Not Just Throwing Money to the Wind

This shameless plug for the Renewable Energy Campaign was written by Paul Spencer, Office of Sustainability intern.

In several of her recent posts, Alycia has talked about the importance of individual responsibility and cooperative efforts in reinventing energy. Of course, conservation and reducing consumption are probably the most important things we can do at an individual level. Making our voices heard in politics is also important, but not always immediately fruitful. And, at least as far as energy is concerned, many of us wonder what more we can do, short of outfitting our homes with expensive solar panels or giant electricity-generating gerbil wheels.

However, did you know that if you're a University of Utah student, you're already contributing to one of the biggest green energy purchases in the country, automatically? Every time a U of U student pays tuition, a dollar from that goes to the Renewable Energy Campaign, which uses the money to buy Green-E certified renewable energy credits that help develop wind energy. A dollar may not sound like much, but the collective effort has placed the U in 7th on the EPA's rankings of colleges and universities for green power purchases. Now imagine if every student gave two dollars? Or more?

It's not just up to students to do their part, though. U Faculty and staff have been challenged to step up to the plate as well, with many departments already donating yearly (which also allows for interdepartmental bragging rights, like when UMNH beat Undergraduate Studies in 2009). You don't even have to be associated with the U in order to donate, and it's a great way to help offset your personal electricity use at home. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that it's a tax deductible contribution.

So, if you're a starving student, we thank you for your contribution, and encourage you to challenge your professors, friends, relatives, neighbors, employers, Facebook friends (even the ones you don't like very much), etc., to go to windpower.utah.edu and match or better your own tuition-imposed generosity.

Lastly, we are looking for feedback on options for how the money is spent. Currently the money goes toward cost effective Green-E certified RECs that put power on and develop wind energy in the western US grid in general. Would you be more eager to donate if we invested directly in a more local renewable energy company, even if it pays for less energy? What about buying solar panels for campus buildings? Let us know in the comments!