure automatically-controlled lighting is shutting off at proper times of day. The team hopes to initiate some major changes around campus in the future. Cowlishaw said that it would be exciting to see some additions such as a wind turbine, or other "green" energy sources. However, big projects such as that will require getting other people involved to make these things happen, like alumni and community members.
Gaskill said that she got involved to help make improvements to the school and because it is a great cause. Her favorite part of being involved with this project is improving not only the college, but also the environment. Gaskill said, "Hopefully, research will continue each year and the college will operate as green as possible."
Joiner wanted to be a part of making a difference on campus. "The best way to make our costs lower is to see where exactly the expenses are being made," he said. Southwestern's efforts are part of a bigger picture going on all over the globe to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses. "I think that this campus can save more energy, and then make goals toward a global initiative."
Michelle Dreiling is a junior majoring in communication and computer science You may e-mail her at michelle.dreiling@sckans.edu.
Richard Cowlishaw, assistant professor of biology, is the Green Team adviser. He has been teaching science for six years. He said the idea for the team came from a conversation with Dick Merriman, president, about the American College and University President's Climate Commitment. In the program, participants track the carbon footprint of each college.
Team members include Paige Gaskill, business senior, Albert Ong, biology freshman, Daniel Joiner, business education senior, and Hayley Vogt, theatre and psychology senior.
Cowlishaw said the Green Team sets Southwestern College apart from other colleges. "It makes Southwestern a greener campus." It will help prepare not only the college, but also for future energy costs. This initiative will save the college money, which can be used to fund academics rather than going to energy costs.
The commitment to this program involves putting together what is called a Greenhouse Gas Inventory. This involves tracking all electricity, gas, and water used from year to year. The team has two years to complete this inventory. It will include the overall energy usage, along with the usage of specific areas on campus. The team will select one year out of the past seven years. This year will serve as a benchmark by which to compare future costs and progress.
Cowlishaw is excited that this new way of looking at energy is involved so closely with education. "It's something that's not really taught in the classroom," he said. The future of energy lies in alternative methods of energy generation. By investigating the college's impact, the team hopes to educate students and prepare them for the future.
The team has many ideas for the future. Right now, they are in the preliminary stages. The college is making minor changes such as replacing energy inefficient light bulbs and making sure automatically-controlled lighting is shutting off at proper times of day. The team hopes to initiate some major changes around campus in the future. Cowlishaw said that it would be exciting to see some additions such as a wind turbine, or other "green" energy sources. However, big projects such as that will require getting other people involved to make these things happen, like alumni and community members.
Gaskill said that she got involved to help make improvements to the school and because it is a great cause. Her favorite part of being involved with this project is improving not only the college, but also the environment. Gaskill said, "Hopefully, research will continue each year and the college will operate as green as possible."
Joiner wanted to be a part of making a difference on campus. "The best way to make our costs lower is to see where exactly the expenses are being made," he said. Southwestern's efforts are part of a bigger picture going on all over the globe to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses. "I think that this campus can save more energy, and then make goals toward a global initiative."
Michelle Dreiling is a junior majoring in communication and computer science You may e-mail her at michelle.dreiling@sckans.edu.
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