While the rest of the world rushes forward into the Green revolution, a few of us at The Current have done some thinking about how we think the University of Missouri-St. Louis should start its own Green campaign.
"Going Green" is an expensive and daunting task; however, as an installment to the University of Missouri system, it would be progressive for UM-St. Louis to begin the process early, to cut costs and cut wasteful uses of energy.
Late in 2007, when the renovations to the Benton-Stadler science complex were under discussion, the Student Government Association passed a bill to recommend that the buildings be built in the "green" fashion.
The apparent purpose of the SGA's action was to ensure that these buildings became LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Campus officials said that the new renovations would be as green as the $28.5 million budget would allow.
ExpressScripts, Inc.'s new building in the UM-St. Louis industrial park recently received with LEED certification, by employing cork and bamboo textiles throughout the building in addition to motion-activated/controlled lighting, "low-flow" plumbing fixtures, and an energy saving white roof.
In 2007 the United States Green Builders Council passed an ordinance that makes it necessary for every new building over 5,000 square feet to achieve at least silver LEED certifications.
There is certainly a time crunch to protect and preserve the resources that we have used so thoughtlessly in the past, and the University would be bold to stand up and face these changes head on.
An example of wasted energy at UM-St. Louis would be the toilets in the Millennium Student Center that are equipped with "motion flush" sensors. These types of toilets may help keep the bathrooms more sanitary, but they end up wasting more water than an average toilet and in turn spend more energy than a toilet from the manual flush group.
Nobody wants to be greeted with a chorus of flushing toilets every time they walk into a bathroom. When the price of bathroom sanitation is the profligate use of water, we have to wonder if this is progress.
There are a number of things that UM-St. Louis could do to cut down on greenhouse gases and save energy. For instance, it would be worthwhile to switch the shuttle buses from diesel to natural gas or ethanol. We could purchase solar panels for the MSC and other buildings around campus to create renewable, less-expensive energy. Sure, the cost of these changes would increase tuition temporarily, but in the long run they would cut down on operating costs, in addition to being more eco-friendly.
Thanks to the newly-established "Green committee," a part of the SGA, students have seen an influx of new recycling bins around the MSC and other buildings.
Other universities around the country have been showing initiative by buying into Green energy, converting buses and shuttles to alternative fuels, and throwing contests in the dorms to see who can save the most energy.
Closer to home, Southern Illinois University students passed around a petition to create a sustainability fee when the student government would not pass the motion. After the petition came in, the bill passed unanimously.
There are things that both students and faculty of UM-St. Louis can do to stop this near global disaster in its tracks, from initiating a sustainability fee to throwing your plastic or glass bottle in the nearest recycling bin, going green starts with your commitment to conserving energy and cutting back on waste.
If you are interested in starting a green movement on campus you can speak with members of the Green Committee or you can encourage others to sign the Students Plant the Seed petition at www.studentsplanttheseed.com.
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