The Post has long covered energy issues both on campus and in Athens. From Ohio University’s electricity consumption to the advent of hydraulic fracturing, we know they have real consequences — both economically and environmentally.
Though the campus might be largely conscious of humanity’s impact on the earth, the assertion that OU is a national leader in “going green” isn’t quite accurate.
A number of propositions both big and small have been floated past university leadership with some success, but we are still lagging behind other schools in terms of sustainability.
Ohio University’s Climate Action Plan states that the university will achieve “carbon neutrality” by the year 2075, according to a previous Post article. A university news release also states a “soft goal” of 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is established for fall 2032. Those are low bars for a university seeking to lead.
In fact, we aren’t leading at all. In a ranking by The Sierra Club for 2013, Ohio University was placed as the nation’s 133rd greenest school.
Meanwhile, Ohio State University is making concerted efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle. Last year, the university announced it would purchase roughly 25 percent of its Columbus campus’ energy from an Ohio wind farm.
Surprise, surprise, OSU ranked 50th.
Ohio University recently reduced its power consumption by almost 30 percent during a recent heat wave in order to win a $121,000 bonus from its electricity provider. We were able to power down on a day when cranking up the air conditioning was all too tempting. What folks should be asking, though, is how much of that reduction can be made permanent?
Everyone at Ohio University can contribute. Students, faculty and staff can all make small but significant changes to the way we live. But concerted efforts from the university would likely have the most significant impacts.
We Bobcats say we bleed green. We urge university leadership, students and Athens residents to be green, too.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
