University joins 'green' group
Campus unites with others globally to create sustainable future
Allison Proite
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: News
Recently, all students on the UW-Eau Claire campus were sent an e-mail explaining that the university had just become a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
According to its Web site, AASHE is an association of colleges around the United States and Canada that work together to create a sustainable future. Kate Hale, the campus sustainability fellow, thinks Eau Claire joining AASHE is a huge step forward in the fight for sustainability.
"Sustainability is a moral commitment, an obligation of our planetary citizenship," said Hale.
Campuses including UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and others have also become members of the association recently. Hale thinks the idea of working with other UW campuses will be something that will only benefit the campus's sustainability effort in the future.
"This is important not only for idea sharing and resource sharing," she said. "But also, our collective efforts have a cumulative effect on our regions of the state, our part of the country and this part of the planet."
With the email sent to all students a week ago, Hale said she hopes that this will encourage students to join the fight.
"I hope that members of the entire campus community will be exploring the AASHE resources," she said. "Some will be exploring these topics and issues for the first time, while others will be searching to see what resources are available for their specific areas of interest and, I hope, sharing that information with others."
Junior Steph Collura is interested to see where this association will lead our campus in the future, but also has her doubts.
"I think joining this association is a great idea in theory," she said. "I'm just a little skeptical to see if it all pans out and see if it will even affect us in the long run."
Yet, Eau Claire is following in the footsteps of many college campuses around the nation who have implemented the idea of constructing "green buildings." According to the AASHE Web site, at UW-River Falls, the student center was renovated in a "green" way in 2007. This includes using an exterior design to reduce heat islands, a light pollution reduction and a reduced site disturbance during the construction of the building.
Hale hopes that the Davies Center can one day go the same route as the River Falls student center, in creating a more environmentally friendly building on campus.
"The architects who are working on the project as well as a number of people on the building committee are serious about pursuing sustainable or green features for the new Davies."
According to its Web site, AASHE is an association of colleges around the United States and Canada that work together to create a sustainable future. Kate Hale, the campus sustainability fellow, thinks Eau Claire joining AASHE is a huge step forward in the fight for sustainability.
"Sustainability is a moral commitment, an obligation of our planetary citizenship," said Hale.
Campuses including UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point and others have also become members of the association recently. Hale thinks the idea of working with other UW campuses will be something that will only benefit the campus's sustainability effort in the future.
"This is important not only for idea sharing and resource sharing," she said. "But also, our collective efforts have a cumulative effect on our regions of the state, our part of the country and this part of the planet."
With the email sent to all students a week ago, Hale said she hopes that this will encourage students to join the fight.
"I hope that members of the entire campus community will be exploring the AASHE resources," she said. "Some will be exploring these topics and issues for the first time, while others will be searching to see what resources are available for their specific areas of interest and, I hope, sharing that information with others."
Junior Steph Collura is interested to see where this association will lead our campus in the future, but also has her doubts.
"I think joining this association is a great idea in theory," she said. "I'm just a little skeptical to see if it all pans out and see if it will even affect us in the long run."
Yet, Eau Claire is following in the footsteps of many college campuses around the nation who have implemented the idea of constructing "green buildings." According to the AASHE Web site, at UW-River Falls, the student center was renovated in a "green" way in 2007. This includes using an exterior design to reduce heat islands, a light pollution reduction and a reduced site disturbance during the construction of the building.
Hale hopes that the Davies Center can one day go the same route as the River Falls student center, in creating a more environmentally friendly building on campus.
"The architects who are working on the project as well as a number of people on the building committee are serious about pursuing sustainable or green features for the new Davies."
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