Yesterday was the first day back for the Fall semester 2007. the day was 90 degrees, and we, of course, received an email from physical plant telling us they don't have the energy they need (perhaps because of the hugely inefficient systems??)
I had a class with 80 students at 5:30 in Strong Hall auditorium. I arrived at 4:30P to find the hall with no lights. My first optimistic but incorrect thought was, "finally they are conserving energy!" But then I saw classrooms with classes in them and no lights —sitting in the penumbra of evening —and I knew something was wrong.The high temperature and humidity combinations forecasted for the next
few days (temperature expected to be in the 90s) will severely tax many
of the cooling systems on campus.
As I approached my office several other faculty were laughing and bemoaning the "welcome to EMU" backhand compliment, and commenting on the new branding campaign of "education first" wondering then what was second. What else to expect at our school? First day back we either get strikes (we have had 3 in the past 8 years) or a power outage.
The power was out.
It did not return in time for class. I couldn't afford to lose 3 hours of class, it would set the class at an awkward place. I went to the library and asked if there were any rooms available, and was able to hold class there. But this school is in such poor shape we fear every time we have "weather," and receive one of the above emails. We receive these "weather" emails summer and winter, spring, and fall.
So I decided to bring up the original blog posting. WE NEED AN ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT. WE NEED TO CHANGE THE ENTIRE WAY OUR SCHOOL IS RUN IN RELATION TO ADMINISTRATION AND ENERGY.
So here is the original blog, still applicable.
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Today, after months of thought, I "came out," and showed my sustainable colors. I am just tired of dealing with my office being 90 degrees in summer, and 50 degrees in winter because of antiquated and inefficient HVAC systems at Eastern Michigan University. I am tired of continually living in this completely unsustainable state and school and reading about how the school messed up again. There has to be a better way. I hope that with the help of other faculty and students we can make Michigan and EMU a better place to live.
My central focus will be making EMU a sustainable school, to bring it to the environmental and energy standards that all of America has finally become aware of (about time). My secondary focus is the number of ways that a normal, not wealthy person, can live a fairly sustainable life. As far as the school goes, well I hope others at EMU also believe. With that in mind I went to school today.
What I did today was discuss sustainability with a number of people on campus. It seemed to go well, but, persistence will be the name of the game. To me, it is how can anyone NOT endorse making the school healthier for themselves, and at the same time cutting our dependence on non-renewable energy?
More than 90 % of America's energy is non-renewable, inefficient and therefore, polluting. Our dependence on fossil based fuel has put us in a hated war, blown up mountains in Appalachia, influenced global warming, and fouled our air, land, and water. It is time. It is time. It is time.
To me, it is a no-brainer, but, well, not everyone thinks like me. But maybe there is support out there, people who also think that our school can improve and make it a happy and healthy place to work.
The first step is an environmental audit, an analysis of various systems on campus from an environmental POV: measuring quantitatively and qualitatively the following and any others I have not thought of (please let me know what else to think about here):
- building design
- energy usage
- transportation
- food
- recycling
- water
- paper
- solid waste
- hazardous materials
- air quality
- environmental literacy
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