Spring Break
EDITORIAL: Sustainability and then some
A few green suggestions
Editorial | 9/2/08
Posted online at 12:39 AM EST on 9/2/08
With the creation of the office of sustainability coordinator and the recent distribution of free water bottles, it's clear that energy conservation is a priority for the administration. To maintain the momentum behind this movement, simply limiting the distribution of bottled water on campus should only be the beginning. Here are some additional ideas to save energy on campus.
Turning off the lights: We've noticed that many buildings remain lit even after closing. Usdan Student Center, for example, remains bright even when no students are inside. The Green Room in the Farber Library stays lit after the area closes, and the buildings in Rabb glow fluorescent even when classes are recessed.
A senior Public Safety officer confirmed there is no law requiring public buildings to remain lit for security reasons. The officer said that some of the older buildings on campus do not actually have switches in the common areas. This should not prohibit anyone with access from switching those lights off from the central power circuit when the buildings are closed.
Other areas on campus, such as the bathrooms in the library, have motion-sensor security lights that turn on only when someone moves within the area, he said. This is a good method to use when constructing newer buildings, but turning off the lights in some buildings whenever appropriate would help conserve a lot of energy.
Dining halls: Like many other universities, Brandeis has taken the step of removing trays in the Sherman and Usdan dining halls in order to conserve water that would be used to wash the trays. We applaud this step, but there are other ways to make the dining experience more environmentally friendly.
Students are allowed to use the easily accessible to-go boxes in Usdan even if they are not leaving the premises. Paper cups are readily available, but it's much more difficult to find their more environmentally friendly reusable plastic counterparts. Let's cut down on the paper goods and increase reusable items. Instead of supplying plastic bags in the C-store, reusable Green-bags can be sold for no more than $1. Additionally, if the shortage of metal silverware and surplus of plastic utensils were remedied, the University would be on its way to improving sustainability.
We urge students to support these endeavors by taking to-go boxes only when necessary and carrying tote bags to transport food.
Hybrid vehicles: Last February, the University made plans to acquire two energy-efficient Zipcars that can be rented by students. This is an important first step, and we hope there will eventually be more than two Zipcars for use.
The University could go further and work to eventually replace all public safety vehicles with hybrid models. Columbia University purchased four hybrid vehicles for police and escort services around campus in the summer of 2007. With few other universities actively working toward this goal, Brandeis would be a pioneer in the energy-conservation movement.
The University's actions in the last year indicate that saving energy is a serious endeavor. We support these efforts thus far and anticipate other successful initiatives toward bettering sustainability on campus.
Turning off the lights: We've noticed that many buildings remain lit even after closing. Usdan Student Center, for example, remains bright even when no students are inside. The Green Room in the Farber Library stays lit after the area closes, and the buildings in Rabb glow fluorescent even when classes are recessed.
A senior Public Safety officer confirmed there is no law requiring public buildings to remain lit for security reasons. The officer said that some of the older buildings on campus do not actually have switches in the common areas. This should not prohibit anyone with access from switching those lights off from the central power circuit when the buildings are closed.
Other areas on campus, such as the bathrooms in the library, have motion-sensor security lights that turn on only when someone moves within the area, he said. This is a good method to use when constructing newer buildings, but turning off the lights in some buildings whenever appropriate would help conserve a lot of energy.
Dining halls: Like many other universities, Brandeis has taken the step of removing trays in the Sherman and Usdan dining halls in order to conserve water that would be used to wash the trays. We applaud this step, but there are other ways to make the dining experience more environmentally friendly.
Students are allowed to use the easily accessible to-go boxes in Usdan even if they are not leaving the premises. Paper cups are readily available, but it's much more difficult to find their more environmentally friendly reusable plastic counterparts. Let's cut down on the paper goods and increase reusable items. Instead of supplying plastic bags in the C-store, reusable Green-bags can be sold for no more than $1. Additionally, if the shortage of metal silverware and surplus of plastic utensils were remedied, the University would be on its way to improving sustainability.
We urge students to support these endeavors by taking to-go boxes only when necessary and carrying tote bags to transport food.
Hybrid vehicles: Last February, the University made plans to acquire two energy-efficient Zipcars that can be rented by students. This is an important first step, and we hope there will eventually be more than two Zipcars for use.
The University could go further and work to eventually replace all public safety vehicles with hybrid models. Columbia University purchased four hybrid vehicles for police and escort services around campus in the summer of 2007. With few other universities actively working toward this goal, Brandeis would be a pioneer in the energy-conservation movement.
The University's actions in the last year indicate that saving energy is a serious endeavor. We support these efforts thus far and anticipate other successful initiatives toward bettering sustainability on campus.
Be the first to comment on this story