Conference Energy-Feb-5-2007
From Common Energy UVic
These are the minutes of the Energy Working Group from the proceedings of the the Common Energy Conference, Feb 5th, 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Check-In 1
[edit] What directions are we moving towards?
Personal energy reduction - how can UVic encourage this?
University policy - what can change to significantly reduce energy demand?
Measure before manage - we need a DETAILED account of energy use and emissions for the entire campus Energy reduction is preferable
[edit] What questions need to be researched?
How much energy, and it what form, does UVic consume?
How do we encourage staff, student, faculty alike in reducing personal energy demand?
How can policy change to reduce UVic heating and electricity demand
[edit] Check-In 2
[edit] What directions are we moving towards?
Intra-university competition on energy reduction - energy stats for every building on campus are well documented, create a public web site fostering monthly competitions between faculties in energy reduction. Monthly awards could exist, funded by the money saved by the university in reduction, and could include discount on textbooks, dinner party, gym pass discount, etc. Or could savings be denoted to charity? Or bursary?
Inter-university competition - similar as above, but have a web forum where universities across North America can compete in monthly energy reductions
Simple, easy implemented policy changes, for example, "every time a lightbulb goes out, it is replaced with an energy efficient one"
Rewarding good behaviour - database of "good" companies
Regional GHG trading office - research a student run or student built organization which deals with carbon offsets on the local level
[edit] What directions are we moving away from?
Right now we seem to be attacking more the social issues of energy reduction. Sufficient technology exists already to implement necessary changes, so we haven't yet got into renewable energy implementation, fuel cells, etc.
[edit] What questions need to be researched?
How to we create a web based forum where universities and faculties within UVic can compete on monthly energy target reductions?
What types of rewards should exist for faculties or departments who reduce energy demand the most?
What strategies can we begin on campus to encourage both personal energy use reduction and departmental energy use reduction?
[edit] Check-In 3
[edit] What directions are we moving towards?
We've covered almost exclusively fostering 'motivation' to reduce energy demand, both personally and institiionally. This next section is focusing more specifically on strategies that could see Victoria moving past fossil fuels. Topics of interest are the implementation of a regional GHG trading scheme using local offsets, of which profits could be used to provide capital for renewable energy projects.
Measure before manage.
Creating a scenario model to start for UVic for reduction scenarios, say 30%, 50%, 70% greenhouse gas emissions. This eventually could be pushed for the CRD area, though this would be in the later future.
Idea of implementing theoretical, experimental carbon trading market at UVic. Create an alternative currency where students or departments or buildings can get involved and based on energy use and theoretical CO2 price per tonne, would have to 'pay' other buildings for offsets. This would be more an educational endeavour which could lead to publicity towards a carbon trading market in the CRD.
Better access for industrial partners to work with students, perhaps with Common Energy and directed studies in researching alternative technologies, say ethanol facilities using organic waste
[edit] What directions are we moving away from?
Motivating the public to reduce energy. This was sufficiently covered in the first session.
[edit] What questions need to be researched?
What logistics are involved in creating an alternative currency, education based carbon market on campus? Can we create an accurate energy reduction scenario for UVic and the region?
