Wind blows through my mind
As nature slowly dies off
Help, call nine one one.
By Miguel.
Earth
Its’ fading beauty,
Abused and consumed by greed,
Will be our downfall
By Simon-Abraham Mesfun
Fall
Brown, Red, Orange, Leafs Fall
Wind Blowing, Rain Pouring Down
Winter is Coming
Ioannis Koziris
Spring
Birds sing in the woods
Through the stools sunlight sprinkles
Breeze sways where I stood
Energy Efficiency at Vanier College
As the human population increased in the last century, so has our exploitation and consumption of natural resources. Our dependence on fossil fuel such as oil and gas is considered highly unsustainable, as resources are not only limited, but also depleting at an alarming rate. Furthermore, the overuse of fossil fuel is one of the main causes of global warming. According to Environment Canada, Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2012 were 699 megatons of carbon dioxide, 18% above 1990’s emissions (Environment Canada, 2014). At Vanier College, our energy consumption is far from sustainable and can be improved. This paper will examine the school’s heating, computer and lighting systems and determine how can be improved in order to become more sustainable.
Firstly, the heating at school is a main cause for concern regarding sustainability because of the energy source it uses. Vanier uses six furnaces. All buildings, except for the H building, use a hot water heating system, which is powered by natural gas. The H building is the only one whose furnace uses electricity as a power source through electrical heating cables. According to Michael Wang, building technician and project supervisor at Vanier College, natural gas is a very efficient source of energy (Wang, 2014). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, natural gas contains between 20% and 45% less smog-producing pollutants (USDE, 2014). It emits 30% and 45% less CO2 than coal and oil respectively. Mr. Wang also explains that, compared to other energy sources, natural gas is very cost efficient. For a period starting in November and ending in April, Vanier’s annual heating cost averages 285, 000$ (Wang, 2014). Reliance on any other energy source, even electricity, could cost the school much more. However, like it is the case for all fossil fuels, the limited supply of natural gas makes it an unsustainable energy source. Luckily, Vanier College is working on an energy saving project. Developers are studying geothermal technology as a possible alternative energy source. Geothermal power, which is generated by heat stored under the Earth’s surface, would offer many benefits as a source for heating. First off, its unlimited supply makes it a renewable and sustainable source of energy. According to Unicef, “the biggest advantages of geothermal heating are low heating costs (cost savings can be as much as 80% over the fossil fuels) and it also uses significantly less electricity than standard heating systems”(Unicef, 2014). Through heat pumps, geothermal heating is also 48% more efficient than gas furnaces and 75% more efficient than oil furnaces (Unicef, 2014). This project is still ongoing and no results have been obtained yet, but this energy source seems to have great potential. In brief, although the school manages to cut costs by relying on natural gas, in should concentrate on finding more sustainable sources of energy.
Secondly, the lighting system is a sector in which improvement can be made as it is one of the biggest consumers of energy. The school’s lighting system consist mostly of fluorescent tubes, which are one of the most efficient bulbs since they use up less energy and last up to 6,000 hours longer than regular bulbs (Particelli, n.d.). However, although these bulbs are made to be energy efficient, they fail to serve their purpose. The reason electric bills remain high is because all sectors of the college campus are kept fully lighted even when they are often void of students or personnel. One of our teammates has discovered that most lights remain on overnight and beyond night school hours. This seems like a complete waste of electricity. Fortunately there is a possible solution. The school could purchase and install occupancy sensors, which are devices that turn lights and other equipment on or off in response to the presence of people in an area. This could be especially useful for areas that are rarely visited during the day. Some sensors can even control lighting based on the amount of daylight available. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, sensors are relatively inexpensive and can produce savings averaging between 35% and 45% (DOI, n.d.). Therefore, through motion sensors, Vanier College can become much more efficient in its use of lighting.
Lastly, the biggest waste of energy at Vanier would probably be the computer labs. Like the lighting system, computers are constantly on and remain in sleep mode when no one is using them. Multiply this by the number of desktops running all day at school (72), and you have a huge amount of energy potentially going to waste. To top things off, there are also computers and projectors in all classrooms which remain constantly on as well. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce energy waste on computer systems. Firstly, the school should purchase and install energy star certified LCD monitors, which would reduce its consumption. According the Energy Star website (Energy Star, n.d.), their advantages over regular CRT monitors would be a reduction in power consumption as well as a reduction in heat generation which, consequently, would help the school lower air-conditioning costs.
