The Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group announced a plan Wednesday to make UW-Madison more energy efficient through using more renewable sources, holding new campus buildings to higher energy conservation standards and setting new standards for already existing buildings.
The WisPIRG Big Red Go Green project stems from many environmental problems in Wisconsin. For example, The Department of Natural Resources has warned fishers that Wisconsin lakes and fish are contaminated with mercury, Big Red Go Green's Media Correspondent Travis Bird said.
Last week, Big Red Go Green representatives met with Vice-Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell and Alan Fish, director of facilities, planning and management to discuss if their ideas are possible for UW-Madison.
\They were pretty supportive,"" said Judy Turpin, Big Red Go Green co-coordinator and UW-Madison sophomore.
Specifically, administrators favored the program's efforts to make buildings ""green,"" or environmentally friendly.
Representatives recommended the university adhere to a building rating system, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, allowing UW-Madison to determine the relative efficiency of each building.
""Most of the standards in the ... building program we've already incorporated into all of our building standards for all buildings under construction,"" Bazzell said.
The other part of the plan is to increase reusable energy sources on campus from 5 to 10 percent, Bird said. However, Bazzell said he thinks this may not be possible.
""One of the issues here is cost. We've looked at this issue and to do right now would certainly exacerbate a difficult energy funding situation,"" Bazzell said.
To curb additional costs associated with reusable energy without burning rubber tires to create energy, as Bird said the university does now, representatives suggested various methods of conserving energy, stating UW-Madison wastes energy over winter break and in other areas.
""Energy costs are going up quite dramatically,"" Bazzell said. ""That's why I liked their idea about energy conservation, that is a way to help offset some of that.""
WisPIRG also commended UW-Madison for energy efforts like pushing public transportation use.
Big Red Go Green will meet with administrators next month to develop more detailed plans.
