Energy

Why conserve energy?  |  What Colby consumes  |  Energy conservation tips

Increasing the efficiency of present utilities and decreasing an individual's use of energy is necessary to offset global warming and save the resources we have. Most of the energy that most people and businesses use is from oil or natural gas. These are finite, non-renewable resources, resources that our society is currently dependent on. Alternatives are solar, wind, and small hydro energy sources, but due to the corporate influences of oil companies, the automotive industry, and large energy corporations, these alternative sources have not yet been largely implemented.

Colby's energy comes from oil, despite Maine having deregulated power option, making it easier for consumers to choose a green energy source. At Brown University, with over 5,000 undergraduates and graduate students, the energy resources consumed annually are 23,000 barrels of heating oil, and 204 million cubic feet of natural gas, costing more than $6 million. We can imagine Colby's consumption at about half that rate, being that we're a smaller school. If we invested in solar or wind energy, the money spent on the transition would be covered by the money saved on purchasing energy within just a couple of years, and obviously the planet would benefit as well. Tufts University has recently signed on to the Kyoto Protocol, committing to reduce their emissions by 7% below 1990 levels (which is what the Kyoto Protocol demands of nations). A 7% reduction is great and all, but the Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change says that the United States, as a leader in global emissions, needs a decrease of 80% below present emissions. Colby also needs to sign on to the climate initiative and reduce our emissions!