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Environmental Studies Department |
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Campus Environmental Issues CommitteeNovember 1, 2005
Attendance Mark Dickinson, Lon Hartzell, Richard Graves, Miki Palchick, Julia Eagles, Claire Briguglio, Nikki Strong, Erin Foster West, Carl McDaniel, Terri Fishel, Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, Claudia Leung, Kathy Johnson, Gretchen Solomon, Ruth Janisch Lake. Meeting begins with introduction of guest, Professor Carl McDaniel. Carl is professor of biology at Rensselaer and author of “Wisdom for a Livable Planet,” which he will discuss tonight, November 1, in the John B. Davis lecture hall at 7 p.m. Discussion of trips to St. Olaf and Carleton Timothy Den Herder-Thomas and Richard Graves comment on a recent trip, sponsored by MacCares, to sister colleges in Northfield. The group looked at St. Olaf’s food composter which is a new installment that produces compost that they hope to soon use on campus flower beds and agricultural land. One concern is that the college must use all compost created and can not give it away, which may also be concern for Macalester if a composter was to be considered. The group observed Carleton’s green roof, a $1300 project. Carleton has begun collecting data and observed that the 6in. of soil on the roof increased insulation by 30% during the summer. MacCares is planning on building a green roof on the fishbowl, the hallway connecting Doty and Turck dorms. A proposal will be created this winter and construction should occur this spring. If the project is successful, green roofs may be considered for other buildings where insulation would greatly benefit, such as 30Mac. MacCares observed Carleton’s wind turbine, a $1.8 project with a 10 year return. Presently, Carleton sells their energy to Xcel but is considering the installation of a switchboard to use the energy on campus. St. Olaf is also working on a turbine for installation next year and having it feed on campus to cut energy costs. Macalester is now considering a partnership with a more rural college by financing the production of a turbine on another campus with a possible payback to Macalester at about 7 or 8 years. Timothy comments on the benefits of this project and its relation to the Campus Climate Challenge, a commitment to reduce emissions by 2% per year; the turbine would offset 30-40% of energy use and 20-30% of carbon dioxide emissions. Lastly, MacCares briefly discussed biodiesel. They are currently working on a biodiesel project and are considering the use of leftover vegetable oil from the cafeteria. Lon Hartzell, BonAppetit manager, comments that this is very feasible as the cafeteria produces a large amount of oil that is picked up three times a week. Discussion of Macalester’s Energy Use Timothy and Richard have been looking at the dorms and comfort levels of the students in response to complaints of overheating. They plan to produce a survey for students to respond to heating and lighting of the dorms to assess whether their ideas on adjusting energy use would correlate with student comfort. Presently a committee is being constructed in Doty Hall to assess the reduction of energy use, which will hopefully expand to other dorms in the future. Carl McDaniel asks how you get students to buy in and when do you know that they have when every student has different needs? Richard responds that because of the information they already have on dislike of dorm heating, they are looking to change the uncomfortable environment of the dorms to a comfortable one. Timothy announces that all rooms can be adjusted so that the amount of water going into the dorm room can be raised or lowered, but not the overall dorm building. They are looking to create a comfortable environment in the dorms by reducing heat and energy use, while maintaining the ability of individuals to slightly adjust heating with small effects to the greater environment. Mark comments on Macalester’s boilers and choice to burn natural gas this month to see if we will make up the differential between natural gas and our usual No.6 oil. Richard comments on investing money in order to save money and all discuss payback time periods and how they may or may not affect Macalester’s choices. Meeting ends with reminder to attend Carl McDaniel’s lecture, tonight, November 1, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. |
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