BOONE, N.C. — The UNC system has taken numerous strides toward addressing a state mandate to reduce energy consumption 30 percent by 2015, but greater cultural change is needed, university officials said during presentations at the Appalachian Energy Summita> held July 9-11 at Appalachian State University.
Transcript
Dr. Jamie Russell: I was excited to attend. I was actually asked by Jeff Ramsdell, one of the organizers, to be one of the program leaders for building efficiency. I was honored to be asked to do that and am excited to be here. Looking at some of the speakers, especially the Rear Admiral, have shown for all operations how much energy intensity there is. The Navy, of course, has mission critical items—they have to have their power. A university, in some sense, is not as mission critical, but we are educating the future. So, we're mission critical and we have to have energy. We use a lot of it, so the big question is what can we do to reduce and how can we do that effectively in a tough economic climate while being environmentally responsible while we do it. I'm really hoping to get some ideas from other campuses, from other people who have been going down the path, and I look forward to working with them to develop some initiatives that can be ongoing.
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About Sustainability at Appalachian
Appalachian State University’s leadership in sustainability is known nationally. The university’s holistic, three-branched approach considers sustainability economically, environmentally and equitably in relationship to the planet’s co-inhabitants. The university is an active steward of the state’s interconnected financial, cultural and natural resources and challenges students and others think critically and creatively about sustainability and what it means from the smallest individual action to the most broad-based applications. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate academic degree programs that focus on sustainability. In addition, 100 percent of Appalachian’s academic departments offer at least one sustainability course or course that includes sustainability, and all students graduate from programs that have adopted at least one sustainability learning outcome. Learn more at https://appstate.edu/sustainability.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
