SUNY Going Green? « It’s Getting Hot In Here

From fellow Campus Climate Challenge campaigner Suzanne Graham

This last Saturday a group of student leaders and myself traveled to Alfred, NY for the September meeting of the New York State Student Assembly’s (NYSSA) Executive Committee (the overseeing body of the student government for the State University of New York system). At this particular meeting the agenda was being worked on for the Fall NYSSA conference. At these saucy conferences leaders from 64 SUNY campuses discuss, debate, and make policies to dictate the future of the SUNY system.

On this blustery Saturday, we set off with a fairly ambitious mission: greening the SUNY system (it’s time).

Over the past year I have worked with a group of (kick-ass) students to help turn SUNY Fredonia from a campus that doesn’t even recycle to a campus committed to sustainability, and committed to leading the whole SUNY system towards a similar, if not more aggressive commitment. We headed to Alfred not knowing if we would be given the time of day, nevermind a chance to present information. But, we played dress-up (oh, grown up clothes) and prepared our pitch, ready to lobby individuals committee members anyway. Our goal was to have the committee add our resolution that each of the 64 universities commit to cutting carbon 80% by 2050 to the October NYSSA agenda.

By the time we left four hours later our resolution had been added to the agenda, and a sustainability working group had been created to see the process through.

So, in short, on the weekend of October 27th (one week before Power Shift) the New York State Student Assembly will be voting on a policy which will change the way SUNY uses and thinks about energy. If you are interested in helping to make sure that vote is a yes, please feel free to contact me at suzanne(at)energyjustice(dot)net.

About Mattie

Mattie is a member of the Ohio Student Environmental Coalition's Steering Committee, an organization he founded at Power Shift 07. He is proud to support a growing statewide network of student groups working for a clean, safe, and just future for all. Mattie originally got involved as a Syracuse University student who saw a pressing need for climate action, later as an Energy Justice Network intern who began to realize the human impacts of coal, and finally as an OSEC organizer committed to building an economy and climate worth fighting for. He also has a degree in women's studies and sociology, is a founding member of the Mountain Justice Spring Break Planning Collective and an intentional community in Columbus, and is the convener of the Energy Action Coalition's Anti-Oppression working group.

1 Response to “SUNY Going Green?”

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1 Joe Fox Sep 17th, 2007 at 1:50 pm

I encourage the the movement to green SUNY by the students government. The University’s Task Force on Energy and Sustainability released their report (on the SUNY web site.). One of those is a 20% reduction in green house gases by 2014. The 20% goal is a challenge but can be accomplished (it will cost $billions of dollars). The 80% percent goal based on current technology is not possible. In 2006 SUNY produced about 1.2 million tons of green house gases (State Operated Campuses). About 53% of that was from electricity, if we buy all zero emission electricity we are still at 47%. SUNY still needs to heat its buildings, and we have reduced our energy use by 40% from the pre 1972 oil embargo days. The ability to significantly reduce further our use of fossil fuels ( natural gas is our most common fuel and is already the lowest in GGE.)is just not possible.
I would recommend a lower goal for reducing GGE.
Joe Fox
Director Energy Managnement and Planning