Newsletters 2008 2007 2006

September 2007 Newsletter

In this Issue:

Wait, Don’t Throw That Out

GATORlist.net provides a new online resource for re-use at UF

Coffee <image>In an effort to make the Gator Nation even more sustainable, the University of Florida has created a free online exchange for unwanted, but still useable, office supplies, furniture, and more using GATORList.net, an online marketplace designed by students for the UF community.

The University Exchange will be a new feature on GATORList, which already allows students buy and sell textbooks and other items, advertise and look for apartments and housing, and even find jobs or internships -- all for free.

GATORList promotes reusability around campus and within the community by helping students to exchange almost anything. As well, the university now has an outlet for its extra supplies that will continuously benefit the school community.

"We hope this will quickly become a great resource for departments." Said Anna Prizzia, UF Office of Sustainability Coordinator, “We hope they will use it to post items they no longer want, and that they will look to GATORList for a needed item before going to buy it.”

Anyone can easily browse the items that are for sale or being given away on GATORList.net. To list an item, students can register for a free account and have their item listed in seconds.

"GATORList is popular because it's so clear and simple -- and free," says student Jordan Jefferson, GATORList designer. "Students can also find the best prices on GATORList for whatever they want to buy or sell."

Contributed by: Jordan Jefferson, Jordan@edgeanimation.com

 

My Summer of Science

A Summer Internship with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Alison Erlenbach <image>


The first day of my summer job at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was surreal, to say the least. Famous for the major role it played in the Manhattan Project during World War II, the lab is built on a huge stretch of land outside the city of Oak Ridge, in east Tennessee. The city of Oak Ridge is still known today as “the Secret City.” Over $60 billion was spent building the lab in 1943, unbeknownst to the president and the U.S. Congress. No one knew that Oak Ridge employees were enriching uranium and separating plutonium for bombs until well after the war was over.

After giving my name to the armed guard at the gate, I drove toward the visitors’ center to pick up my security badge. During the nearly 10 minute drive through the property, I passed trees, a few deer, and a huge machine with a sign that read “Historical Graphite Reactor” -the world’s first continuously operating nuclear reactor. It is right out in the open, with just a barbed wire fence around it. I also passed signs for the high flux isotope reactor and the Spallation Neutron Source, interspersed between many ominous-looking gigantic gray cylinders and electrical widgets. After getting my picture taken for my badge, I was told to go pick up a dosimeter, a little device that can sense when the person wearing it is being exposed to radioactivity, that I was to wear at all times.

Up until this point, I was trying to play it cool, but I was growing increasingly anxious. It was not the nukes or even the possibility of adopting a faint green glow that made me uneasy. Instead, I felt that gnaw in my stomach that I used to feel every morning before I walked into 11th grade Chemistry class.

As an economics major in my junior year at the University of Florida, I must confess I have not taken a lot of science in the past three years. My last experience in a lab was my high school science fair project. I swore off science when I came to college, happy to think that I would never have to light a Bunsen burner or poke around a crucible ever again. To be honest, science kind of scares me, and up to that point I had tried to avoid it as much as possible. We economists prefer not to deal in the physical world, and are much more content to explain the world with such figments of our imaginations as “the invisible hand,” and supply and demand curves, as opposed to tiny little atomic particles and other tangible, observable entities. Needless to say, working in one of the biggest research labs in the United States was one of the last places I expected to find myself for the summer.

I have become increasingly aware, however, since I’ve spent the past year doing work in the field of sustainability, that science is one of the keys to understanding the problems of the future. And a firm grasp on the science behind global climate change is crucial for me to be a leader in solving the problem, no matter what field I eventually go into. It was a fortunate accident that I found a program run by the U.S. Department of Energy known as the Global Change Education Program. It was even more fortunate that the program accepted me as an intern, since they very rarely take students form fields of study other than the sciences.

To give a general overview of my research: I studied the results of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), which projects U.S. energy demand for the next 25 years. It was my job to take the data and calculate carbon emissions and sources for the next quarter of a century. Basically the point was to figure out how the regions will meet their energy demands differently and the reasons why. I also looked at data from the NEMS model driven by a climate model to see what would happen to the different regions if it got hotter. Thanks to my mentor, Dr. T.J. Blasing, a meteorologist who is considered one of the world’s experts on carbon emissions, I learned more about carbon and climate change than I ever thought there was to know. He kept me well-versed and well-read on carbon, atmospheric science, and energy economics throughout the summer by giving me stacks of articles to read each day.

The results I obtained from my research were fascinating. It seems that some regions are going to have no trouble capping their emissions, while other regions are projected to increase carbon by 90% in some sectors over the next 25 years. It all depends on a few regional variables, like climate, population, and resource availability. In colder states, a warmer climate would lead to less energy consumption and fewer emissions because of lower required space heating. In the southeast, a 1.2 degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature causes the release of more than 4 Terra-grams of carbon a year, the equivalent of burning more than a billion gallons of gasoline. In many cases, a switch from heating with natural gas to cooling with electricity will cause end-use energy consumption to decrease, even though total energy consumption will increase. This is due to the inefficiencies inherent in electrical generation. These results gave me insight into how an effective cap-and-trade system might look for carbon.

The paper I helped write during my summer at Oak Ridge will be submitted for publishing in a research journal in order to build on the scientific community’s knowledge. This is one of the most amazing outcomes I could have ever expected from a summer’s work. At one point in my life, to think I would add to anyone’s scientific knowledge base might have been laughable. Now I realize that such an accomplishment is crucial if I wish to make a real impact when it comes to carbon policy.

