By: Marissa Graziadio
In hopes of reducing carbon emissions from the New Brunswick campus to
zero by 2030, the Rutgers Energy Institute is sponsoring a contest to
get undergraduate students involved in devising a plan.
Considering that Rutgers-New Brunswick is such a large campus that uses
buses to transport students, and has laboratories and facilities that
are very energy intensive, it is a major source of carbon dioxide
emissions, said REI Director Paul Falkowski, a Board of Governors
professor of geological sciences.
"It is very difficult to reduce carbon emissions to zero, but we should make that our goal," Falkowski said.
The institute is offering four awards per year of up to $2,500 to
students whose submissions are judged by a panel of faculty and
students, who are chosen by the institute advisory board. Individual or
teams of undergraduate students in any program on the New Brunswick
campus can participate.
Based on how much oil and gas the University purchased last year and
the number of vehicles driven around campus, it is estimated that
approximately 300,000 tons of carbon emissions are from the New
Brunswick campus, said REI Assistant Director Clinton Andrews, an
associate professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and
Public Policy.
The institute would like to see carbon emissions of the campus reduced
by 10 percent each year. One way to do that would be for the University
to produce its own power using alternative, environmentally safe means,
Falkowski said.
"It is important to lower carbon emissions because humans have put the
carbon cycle of the earth out of balance, which has helped create
global warming," Andrews said.
Falkowski would like to see at least 20 to 30 contest entries, if not
more. Faculty can participate as well and should assist students, but
the original ideas must be conceived and written by the students, he
said. Contestants are not limited to students studying the sciences.
Any Rutgers student with an idea is welcome. Business majors would be
helpful, he said.
The contest was proposed over the summer by Michael Pazzani, the vice
president for research and graduate and professional education.
Students are required to submit plans that are approximately 10 pages
in length, which should contain an analysis of costs and energy
savings, as well as a timeline and suggestions on how to carry out the
proposal.
The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group Student Chapters worked
with REI last semester to adopt a policy to reduce the University's
pollution up to 90 percent by the year 2050. NJPIRG members are working
with REI on the carbon emissions project, said Board Chair Sarah
Clader, a Rutgers College senior.
"Rutgers has to lead the way and set the bar for what the rest of the
country should be doing about global warming," Clader said.
Falkowski said in addition to contests involving undergraduate
students, the University community could lower carbon emissions by
running fewer buses. Also, fewer students commuting in private cars
would help cut down on air pollution, he said.
"Every time one gallon of gasoline is used, 23 pounds of carbon dioxide goes into the atmosphere," Falkowski said.
If the University purchased around 3,000 bicycles, and there was a
bicycle center on each campus, that would be much better for the
environment, he said. Students idling their car engines in parking lots
on campus are contributing to environmental problems as well.
Contest entries should be submitted on or before March 31. For more
information, see the Rutgers Energy Institute Web site at
http://ruei.rutgers.edu.
