For the entire University Business article headlined “Energy synergy in higher education: How higher ed institutions are adopting energy management initiatives for energy savings,” click here.
Perhaps most imperative in efforts to save energy are the people who live, study and work on campus. Hinds Community College in Mississippi first focused on staff habits. Hinds has 12,000 students on six campuses, along with 5,000 personnel who have office computers and peripheral machines.“We began by asking staff to make sure lights, computers, monitors and printers were turned off when not in use,” says Jason Pope, director of sustainability. “We simply explained the costs. Making a presence and checking behind folks is critical to maintaining this type of program as well. Accountability is key.”
Encouraging consciousness of energy use goes beyond flicking a switch at Hinds. Students are encouraged to report any misuse of energy they spot on campus, including lights that do not turn off, parking lot lights on during the day, sport field lights, classroom lights left on, water leaks and broken sprinkler heads. Through a combination of these and other actions, the Mississippi college is now approaching $8 million in energy savings since 2008.
For more about Hinds Community College, see www.hindscc.edu.
Jason Pope