The Facts or Just a Fad? Going Green at Stanford University
This entry was written in response to the Research Blogging Assignment for Stanford's Fall 2008 Cultural Interfaces class. For more about this assignment, click here. You can leave a comment on this post by clicking on the "comment" link below.
Just this past year when my age-old parents decided to convert our home to completely solar powered energy it struck me that if they are concerned with saving energy than things must really be getting serious where our environment is concerned. When I got back on campus this year, the posters and signs that decorate White Plaza and every bathroom stall became more noticeable to me and I became curious as to why Stanford is making such a strong effort to “go green”. I’ve always been one to turn of the lights and make sure my water bottles go into the recycling bin, but as I research further and am learning more about Stanford’s sustainability efforts I find myself asking why is this so important now but at the same time I want to do more…
Stanford University has always been at the forefront of new developments, technologies, and advances in almost every field of research, so it is no surprise that we are paving the way for environmental changes worldwide by starting with our own campus. The website sustainable.stanford.edu highlights Stanford initiatives toward sustainability in areas such as energy, food, buildings, land, transportation, waste and water. This year, President Hennessy introduced “The Stanford Challenge” which will raise $4.3 billion over five years aimed at creating a university “that will better serve the world through the quality, impact, and vision of its research”.
The Stanford Challenge has allocated $250 million toward Stanford’s Initiative on the Environment and Sustainability, which will further research in this area as well as support campus-wide environmental awareness. Established in 2008, the Student Green Fund grants $20,000 each year to students or student groups working toward improving sustainability at Stanford. With the success of the new Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment + Energy Building, also known as Y2E2, and which uses 56% less energy and 50% less total water than traditional buildings of the same size, Stanford has laid plans for a completely Green Dorm set to open next school year. The environmental engineers behind the project say that it’s “expected to generate more electricity than it uses, emit no net carbons and use half the water of comparable dorms”.
It is clear that Stanford is making huge efforts, along with spending billions of dollars, to preserve resources as well as educate and inform Stanford affiliates about the benefits to sustainable living. As I continue my research, I am curious to find out what has prompted Stanford to make such drastic changes in the last few years and who is pushing for this change. Where and how are we planning to acquire $4.3 billion and is it going to take away from other aspects of Stanford that could benefit the students more? (i.e. financial aid, newer classrooms, computers, etc.) Are these environmentally conscious decisions only available because of Stanford’s financial security and advanced technology, or will other schools across the nation be able to afford these changes as well? These are all questions that I hope to better understand because at this point it seems as if it’s a double edged sword. Is building a new green dorm instead of just converting the dorms we already have the right choice? I’m all for everyone, including Stanford, to do their fare share at saving our planet, but somehow it seems as though Stanford is sacrificing more than the rest of the world is willing to give up.
Comments
Your parents decided to go Green? Hmm. How are Stanford's efforts contributing to the overall larger picture of green? Is Stanford able to influence the surrounding community? Other universities? Student's parents?! I think it should be very interesting to uncover Stanford's reasoning behind supporting this in such a big way. Does Stanford have that big of a heart? Note: Chevron and Shell have t.v. ads and entire marketing movements right now about "going green" and being environmentally friendly, and it's not because each company cares about the well being of man kind.
Posted by: Chris Schaller | October 9, 2008 10:45 AM
Sometimes I get the feeling that only wealthy schools like Stanford are able to truly afford implementing sustainable practices. For a moment, let's move across the globe to somewhere like Northern Africa -- are institutions and organizations there able to afford going green? Given their extremely limited resources, would they ever be inclined to implement environmentally friendly practices? I highly doubt so. We can actually draw a parallel to how credit -- if improperly managed -- has the potential to make the poor even poorer. Basic, immediate needs are always top priorities; long-term needs are good-to-have but highly impractical if gearing towards them requires much sacrifice in the short run. Ultimately, going green is also intricately linked to socioeconomic equality across the globe.
