Column by Emily Foerster

I am graduating this semester, and as we approach finals and I begin to anticipate the end of my time here, I find myself thinking about what things I can do to help advance healthy environmental practices at UK before I leave. The truth is that there isn’t much I can do now, but I can introduce you to a tool that, if you have the good sense to use it, will help you in the coming semesters.

UK is a member of a non-profit environmental organization called AASHE — the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education — a national organization whose headquarters are located in a yellow building on South Limestone near Second Street. While most Lexingtonians have never heard of AASHE, it is a humble environmental treasure, and something we should feel grateful to have in our state, not to mention our neighborhood.

AASHE helps universities become more sustainable by providing points of contact so they can communicate and collaborate to increase sustainability across the nation. They have an online resource center where AASHE members (a member is defined as anyone affiliated with a university that has an active membership) can find a variety of relevant information.

They also organize a conference every two years that brings together collegiate environmental activists from across the country to make contact and work together to advance sustainability. It was held this past October in North Carolina and had an extremely successful turnout.

It is exceptional that AASHE has chosen to place their headquarters in Lexington, because our state consistently ranks at, or near, the bottom of roughly all environmental lists.

Universities act as important role models for the communities in which they reside, and if our state’s “flagship university” does not take on sustainability in a radical way, the state’s environmental policies will not advance as quickly as they should to catch up with the leaders of the country.

It’s true that we have some very impressive sustainability initiatives on our campus, (Wildcat Wheels and Dining Services, for example) but we have a long, long way to go, and we need the help of AASHE and other universities to help us progress.

President Lee Todd pays lip service to sustainability, and in some small ways, I think he is doing a good job. But he has yet to acknowledge that there is no such thing as “clean coal technology”;­­­ he has yet to initiate any radical shifts in the way we power our campus. There are many available means of generating our power that do not involve coal or any other fossil fuel.

In a budget crisis like the one we currently face, energy conservation is a good way to save money for the university (so is refusing an astronomical bonus check). The initial costs may be greater, but energy-saving design pays for itself in a relatively short period of time, whereas non-sustainable design never pays for itself.

In short, UK needs help, because it clearly cannot fully rely on the administration for environmental leadership, and AASHE is ready to lend a hand. We already pay for our membership in the organization, so we should take advantage of that.

Good luck on finals, and remember to shut off your lights before you fall asleep studying — leaving them on wastes energy.