According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2007 report, the global temperature could increase by up to six degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Global warming is a serious issue. We need to start combating it now. Here at UW-Madison, we should work toward eliminating all greenhouse-gas emissions on our campus. The College Sustainability Report Card for 2009, created by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, gave UW-Madison a grade of ""B."" Good, but not great. This indicates that we need to do more on campus to reduce our ecological footprint and create a more sustainable and carbon-neutral environment.
UW-Madison is in the midst of a building boom. Many buildings are heated and cooled by the Charter Street coal plant. As students of the University, we oppose this use of coal and would like to suggest some alternatives.
The current plan is for the Charter Street coal plant to stop using coal and start using biofuels. The problem with this is that no matter what kind of biofuel you use, it will not be available by the winter here in Wisconsin. At that point, we would have to start importing biofuels from other warmer parts of the country, wasting a lot of energy and money trucking these biofuels campus.
We propose that part of the budget for these new projects be allocated to installing solar panels on roofs. Also, it is more important to make older buildings more energy efficient than to build new energy-efficient buildings. By installing solar panels, we could reduce our dependence on coal, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide and other pollution emissions, such as particulate matter, mercury and sulfur dioxide.
Over the next four years, undergraduate tuition will continue to grow, bringing in a lot more money to the University. While it is appropriate that the majority of this money go to increased financial aid, a portion should go towards creating sustainability on campus.
With thousands of students and over 100 professors on campus, we have the knowledge and technology to completely eliminate our use of coal. UW-Madison can and must lead the way into a greener future.
—Brenna Rothstein
Caroline Blodgett
Katie Buroker
Caroline French
