Student
You, MSU students, are the future leaders of the world. You can lessen your environmental impact now. Small changes which are easy to make today add up to big savings.
It’s easy. Try this:
REDESIGN your room or apartment for better energy efficiency by positioning your work areas near natural light and by refraining from blocking the heater or air conditioner.
Make the best use of natural light, lighting accounts for 5-10% of total energy use in the average American home. Natural light means less electricity needed, which saves you money if you’re paying the bill.
Faculty
You, MSU faculty members, are educating the future leaders of the world. Your research is solving world problems. You can lead by example by making small, individual changes that will produce global results.
It’s easy. Try this:
REDESIGN your lab and office practices to be more energy efficient. Close your fume hoods, and turn off and unplug equipment when not in use. Turn the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.
A UC –Irvine study concluded that closing the fume hood when not in use can keep 50,000 lbs of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. MSU’s energy and environmental engineer confirms that simply closing the sash can save labs $5,000 per fume hood per year. MSU has 1,250 fume hoods on campus.
Heating, ventilation and cooling accounts for 40- 60% of the electrical consumption in any given building. Lowering the temperature by 1°F in the winter and raising it 1°F in the summer saves approx. $260,000 across the campus (2007 figure).
Staff
You, MSU staff, make the University run. Your efforts are the key to making it run efficiently while creating ways to positively impact the environment. You can lessen your environmental impact now. Small, individual changes will produce large, university-wide results.
It’s easy. Try this:
REDESIGN your office practices to be more energy efficient. Turn off and unplug equipment when not in use. Turn the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer.
Heating, ventilation and cooling accounts for 40- 60% of the electrical consumption in any given building. Lowering the temperature by 1°F in the winter and raising it 1°F in the summer saves approx. $260,000 across the campus (2007 figure).
University
Check out these videos that chronical the Wilson/Birch construction project. There are three videos that bring you behind the scenes so you can take a look at all the planning and extensive work that goes into such an expansive project.
Specifically, the second video shows the storm water nutrient separation system that was installed to help clean up our storm water before it gets to the river.
What’s happening in the World?
US President Obama’s stimulus plan looks to double the production of alternative energy in the next three years.
Michigan State University’s Office of Biobased Technologies is supporting research in brownfield (industrial waste sites) redevelopment. Dr. Kurt Thelen is trying to determine if brownfields can produce crops that have the quality and yield for biodiesel or ethanol production and if biofuel crops can clean up the contaminated soil.
Green roofs, which are most popular in Germany, provide aesthetic and environmental benefits. Learn more about the green roof research project at Michigan State University.
Michigan State University has set clear goals to reduce its environmental footprint. By 2015, MSU will reduce: waste by 30 percent, energy consumption by 15 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent. Track how your building is doing at reducing waste, conserving energy, and recycling on the GIS website.
As we grow, we're redesigning buildings to be environmentally friendly and meeting green Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for new construction.
The MSU power plant is a co-generation plant that burns coal to produce steam and electricity for campus. Coal produces carbon dioxide when burned, which is a greenhouse gas. Researchers and operations staff have been exploring alternative fuel sources such as fly ash and waste wood products to reduce the amount of coal burned, thus reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released.
