Why wait? Students tackle alternative energy

Nothing beats a contest and prize money to get people thinking about creative solutions to problems.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology students want to build a solar-powered machine to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel.

University of Massachusetts came up with the UMass Human Power Plant, a machine to convert the mechanical energy of stationary bicycles and rowing machines in the fitness center into electricity to be used by students to recharge laptops and other devices.

Connecticut College plans a solar-powered composting program for its cafeteria, and a compost-for-food swap program with local growers to reduce the distance food travels to reach cafeteria plates.

One of the big problems facing all of us is our environmental footprint, whether it is CO2 emissions or trash piling up. The above student-generated, environmentally-friendly campus projects are among the top 10 entries in a contest to spur alternative energy projects on campus.

The prize is a $25,000 grant to implement the project. The contest, called the Ecomagination Challenge, is being sponsored by mtvU and General Electric. The winner also gets to be featured on mtvU and the campus gets an Earth Day concert by Angels and Airwaves.

Over a hundred student teams submitted entries, which were judged based on innovation and feasibility. Projects on sustainability, energy conservation, wildlife conservation, water and waste issues were among the entries. The final winner will be chosen by the mtvU, GE and their team of environmental experts and input from other students.

Details on the top 10 entries are available at www.ecocollegechallenge.com, where you can also vote for your pick as the project with the greatest potential for the environment through March 2.

Here are some more of the projects:

1. Northeastern University proposed a green building idea to reduce pollution urban run-off, with the installation of green roofs, re-grading of walkways and introduction of vegetated swales.

2. At University of Maryland, solar powered trash and recycling compactors in trash containers around campus aim to reduce the volume of trash in the landfill and reduce the number of times trash cans need to be emptied, saving energy and money.

3. University of Michigan students want to add a modular "greenroof" to their Outdoor Activities Center. The green roof will conserve energy, add to storm water retention and reduce water and air pollution to aid wildlife.

4. Students at University of Southern California suggested the Sustainacafe, a testing and demonstration center for campus sustainability and technology innovation projects. Reducing water and energy consumption and waste on campus are among the goals.

5. University of Virginia students are going directly for reducing electricity consumption, through the installation of low energy lights, motion sensors for lighting and the elimination of some unneeded lights in hallways. They aim to adapt old build designs for energy efficiency.

6. University of Wisconsin students named their project Happy MicroOrganism Compost Train, a large quality composting process that uses minimal effort and energy to turn food waste into useable compost. The idea is to create a useful product - compost - while reducing energy used sending the waste to the landfill.

7. Students at Vanderbilt University also went the biodiesel route, with a plan to fuel campus vehicles with the campus-generated alternative energy source. The system will operate independently, without public electricity and water.