UNC's RESPC makes the news!

A recent online news blog entitled "GREEN FEES: College Students Demand To Pay Their Own Way To Renewables" has a list of universities with on & off campus green energy student fees. No surprise that UNC was included on that list! Here is the complete list, courtesy of Dave Burdick at The Huffington Post:

ON-CAMPUS AND OFF-CAMPUS PROJECTS
The Evergreen State College
Middle Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Auraria Campuses: University of Colorado at Denver, Metro State University and Community College of Denver
University of Oregon
University of Wisconsin, La Crosse

ON-CAMPUS PROJECTS ONLY
The College Of William and Mary
Northeastern Illinois University
Northland College
Appalachian State University
Bemidji State University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

Read the complete news blog here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/12/green-fees-college-studen_n_201978.html

Read more about UNC's green energy student fee here:
http://respc.unc.edu/

Energy’s challenges are UNC’s future gain

"I knew UNC had a pretty forward-looking energy policy, but until I started writing this column, I didn’t realize how much green work was going on right in our backyard.

"UNC has a bright green future if we seize the moment.You might not realize that climate control in all the buildings on campus is done by steam and cold water. The steam is waste from coal and natural gas power plants nearby; the cold water is chilled at a handful of facilities around campus.

"There are great benefits to this type of 'district' system. It aggregates the cost of many users, so small boosts in efficiency have a big impact. In the past year, the chilled water operation alone has improved its efficiency by 4 percent and is saving UNC $300,000 annually.

In case you missed this opion piece in the Daily Tar Heel, I recommend giving it a quick read at:
http://www.dailytarheel.com/opinion/energy_s_challenges_are_unc_s_future_gain-1.1568106

The column correctly recognizes that increasing the use of renewable energy on campus as the ultimate way to tranform our campus's energy and ecological footprint. However, this for now this would only offer a partial solution. While the university does operate an award-winning cogeneration facility, this "on campus" energy production only represents a fraction of UNC's daily energy needs. Much of UNC's energy is actually purchased from utilities such as Duke Power.

However, the recommendation that would have the most substantial and immediate impact is a "collaboration between the supply and demand sides." Fortunately, the new Energy Management team in Facilities Services is working on just that! If you are interested in how the Energy Services and Energy Management are working together to optimize UNC's energy usage, check out the university's annual Strategic Energy and Water Plan. It includes overviews on departmental intiatives AND lists of specific efficency with their cost and savings. It's online at;
http://sustainability.unc.edu/Portals/0/Documents/State_Energy_Plan_07-08.pdf

Students renew green energy fee!!!

Carolina students have, once again, voted overwhelmingly to support clean, green energy at UNC!!

After the votes were tallied last night, it was revealed that 83% of student votes approved the renewal and expansion of the existing $4/semester renewable energy student fee. This fee generates approximately $200,000 dollars per year that is used to directly fund various "green energy" projects on campus. Thus far, the green energy fee has funded:

• 172 solar thermal panels on top of Morrison Residence Hall
• Conversion of P2P's to 20% biodiesel
• 30 Geothermal Wells at the NC Botanical Gardens Visitor Education Center

With the expansion of this fee's charter now approved by students, funds can now also be used to fund energy efficiency projects that will have an immediate and lasting impact on campus. This is especially good news given the current state budget shortfalls. This ensures that Carolina will be able to afford the kinds of energy projects that will decrease both our ecological footprint AND our long-term energy costs!

This is just another great example of UNC students taking the lead towards a cleaner, greener future for the University, the State, and our our world as a whole! Kudos, Tar Heels!

You can check the headline in today's Daily Tar Heel online at:

http://issuu.com/dailytarheel/docs/021109?zoomed=true&zoomPercent=85.69495198367761&zoomXPos=0.5221072436500471&zoomYPos=0.19463087248322147

You can learn more about the renewable energy fee and RESPC by visiting http://respc.unc.edu/ or checing out this video.

TODAY: students vote on renewable energy fee

7:00 AM - 10:00 PM TODAY ONLY

STUDENTS: You may vote online or in person.

• Vote online by logging in at studentcentral.unc.edu with your onyen and password. Click the “Vote in student elections” button on the left side of the website.
• Vote in person at the staffed booths near the Pit or in Rams Head Plaza.

In addition to the Student Government elections, you will also be voting on renewal of the $4/semester Renewable Energy Fee. Here is the wording on the ballot:

“Do you support further initiatives by the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee and the University to maintain UNC’s position as an innovative leader in sustainability and carbon emission reduction? A vote of yes will approve the renewal of the Renewable Energy fee that will fund renewable energy (such as solar, biodiesel, and geothermal) and energy efficiency projects in situations directly affecting students. The fee, if approved, will be paid by undergraduate and graduate students.”

To learn more about the Renewable Energy Fee, check out this video OR visit the RESPC website at:
http://respc.unc.edu/referendum2009.html

Now go vote!!

UNC investing millions in landfill gas project

UNC, as a signatory of the ACUPCC, has pledged to work towards becoming climate neutral. Currently much of the university's energy comes from coal burning plants, so an important step towards neutralize greenhouse gas emissions is investing in alternative energy sources.

TO this end, UNC and Orange County have agreed to a $5.5 million project (funded by UNC) to capture and process landfill gas for energy. If you haven't read the news yet, I highly recommend you check out today's edition of the Daily Tar Heel. It's story, County, UNC finalize landfill gas agreement, broke the news on campus and has most of the details. You can read it online at:
http://www.dailytarheel.com/news/city/county%252C_unc_nalize_land_ll_gas_agreement-1.1352989

-Brian Cain, Research & Outreach Manager, UNC Sustainability Office

Spring is here!

Welcome back, Tar Heels! The start of a new semester is always a little chaotic, so here are a few quick bites to enjoy:

• Want to help the search for better solar cell materials? Harvard’s Clean Energy project will put your idle computer to work helping to process data on organic photovoltaics, fuel cells, and more. Just download the software at http://cleanenergy.harvard.edu


• Thursday, February 5th is the National Teach-In on climate change (formally known as Focus the Nation). What is your class, residence hall, or student group doing? Get ideas at http://www.nationalteachin.org AND put your activity on UNC’s sustainability calendar by emailing brian.cain[at]fac.unc.edu.


• As if UFOs, swarms of locus, and tornados weren’t enough to contend with, global warming has now hit SimCity! According to the press release, “Electronic Arts and BP have collaborated to include climate change education within SimCity Societies, the next iteration in the genre-defining city-building franchise that has sold more than 18 million games to date.” Read more at http://kotaku.com/gaming/environment/ea--bp-add-global-warming-threat-to-simcity-309156.php


• $3.50. That’s how much it costs to own your own reusable take-out container at Rams Head and Top of Lenoir. So next time you have to eat on the run, skip the Styrofoam and use your spiffy translucent reusable container! All the cool kids are doing it. You know you want to.


• Facebook – we’ve got it! Do you? Search “UNC Sustainability Office” to proudly show your support for the cause!

-Brian Cain, Research & Outreach Manager, UNC Sustainability Office