"Go Green" initiative gains support in Morrisville
Alysha Jones, '11 | Staff Reporter
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: Lifestyle
After a tornado that flattened and left 90 percent of its population homeless, the community of Greensburg, KS voted "yes" to rebuilding the town to be energy-efficient.
Although Morrisville State College hasn't been destroyed by any natural disasters, the school does know the importance of being energy efficient and making an effort to conserve.
According to an article on CNN.com, the Kansas town is using solid concrete, state-of-the-art windows, better insulation, and natural light to rebuild. The first home built was silo-shaped, making it 70-percent greener than a regular home, because it includes ground-source heating, cooling and solar hot water heaters.
On Oct. 23, there will be a ground-breaking of the new Greensburg Wind Farms, according to Greensburg's website.
Dean O'grady, professor of biology at MSC, said he believes that to increase the "Go Green" initiative, humans needs to have less of an impact on the environment.
"A thousand eyes are better than two," President Raymond Cross said. In order for our school to be more energy efficient, everyone needs to work together, he added. Cross said that according to SUNY, MSC is the second most energy efficient of the SUNY schools. He believes that any school is "green" in some way, but MSC is ahead of most--and each year, it gets greener.
Cross said that many people think it costs too much, but in the end, he said, cost shouldn't matter; saving energy matters. "We're not as green as we could be," Cross said.
Morrisville switched the lighting on campus from incandescent to fluorescent, Cross said. According to energystar.gov, fluorescent light bulbs last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, they use 75 percent less energy.
The college purchased Energy Star-rated washers for residence halls. The washers use a small amount of water compared to conventional washers. The washers "cut energy and water consumption by over 40 percent," energystar.gov said.
The dining services on campus have eliminated all Styrofoam, and replaced it with compostable products. For example, the utensils used in Mustang Alley are made of potato starch, Cross said.
Every Wednesday between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. the campus holds the "Dark Green Hour." During this time the campus turns off the lights, unplugs appliances and tries to encourage all the students to do so as well.
The school has replaced some of the cars used on campus. They have purchased three energy-efficient hybrid (gas-electric) vehicles, and they still plan to replace the entire fleet. They have also purchased eight GEM (General Electric Motorcars) electric cars, Cross said.
According to gemcar.com, "GEM electric vehicles are 100 percent electric and emit zero tailpipe emissions."
"Scientists are starting to really believe global warming is happening," O'Grady said. He added that due to the climate shifting, ice caps are starting to melt, which is ruining animal's habitats. Animals are beginning to migrate due to the climate shift, especially birds. There's a possibility that New York State could slowly become tropical in the years to come.
In order to be energy efficient, Cross suggests people should do anything they can to help conserve. This includes small things like shutting lights off on a regular basis and not leaving water running when not in use.
Students may have noticed water stations located throughout the campus. According to the Morrisville website, 86 percent of water bottles used in the country end up in a landfill. In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles that are thrown away, MSC has provided bottles to fill at the stations to encourage students to conserve.
"Most people are going to do what they want to do," Shiranda Marble a business administration student said.
Marble said she supports the "Go Green" initiative and tries to conserve as much as she can. Some of the things she said she does to help are recycling plastic forks and cups, using less paper and turning the water off when she's not using it.
O'Grady urges students to be aware of activities that may contribute to the problem. He said if each person does a little bit to help then it will eventually add up.
Although Morrisville State College hasn't been destroyed by any natural disasters, the school does know the importance of being energy efficient and making an effort to conserve.
According to an article on CNN.com, the Kansas town is using solid concrete, state-of-the-art windows, better insulation, and natural light to rebuild. The first home built was silo-shaped, making it 70-percent greener than a regular home, because it includes ground-source heating, cooling and solar hot water heaters.
On Oct. 23, there will be a ground-breaking of the new Greensburg Wind Farms, according to Greensburg's website.
Dean O'grady, professor of biology at MSC, said he believes that to increase the "Go Green" initiative, humans needs to have less of an impact on the environment.
"A thousand eyes are better than two," President Raymond Cross said. In order for our school to be more energy efficient, everyone needs to work together, he added. Cross said that according to SUNY, MSC is the second most energy efficient of the SUNY schools. He believes that any school is "green" in some way, but MSC is ahead of most--and each year, it gets greener.
Cross said that many people think it costs too much, but in the end, he said, cost shouldn't matter; saving energy matters. "We're not as green as we could be," Cross said.
Morrisville switched the lighting on campus from incandescent to fluorescent, Cross said. According to energystar.gov, fluorescent light bulbs last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, they use 75 percent less energy.
The college purchased Energy Star-rated washers for residence halls. The washers use a small amount of water compared to conventional washers. The washers "cut energy and water consumption by over 40 percent," energystar.gov said.
The dining services on campus have eliminated all Styrofoam, and replaced it with compostable products. For example, the utensils used in Mustang Alley are made of potato starch, Cross said.
Every Wednesday between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. the campus holds the "Dark Green Hour." During this time the campus turns off the lights, unplugs appliances and tries to encourage all the students to do so as well.
 | The "Dark Green Hour" logo. In an effort to conserve energy on campus, every Wednesday the campus turns off the lights and appliances across campus between the hours of 1p.m. and 2p.m. Students are encouraged to follow the example and be "green". Photo courtesy of Bill Goloski /em> |
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The school has replaced some of the cars used on campus. They have purchased three energy-efficient hybrid (gas-electric) vehicles, and they still plan to replace the entire fleet. They have also purchased eight GEM (General Electric Motorcars) electric cars, Cross said.
According to gemcar.com, "GEM electric vehicles are 100 percent electric and emit zero tailpipe emissions."
"Scientists are starting to really believe global warming is happening," O'Grady said. He added that due to the climate shifting, ice caps are starting to melt, which is ruining animal's habitats. Animals are beginning to migrate due to the climate shift, especially birds. There's a possibility that New York State could slowly become tropical in the years to come.
In order to be energy efficient, Cross suggests people should do anything they can to help conserve. This includes small things like shutting lights off on a regular basis and not leaving water running when not in use.
Students may have noticed water stations located throughout the campus. According to the Morrisville website, 86 percent of water bottles used in the country end up in a landfill. In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic water bottles that are thrown away, MSC has provided bottles to fill at the stations to encourage students to conserve.
"Most people are going to do what they want to do," Shiranda Marble a business administration student said.
Marble said she supports the "Go Green" initiative and tries to conserve as much as she can. Some of the things she said she does to help are recycling plastic forks and cups, using less paper and turning the water off when she's not using it.
O'Grady urges students to be aware of activities that may contribute to the problem. He said if each person does a little bit to help then it will eventually add up.