In conclusion, Vanier College has put some effort into adopting sustainable practices. The installment of fluorescent lights all around campus and the project on geothermal energy are notable examples of this. Unfortunately, there are still lots more that can be done to improve their heating, lighting and computer systems. It is good to know, however, that school officials are on the right track.
Simon-Abraham Mesfun
Bibliography
“National Greenhouse Gas Emissions”. Environment Canada. Government of Canada, 11 April 2014. Web. 23 April 2014.
Reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal-Fired Generation of Electricity Regulations. Environment Canada. Government of Canada, 25 June 2013. Web. 23 April 2014.
“Natural Gas”. Fueleconomy. U.S. Department of Energy, 25 April 2013. Web. 24 April 2014. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bifueltech.shtml
“Geothermal Heating”. Our-Energy. Unicef. Web. 24 April 2014.
Wang, Michael. Personal Interview. April 15th 2014.
Particelli, Brice. The Newest Generation of Light Bulbs. Home Advisor. Web. 25 April 2014.
“LCD Basics”. Energy Star. U.S. Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 25 April 2014.
Energy Consumption at Vanier College
Being part of a sustainability class, I was asked to identify a sustainable issue that Vanier faces and come up with an eco-friendly solution. My group and I have chosen to explore the topic of energy consumption; more specifically, computers, heating and lighting. What might seem so simple in Vanier’s everyday life consumption seems to be of major concern to limited resources. So, these consumptions are exhausted on a daily basis, and need some revision and new changes in order for Vanier to take a step forward towards a greener living.
Firstly, computers are high energy consumers because they are always turned on at school. According to Megan Bray, “After lighting, computers and monitors have the highest energy consumption in office environments”. This might be due to the fact that only half of all computers are turned off overnight, states Bray (2006). In addition, the study by Webber et al (2001) found that on average “only 44% of computers were turned off at night, 3% were in low power mode, and the remainder, approximately 54% of computers were still active”. This goes to show how energy is wasted for no obvious reasons. Some would argue that they stay on “to allow back-ups or maintenance to occur”, however it is not a valid reason as to why more than half of the computers are still active overnight. Vanier has 35 computers in the IT-Center and 37 computers in the Library that run all day, in total of 72 computers and each classroom has at least a computer, if not more. Vanier has approximately 150 classrooms and I have rarely seen teachers start up their computer in class ever since I have been at Vanier. Therefore, computers are either on sleep mode or left on overnight. This demonstrates how unsustainable Vanier is and how energy much could be preserved if computers were to be turned off. Also, according to the report “College Electricity Consumption Benchmarks”, a college full-time student spend on average $745 on electricity alone per semester (Study Magazine, 2011). Vanier has about 6,700 students enrolled full-time, so if we do the math correctly; around $500,000 is spent on electricity per semester (Vanier College, 2014). These numbers are unsettling and only seem to increase at an alarming rate. Another solution would be to “consider a computer lab makeover – ViewSonic’s MultiClient solution for example enables up to 10 individual monitor stations to share a single computer” (Wiley, 2012). It would save up to 60% energy, which could have significant impacts on Vanier’s sustainability and bank account (Wiley, 2012). There are always alternatives to be found with the rise of technology; we might as well use it for the good of our college.
