New York University's recent decision to purchase 118,000,000 kWh of wind power (equivalent to 100 percent of their annual electricity consumption) has highlighted for us all the pivotal role of academic communities as torchbearers in the global movement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The event is being hailed as the largest purchase of wind power by any U.S. college or university and the 11th-largest purchase by any institution at the national level, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Green Partnership Program. This news has been welcomed with much enthusiasm by those of us on the Princeton University campus working to raise awareness and take steps toward helping Princeton become a national leader in global warming policy.
NYU's move signals a growing trend within the United States of realizing the benefits of renewable energy as a cleaner and equally reliable source of electricity when compared to traditional fossil and nuclear fuels. While the environmental benefits of electricity generated from renewable sources are well established, organizations are increasingly becoming aware of the financial and social benefits as well. By diversifying a consumer's energy portfolio, green power can provide a hedge against risks posed by rising fuel prices, fuel supply disruptions and growing environmental regulation. Moreover, as communities and company stakeholders become more aware and active on environmental fronts, organizations are realizing the social benefits of adopting ecologically sound energy policies.
Thus, one can see among the EPA's top 25 partners in the Green Partnership Program organizations as diverse as the U.S. Air Force, Wells Fargo, Starbucks and IBM. Leaders in the academic community include Duke University, the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale, University of Western Washington and University of Central Oklahoma. Amid this climate of growing awareness and initiative, a critical mass of student support is being created for Princeton to invest in green power. There has never been a more opportune moment for Princeton, a national leader in all walks of life, to also become a leader in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions through the purchase of green power.
The University itself has taken several steps in the past toward greater sustainability. In the last 20 years, it has engaged in a number of reforms pertaining to recycling, energy efficiency and conservation, efficient power and heating production through natural gas cogeneration, environmentally sound design, engineering and construction of buildings and facilities, alternative transportation, and environmental education and research. In addition, it has shown considerable institutional commitment to sustainability by establishing the Princeton Environmental Oversight Committee (PEOC) and recently creating the position of Sustainability Manager with the responsibility of helping the University improve its environmental performance and become a leading example of sustainability among institutions of higher education.
In keeping with its fine tradition of environmental awareness and sensitivity, the University is currently at a juncture where it can make a bold public statement of its intentions of becoming a sustainability leader. Princeton can join a growing national movement at the very top. But there are potential obstacles to be overcome. Green power currently has a higher price tag than conventional sources, but the long term benefits of investing in green power are considerable. By paying a higher price now, we would be contributing to the cost of R&D required to reduce the cost of producing renewable electricity in the future. In fact, the price of wind energy in the United States has steadily fallen since 1980 by a factor of 10 (from 50 cents/kWh to approximately 5 cents/kWh) as the quantity produced has increased. This implies returns to scale that can be leveraged only by increasing production at a higher cost in the short term.
By setting the standard on renewable energy use coupled with continued advances in energy efficiency, Princeton can spur other institutions and communities into action. As its students, it falls upon us to collectively show our support for the University's efforts by changing the way we interact with our surroundings and the way we think about them. An act as insignificant as turning off all switches when leaving one's room, when aggregated over thousands of students every day, can have a fundamental impact. There are committed student organizations on campus advocating this and other minor changes to our daily lives that can make a difference to the University's ecological footprint. Cooperating with them to make one's own footprint smaller is the first step to ecological consciousness.
Change does not happen overnight, but we can collectively make it happen in the near future. Green power is one way of doing so. Together we must urge the University to reaffirm its place in history by taking the lead in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Rohan Mukherjee writes on behalf of Princeton Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE). He is a graduate student at the Wilson School and may be reached at rmukherj@princeton.edu.
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