“Universities are large enough to have an impact on our overall energy consumption, small enough to implement bold and aggressive programs, and house millions of students who ultimately need to lead our country’s efforts to shift to a clean energy future.”
– Matt Freer, the WISPIRG student in charge of the energy audit

A Milwaukee Department of Administration Green Team representative outlined how Milwaukee can solve storm water problems, reduce energy use and improve quality of life at a presentation in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Union on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

The Green Team is comprised of 11 business, community and environmental leaders who will create a plan for a greener, cleaner Milwaukee.

And UWM is on board with the efforts.

In October, UWM joined 90 campuses in 30 states to create a coalition of universities in the Campus Climate Challenge, a long-term project aimed at making campuses energy independent. The challenge’s goal is to reduce nonrenewable energy sources 2 percent every year for the next 45 years.

Through the coalition, campuses are able to connect through an online community of climate activists to share ideas, find resources for new projects and keep updated on changes other campuses are initiating using six potential areas of reform.

The “New Energy for Campuses” report co-released by the Apollo Alliance and Energy Action said campuses can replace or upgrade inefficient appliances and buildings, renovate or build future structures to be energy efficient and high performance, buy or generate electricity from renewable resources, make it easy to get around on less fuel, buy products that use less energy and last longer, and create a culture of conservation on campus.

In September, student environmental groups and members of the UWM Environmental Council held a joint meeting that identified a common agenda relating to issues of energy use, production and purchasing.

After the meeting, the groups recognized a need to assess energy output on campus.

An official from Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG), an organization at UWM, said that the group already had a database to do such research and began an energy audit on campus to find areas where campus could decrease energy output or use nonrenewable resources.

WISPIRG auditors noticed room for improvement in Sandburg Hall, saying that common areas need to be lit 24 hours a day, but are looking into techniques that would lessen the energy output for low-traffic hours.

But Matt Kadow, WISPIRG coordinator, said they still have to look into the safety of the issue.

WISPIRG is interested in generating support to increase student fees to purchase clean energy and is currently looking into making conservation changes on campus that will save the campus money on energy, which can be used to purchase renewable energy, Kadow said.

In spring 2004, 85 percent of students voted to raise fees at Western Washington University to purchase 35 million kilowatt hours — enough to power 3,200 homes — of renewable electricity from their local utility, making them the second-largest purchaser of green power in higher education and the 15th-largest purchaser of green energy overall.

The auditors also looked into fuel emissions for university transportation. According to the campus energy report, “In early 2005, the University of Wisconsin started using a 20 percent biodiesel/80 percent ultra low sulfur diesel mix in its diesel fleet. The blend is expected to reduce particulate emissions by 15 percent, CO2 emissions by 16 percent, and cut hydrocarbon use by 13 percent.”

UWM has already worked at reducing emissions by using solar panels on the Klotsche Center to heat the pool and installing light sensors in the bathrooms, but WISPIRG and other environmental groups said they think more can be done.

While WISPIRG has garnered some support for energy conservation on campus by combining forces with Campus Organization for Isreal, it fell short in providing the leadership environmental organizations hoped for, a professor and Environmental Council member said.

“In past semesters, the Sierra Student Coalition and WISPIRG, through the involvement of committed students, have raised awareness of energy consumption and campus energy use,” said Christina Buffington, one of the founding members of the Environmental Council and professor in the Department of Conservation and Environmental Science.

However, “in the fall 2005 semester, WISPIRG did not provide the leadership necessary to continue their efforts,” she said.

UWM officials are talking with WISPIRG supervisors in Madison to continue efforts, Buffington said.

“In the mean time, students interested in reducing energy consumption and looking towards cleaner alternatives can learn from Campus Climate Challenges elsewhere,” she said.

Next spring, the Environmental Council and student organizations plan to submit a letter to Chancellor Carlos Santiago about energy conservation and renewable energy, Buffington said.

“Focusing on universities to reduce global warming pollution makes a lot of sense,” said Matt Freer, the WISPIRG student in charge of the energy audit. “Universities are large enough to have an impact on our overall energy consumption, small enough to implement bold and aggressive programs, and house millions of students who ultimately need to lead our country’s efforts to shift to a clean energy future.”

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