Furthermore, the heating is one of the most wasteful systems since most of them usually run by gas. And we all know what wonders CO2 emissions do to the environment. All buildings in Vanier, except for the H building, use a hot water heating system powered by natural gas (Wang, 2014). The H building is the only one powered by electrical heating cables (Wang, 2014). Also, the main building is the only one that uses electricity as a secondary power source. In 2013, more specifically from November to April, the overall heating cost was well over 285,000$ said Michael Wang, Vanier’s technician. He also explained that “the school opted for natural gas rather than electricity because it is more cost efficient”. Lastly, he mentioned a possible project in the works, which was to change the school’s heating system to geothermal heat pumps. Geothermal heat pumps are an environmental-friendly system that uses heat from the ground to transfer it into energy (U.S Department of Energy, 2012). Although, very costly to install, “the additional costs are returned to you in energy savings in 5 to 10 years” states the U.S Department of Energy (2012). This system uses renewable energy and has multi purposes (EcoHeat Solutions). In other words, it can heat and cool and can also supply hot water (EcoHeat Solutions). Let’s put it this way, if Vanier spends less money on heating each year, it will have more money to invest in books, sustainable equipment and to maintain its infrastructures. This truly is a win-win situation for everyone, so why don’t we get on with it?
Moreover, lighting is quite problematic at Vanier since it does not follow the sustainable model whatsoever. Every corner of Vanier is light up, this causes an issue because the electricity “ is spent to compensate the heat generated by outdated fixtures” (Falken).This is not only alarming, but also redundant. We are paying extra money to tame the heat that is created by the lighting we consume. It is completely pointless. “America’s schools spend more than $8 billion each year on energy – more than is spent on textbooks and computers combined” says Falken, the Directorof U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools. Unimaginable amounts of money are solely reserved yearly to lighting, yet we do not seem to mind nor question whether or not there is something wrong with the system. We just opt for convenience because it is the easy way out, however the easy way out is never sustainable. On top of that, the lighting is kept on overnight for safety measures I suppose. Again, it is unreasonable because Vanier is letting it go to waste. There is not valid reason in my book to light up classrooms or hallways if there are no purposes intended for them. One solution according to Andrea Falken is to update all lighting fixtures; it could potentially the energy use “by 30 to 50 percent and for cooling by 10 to 20 percent”. Another alternative only requires windows, and it is the use of natural light. Often disregarded, sunlight is beneficial in many ways, such as improving student academic performance and it does not require any cost. According to a study in 2003, classes with more natural light had a 20 per cent higher learning rate (Falken). This points out the importance of nature and how it was made to be preserved. In summation, Vanier needs a lighting retrofit for efficient energy use and to use the less lighting in every possible way such as using as much natural daylight or turning all the lights off at night.
To conclude, if Vanier wants to eventually become a sustainable college, it has a long way to go. It will have to improve its computers consumption, its heating and its lighting. But firstly it should prioritize the environment, which is clearly not at the top of the list
Vi Dao
References
Bray, M. (2006, Dec.) “Review of Computer Energy Consumption and Potential Savings”. Retrieved from: http://coral.ufsm.br/desp/geomar/esp1041/3-computer_energy_consumption.pdf
EcoHeat Solutions (n.d) Geothermal / Geoexchange / Ground Source Heat Pumps.Retrieved from: http://www.ecoheatsolutions.com/heatingsolutions/geothermalheat.html#sthash.I5DV1FHA.dpuf
ENERGY.GOV. (n.d) Geothermal Heat Pumps. Retrieved from: http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/geothermal-heat-pumps
Falken, Andrea.“School Lighting Upgrades Save Money, Allowing Schools to Make Health and Achievement Promoting Repairs.” EDgov Blog. Web. 9 Apr. 2014
Study Magazine. (2011, November 1). Report Examines electricity consumption at Canadian and US Colleges. Retrieved from: http://studymagazine.com/2011/11/01/report-examines-electricity-consumption-canadian-colleges/
Wiley, E. (2012, March 20). Are Electricity Bills Zapping Your School? How Districts Can Minimize Budgets While Still IncreasingTechnology. ViewSonic. Retrieved from:http://www.viewsonic.com/us/news/technology-trends/minimizing-electricity-expense/
Is Our Campus Really sustainable?
Wasting is always an undesirable habit. We are taught to be thrifty, not only because it is a traditional virtue, but also it is a way of sustainable living. In today’s technological world, people tend to use a lot of electricity to run all kind of electronic devices. Nevertheless, the issue of the scarcity of natural resources transforming into the electricity is becoming more acute than ever. We start looking after our future, our environment, and doing anything we can do to contribute to the sustainability. Does Vanier College participate in any sustainable practices? At least, it manages its electricity consumption as cost efficient as possible. But it requires more work donated in the sustainable way of using electricity on three different areas in the Campus. First area is the desktop in College’s library and IT-center regarding its power consumption. Second one is the way that the light is used to illuminate the corridors and the classrooms. Last area is about the heating system and its power sources.
