More than ever, the go-green movement is going to college.
It’s flourishing in Missouri, Kansas and across the country as universities and colleges explore new ways to save energy and preserve the environment, while satisfying students’ social consciences.
“I really think that we are in the early stages of a fundamental change in our society,” said Tom Kimmerer, executive director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
About 18 months ago, the Kentucky-based organization started promoting greening in higher education. It now has 300 members.
“I think the patterns of consumption are beginning to change and that it is up to colleges and universities to lead this change,” Kimmerer said.
Although the schools are shelling out millions to become greener, they expect ultimately to save money, particularly on energy costs.
“It costs more to build green to begin with, but if it’s done right it costs less to operate in the long term,” said Bob Simmons, director of facilities at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Changing campus culture, from choosing greener cleaning chemicals to building environmentally friendly buildings, is an arduous process, said Bob Berkebile, a Kansas City founder of the U.S. Green Building Council.
But as more schools join the movement, it is becoming easier to get campus decision-makers to think green, Kimmerer and Berkebile said.
In June, 300 university presidents signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment to join the fight against global warming emissions. Three Kansas and Missouri schools — Kansas Wesleyan, Drury University and Park University — were among those signing.
Joining the pact “epitomizes Park University’s dedication to prepare our students to become global citizens,” said Beverley Byers-Pevitts, Park University’s president.
Ways to go green
How does a school go green?
Some schools are installing energy-efficient bulbs, as well as lights that automatically turn on or off based on the presence of CO{-2}. They are lending bicycles to students and faculty, and adding hybrid vehicles to their fleets.
They’re reusing water, starting campuswide recycling programs and stocking cafeteria shelves with locally grown food. They’re fueling campus power plants with grass, corncobs and wood chips; and constructing buildings using wood from forests that regenerate quickly.
Admissions officials report that more students are considering whether a college is committed to sustainability when choosing a school, Kimmerer said. When a college’s environmental commitment determines where families spend their money, “then that impacts the institution’s bottom line,” he said.
Students at 120 U.S. universities have voted to increase student fees so their schools can buy solar or wind power or convert to biofuels.
University of Kansas students this year approved a referendum that puts $1.50 of each student’s fees into a renewable energy and sustainability fund. The money will be used to ensure that the campus is using renewable energy sources for 20 percent of its needs by the year 2020.
The fund is expected to generate $70,000 a year to make campus buildings more environmentally friendly. The levy will help the university switch to solar, wind, geothermal and biofuel energy.
University of Missouri-Kansas City students in April rejected a proposal to raise student fees to build an environmentally friendly student union. But administrators said they would encourage student leaders to put the referendum to another vote in the coming school year.
“Another reason universities gravitate to green is because of our role of teaching students how we should live, respect of others and respect for the environment,” Simmons said.
Then there’s the money.
“If we can reduce costs, it is good for the university and it helps to keep tuition lower,” said Paul Hoemann, director of energy management at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Paying for going green
Although going green can require a sizable investment, many schools are finding ways to pay the bill.
This summer, Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., will erect a 65-kilowatt, 125-foot-tall wind turbine on campus, using state and federal money. The college expects to save as much as $1,000 a month in electricity.
The turbine will be one of the largest in Missouri, said Judy Walton, director of strategic initiatives with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
Three years ago, Kansas State University completed a $19 million energy-saving overhaul on its Manhattan and Salina campuses, installing energy-efficient lighting, toilets that flush with less water and faucets that limit water flow. K-State also upgraded its cooling plant and installed new boilers.
The company that retrofitted the buildings projected $1.6 million-a-year in utility savings.
Before the changes, K-State budgeted about $9.5 million in 2004 to pay utility bills for its Manhattan and Salina campuses.
For the most recent academic year, $12.6 million was earmarked for utilities. Dale Boggs, K-State’s associate director of facilities, said that because the university had constructed five buildings and expanded several others since the energy-savings project, he’s unsure whether the increased cost is due solely to new construction or if savings’ projections were off.
“We have hired an outside consultant to look into it,” Boggs said.
UMKC this year will begin a similar project. It will use revenue bonds to finance a $19.6 million energy-savings program that includes a new cooling system for its main campus and the replacement of incandescent lights with fluorescent lighting. UMKC expects the savings to pay off the bonded debt.
Some schools, such as the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, are taking smaller steps.
Whenever motors or pumps are replaced, more energy-efficient ones are installed, said Jeff Murphy, university spokesman. Old light bulbs are replaced with smaller, electronic bulbs. Incandescent exit lights are replaced with LED versions that use 1 watt of power rather than 30 watts.
At MU, the latest green efforts include working with agricultural and engineering researchers to use biofuels to run the campus power plant.
For nine years, the plant has burned tire chips as a supplement to coal and natural gas. Now it’s also using corncobs and wood chips. In one year, it has burned through 14 tons of cobs and 150 tons of wood chips.
Soon the university will try corn stalks and various types of grass.
“It has been a beneficial project for the plant and the environment,” Hoemann said. “It improves our efficiency and reduces emissions by reducing the burning of fossil fuels.”
And, he said, the benefits go beyond the cost savings.
“Since most biofuels are crop based,” he said, “it also helps our crop industry in the area, and in turn is good for the local economy.”
On the Web
For information about climate change, go to www.kansascity.com/news/changing_climate.
Side Note: For All Your Green Products Go Here
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