Sustainability
Sustainability has been a popular topic since the creation of the Office of Sustainability, which was headed by Andy Sarjahani in the 2008-09 school year and Denny Cochrane during the 2009-10 school year. The office sponsored several initiatives, including going tray-less in the D2 and Shultz dining halls, installing a local foods kiosk in the Owens dining hall and hosting a “sustainability week” two years in a row.
In June 2009, the Board of Visitors approved the incorporation of 14 points into university policy regarding environmental concerns such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and recycling. A major goal included pursuing LEED Silver certification, an environmental building rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council, on all new buildings and renovations.
Related to sustainability, coal was a hot topic as the Beyond Coal group campaigned vocally for a cleaner, more renewable future without the use of coal, specifically on the Tech campus.
Content on Sustainability:
In search of savings: Energy at Tech
September 8, 2008
According to Fran DeBellis, manager of Tech Electric Service, if you ran a 1500-watt hairdryer for an hour, you would be using 1.5-kilowatts of energy. Just the Veterinary Medicine building on Duck Pond Drive uses roughly 10 million kW each year, and it i
Tech readies solar house for competition
July 30, 2008
Remember that glowing, multi-colored house with a floating roof that was on display on Dietrick Lawn and outside Cowgill Hall a few years ago? Well, keep your eye out for another extraordinary-looking house that will begin construction soon. The Virginia
July 2, 2008
D2 and Shultz dining centers have been operating without trays since July 1. The move comes as a result of an Earth Week experiment designed to reduce food waste and possibly improve the consumption habits of students.