To begin with the power consumption of the computers, it is important to note that CPU determines the use of computer such as gaming, software designing or office working, and it is very rare to see a computer that mixes up these purposes altogether. As Rollins noted in his review of graphic cards, gaming and software designing computer requires high-ends CPU and graphic cards which are very expensive and high power consumption comparing to the low range components. If the CPU is in low range, other components will be in low range too. Therefore, we can only look at the CPU to assess the power consumption of the whole computer.
The desktops is not sustainable in terms of its power consumption. First of all, the CPUs chosen by the College, which are Intel Core 2 E7300 and E7500 respectively in the IT-Center and the library, have relative high power dissipation of 65 watts comparing to other CPUs for office working. For example, I find an alternative which requires only 35 watts of power consumption (Intel Pentium G630T Sandy Bridge 2.3GHz). This means that if we change the CPU in use to the alternative, it can save up tremendously energy in long term. To illustrate how many energy we can save, we assume that each computer is turned on in active mode 6 hours a day from Monday to Friday during one semester, based on the fact that there are 75 days in one semester and there are 72 computers in total. The calculation is the following:
65w * 6 hours * 75 days * 72 computers * 3600 seconds = 7,581,600,000 joules = 2106 kWh
35w * “ “ “ “ = 4,082,400,000 joules = 1134 kWh
According to Koble, a computer can last between three to five years before needing to be replaced. This means that we can at least save 5832 watts (2106-1134= 972, 972*6) over six semesters. Moreover, in Bray’s “Review of Computer Energy Consumption and Potential Savings”, he noted that computers will consume a small amount of electricity even if they are turned off, but plugged into the power source. As he also suggested, we should have an energy saving plan that, for example, technicians should unplug all computers during day-off. We believe that, with the alternative that I propose and the energy saving plan of unplugging computers, Vanier College can be more sustainable than now.
To continue with the way that Vanier College illuminates our Campus, it is not sustainable at all. For example, in the area where lies the students’ lockers in N-building, the light is always turned on when no one is there. Also, if a teacher turns on the light of a classroom at 8: 00, it is highly likely to see that the light is still turned on at 18: 00. In between there are a few hours of empty classroom so that the energy is wasted. In addition, according to one of my colleague, once he came to Campus at 23: 00, he saw that the light is turned on almost everywhere. Therefore, we have to change our way of using the light.
To avoid the waste of electricity, we suggest to install detector system replacing the manual interrupter and to turn off the light when exit the classroom. With regard to the principle of the detector, it is like the detector in some of the modern hand washing sinks that when you put your hands in it, the water is automatically flooding out. In the case of lighting, the light will be automatically turned on when a person is entering the range of detection, and it will be turned off when there is no one passing through after a period of time. Moreover, we should have the habit of turning off the light when exiting the classroom. It is very sustainable in the sense that any amount of energy is precious.
To end with the heating system in the winter, all buildings use hot water heating system powered by natural gas, except H-building. As we know, natural gas is not really sustainable. According to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2013), “The extraction of natural gas and the construction of natural gas power plants can destroy natural habitat for animals and plants. Possible land resource impacts include erosion, loss of soil productivity, and landslides.” As the buildings in our Campus is huge, the College requires tremendous amount of natural gas to maintain the warmness against the cold outside. But the College cannot do really much about it because it will be too expensive to change the whole heating system. Furthermore, without considering the cost of altering, Vanier College can use the corn as fuel to heat the water. According to USA Today Magazine, “when used for home heating, corn produces 65-80% less carbon dioxide than natural gas, which is considered a relatively clean fuel.” In other words, the corn is more sustainable than natural gas in terms of gas emission. Vanier College should start to plan for the new sustainable source of energy, even though the cost will be gigantic.
