It's easy being green...when you recycle

Some professors leave their students feeling blue as the semester draws to a close; Dr. Dina Franceschi hopes to leave her students feeling green.

Students in her Environmental Economics class embarked on a mission to uncover the types of "green" (environmentally friendly) projects Fairfield University is undertaking, and how these projects save the school some major cash.

Working in small teams, the students found a variety of projects: Solar panels on the 10-Block of the townhouses, a "green roof" on the campus center, hi-tech boilers, and several other technologies that lessen our campus's negative impact on the environment.

Gathering this information wasn't easy, however. Administration and staff work full-time positions, and most have family obligations as well. "It's turned out that one of the big lessons everyone has learned is how difficult it is to get key information from the real decision makers," Franceschi said.

So what were the results? After gathering their data, each team did economic calculations that demonstrate the cost-benefit relationship of these environmental developments. Many of these projects were clearly profitable, while others didn't make sense at the moment.

The energy efficient lighting installed throughout the campus cost about $1,000,000 to complete, and has saved $166,000 annually since the project has been finished. Using a very conservative estimate of just 10 years until another upgrade was necessary, the Net Present Value (NPV) calculations showed the project as earning the University $363,323.00 in that time.

Michael Burke and Robert Miller, both seniors, continued their report on energy use with the discussion of the cogeneration plant to be built on campus. Cogeneration "will allow for almost zero dependency on external electrical supply," their report stated. The generator can produce up to 99% and 70% of the campus's electrical and heating needs, respectively. This project will save the University $12 million dollars (NPV) over 30 years.

As they learned more about what it meant to be green, the students realized that while the school was taking action, it could be doing more. They found this in part to be caused by Fairfield's notorious lack of student involvement and also little public support and promotion by administrators.

"When you look at the whole picture, there has to be an overall commitment by the community; students, staff, and administration. Everyone," says Joe Bouchard, the University's Fire Marshal. Mr. Bouchard is a key player in pushing green environmental policy here at Fairfield, and was a major asset to the class.

While sitting in on a presentation, Bouchard commented that success in these types of projects requires a high level of enthusiasm "from Father Von Arx down."

Gwen Eissman '07 said, "The Jesuit commitment should be more altruistic. They could take a much more public stance [on issues concerning the environment]."

One group suggested that adding of staff with the specific goal of environmental progress could help increase Fairfield's awareness. In sophomore Steve Curtis' presentation he recommended that the University "institute a Recycling Director."

Steve's presentation showed that Fairfield recycled only 5% of its total waste, while the state recommends a 20% recycling rate. His group members, Julio Garcia and Courtney Siegert, also believe that someone focused solely on recycling issues would make a positive difference.

"We think it would be a really good idea for this Recycling Director to speak to freshmen as one of their mandatory FYE speakers, presenting them with all the options and opportunities to recycle on campus," Steve Curtis said.

Curtis's group also demonstrated shortcomings in the campus's recycling options, and the difficulty for both faculty and students because of the few dedicated recycling bins nearby. The key to this project is having everyone on the same page. "You've got to standardize the operation," Joe Bouchard said.

Other groups also found that the school's endowment portfolio could contain more socially conscious companies, and that the campus vehicle fleet used antiquated fuel technologies and in need of replacement over time. One team also displayed the need for environmental education programs here at the University, and suggested several ways to increase the number of majors and minors.

Everyone involved was excited about their findings and looks forward to increased support from the administration and student body, especially after results of the upcoming FUSA Senate Survey are released. The survey will contain questions on environmental issues.