2008 Woodie Awards
WU leaders push to 'green' campus
Environmental concerns are the top issue at the Sept. 18 Delegates' Agenda
By: Amber Russell
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: News
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University officials are taking a look at how the school can help reduce some of the world's environmental pollution and waste. This issue was the first item on the Sept. 18 Delegates' Agenda, where student representatives from various organizations presented the issues they feel are most important at Webster to President Richard Meyers and his administrators.
Meyers appointed a committee, known as the Green Campus Committee, to consider the best courses of action to take to efficiently help the environment.
Deborah Dey, vice president of Student Affairs, is chairwoman of the committee. The committee includes John Ginsburg, director of the University Center and Student Activities; Lori Diefenbacher, an adjunct professor and coordinator of Experiential Learning; Don Conway-Long, an associate professor; Dan Hitchell, associate vice president for Resource Planning and Budget; and Josh King, at-large senator for the Student Government Association and a senior arts and sciences major.
Dey said the committee's first order of business is finding an engineer to assess what needs to be done in certain areas. The university will be seeking audits in the following areas: energy and utilities, solid waste management, landscaping and grounds, printing services, dining services, transportation and parking, student activism and Webster's curriculum relating to environmental education.
"The audit provides the baseline and then we know where to go from there," Dey said. "We will try to continually move forward with our efforts."
Energy conservation has been a main focus on campus for quite some time, but it will be an area focused on for improvement as well. The campus has converted many cooling loads to a central area through a main chilling loop by using newer equipment, which saves 15 to 20 percent more energy than older equipment. Windows have been sealed to conserve energy during summer and winter months. The university has replaced incandescent bulbs whenever possible with fluorescent lighting, saving both energy and labor. Dey said conserving energy and utilities is the most difficult task, but it is also the most effective.
Meyers appointed a committee, known as the Green Campus Committee, to consider the best courses of action to take to efficiently help the environment.
Deborah Dey, vice president of Student Affairs, is chairwoman of the committee. The committee includes John Ginsburg, director of the University Center and Student Activities; Lori Diefenbacher, an adjunct professor and coordinator of Experiential Learning; Don Conway-Long, an associate professor; Dan Hitchell, associate vice president for Resource Planning and Budget; and Josh King, at-large senator for the Student Government Association and a senior arts and sciences major.
Dey said the committee's first order of business is finding an engineer to assess what needs to be done in certain areas. The university will be seeking audits in the following areas: energy and utilities, solid waste management, landscaping and grounds, printing services, dining services, transportation and parking, student activism and Webster's curriculum relating to environmental education.
"The audit provides the baseline and then we know where to go from there," Dey said. "We will try to continually move forward with our efforts."
Energy conservation has been a main focus on campus for quite some time, but it will be an area focused on for improvement as well. The campus has converted many cooling loads to a central area through a main chilling loop by using newer equipment, which saves 15 to 20 percent more energy than older equipment. Windows have been sealed to conserve energy during summer and winter months. The university has replaced incandescent bulbs whenever possible with fluorescent lighting, saving both energy and labor. Dey said conserving energy and utilities is the most difficult task, but it is also the most effective.
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