By
The start of the academic year brings renewed attention to the University’s ongoing efforts to conserve energy, both as a cost-containment measure and a key component of the movement toward campus sustainability.
To keep the need for continued vigilance in this area top of mind with faculty, staff and students, organizers of the “Got Green?” awareness campaign have sought some saintly assistance, so to speak, with the latest entry in the popular poster series.
Beginning this month, St. Ignatius Loyola, as portrayed by the statue on Middle Campus, will join the gallery of luminaries who have sported green mustaches for the conservation cause. In the new poster campaign, which will have a presence in academic buildings, offices, and residence and dining halls, the founder of the Jesuit order’s exhortation to “set the world aflame” is coupled with a reminder to “turn off the lights before you go.”
The campaign parody of the popular “Got Milk?” white mustache ads kicked off in 2010 with University Vice President William B. Neenan, SJ, lending the inaugural upper lip to the cause. Subsequent posters featured Football Head Coach Frank Spaziani, members of the national championship-winning men’s hockey team, and, last semester, Eagles mascot Baldwin.
Though the faces of the campaign change, “Got Green?” organizers from the Office of News & Public Affairs say the core message remains the same: that the actions needed to save energy are quick and easy, and that a major collective decrease in consumption can result from individuals making a few small changes to daily habits.
“The BC community plays a vital role in energy savings,” said Energy Manager John MacDonald, adding that the support for the campaign evidenced by numerous offices across campus, notably Facilities Services and student groups such as UGBC and EcoPledge, is greatly appreciated - and is yielding positive results.
Despite a colder than average winter, oil and gas use on campus over the last year were down by 6 percent, according to MacDonald, and though the unusually hot summer of 2010 caused an uptick in electrical use, Boston College was able to come in 3 percent under its energy budget thanks to conservation efforts.
Still, administrators say, more can be done to achieve the dual goals of conserving the earth’s resources and reducing BC’s costly utility bills, and that every individual can make a difference.
"‘Turn off the lights before you go’ is a very strong message with significant savings behind it,” MacDonald said. “We want to continue to encourage the pursuit of energy savings with all groups on campus.”
Among multiple campus initiatives to that end is a new agreement with NSTAR that calls for a cooperative effort to target energy efficiency opportunities, such as improving existing operational control systems and laboratory processes; use of occupancy sensors, and upgrades to lighting and mechanical systems.
“Being able to tap into NSTAR’s vast experience of energy conservation will have a dramatic effect on our consumption,” MacDonald said. “We also continue to work closely with various departments to reset temperatures when spaces are not being used.”
MacDonald added that he would welcome other ideas from members of the University community about how BC might bolster its conservation efforts at john.mcdonald.2@bc.edu.