In conclusion, Vanier College does not abide by the sustainability or use energy in a sustainable way because the power consumption of the desktops is relatively high, the way that it uses the light is inefficient and the power source of heating is not sustainable. As I have stated early, the reserve of natural resources is going to be diminished. Our College, the home where the future resides, has to act before it is too late.
Reference
Bray, Megan. “Review of Computer Energy Consumption and Potential Savings.” Dragon Systems Software Limited, Dec. 2006. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E7300 (3M Cache, 2.66 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB).Intel Corporation, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E7500 (3M Cache, 2.93 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB). Intel Corporation, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Intel Pentium G630T Sandy Bridge 2.3GHz LGA 1155 35W Desktop Processor. Newegg Inc., 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Natural Gas. U.S Environmental Protection Agency, 25 Sep. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Koble, Matt. “What Is the Life Span of the Average PC?” Chron. Hearst Newspaper, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Rollins, Kyle. Graphics Card Review. TechMedia Network, March 26, 2014. Web. April 20, 2014.
“Summer Corn as Winter Fuel.” USA Today Magazine 135. 2735 (Aug. 2006): p.15. EBSCO Host. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Energy consumption at Vanier College
Energy efficiency is becoming an increasing preoccupation in many institutions from all around the world, especially in schools where there is a need to cut down on costs. Vanier College’s energy consumption is generally quite sustainable although there are many sections to improve. Here I will be looking at Vanier College’s heating system, electric system and computer installations. I will also be giving recommendations in order for Vanier to improve its energy consumption, become more sustainable and support the environment.
Vanier College’s heating system is a priority necessity in campus as it is essential to provide a warm and comfortable environment for the staff and students in winter. Vanier’s heating system costs about $285, 000 per year (figure from the year 2013) and it works by heating water using natural gas. The only building in Vanier that does not operate with this system is the H building that works instead with electrical heating cables. According to Vanier, the reason for not using electricity instead of natural gas as a source of heating is that natural gas is much more cost efficient. Vanier College uses a standard heating system that many people use at their own homes. The problem with using natural gas is that it produces great amounts of carbon dioxide. There are various options that I would recommend Vanier in order to be more sustainable. The first thing would be to use alternative fuels rather than natural gas. A recently new way of heating has been developed by using dried corn as fuel. According to USA today magazine this alternative way of heating: “Corn produces 65-80% less carbon dioxide than natural gas.” This would be a very interesting alternative for Vanier as it is a cleaner way of heating and also it can be a better economical option as USA today magazine also claims that: “corn energy costs 59% less to produce than natural gas.” This would situate corn as both a clean and economic alternative way of heating Vanier. It is very important to develop a good sustainable heating system at Vanier as the magnitude of such a big buildings as Vanier has makes it a priority to have the most efficient system possible.
Another priority at Vanier is to have a good, efficient and sustainable lighting system. This might be the most important energy resource at Vanier as it is used everyday when there are lessons taking place. When I started investigating on Vanier’s lighting system I realized that Vanier is using fluorescent tubes which are one of the cleanest sources of light in the market but, I realized that the problem at Vanier was not related to the kind of light system there is, but the way in which the lights are used. I realized that every single light at Vanier is on during the entire day, even at places where at many times there is no one in that area like for example the lockers in the N building. Also, I realized that the lights of many classes where on at times when they were not being used. Finally, I decide to come at night and investigate if the lights were being turned off. To my surprise, many of the lights were turned on when the building was totally empty. In order to overcome this problem, save light and become more sustainable I would first of all suggest Vanier to use solar energy to provide electricity instead of obtaining it from Hydro Quebec. Solar energy con help: “slash electric bills in half” (Willey, E). This can help Vanier both come more sustainable and save energy. Also, I think that it would be ideal if Vanier installed detection systems in areas at Vanier where there are normally not many people. This way, it is possible for the lights to turn on or off depending on whether there is anyone in the area or not. This would be very beneficial as it can have a “saving potential, which can achieve 50%.” (Oms lighting). Vanier should finally try to create an awareness group in order to give tips to both students and teachers on how to save electricity at Vanier like turning off the lights when you come out of a class. This could be done by making posters and signs and putting them up in the hallways and also by talking directly with students and teachers. Vanier uses an enormous amount of electricity per year but with these recommendations, it is possible for Vanier College to become much more energy efficient.