Posted by: Mak, Stanford | October 9, 2008 10:45 AM
I like it. The Go Green project is really evident at a place like Stanford and relevant to our everyday lives. I think these large projects are a great start on your research, maybe compare them to other large environmental projects around the country. Also I like the idea of showing not only the large projects Stanford is undertaking, but the smaller ways they are conserving, like the no food waste now in place in Cafeteria's. Good Idea's Allison, and good luck tomorrow.
Posted by: Colin Walsh | October 9, 2008 10:46 AM
I like it. The Go Green project is really evident at a place like Stanford and relevant to our everyday lives. I think these large projects are a great start on your research, maybe compare them to other large environmental projects around the country. Also I like the idea of showing not only the large projects Stanford is undertaking, but the smaller ways they are conserving, like the no food waste now in place in Cafeteria's. Good Idea's Allison, and good luck tomorrow.
Posted by: Colin Walsh | October 9, 2008 10:46 AM
This is a subject that can be closely scrutinized and should make for a good paper. I see the same thing with Stanford throwing tons of money into this cause while other people and institutions just talk about doing things. It will be interesting to see if Stanford ends up hurting or benefiting from the 'green overhaul' that is currently happening.
Posted by: thomas | October 9, 2008 10:46 AM
Allison, I am very fascinated about the "double-edged sword" aspect of your Green Culture topic. You started with a personal narrative about your family's decision to go solar and how it made you stop and think about the real value of the Green movement. The personal approach works very well here, especially when you follow up with concrete logos (the prices and years provided in the next two paragraphs). I am sure that your research of this question will lead you towards taking one side for your research argument, and I can't wait to see which side it will be. With this essay, you bring up one of the most controversial challenges of the 21st century; it may seem tempting to delve into the global history of this movement and its causes, but your focus on Stanford University will keep your topic on the ground. Great job!
Posted by: Stephanie P | October 9, 2008 10:47 AM
Allison,
I can see that your research is definitely heading in the right direction--you provide us with various statistics and it seems like you have some concrete topics that you want to pursue.
With this said, I see the little dilemma you face when you say the "going green" nature of Stanford is like a double-edge sword. It is true, we don't want to improve our environment here on this campus but at the same time there are things we are sacrificing. This is a great point, and while you pose various questions as to wether we are pursing the right thing, I feel this is very subjective. However, I am curious to learn more about your individual perspective on this. Good luck!
Posted by: Carlos Arellano | October 9, 2008 10:49 AM
Thank you so much for starting us off on this quarter's research blogging assignment!
That said, I'm so intrigued by your topic and where it's going to take you! One thing that occurs to me whenever we talk about going green is about how the individual consumer plays into institutional policy. For instance, it's great to build green buildings, but you also need the individual to buy in.
For instance, San Fran banning plastic bags in supermarkets was a great start -- and even here, in Palo Alto, when I was entering a supermarket yesterday, I saw a HUGE sign hanging in front of the entrance, I mean BIG, saying "Did you bring your own bag?" That sign is for people like my mom, who has good intentions, but always leaves her canvas shopping bag in the trunk of her car when she actually goes into the market.
It's funny, too, to think about what a ruckus the move to compostable utensils caused on campus. If you eat in the biz school cafe (as I often do), you are faced with a colorful and elaborate garage/compost sorting system when you are done eating, that allows you compost almost everything you used. When Eva Magnusson was here last year from Sweden (she's the teacher who will be visiting with us next week), this was remarkable to her, and she took photos of it to show at home. Yet, I know PWR instructors who so hate the corn-product forks and knives that they have to use, that they will use spare plastic utensils from other cafe instead.
Anyway, this is getting a bit rambling, but my point is that you have a great topic, and I hope that you can tap into not only the institutional/admin side of things but also the user-base as you do your research.
Posted by: Christine Alfano, Stanford Instructor | October 9, 2008 01:16 PM