An institutional priority today is working to improve the use of natural resources and decrease environmental impact. Here at Kent, we’re working in that direction - taking a hard look at how to use limited natural resources better, studying alternative energy sources and using locally grown food among other efforts. These larger initiatives are certainly of great value. Often they also require significant financial investment and can take a long time to put in place. And people wonder, what can I do now, today?
So this school year, our campus community has focused on some basic things each one of us can do to make things better every day. We’ve shut off lights and used only as many as necessary when we do need them. We’ve operated heating and cooling with an eye toward what it takes to provide them. We’ve turned off computers and appliances when not in use (those little fridges in dorm rooms add up!). The results have been highly positive. Not only has awareness increased, these little changes combined to make a big reduction in our electricity use – one of the major contributors to an institution’s carbon footprint.
We beat the 5% savings goal set by the Energy Committee, cutting electricity consumption in residential areas by over 7%. Using less electricity reduced carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 60,000 pounds, equivalent to taking 5 cars off the road for a year.
We dedicated the money saved by the School as a result of these efforts to Kent for Haiti, the charitable purpose chosen by our Mission Committee.
The whole Kent School community came together during the energy challenge. Many members of the community provided creative ideas for saving energy:
• Our maintenance staff reprogrammed lights and made other energy saving adjustments in our heating and lighting systems.
• Security personnel took special care to shut off lights, as did staff in the Dining Hall and the Library.
• Students in the Environmental Club attended the Green Cup Challenge Conference, posted signs, and held a dress down day to promote energy conservation.
• Faculty dorm residents held special dorm meetings, distributed energy efficient light bulbs, and provided constant encouragement.
Special thanks go to students and faculty in Case and Middle Dorms, where electricity consumption fell 14% and 8%, respectively. Residents of faculty homes cut electricity consumption by more than 10% for the second year in a row, with more than ten households each reducing electricity use by more than 15%. Last year was the first time energy use, on a weather adjusted basis, declined at Kent. This year the conservation trend has continued. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can do next year!
