If The University of Hawaii Hilo wanted to, we could follow the example Cornell University have given by planning a long-term goal of reducing carbon emissions and ultimately saving hundreds of millions of dollars.
The project would need the effort of the entire school and the community. Student leaders and organizations for sustainability would have to really work hard to get the student to sacrifice time, energy, and sometimes their own personal comfort.
Grants and support from the state could get the project off the ground and eventually those items, “would bear no cost or will have a positive payback to the University.” Said Kyu Whang, co-chair of the climate implementation committee at Cornell University.
Awareness is the first step in convincing a group to consider future rewards for action they may take now. Faculty, staff, and students must have pride in their school, which would motivate them to make changes in the present knowing that the effects may not be seen for decades after they would have graduated.
My personal contributions would be to have all phases of the plan covered in the University newspaper. I would help to inform members of the school were petitions were being signed and what they could do to help the project advance.
The largest obstacle will be to make advancements on the building that is already having major problems. UHH has to first meet the standards the board of regents put into place before we can upgrade the university’s energy grid. Also because we live in Hawaii the UHH carbon footprint is the same all year round, so saving energy in the winter though alternative heating is not an option.
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