Finally, many students use the computers provided at Vanier College’s common areas as resources to study and work on projects therefore it is important that they are used efficiently and in a sustainable way. Vanier counts between the library and the IT centre with 72 computers that consume a great amount of electricity every day as they are used many hours during the time when Vanier is operating. When investigating on the usage giving to the computers, I realized many computers remained on when they were not in use or would have screen savers on. Also, I managed to discover that the computers remained plugged in during the vacation periods when no one was using them. According to Alliance to save energy: “Screen savers don’t save energy – only sleep mode does.” The first advice I would give Vanier in order to become more sustainable is to ensure that all computers are set up to go into sleep mode after a certain time of not being in use. Also, according to Bray, M: ”The average computer draws between 1.5W and 3W when it is turned off but plugged into a main socket.” If Vanier unplugs the computers during the vacation periods, this will on the long term help them to become more energy efficient and they will also be able to save money there is no electric consumption of computers during these periods. These small advices can make a very big difference on Vanier’s costs and energy efficiency.
As a conclusion, it is safe to say that Vanier is a CEGEP that has been trying to control its energy consumption and has tried to become more sustainable. By analysing Vanier College’s heating system, lighting system and computer installations it was possible to determine the areas where Vanier should improve in order to become more efficient and sustainable. Vanier College has the potential to become a CEGEP that gives an example to other institutions by becoming the best energy efficient CEGEP in Montreal.
References
- “Presence detector.” Right Light. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.omslighting.com/rightlight/2335/>.
- Wiley, E. (2012, March 20). Are Electricity Bills Zapping Your School? How Districts Can Minimize Budgets While Still Increasing Technology. ViewSonic.
- “Summer Corn as Winter Fuel.” (2006, August). USA Today Magazine. 2735. 15
- “Energy Saving Tips For Schools.” Alliance to Save Energy. 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
- Bray, M. (2006, Dec.) “Review of Computer Energy Consumption and Potential Savings”. Retrieved from: http://coral.ufsm.br/desp/geomar/esp1041/3-computer_energy_consumption.pdf
Sustainable Energy In Vanier College
Vanier College has a long way to go for it to be considered sustainable. It is surrounded by energy that is not sustainable and not good for the environment. Not only is the energy not good for the environment but the college also uses way too much. The overuse of energy is not sustainable in the long run; Vanier cannot continue the way they are using energy if they want to help the environment. Everywhere throughout the college, from the heating to the electronics and from the electronics to the lighting; it has a lot of improvements to make to be considered sustainable. It’s time to make Vanier a more sustainable college.
First of all, during the winter Vanier is forced to heat the school in order to keep the school heated for the students. The college is surrounded by heating units in order to heat the college, which is an enormous campus. The amount of heating units needed to heat the school is unimaginable. Not only does Vanier need a lot of them but they constantly need to keep them on every day during the winter to keep the college warm. With all the long winters we have been having in the past years, we can just imagine the amount of energy Vanier uses to heat the school. People might not think that heat has that big of effect on the environment, according to USA Today, “Nationwide, about 6.2% of all carbon dioxide emissions, which are widely thought to play a role in global warming, result from residential heating” (USA Today). Energy to heat the college does have a significant impact on the environment and carbon emissions. Vanier can’t do anything to help stop there carbon emissions through heating the college because it will be too expensive to change. Vanier needs to start thinking about the environment by changing carbon heating to using corn energy as a source of energy to heat the college. Not only is corn energy more sustainable but it is less expensive, according to USA Today, “When used for home heating, corn produces 65-80% less carbon dioxide than natural gas, which is considered a relatively clean fuel. Moreover, ‘corn energy costs 59% less to produce than natural gas and, based on five-year average prices, it was 20% less expensive,’ Kobayashi points out” (USA Today). Vanier College needs to look past the expenses and needs to start becoming more environmentally friendly. In order to take a step forward to being sustainable, Vanier needs to forget about carbon heating and look forward to corn energy as a source of energy to heat the school.
