Environment, energy valued on MU campus

More prospective students are considering energy management.

By Katy Bergen

Published April 23, 2009

Two years ago, sophomore Lauren Hasler didn't see the point in recycling. She described herself as one of those people who figured she wasn't going to be around when the earth was finally affected.

But Hasler, now president of Greeks Going Green, had a change of heart when she began to notice how many cans and bottles she acquired on a regular basis. She began to pay more attention to how her own practices could play into a larger picture.

"I think it is really important when it comes to environmental sustainability for every individual to think of their own impact in a collective sense," said Hasler, who said she is now embarrassed about her former apathy.

She realized if every student recycled just one can, more than 30,000 cans could be collected.

Hasler is just one of many students in the nation paying closer attention to environmental issues as threats of global warning and national pollution frequent the news. A nationwide survey by the Princeton Review revealed that 68 percent of college-bound high school students are looking at environmental sustainability practices when it comes to choosing a school.

The Review, devoted to providing exclusive information about colleges, has even begun to give schools green ratings based on their commitment to preserving energy and the environment. The ratings are primarily based on the sustainable environment on a college campus, how well students are educated on the emerging economy and the level of commitment to a green campus by school administrators.

MU has not provided sufficient data to the Princeton Review to be ranked, but will be included in 2009's rankings, Review content development director David Soto said.

Regardless, students and staff believe MU is emerging as a national leader in energy conservation methods on college campuses. The university saves about $4.3 million a year because of their efficient conservation practices, said Campus Facilities spokesman Phil Shocklee.

"Since 1990, MU's education and general space, much of which is energy-intensive research space, has grown by 28 percent but energy use has decreased by 12 percent," Shocklee said.

Installing motion sensors that turn off lights and thermostats in unoccupied spaces and upgrading 99 percent of exterior lighting and 90 percent of interior lighting to high-efficiency bulbs and ballasts are a few ways MU has worked to conserve energy.

Campus Facilities Energy Management will install a new boiler that will burn 100 percent biomass in 2010. Greeks Going Green recently placed recycling bins in the majority of Greek chapter houses.

Megan Ogar, MU Tour Team co-chairwoman for the 2009-2010 school year, said tour guides get occasional questions about MU's role in preserving the environment, but most tour guides describe the MU programs that promote a green campus anyway. These programs include everything from the campus recycling program to the energy summit.

"Obviously some students are going to be more gung ho about it than others," Ogar said about the prospective students she interacts with on tours.

But even if students do not ask questions about environmental issues, tour guides often find MU's sustainability efforts a source of pride.

"MU's energy management is one of the best in the world," said Hasler, also a Tour Team member. "I like to brag about it."