Going Green: Renewable Is the Better Buy
by JoAnn Lloyd
Animals are far more efficient climate sensors than weather stations – and they are on the move.
That’s according to Cal Poly Biology Professor Lars Tomanek, who discussed physical consequences of rising temperatures and sea levels at Focus the Nation: Global Warming Solutions for America.
Attended by more than two dozen faculty and staff at Cal Poly, the event was part of a nationwide effort comprised of more than 1,500 universities.
Tamanek reported that some animals have relocated further north or higher up, where it is colder, but that moving to higher latitude might not necessarily provide the answer. Food might be different, the weather is unpredictable, and new predators may be waiting, Tomanek said.
“With glaciers melting at a rapid pace and vegetation shifting quickly, the days of reaching the top of the mountain may be numbered for some species. They will have reached the edge of extinction,” he explained.
Discoveries like this are driving environmental awareness and “green” practices, which have become serious business at Cal Poly. From developing stringent policies on sustainable development and energy efficiency to promoting conferences that raise awareness, spark discussion and increase knowledge, Cal Poly is demonstrating the vital role higher education can play in this area of increasing global concern.
This year Cal Poly is sponsoring several major events designed to teach people how to implement sustainable practices in industry.
In late January, the Graphic Communication Department sponsored The Business of Green Media, focusing on the printing and publishing industry, which represents five percent of the gross domestic product and employs five million people.
“The industry has not yet stepped up to the challenges of sustainability and climate change,” said Don Carli, senior research fellow at The Institute for Sustainable Communication.“Cal Poly is at the forefront of this movement.”
In February, Provost William Durgin and the Academic Senate Sustainability Committee hosted nearly 200 faculty, administrators, staff and students in a session on sustainability at Cal Poly.
Recognizing previous Cal Poly accomplishments, the group envisioned the institution as a leader in preparing students to contribute to sustainability solutions
and identified ways to infuse sustainability into all aspects of the students’ educational experience.
At the end of July a fourth conference will take place: The 2008 UC/CSU /CCC Sustainability Conference, Putting Sustainability to Work.
This four-day event will feature experts from the California State University, University of California and California Community College systems.
Faculty, staff and other attendees will present initiatives for making their campuses more energy efficient and environmentally responsible.
The conference will promote cutting-edge sustainability practices, with sessions on green businesses in areas such as energy, water, transportation, food system, institutional sustainability, procurement and green economy.
As Cal Poly Physics Professor Peter Schwartz pointed out at the Focus the Nation event, people are no longer choosing between the economy and the environment.
The economic costs of global warming are staggering, according to Schwartz. With renewable energy becoming increasingly less expensive, and fossil fuels becoming more expensive, many renewable technologies “are actually better buys” than conventional energy sources.
Because Cal Poly is hosting the UC/CSU /CCC Sustainability Conference, the California Energy Commission has awarded Cal Poly energy grants to fund campus projects using emerging technologies. One such project is a high-quality,
low-energy integrated lighting system for campus that will conserve energy and save money.
“We can revitalize communities through environmental jobs,” said Margot McDonald, Cal Poly architecture professor and coordinator for the upcoming conference. “We need to retool for renewable energy.”