A few universities' commitment to the environment

UC Berkeley's Road to Zero Waste commitment

Some interesting tidbits from UC Davis' Zero Energy village

The two UCs (University of California) I visited, as you can see, are dedicated to helping the environment and implementing a variety of advertising/awareness techniques that allow everyone to understand their drive to reduce their carbon footprint. 

I also got a chance to talk to some professors at UC Davis and U of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Both are involved in research regarding the efficiency of water purification, and UC Davis has a project that aims to seal up cracks in whole houses using a nitrogen compressor, within one hour. The lab has actually sealed two real houses so far and hope to expand the project to do larger buildings in the future. I think this project is unique in the sense that it offers a very practical solution to energy efficiency - airtight homes mean that less energy can be spent on heating up a home because the warm air is retained. 

A picture of the lab: 

Stanford University's Y2E2 buildings is a tall and strong symbol of the university's commitment to sustainability. New buildings being  constructed are using Y2E2 as the standard, according to our tour guide. It uses 50% of the energy to run and only 10% of the potable water required for fixtures, in comparison to a typical building of its size, according to Stanford News. The energy efficient building is another asset to Stanford's environmentally conscious profile. 

To see more on Y2E2 and picture credit: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2008/march5/y2e2-sustain-030508.html


It's assuring to see so many universities commit to the grueling issues of today's world! Tertiary education is the stage where the somewhat insulated secondary school meets the reality of life and I think the fact that colleges are aiming to bridge the gap is powerful. Students are given the opportunities to glimpse into the solutions that we can implement in the future. 

Think green!

Summer Green

The Petroleum Free Water Bottle Sold at Ike's Place

Just finishing a summer course at Stanford’s summer institutes EPGY, I realized how much of a green atmosphere Stanford cultivated. The students strive to keep the green environment in place, along with the professors who encourage them too. Here are a few examples of the green dining experience:

At the dining hall, whether for hot drinks, ice cream, or just ice, Stanford’s dining provided drinking cups of the brand “Eco-Products.” On the back of the cup, Eco-Products claims the product is made of 100% renewable resources, made entirely out of plants. The cups are not made from oil, reducing the effect the cups have on global warming. The other option for drinking cups at the dining hall was hard plastic, washable and reusable. All utensils at the dining hall were stainless steel, and reusable. When plastic utensils had to be used, “Tater Ware” utensils were used. The bag with the spoon, fork, and knife states, “Cutlery, bag and napkin are biodegradable,” allowing us to throw even the cutlery into the recycling bin.

The sandwich shop, Ike’s place, sells water bottles manufactured by the company “Green Planet”. The bottles are petroleum and BPA free and made 100% from plants. The bottle is even compostable!

Such simple, but effective investments just related to dining at Stanford makes us feel good about helping the environment in our own way. Every biodegradable spoon used and recycled makes a difference! I hope that more of these products will be used by the world’s population.

                
For more information about these products, visit http://www.ecoproducts.com, http://www.greenplanetbottling.com and http://www.earth-to-go.com! =)