Secondly, a big majority of the energy used in Vanier comes from all the electronics used in a daily basis. The majority of students at Vanier College own and are constantly on their phones, surfing the web or texting their friends. Not only are students on their phones throughout the day; they are constantly in the presence of a computer or laptop. Vanier College owns a large amount of computers and a large amount of laptops that consume a lot of energy. Computers and laptops use a lot of energy, according to Mr. Bray, “Computers and monitors account for 40%-60% of the energy used by office equipment. Their energy consumption is second only to office lighting” (Bray, M). With all the computers and laptops that Vanier has available for students, the energy consumption that is used by the computers and laptops is not sustainable at all. The computers and laptops are not always being used, but they are always on and running; keeping the energy bill running. There are many other ways than just shutting off the computers to help reduce the environment impact computers has on it, according to Wiley E, “Consider a computer lab makeover, ViewSonic’s MultiClient solution for example enables up to 10 individual monitor stations to share a single computer, helping schools reduce overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by as much as 60%. For additional energy savings, Energy Star certified LED displays make a significant impact – up to 60% compared to an equivalent LCD monitor” (Wiley, E). Since the computers and laptops in Vanier are not sustainable and are being used to the point where the energy bill is through the roof; we need to find other alternatives. Changing from LCD monitor to an Energy Star certified LED monitor and making it that 10 monitors share one computer is a lot more sustainable then before. Vanier needs to change the way they view technology, it’s time to become more sustainable.
Finally, the lighting in Vanier College is the least sustainable energy out of all three of them. Everywhere you walk, no matter where you are in the college and you look up, you will see a lot of bright lights staring down at you. Everywhere you go you need light in order to see in front of you; but the amount of light Vanier places in their college is excessive. Vanier does not need lights at every step you take, they need to spread out the lights in order to reduce the amount of energy they put into lighting. Lighting up the college is a major expense for the college but it is a large part of the electricity bill, according to Andrea Falken, “About 26 percent of electricity consumed by a typical school is for lighting alone” (Falken, Andrea). If Vanier reduced the amount of lights they used around the college, by spreading them out, they can reduce the percent of electricity used by just lighting. There are many ways they can reduce it, they can spread the light bulbs out, or they can shut them off all together and use the sunlight from outside; and only use the lights at night or when absolutely necessary. If Vanier is not willing to use sunlight as an option to become more sustainable, according to the Alliance to Save Energy, “Use energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs” (Alliance to Save Energy). Fluorescent and light-emitting diode light bulbs are much more sustainable then regular light bulbs. Vanier has a variety of options to make the way they light the school more environmentally friendly and more sustainable; they just need to choose which one.
Vanier College is not the most sustainable college out there but there is room for improvement. There are three main aspects in Vanier that isn’t environmentally friendly and not sustainable, the heating, the electronics and the lighting. According to Michael Wang, building technician at Vanier College, Vanier college spends around 285 thousand dollars on natural gas to heat the college. Instead they can switch to corn energy to heat the college which is more sustainable. Vanier is home to a lot of computers and a lot of laptops which produce around 1856.25 kWH of energy. Vanier has many options in order to make their use of electronics more sustainable like switch to the use of LED displays instead of LCD displays. Instead of using light bulbs to brighten up the college, Vanier can either use sunlight or switch to flouorescent light bulbs. Vanier is not an environmentally friendly college and is not sustainable, because of its heating, electronics and lighting. However, there are many options that Vanier college has in order to become a more sustainable college.
References
“Summer Corn as Winter Fuel.” (2006, August). USA Today Magazine. 2735. 15
Bray, M. (2006, Dec.) “Review of Computer Energy Consumption and Potential Savings”. Retrieved from: http://coral.ufsm.br/desp/geomar/esp1041/3-computer_energy_consumption.pdf
Wiley, E. (2012, March 20). Are Electricity Bills Zapping Your School? How Districts Can Minimize Budgets While Still Increasing Technology. ViewSonic. Retrieved from: http://www.viewsonic.com/us/news/technology-trends/minimizing-electricity-expense/
Falken, Andrea. “School Lighting Upgrades Save Money, Allowing Schools to Make Health and Achievement Promoting Repairs.” EDgov Blog. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
“Energy Saving Tips For Schools.” Alliance to Save Energy. 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Ioannis Koziris
Annotated Bibliography (Energy)
Lobello, Carmel. “Your iPhone uses more energy than a refrigerator.” Theweek.com. The Week, August 14 2013. Web. April 10, 2014.
