Olivia DrakeThe City of Middletown, Conn. named Wesleyan University a "2011 Green Business Recycling Hero." According to the recycling heros list, "Wesleyan recycles a variety of materials beyond what is mandated. These include office furniture, clothing and mattresses. They also compost, purchase materials made from recycled components, and have initiated many green initiatives revolving around green building, transportation and energy conservation." The City applauds Wesleyan and other local organizations and businesses who are reducing, reusing and recycling to protect the environment.
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On Nov. 5, two energy experts will speak during the annual "Where On Earth Are We Going?" symposium. The event is sponsored by the Robert Schumann Lecture Series in the Environmental Studies Program. At 9 a.m., Lisa Margonelli, director of the Energy Policy Initiative at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C., will speak on "The Energy Revolution Will not be Tweetable: the Energy Puzzle in More than 140 Characters." Margonelli is the publisher of The Energy Trap and blogs frequently at The Atlantic web site. Her book Oil On the Brain: Petroleum’s Long, Strange Trip to Your Tank follows the oil supply chain…
Wesleyan faculty and staff are growing a community. This summer, up to 50 employees have the opportunity to maintain their own plot in a Wesleyan Community Garden at Long Lane Farm. "We hope that the community garden will promote local growing and give people the space to grow their own produce," says Bill Nelligan, director of environmental health, safety and sustainability. "We will be planting alongside the student garden which will facilitate a growing atmosphere." Each plot measures 10 by 15 feet. Plot fees are $50 and include fence upkeep, annual soil amendments and community tools. Each gardener is responsible for…
Peter Staye, associate director of utilities for Physical Plant-Facilities, was featured in the May 16 edition of The Hartford Business Journal. In the article, titled "Energy Saving Projects Focus on Measurable Results," Staye explained how Wesleyan has invested more than $6.5 million into a variety of innovative, energy-saving measures. Wesleyan has reduced energy about 22 percent since 2005, but the focus is now shifting to a more challenging initiative - changing the culture of energy use on campus. "Not that long ago, energy was abundant and cheap. Now it's neither, but there is still the feeling that everyone should have…
The newly-established Wesleyan Green Fund Committee is supporting initiatives that move the university forward in sustainability and environmental stewardship. On Dec. 3, the student-managed committee will finance projects that will decrease the carbon footprint of the university, decrease waste, increase Wesleyan's use of energy from renewable resources, or increase visibility of environmentally responsible practices on campus. The committee will select projects proposed by Wesleyan students, faculty and staff. Through a $15 fee, collected voluntarily from students during the Fall 2010 semester, the committee raised about $40,000. These “green funds” will be applied to several sustainability-focused projects at Wesleyan that otherwise would not…
This issue, we ask “5 Questions” of Bill Trousdale, professor of physics, emeritus. He recently lectured on “Global Warming and Energy Options" and "The Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy." Q: Professor Trousdale, you researched solid state physics at Wesleyan for 30 years, retiring in 1989. Did you always have a side interest in energy creation, consumption and global warming? A: Yes for almost as long as I can remember, in the early 1950s when I learned about the second law of thermodynamics. I was appalled by burning oil at 2,000 degrees to maintain a house at 72 degrees. That…
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In 1900, when the student residence at 24 Fountain Avenue was built, heating oil was cheap. Insulation wasn’t a concern. Window sealant didn’t exist. Hot water gushed from the shower heads. “We call homes like this ‘balloon framed,”’ explains Gary Rawlings, lead energy auditor technician for Wesleyan’s contractor Lantern Energy. “Air from the basement flows up through the walls and escapes through the window frames, the area around plumbing pipes, doors, and attic. In this particular house, there’s a big gap around the air duct. That’s never a good sign when you can see down into the basement.” The 24…
Cynthia RockwellTwo Wesleyan graduates, Michael Jacobs ’85 and Arthur Haubenstock ’84, joined five other experts in the field of renewable energy in Washington, D.C., on April 26, on a Capitol Hill panel. The seven offered a presentation to Congressional staff on advances needed to integrate renewable resources—including wind and solar energy—into the electric grid. The panel was organized by the EESI (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) and WIRES (the Working Group for Investment in Reliable and Economic Electric Systems). Jacobs, a senior engineer with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) focuses on wind power, and Haubenstock is chief counsel and director…