Student Environmental Fee
In the spring of 2004 a referendum on the Student Government Association election ballot for purchase of green energy was passed by student voters. This referendum called for an $8 student fee to purchase green power and fund energy conservation and onsite generation projects on campus. During the summer of 2004 meeting of the Board of Trustees the Student Environmental Initiatives Fee was approved, designating a charge of $5 for in-state students each semester. The funding from this fee is allocated in the same manner as other student fees including the Technology Fee and Campus Beautification Fee.
Green Power Purchase
The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee funded the purchase of 3,375 blocks of green power from the TVA/KUB Green Power Switch Program. The 3,375 blocks or 506,250 KWh/month purchase offsets approximately 382 tons of CO2, SO2, and NOX each month. This is the equivalent of removing 732 cars from the road each year. UT’s green power consists of 2.5% of campus annual electricity use making it a member of the EPA Green Power Partner Program.
IEEE Robotics Competition
With $1,000 in support from the Student Environmental Initiatives Fee, the IEEE Student Branch at the University of Tennessee is preparing for the 2009 IEEE SoutheastCon Robotics Competition. This year the competition will be held in Atlanta, GA from March 5-8.
This year’s robotics competition has a recycling theme. The students must build a robot to pick up aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and glass bottles from the ground. The robot will then place each recyclable material in a different plastic bag without any human guidance.
The IEEE Robotics Team will compete in Atlanta on Saturday, March 7 against other universities from all over the southeast. For more information about the competition or IEEE visit http://ieee.eecs.utk.edu or http://www.sec09.com/.
Communications Studio Lighting Upgrade
The UT Video and Photography Center (VPC) is a complete broadcast production facility with a full-size television studio, field production capabilities, and editing facilities. The television studio is used daily for both teaching and video production. The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee funded the $70,000 replacement of the existing television studio incandescent lighting configuration with fluorescent lighting. This change will result in the following outcomes:
- Energy savings (power) of 20% – 40% annually – fluorescent lamps require less of a load than incandescent.
- Energy savings (hvac) of 20% – 40% annually - fluorescent lamps produce less heat, and as a result less demand for energy to cool the studio.
- Labor/cost savings – fluorescent lamps do not need to be changed as frequently as incandescent lamps, reductions in purchases and maintenance costs.
- Improved image quality – fluorescent lamps produce a soft, but distinct light source which results in a more enhanced video image, and better quality broadcast product.
VPC is also using this project as an opportunity to provide environmental & energy savings education and awareness to students, faculty and staff by producing a 30-second Public Service Announcement focusing on how the conversion resulted in energy and cost savings and creating a poster that will be displayed outside the entrance to the studio explaining the conversion and the resulting energy and cost saving. The PSA will on air on UTTV (Campus and Comcast cable).
Stokely Management Center Lighting and Lighting Controls Upgrade Phase II
The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee has funded five years at $125,000 per year to perform a lighting upgrade in Stokely Management Center. The original lighting in SMC resulted in lighting control that allowed lights to be turned off only in units of half a floor. If one person was in their office, all lights for half of that floor had to be turned on, resulting in major inefficiency. In addition, the lighting in SMC is 1970s vintage, and is considerably less efficient than current lighting. This project will replace all lighting in the building with modern lighting that will have the capability to be controlled fixture-by-fixture and will incorporate occupancy sensors and daylight harvesting technology. The Facilities Services Department is donating labor for environmental initiatives projects which should result in this project costing less than the proposed $625,000.
Steam Valve Controls
The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee is funding $13,000 per year for five years to perform upgrades of controls and valves that turn steam on and off in certain buildings. These controls will help eliminate situations where windows are opened and air conditioners have to run to offset overheating of buildings. This will also improve the comfort level in the buildings. These are being installed at Earth and Planetary Sciences, Perkins Hall, Hess Hall, and at Facilities Services. The Facilities Services Department is donating labor for environmental initiatives projects which should result in this project costing less than the proposed $65,000.
Graduate Assistantships
Brandi Ruth and Gene Jarvis are graduate assistants with the Make Orange Green program. Brandi Ruth, a master’s student in the College of Engineering is working on inputting data into the EPA’s Energy Star tool, searching for leaks in steam lines, assessing buildings for energy upgrades, and updating the Clean Air Cool Planet carbon footprint tool. Gene Jarvis, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology is focused on educational initiatives related to the Make Orange Green program. His activities include tabling for various events, gathering information, and inputting data.
Electric Vehicle Purchase
The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee funded the purchase of four electric fleet vehicle during the 2007-2008 fiscal year increasing the total number of campus electric vehicles to nine.
AASHE MEmbership
The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee has paid membership dues for The University of Tennessee to join the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). The www.aashe.org website hosts a wide range of information regarding sustainability on college and university campuses. Any person with a @utk.edu or @tennessee.edu email address can access AASHE resources by creating a password.
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb Exchange
In the fall of 2007 the Student Environmental Initiatives Fee, University Housing, and Facilities Services, purchased compact fluorescent light bulbs for the annual residence hall exchange. Students living in on-campus Housing facilities swapped incandescent bulbs for energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. More than 1,300 light bulbs were swapped in campus residence halls. By using compact fluorescent rather than incandescent light bulbs residence halls will see a $3,2500/semester savings in electrical costs and the elimination of almost 100,000 pounds of emissions savings each semester.
Make Orange Green Education and Support
The Student Environmental Initiatives Fee funds the production of Make Orange Green promotional and education products. This includes the hanging of Make Orange Green banners during the fall roll-out week and in the spring, the printing of Make Orange Green t-shirts and pens, and various other items. Also included in education and support are the printing of table tents for campus dining areas, door hangers for academic and administrative buildings, recycling awareness posters and environmental tip posters.
