Going Green: Tufts Praised for Energy Efficiency
Tufts University’s first “green dorm,” Sophia Gordon Hall. The new energy efficient dorm is one of several ways the university saves money and energy.
– Allison Goldsberry
Large power companies are probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about energy efficiency and conservation, but green is in, and so is utility-giant National Grid.
Senior Vice President Marcy Reed said energy efficiency and climate change are at the top of the company’s agenda and are “becoming part of the fabric of what we do.”
National Grid has run a slew of award-winning energy conservation programs for twenty years, and today recognized three of its major customers for their energy conservation efforts, including Tufts University.
According to National Grid, Tufts saves $613,745 per year thanks to its energy conservation efforts. That’s nearly six million kilowatt hours, enough energy to power 379 homes for one year.
It’s also enough, according to Tufts president Larry Bacow, to provide financial aid to another twenty-three students each year.
While that’s a nice chunk of change for Tufts’ wallet, it also represents a savings to the environment of more than 3,000 tons of greenhouse gases.
Bacow, by training an environmental economist, said the university takes energy efficiency very seriously.
Tufts is the originator of the Talloires Declaration, created at the school’s French campus in 1990, an action plan for sustainability that encourages universities to practice what they preach in the classroom. Nearly 400 other universities have signed on to the plan.
Arguably, the crown jewel in Tufts’ commitment to energy efficiency and environmental sustainability is its new green dorm, Sophia Gordon Hall. Literally from top to bottom, from the solar panels on the roof to the bamboo wood on the floor, the dorm is 61,000 square feet of energy efficiency.
Overall, the building uses 30% less energy. Students can check the building’s energy use in real time on a video monitor in the dorm or by logging onto its website.
Massachusetts Secretary for Energy and Environmental Affairs, Ian Bowles, praised National Grid and Tufts for all of their green efforts. He said he would like to see more companies, as well as individuals, going green in everyday life.
Bowles, noting that Governor Deval Patrick declared 2007 as the year of energy efficiency in Massachusetts, awarded National Grid with a Governor’s citation for their energy efficient programs.
Bowles commended National Grid for pushing energy conservation with their customers, despite the fact the company makes more money when it sells more energy.
Bowles said the state is currently looking into removing this “perverse disincentive” for power companies to push energy conservation by “decoupling” the electricity rate from the sales volume. According to Bowles, a hearing was held on that very topic today.
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