OCR Text |
Show I 7 Westminster s energy challenge The college works toward climate neutrality Laurel McLane Staff Writer Save some energy. Save our snow. Between March 22 and April 19, Westminster Colleges Environmental Center The last update lists Carlson as being in the lead for the freshmen halls and Behnnken in the lead for the residence village. Everyone who participates is entered to win raffle prizes, and the hall that saves the most electricity will receive a pool party in the Health, Wellness, and Athletics Center (HWAC). Winning halls and raffle winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 21, at noon on Commons. JThe Energy Challenge put on by the Environmental Center is just one ofthe strategies outlined in the Colleges Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP was developed in. support of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) that was signed by Westminster College president Michael Bassls in April 2007 : The main commitment of the ACUPCC is to work toward carbon neutrality in the colleges operations, said a 2007 press release. According to the ACUPCC, climate neutrality is defined as having no net greenhouse gas (GHG) extending this challenge to all students living on campus. Westminster Colleges Energy Challenge 2010 is a friendly competition between Res Halls to see who can save the most electricity, according to the Environmental Center web site. The Environmental Center web site lists the average amount of electricity that each of the five halls use per week: Hogle uses 3,105 kwh, Carleson uses 7,728 kwh, dwell uses 4,160 kwh, Behnken uses 4,656 kwh, and Stock uses 5,520 kwh. The website also outlines tips for reducing energy use and living a more lifestyle. They include taking the stairs instead of the elevator, turning down the thermostat and unplugging electronics. The energy savings for each hall is updated weekly and can be viewed on the Environmental Centers website at vrurw.ivestmittstercollege.eduenvironmentalcenter. is . eco-consci- is , l $7Si? ir ! Work from home, car pool, takepubll transportation or walk. Run your dishwasher and wash machine when its full. , emissions, to be achieved by eliminating net GHG emissions, or by minimizing GHG emissions as much as possible, and using carbon offsets or other measures to mitigate the remaining emissions. Since the pledge was signed the college has initiated a planning process to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. Some of the other strategies aimed at achieving this goal include improving the efficiency of existing buildings on campus, reducing the percentage of students, faculty and staff commuting alone to campus, and increase the amount of campus electricity generated from renewable . I sources. For more information about the Westminster College Environmental Center, the events they host, and the ACUPCC, visit www.westminstercollege.edu environmenta!center. ' Also, visit www. westm inster environmental. blogspot. com to check out whats on the minds of Westminster students. Q eco-conscio- us i ii7iiyii f k Compost voir gat Jen Use appliances for as long as possible Turn Don t off the car engine. Choose green power like wind energy from your power company. ft t Take f Replace conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. ' ' -- Buy Jj pre-rin- se dishes. water-efficie- nt a five-minu- te home appliances. shower. jE " I Reuse cardboard, egg cartons other common trash items f Shop with reusable bags. f .4 Fix leaky faucets. and Unplug ydiir electronics. ' Pwb S'r Turn down your thermostat. Encourage others, to saye energy. j 1 Courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency Christina Steele Continued from page 3 then she was very much a people person, but was still unsure of what career path to take. It was about this time that Steele began to consider the idea of moving. New York City topped her list of possible places, but things changed when she met her husband. Steeles husband, a lawyer with a love for snow and skiing, convinced her to take a weekend ski trip to Utah- He assured her that if she hated it, she could immediately return to Boston. However, the minute she landed at the Salt Lake International Airport, Steele fell in love with the city and the - surrounding mountains. Following their initial skiing trip, Steele and her husband continued to take trips to Utah with plans of relocating here. When the recruiting job became available at Westminster, Steele applied, thinking it would be a good way to officially make the move. As ri she had previously recruited for Suffolk University, Steele liked the idea of having a job that would allow her to recruit on an international level. After meeting with Joel Bauman, the vice president of enrollment, Steele was completely sold. She accepted the position and moved to Utah four weeks ago, arriving just in time for Admitted Students Day. Steele has been impressed that every student she has met loves and believes in Westminster. Every student I have met so far has ownership of Westminster, said Steele. They universally love it here. As Steele begins and settles into her new position, her goal is to help Westminster achieve its vision of adding more diversity and international representation to campus. She plans to recruit more international students to Westminster and send more Westminster students to study globally through the campus study abroad program. Steele believes one way to attract more students to campus is to market the environment of Westminster. I am impressed by our student and faculty interactions, said Steele. She believes that while international students like to go to. the big schools in New York City and Los Angeles, they often get lost in the mix. Here at Westminster? however, she believes the fact that professors goj out of their way to get to know students and help them succeed will be an attractive selling point for international students choosing Westminster. While Steele settles into her new position, she is looking forward to her future as a member of the Westminster community and helping bring the world to Westminster while introducing Westminster to the world. Correction 2010-20- 1 1 academic year is 158.5 million, not $58,5 billion I jWesrminsrcr Colleges projected spending for the has been preciously reported. The Forum sincerely apologizes for this error and any confusion it may have caused. APRIL 13, 2010 J - jpa -- |