Right now “carbon economics” does not exisit in the U.S.. But, judging by the direction our society is moving in right now, I think that this is something that will change in the near future. Carbon will eventually have a monetary value in our country, and I want to be at the table when they decide what its worth. I hope to help write the laws that control the market for carbon.

One of the most important lessons I took away from my research was the ever-apparent gap between the science community, policy-makers, and the public. While scientists, for the most part, think they hold the answers to climate change, they still have trouble convincing decision-makers. As a pseudo-scientist this summer, I was able to see first-hand how this disconnect prevails and gain some insight into how it might be eased. Obviously science will be key in solving the problems of my generation, however, it is crucial that scientists not forget the important role of business leaders, politicians, and of course, economists. Experts must work together, and interdisciplinary research is crucial. So, as strange and surreal as it was, it was pivotal for my career to spend a summer learning science. And I will probably need to spend a few more years brushing up on it. I also think it is just as important for scientists to learn some economics and political science. One profession in one field cannot come close to solving the complicated problems we are facing. We must take a new, synchronized and cooperative approach if we wish to be effective in slowing climate change.

It is with this understanding that I continue my work for the UF Office of Sustainability and for Gators for a Sustainable Campus. I hope that all that I have been doing will guide my future career. In my work at UF, I have gained an understanding of the politics of sustainability and the difficulty of trying to convince people to change their behaviors. This is just one small part of the overall problem. Now, after working at Oak Ridge, I have an understanding of the scientific and economic causes of emissions. It will take a melding of these two experiences—and a few more years of school and crazy summer jobs—to be truly effective in my future career in carbon policy.

Contributed by Alison Erlenbach

 

Florida Students Campaign for Renewable Energy

Florida Yards & Neighborhoods <image>Students have decided they want to charge themselves a fee to pay for renewable energy. This past weekend students from UF, UCF, UWF, New College, and FSU gathered at UF to collaborate on the renewable energy fee campaign. Students at these campuses have plans to promote the renewable energy fee at their schools, and to help with the statewide effort.

Here at UF, Student Government and students from Gators for a Sustainable Campus brought the issue up for a vote last spring, in which 78% of voting students supported the creation of a 50-cent per-credit-hour fee that would fund projects like solar energy installations and waste-to-energy technologies on campus.

To demonstrate continued support for the fee here on campus and to educate incoming students about the initiative, Student Government and Gators for a Sustainable Campus have planned a Renewable Energy Forum, scheduled for October 24; National Campus Sustainability Day. Following UF President Machen’s Sustainability Report, the Forum will begin at noon, and will include an explanation of how the fee would work and descriptions of exciting renewable energy projects from some of UF’s leading professors, ending with a question and answer session. Campus Sustainability Day will also feature several student organizations devoted to sustainability-related issues, free food and activities, all located on the Reitz Union North Lawn. The events kick off with Dr. Machen’s speech at 10am.

Contributed by Kelly Moosbrugger

North Florida Extension Agents Take on a Hot Topic

Leon County gives a workshop on climate change

Workshop on Climate changeCooperative Extension agents from three North Florida counties pooled their expertise to present a day-long workshop Sept. 6th on “achieving a sustainable Florida in the face of climate change. ”

The program included a synopsis of the current science on climate change, instruction for the 30 participants on how to calculate their own carbon footprint, and suggestions for new ways to manage their own landscape, home and consumption habits.

“ We now know, beyond any reasonable doubt, that this is the most serious fundamental problem of our time,” said Cliff Thaell, a Leon County Commissioner who opened the workshop. “But global warming and the problems it raises are not insurmountable if enough people understand the threat and are willing to make the personal commitment needed to make changes,” he added.

Thaell is taking the political lead on Leon County’s commitment to the principles of the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). ICLEI provides a framework for fostering a local approach to this global challenge.

After the presentations, participants broke into small groups to brainstorm ways motivated citizens can help schools, churches, neighborhoods and civic groups adopt sustainable living practices. Their suggestions are already being discussed by an advisory committee formed by the agents from Leon, Wakulla and Jefferson counties.

Follow-up activities are expected and will be reported as they occur.

Contributed by: Bob Douglas, citizen-member
Big Bend Regional Climate Change/Sustainable Living Extension Advisory Committee


Google Goes Black

Use a black-screen search engine, and help save energy
Blackle<image>

According to a recent calculation, 750 megawatts/hour per year of energy would be saved if Google simply had a black screen. In response to this research, Google has created a black version of its search engine; called Blackle, with the exact same functions as the white version, but with lower energy consumption. Check it out - http:// www.blackle.com/

 

 

Announcements

Important Date <image>News, events, and opportunities

 

Gator Dining Services goes Green

UF's dining services move toward sustainability

Gator Dining <image>

Gator Dining is making a commitment to sustainability. Below are some of the initiatives that they are undertaking for dining services across campus:

The Building Services department now also covers recycling, energy conservation, and other sustainability tips in their training. This fall, Building Services will be partnering with the UF Sustainability Office and product vendors in the continuing conversion to “green.”

Sustainability Forum

Question <image>Send us your questions about campus sustainability

Q: Our office regularly produces small to large quantities of Styrofoam peanuts. Can they be reused or recycled on campus?

A: Do It Reitz, the mailing business on the bottom floor of the Reitz Union, takes them and re-uses them. They will also take bubble wrap, and small personal electronics, such as cell phones and pagers.

 

 

Florida Sandhill Crane Couple

Florida wildlife at it’s finest

Florida Sandhill Crane Couple
http://groverphoto.phanfare.com/slideshow.aspx?username=groverphoto&album_id=304621by Robert Grover