Green Cup Pledge Action Comics

Energy Conservation with Campus Lighting

Early this winter, WA replaced 36 outdoor metal halide lights that each used 205 watts with LED lights that each use 45 watts. The end result is an annual energy savings of 22,078 kWh and a corresponding reduction of CO2 emissions of over 25,000 pounds. This is another energy project made possible through the collaboratio of industry, government, and WA.

WA Hosts Regional Food Panel

A Local, Sustainable, and Just Food Panel was held on Wednesday December 16th, 2009  in Warner Theater

Given current issues about our food systems the panel was organized to address how might we envision, support, and engage in a local, sustainable, and just food system and network operating at maximum capacity? From the restaurant and farmers market to the subsistence-modeled and community farms and gardens, four local leaders on the panel informed and inspired us on current best and potential next practices at the personal, professional, and collective level.

For more information see Regional Food Network page above

Phase II WA’s Back to Tap Campaign

The environmental club has worked hard in selecting two high quality stainless steel bottles to sell to the WA community to facilitate the ending of the use of single serving water containers. Though tap water can have issues, it is more heavily regulated than bottled water and the city of Worcester’s water is heavily monitored and of high quality, particularly so after being filtered as all drinking tap water on campus is. Given the life cycle impacts of stainless steel bottles – you must use it 500 times before the environmental benefits exceed using an equivalent number of single serving plastic containers according to one study- the Environmental Club encourages as many people as possibe to take the Back 2 Tap Pledge and use their own reusable bottle or buy a new WA bottle. For more information on bottles and the pledge click on Bottles

WA Purchases Renewable Energy

Wading into the voluntary renewable energy market this past October, nearly 10% of WA’s total electricity demand will be met by 100% renewable energy produced throughout New England. Through the New England GreenStart program (Green Start) WA will purchase and retire Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) for all electricity used by Alumni House and off campus faculty apartments and athletic facilities. The energy sources include low impact hydropower, biomass, wind and solar. For a map of energy source locations click on Green Start Sources and for a Green Start disclosure label Disclosure Label. This program is available to all Massachusetts National Grid customers. Another renewable energy option available to all residents and organizations is the New England Wind Fund NewEnglandWind.

WA Converts to Tap Water

Worcester Academy has converted its campus wide use of 5-gallon bottled water containers to filtered municipal tap water. The city of Worcester has some of the best municipal water in the world, while the filters act to remove sediment and residual chlorine that can effect taste. The conversion will reduce WA’s electricity use by approximately 16,000 kWh/year, and reduce our annual CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 11 metric tons. Relying on the city of Worcester’s municipal watershed for thousands of more gallons a year rather than using trucked in bottled water will further enable WA students and community members to develop social responsibility and a sense of place. For more information on Worcester water click on WaterQualityReport2008 for the 2008 annual water quality report. Click on Filter1 and Filter2 for information on campus tap water filtration technology.  And for local and general water managment information click on Water 1 and water 2

Community Harvest

On Tuesday, September 8th as part of a Community Harvest program, members of the class of 2014 planted late season broccoli and cabbage at Brigham Hill community Farm in Grafton, MA. The farm has exceeded 40,000 pounds of crops this season.

For more information go to communityharvest.shtml

Native Trees Planted

Three trees native to the northeast were planted over the summer in honor of WA’s first Environmental Hall of Fame inductees. Pictured above are an eastern hemlock, balsam fir, and a river birch. See the WA Hall of Fame page for more information.

2nd Annual WA Electronic Waste Recycling

In collaboration with METECH international Worcester Academy recycled over 4,000 pounds of electronic waste in the spring of 2009. In 2007, the U.S. “recycled” 500 million personal computers. Planned obsolescence of consumer products is a central problem to this consumption-waste cycle. Inherently, our current use of electronics is unsustainable. Further,”recycling” electronic waste is problematic due to a potential lack of transparency and enforcement and participation of international governance instruments such as the Basel Convention, as well as  the sheer economic force of resource transfer, job creation, and profit potential between and within developing and developed nations. For more information about Metech and electronic recycling visit

Waste

Metech Field Trip

Metech International

Climate Change Study

more about “Climate Change Study“, posted with vodpod