http://theweek.com/article/index/248273/your-iphone-uses-more-energy-than-a-refrigerator
Through wireless connection, data usage and battery charging; the average iPhone uses more energy then a midsize refrigerator. A reason why our phones consume a lot of energy is because we never shut them off. No matter where we go; even when we are sleeping our phones are always on. In order to power our devices we need more and more coal, which is one of the largest electricity sources in the world. In order to save energy through our phones we need to change the amount of time we use our phones and look for an alternative to coal.
Gray, Richard. “Mobile phones could be charged by the power of speech.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph, May 08, 2011. Web. April 10, 2014.
Instead of using electricity to recharge your smartphone, new research is coming out to use your voice to power your smartphones. There is no more need to plug in your phone to recharge it; all you need to do is to have a conversation with someone on the other line. The new technology also allows for the phones to be charged by background noise or music.
By: Ioannis Koziris
Levitt, T. “Heat pumps no more eco-friendly than gas-fired boilers – new research.” The Ecologist. Resirgence & Ecologist. Web. 8 Oct. 2010.Retrieved from http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/626909/heat_pumps_no_more_ecofriendly_than_gasfired_boilers_new_research.html
This article addresses the negative environmental impact of heat pumps, which were generally considered to be eco-friendly systems. Researches have determined that, due to the high amounts of hydroflurocarbon they emit, heat pumps are in fact just as carbon-intensive as natural gas.
“Summer Corn as Winter Fuel.” (2006, August). USA Today Magazine. 2735. 15
This article addresses the environmental and economic benefits of using corn as fuel for heating homes during winter.
by: Simon-Abraham Mesfun
“Energy Star”. Retrieved from: https://www.energystar.gov/about/
This explains the label of energy star on the electronic products. The purpose of the energy star is to help consumers and business to save energy. It reduces greenhouse gas emission among businesses and institutions and increases energy efficiency.
Bray, M. (2006, Dec.) “Review of Computer Energy Consumption and Potential Savings”. Retrieved from: http://coral.ufsm.br/desp/geomar/esp1041/3-computer_energy_consumption.pdf
This article shows the energy consumption in office or institution. Many studies demonstrates that power management of computer and monitors can be reduced significantly in long term. They states that how to use the computer and monitor plays a big role in the power management.
HydroQuebec. Retrieved from: http://www.hydroquebec.com/majorcustomers/rates/large-power-rates/rate-lg/
This is the HydroQuebec website. This web page shows the price of electricity.
by Qiusheng Liang
Study Magazine. (2011, November 1). Report Examines electricity consumption at Canadian and US Colleges. Retrieved from: http://studymagazine.com/2011/11/01/report-examines-electricity-consumption-canadian-colleges/
This article presents facts on the electricity consumption habits of 17 colleges in Canada and the United States based on a report titled “College Electricity Consumption Benchmark”.
Wiley, E. (2012, March 20). Are Electricity Bills Zapping Your School? How Districts Can Minimize Budgets While Still Increasing Technology. ViewSonic. Retrieved from: http://www.viewsonic.com/us/news/technology-trends/minimizing-electricity-expense/
A few tips to minimize electrical expenses at school while implementing the newest technology in the classroom.
Vi Dao
Falken, Andrea. “School Lighting Upgrades Save Money, Allowing Schools to Make Health and Achievement Promoting Repairs.” EDgov Blog. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
This article talks about the consumption of schools in lighting per year and how they can reduce these costs in order to be more energy efficient. They intorduce new ways to save energy and upgrades that the lighting systems should have every 5 years.
“Energy Saving Tips For Schools.” Alliance to Save Energy. 11 Mar. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
This very useful website explains tips energy saving tips that schools can use in order to reduce costs and be more sustainable. Various tips are included form different fields like lighting, heating & cooling systems, computers and appliances.
By Miguel Angel Redondo Cruselles.
greengiant 