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Courtesy Photo / Midlands Biofuels
Biodiesel is a clean, renewable fuel that can be made from natural oils.

'Green' commitment drives alternative energy on campus

By Molly Waite GVL Staff Writer
11/1/2009

With a growing national emphasis on the use of alternative fuel and renewable energy, Grand Valley State University is exploring many possible sources of sustainable power, including the use of geothermal energy, wind energy, solar energy and biodiesels.

It is largely because of this focus that GVSU received an A grade in the category of climate change and energy on the recently released College Sustainability Report Card 2010. The university also earned A's in the categories of administration, green building and transportation, but received a C in investment priorities and a D in endowment transparency for a B overall.

The Sustainable Community Development Initiative manages GVSU's green efforts and promotes new methods of living and learning sustainably.

Norman Christopher, executive director of the SCDI, said a small wind turbine and several small solar energy cells have already been installed on the Padnos College of Engineering & Computing in downtown Grand Rapids. The new Laker Turf Building is powered by geo-thermal energy.

"We have a commitment to shift to renewable energy and fuel that will reduce our carbon emissions," Christopher said. "I think we are making good headway toward achieving climate neutrality."

President Thomas J. Haas recently signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging to make GVSU carbon neutral at the earliest possible date.

The commitment has 657 signatories to date, which include several from international universities.

The movement was started by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

"Colleges and universities must exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society by modeling ways to eliminate global warming emissions, and by providing the knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality," stated a press release on the Presidents Climate Commitment Web site.

The Sustainable Community Development Initiative is currently working on a Carbon Neutrality Plan for January 2010 to reduce energy consumption.

Arnold Boezaart, interim director of the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, said he recognizes the importance of reducing U.S. dependence on fossil fuel sources, such as oil and coal. A large portion of the oil that is used in the U.S. costs considerable sums of money and comes from countries that are politically unstable.

Not only are fossil fuels expensive, but the use of coal emits green house gases and other toxins into the atmosphere.

"Students at GVSU are faced with a global population boom that will require ever growing demand for energy sources," Boezaart said. "In addition, students will have to deal with the geopolitical, social and environmental impact of the world's present dependence on traditional fossil fuels. The development and greater commitment to the use of alternative energy will provide options and solutions that students will need to have available to them as they assume responsibility for the communities, the environment and the world which they are a part of."

GVSU seniors Shelby Wittenbach and Jessica Judson are involved in Urban-Bio Energy, a local biodiesel organization that sources waste vegetable oils to use as heating fuel. Biodiesel is a clean, renewable fuel that can be made from natural oils, such as grease, animal fats and vegetable oils.

Wittenbach and Judson are pushing to have a biodiesel processing facility installed on campus to keep renewable resources on campus. Waste vegetable oils from Campus Dining facilities are currently sent off-campus to be processed by a third party before returning to campus as energy.

"Energy is something most of us take for granted in our day-to-day lives," Wittenbach said. "We assume it is abundant or that someone else will eventually figure out solutions for us."

Dalila Kovacs, assistant professor of chemistry, teaches organic chemistry and green chemistry. Kovacs said chemistry, as a science and an industry, often does not receive the credit for progress being made in community sustainability.

She added human civilization has made technological progress by exploiting readily-available sources of energy.

"Today's students are tomorrow's innovators," Kovacs said. "They should find reliable solution for three major problems: the rapid depletion of oil reserves, the potential of global warming due to the increase of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere and the use of food-destined crops to produce bio-fuels."

mwaite@lanthorn.com

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