On Tuesday and Wednesday there will be a student election where we’ll get to decide the fate of clean energy at AU. It will be the culmination of a 10-month long process. Last May, I received an interesting e-mail from AU alumnus Marie Stratton. In the e-mail was a link to Macalester College’s Clean Energy Revolving Fund, whose mission is to “encourage global sustainability on campus and in the community, by funding innovative projects that demonstrate environmental leadership and economic benefit.” The idea struck me as brilliant.
I’m not the only one who thinks renewable energy generation on campus is a good idea. According to the Sustainable Endowment Institute, there are 54 universities with programs like the Clean Energy Revolving Fund. Those 54 universities tend to have higher overall sustainability scores.
Fast forward to today and now AU has its own Clean Energy Revolving Fund. Our CERF will pay for on-campus projects that further the transition toward a low-carbon economy and sustainable society. As an independent fund within the Office of Finance at AU and administered by students, faculty and staff, CERF will fund renewable energy projects that would otherwise be delayed because of high start-up costs. The Clean Energy Revolving Fund will help meet the university’s goal of becoming carbon neutral.
Some may say “Why us? Why spend our money on this? Why now?” To those questions I will have to reply with the words of a new leader on clean energy, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.: “who are these people in the future? Because we constantly count on them. I don’t know who they are. I’ve yet to find them. So I guess it falls to me and you. So let’s do it.”
Burning our planet’s finite supply of fossil fuels pollutes our air, poisons our water and changes the climate. We know there is a better way. We know the world must shift to renewable sources of energy. But to expect poor countries to develop in a way independent of fossil fuels we must to stop using fossil fuels here at home. School of International Service Professor Terry Sankar is right now developing a vertical-axis wind turbine, the Aeolun Harvester, which can be built out of local materials with few tools. With smart financing, AU can be the first demonstration of a project that will bring cheap, clean power to the developing world.
In the undergraduate election tomorrow, students will choose what the future holds for AU. We can choose to continue our reliance on the fossil fuels that are destroying our planet and making our country less secure. Or we can choose a better path and fund clean, renewable energy right here on campus.
The fact that only 10 months after the initial suggestion we have our own Clean Energy Revolving Fund in place is a testament to what is possible at AU. Good ideas, pursued in the spirit of cooperation and prosperity have fertile ground at AU. George Washington University has been trying to start a revolving loan fund for almost two years, and they’re still mired in onerous bureaucracy. We can do better. Tomorrow, let’s vote yes and chalk up another win for AU.
Drew Veysey is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public Affairs. He is the former President of EcoSense and the current director of environmental policy for Student Government. The views expressed in this column are his own. Responses can be sent to edpage@theeagleonline.com.
