Mississippi State University has joined in on the movement toward energy efficiency and sustainability.
Jeremiah Dumas, assistant research professor and part of the physical plant administration, said MSU has instituted several steps on campus to go green.
“We have done a number of things,” he said. “We have implemented a campus-wide recycling program, we have developed an environmental purchasing guide, we developed and got approved the MSU Sustainability Policy through the executive council and we work with a number of individuals on campus to help implement sustainability in their everyday decision making processes.”
Other steps have also been taken in the initiative to help MSU become energy efficient.
According to www.eco.msstate.edu, MSU has cut energy consumption by 20 percent over the last two years.
Paper products are also recycled from 75 buildings across campus.
There have been efforts to get fans to help keep the campus green and clean, including advertisements before football games instructing fans on how to properly dispose of and recycle waste.
Dumas said MSU has been planning future projects to increase sustainability, such as a campus-wide lighting retrofit, campus-wide building controls and a thermal storage project at the central plant.
He also said the response from administration has been encouraging.
“It has gone well,” Dumas said. “With the president signing the President’s Climate Commitment in 2009, it has shown administrative buy in. There are still obstacles to overcome that deal primarily with cultural bias, but those things only change with education and success.”
MSU works with and reaches out to students through the Students for a Sustainable Campus group.
Liz Kazal, founding member of Students for a Sustainable Campus, said she has been pleased with energy efficiency efforts on campus.
One initiative the group has developed is Energy Wars, an effort to get students in residence halls to cut back on energy use.
Kazal said the initiative was successful and produced $35,000 in savings.
Another initiative the group has pushed is the Green Fund, an opt-in fund that would be used to fund energy efficiency and sustainability projects on campus, as well as purchasing renewable energy.
The Green Fund was voted on and passed by the student body in the Fall 2011 semester.
“I think students have been very supportive,” Kazal said. “We’ve had overwhelmingly positive response and engagement. I think students are starting to realize that we all use energy and need to reduce consumption.”
She said the Students for a Sustainable Campus are working with the administration, staff and students to set up plans for the future, and they hope to have a grant-style system and to have input from students in future endeavors.
“We want to have transition from the classroom to implementation on campus,” she said. “We want to show that MSU believes in the education they’re getting and that it’s empowering to the students.