NC State Takes Back Energy
Energy, it’s what provides the strength and power required for any kind of activity. The world, and campus, as we know it would fail without it because it’s embodied in everything we consume, eat and use.
The Wolfline uses energy in the form of gasoline to transport students from Talley Student Union over to Hunt Library. Restaurants and grocery stores sell food that give us energy through carbohydrates to fuel us for everyday functions. Even something as simple as the paper we use to take notes in class had to have energy used to create it and transport it.
However, college students seem to have abundant amounts of energy despite lack of sleep and quality nutrition to fuel our busy lives. We balance classes, work, a social life, stress of the future, studying — the list goes on. Though we seem to thrive on low energy levels, lots of energy goes into producing what we need to succeed.
Economic growth is deeply rooted in having lots of sources of energy, preferably cheap energy. Unfortunately, cheap energy comes with a hefty environmental damage price tag. Using unsustainable energy harnessing practices like fracking and burning fossil fuels causes a buildup of carbon in the atmosphere, affecting the quality of air and life.
NC State is involved in many national campaigns to take on the challenge of combating the energy crisis and making campus more sustainable. Hopefully these initiatives will provide you with motivation to go out and make a difference, or even jump on board with these organizations. Students have a voice and will determine the future of America’s energy production. It is time we start rising to the challenge.
PowerAmerica:
NC State partnered with President Obama and the Department of Energy to lead the initiative to “revolutionize energy efficiency.” The goal is to find a more stream lined process for wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, which allows energy use to become more efficient.
The White House singled out NC State because of our innovative research within the field and our wide range of connections with businesses and universities throughout the nation. The hope is that this initiative will jump start the growing WBG industry and provide opportunities for economic development within the North Carolina economy. The hands on approach at NC State will teach the skills and concepts needed to keep pushing this industry forward, and further the research of this new technology.
Not every energy initiative at NC State receives presidential attention. The following projects are student-lead initiatives, which are trying to make a difference here on campus.
Campus Climate Challenge:
Campus Climate Challenge is a national effort that challenges universities across the country to call on chancellors and presidents to divest from fossil fuels and move to 100 percent clean energy. Campus Climate Challenge’s goal is to ensure universities are carbon neutral, meaning they offset the carbon they release.
So far, 700 universities have committed to carbon neutrality, but Campus Climate Challenge argues that the commitment is not enough.
“We’ve got to hold campuses accountable to their commitments to become carbon neutral, and push them further to make a clean break from big polluters, divesting from fossil fuels and moving to 100% clean energy,” the website says.
Their plan of action comes in three steps. The first step is to build a national movement of people calling on all college and university presidents to divert from fossil fuels and move to 100% clean energy through signing this petition.
The second step is signing up an individual university that will pledge to take the steps to make that university thrive on clean energy. Climate Campus Challenge connects campuses across the country to one another and in the third step, provides the resources and guides to follow through with the commitment to clean energy.
Here at NC State, our current Climate Campus Challenge Goal is to persuade our chancellor to meet with UNC System President Tom Ross to call on Duke Energy to limit coal use and provide 25% of the power provided by Duke Energy from renewable sources by the year 2025, with an ultimate goal of 100% safe, renewable energy sources to its consumers.
So far, NC State has secured a meeting with Ross and is hoping to move forward to the next step.
Seize the Grid:
Seize the Grid is much like the Campus Climate Challenge in that its objective is to steer away from dirty energy and move to renewable. However, Seize the Grid frames the energy issue as blaming the relationship between energy companies and college campuses.
“Many of the 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States still rely on outdated, polluting fossil fuels to power their campuses. Utility companies are the largest obstacle to universities transitioning away from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy,” the website says.
Seize the Grid argues that it’s the university’s moral responsibility to provide clean energy to set an example. In this national campaign, like Campus Climate Challenge, there is a petition to sign in order to become involved.
NC State’s Seize the Grid campaign is following Duke University’s model. Duke is encouraging its students to sign their petition to encourage their leadership to phase out unsustainable energy resources. NC State launched our own Seize the Grid campaign this past Wednesday.
NC State’s efforts are being headed by Stacy Partin, a freshmen studying environmental science.
“We want people to see that going 100 percent renewable is not only environmentally responsible, but also economically viable,” Partin said.
Last year, NC State spent over $16 million on energy costs alone. Duke Energy, the recipient of these funds, designates only 1% of their energy supply from sustainable sources. With such a large energy bill, NC State, and other North Carolina universities have the weight and the responsibility to start influencing state leaders to look into other sources of energy.
NC State’s Seize the Grid program is a joint effort between the Sierra Student Coalition and Fossil Free NCSU. Fossil Free NCSU is an NC State student organization focused on limiting fossil fuel use on NC State’s campus and in the community. The official kickoff of the Seize the Grid initiative garnered over 100 signatures on NC State’s petition, which is a great start in swaying the campus community to become more involved.
This project will continue to be on Fossil Free NCSU’s agenda the rest of the semester and into the new year. They meet every Tuesday at 7:30pm in Poe Hall, Room 532.
NC State must be doing something right. Not every college in America gets to boast that the POTUS is proud of their university. Obama has visited NC State twice since being president and approves of the direction our university’s sustainability programs are headed. When President Obama backs the pack on NC State’s energy initiatives, the Wolfpack community can know that they are leading the pack when it comes to energy efficiency. We need to continue to find ways to lead the way in energy efficiency and get more students involved and aware of the many efforts already on our campus.
