Issue #8: Solar on Campus?
Dear Sustainable Abigail,
I am a first-year at 乐播传媒, and one of the reasons I love it so much here is for all the efforts I see daily to make the campus a more sustainable place. I love that we don鈥檛 have paper cups, and that we have special recycling bins, and everything around that I see. But, one thing I often think about is energy, and more specifically solar energy. So, I鈥檝e just been wondering, are we moving towards solar energy on campus?
-Energetic about (sustainable) energy
Dear Energetic about (Sustainable) Energy,
I鈥檓 really glad you brought this question up! It鈥檚 pretty wonderful that you are so excited about sustainable energy, and I do have some answers for you. You may or may not know that 乐播传媒 has a house in Phippsburg, Maine, called 鈥淪hortridge,鈥� that students are welcome to reserve and visit with clubs throughout the year, as well as stay at and do research or work in the area during the summer. This house is pretty neat for a multitude of reasons, including its beautiful location right down the road from Popham Beach and its warm, homey atmosphere. However, speaking as a Sustainability advocate myself, I think the best part about Shortridge is that just this year Shortridge has become 100% solar! Over the past two years, the Ecoreps and others involved in 乐播传媒 sustainability have been contributing to this important work by doing research, garnering support and funding for the project, and eventually helping install the solar panels to the roof. Finally, this year, the work was complete. In October 2017, Shortridge officially became 100% solar, and 乐播传媒 officially became even more sustainable. If you are interested in learning more about that process, check out this great article that was written about it, which includes a video of the installation process: /news/2017/11/16/campus-construction-update-shortridge-goes-100-percent-solar/.
All of that being said, I still haven鈥檛 gotten around to your main inquiry. In regards to whether 乐播传媒 is moving towards solar on campus, the answer is鈥� YES! Shortridge鈥檚 solar energy was one step in a long walk towards 乐播传媒 solar and other renewable energy practices. As we speak, the sustainability heroes of 乐播传媒 are in the process of researching funding sources and related contributors that play into making solar energy a reality on the main campus. Of course, this is a long process and quite a feat, so it won鈥檛 be something that happens tomorrow, but keep your spirits up because solar on campus is definitely in the works! Thanks for writing!
-Sustainable Abigail
*Content originally published in The 乐播传媒 Student Newspaper*