Before you go home, pull the plug

This week, all around campus, you'll see bright green posters asking you to "Pull the Plug on Global Warming." It's been a long semester, you're busy and you're ready to go home. But don't let these posters pass unnoticed. Ask any of Princeton's world-renowned climate change researchers, and they'll tell you that in global warming humanity faces an environmental threat unprecedented in the history of civilization. So please, before you go home, take a minute to read the posters and find out what you can do about it.

Princeton has its own power plant, which fulfills the energy demands of nearly all main campus buildings. It's one of the most efficient designs around, but it still produces a lot of carbon dioxide — nearly 139,000 metric tons in 2006, according to data provided by the University Energy Plant Manager. A significant portion of these emissions result from the small things we do everyday, so often that we don't even think about them: Leaving the lights on when we go to dinner, not shutting down our computers and leaving fans on when we're not in the room. By paying attention to these small things — and making sure they don't happen over the 23 days of winter break — students can save a substantial amount of carbon dioxide.

That is what Pull the Plug is all about. The bright strings of Christmas lights that have been sprouting up all over campus add welcome color to gray Gothic facades, but according to energy use data provided by the University, turning them off over winter break will save 24 pounds of carbon dioxide. Making sure your computer is off will save almost 50. Multiply that by 7,000 students, and Pulling the Plug can make a real difference. Turning down your thermostat and buying energy efficient EnergyStar appliances also helps save a significant amount of energy and hence reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

Admittedly, the University also has a major role to play in constructing energy-efficient buildings and installing energy-saving devices such as occupancy-sensing lighting and room-by-room temperature control. Nearly everybody has had the experience of sitting in a classroom, a section of Firestone or a professor's office that was either unnecessarily frigid or blazing hot. While it is often complicated and expensive to do, installing temperature-control capabilities in individual rooms would allow occupants to adjust the temperature to what suits them, rather than having a heating rate meant to keep rooms down the hall warm or one that is out of synch with the actual weather. The University is carrying out the important step of installing occupancy sensors, small devices that lower energy use on unoccupied rooms by turning off the lights. Occupancy sensors are easy and very cheap to install and reduce carbon dioxide while also lowering energy costs.

Student efforts at energy conservation, however, are still extremely important. Facilities Department records show that thermostats are installed in 11 dorm buildings, but it remains up to the occupant to actually set the temperature to a reasonable level — and turn it back when leaving for break.

Princeton has been in the forefront of climate change research since its inception. There has long been, however, a disconnect between science and policy at the University. There are a great number of people who care about climate change at Princeton, and the administration has adopted a number of new initiatives to make the University's buildings more energy efficient. Nonetheless, it doesn't register on our collective radar screens in the same way as other important issues or causes, such as poverty or AIDS. Pulling the Plug is our chance to give the threat of climate change and the Princeton community's responsibility to address it, the attention it so richly deserves.

The lampposts and billboards of Princeton are festooned with posters and notices, but please at least pay attention to the bright green ones, and visit www.princeton.edu/~surgers to pledge to Pull the Plug over break. Scott Moore '08 is a member of Students United for a Responsible Global Environment (SURGE) and is also a member of the Editorial Board of The Daily Princetonian. Pull the Plug is a joint initiative of SURGE, Princeton Eco-Reps, Princeton Water Watch and Greening Princeton. Scott may be reached at scottm@princeton.edu.