February 22, 2002
Energy Summit at CU-Boulder
By Nicole Gordon
The Carillon
Between blackouts in California, proposals to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the current war on terrorism, energy security is a hot topic these days. Not surprisingly, an energy summit held from Jan. 24-26 at the University of Colorado at Boulder drew more than 300 energy experts, environmental activists, industry leaders and academics from more than 25 institutions around the country.
The summit, “Thinking Ahead: Energy in a Changing Climate, Opportunities On and Off Campus” focused on university leadership as a means to encourage energy security.
“College campuses are frequently recognized for their leadership on social and economic issues,” said Ghita Levenstein Carroll, program coordinator of the CU-Boulder Environmental Center and summit organizer.“ In recent years, colleges have helped shine the spotlight on issues ranging from investment policies in South Africa to exploitative labor practices to the need for waste reduction. So it makes sense that colleges and universities can help lead the change toward more sustainable energy use.”
In addition to the CU-Boulder Environmental Center, co-sponsors included the Cultural Events Board, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs, President’s Fund for the Support of Diversity, the Wirth Chair at CU-Denver, the National Renewable Energy Lab, the Department of Energy Regional Office, the Center for Environmental Citizenship and the Sierra Club.
The summit was intended as an opportunity to address climate change through better energy management. Speakers and panelists addressed themes like energy production, fossil fuel supplies, renewable technologies and local policies regarding energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and green energy. Specific topics ranged from how to create an effective campus energy program to the Colorado Renewable Energy Act, from drilling impacts on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the role of universities in the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Rep. Mark Udall, one of many keynote speakers, addressed federal policy developments and how they affect the nation’s energy portfolio.
“Udall had a lot of inspiring things to say,” said Stephanie Tidwell, a CU-Boulder grad student who is involved in environmental activism on campus.“ He talked about renewable energy, specifically, the fact that renewable energy and energy security are one and the same.”
Another speaker was Faith Gemmill, project coordinator of the Gwich’in Steering Committee. The Gwich’in people live in northern Alaska and northwest Canada and depend upon the Porcupine River Caribou Herd for survival. Their input is central to the debate over drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, since the refuge contains birthing and nursing grounds for the caribou herd.
“It was pretty amazing to hear Gemmill speak and realize how much the Gwich’in depend on the land,” said James Bouknight, a student of journalism and environmental policy at CU-Boulder.“ Her talk reaffirmed the importance of finding new sources of energy. The idea that we can continue to depend upon fossil fuels forever is ridiculous.”
David Orr, chair of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College in Ohio, described a research project he conducted to eliminate carbon emissions on college campuses by using energy and materials more efficiently.
“Orr’s presentation was really inspiring,” Tidwell said. “He showed that you can create a university campus that produces zero emissions. It’s a very uplifting proposal—a campus that doesn’t pollute the atmosphere.”
Karl Rabago of the Rocky Mountain Institute spoke about the deployment of energy efficiency. Randy Udall, director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency in Pitkin County, discussed energy trends and future energy prospects. Other speakers included Steve Smith from the Sierra Club, Peter Morton from The Wilderness Society, Kristen Casper from Greenpeace’s Clean Energy Now Campaign, Melissa Payne from the Environmental Protection Agency, and more.
The summit concluded with a discussion about how participants will implement new ideas about energy efficiency and security on their respective campuses. The Environmental Center plans to start a listserv to help participants communicate about energy reduction and green energy efforts at their schools. It will also hold follow-up sessions on energy security at the 2002 Campus Earth Summit on April 17.
“Overall, the summit was absolutely a success. And on our own campus, the summit fueled a new program of ours called ‘Generation Green’ that tries to reduce campus energy use through education,” Levenstein Carroll said.
“We plan to continue discussing energy issues at the annual earth summit,” she added.
The above article was taken from the February 22, 2002 issue of the Carillon.What's New?
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University of Colorado Environmental Center
207 UCB, UMC 355, Boulder, CO 80309-0207
Phone: 303-492-8308 Email: ecenter@colorado.edu
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