SAN FRANCISCO “”mdash; Members of the University of California
Board of Regents were greeted by the sight of about 20 UC students
clad in bright orange T-shirts advocating solar power and energy
conservation.
While many demonstrations at regents’ meetings are in
protest of controversial policies, the day’s activities were
far from confrontational ““ students served coffee heated by
solar energy and cheered as regents and others pulled into the
parking lot.
Participants at the early morning rally on Wednesday were
affiliated with a variety of environmental groups, including
Greenpeace and UC Go Solar.
The Go Solar campaign is pushing the university to use solar
cells to produce 25 percent of the energy used by all new and
renovated buildings. It has already found several supporters among
students across the UC system.
Another 25 percent of energy used by those buildings should be
generated by “clean” sources, such as geothermal or
wind-generated power. The campaign also wants the UC to adopt more
stringent standards for energy efficiency.
Proponents of solar energy have won endorsements from student
governments on all nine campuses.
Students on the board also support the idea. Student Regent
Dexter Ligot-Gordon said he hopes the regents will initiate a
process, with a timeline, to develop an energy sustainability
policy.
Ligot-Gordon said he will seek to place an item on the December
grounds and buildings committee meeting agenda that would allow the
university to conduct a feasibility study on solar energy and
sustainable growth.
After the meeting, student regent-designate Matt Murray said he
and Ligot-Gordon are working together on the issue.
Solar energy supporters point to the UC’s many
construction projects as a reason for the university to make more
of an effort to build with conservation in mind.
With UC Merced expected to open in 2004, it will be a good way
to promote sustainable energy, said Angela Mo, a third-year
environmental studies student at UCLA who attended the
demonstration.
UCLA students held their own demonstration on campus last
Thursday.
Some California schools have already taken steps to incorporate
energy sustainability with construction. The Los Angeles Community
College District decided to generate 15 to 25 percent of energy
used in new buildings from renewable sources.
Additionally, Bren Hall at UC Santa Barbara uses solar panels to
produce 7 to 10 percent of that building’s power.