Energy Consumption = Water & Resource Depletion = Pollution & Emissions       Energy consumption may seem as insignificant as a flip of the switch, but the generation of electricity in Georgia currently accounts for more than 65% of water used and about 43% of carbon dioxide emitted across the state. While utility companies continue to push for new coal-fired plants to be built rather than investing in renewables, it is up to individual Georgians to reduce their energy demand in order to conserve resources and protect our planet for future generations. With everyone working together to improve efficiency and consume less, the collective savings could be astounding. There is power in numbers and small steps taken by many people truly do add up. Conserving energy will not only reduce the amount of resources consumed and waste produced in the extraction, transportation, preparation and disposal processes involved in generating electricity from fossil fuels, but also help individuals incorporate simple, sustainable practices into their everyday lives.

SOS Energy Projects

"Wasted Watts" Residence Hall Energy Conservation Competition - we are working with the Residence Hall Association, Environmental Alliance (EAGT) and GreenBuzz to engage students in a Dorm vs. Dorm competition to see who can reduce their energy usage the most (accounting for differences in base dorm performance) between Monday, February 23 and Friday, April 3, 2009.

Campus Energy Conservation Committee - members of SOS and EAGT have begun meeting weekly and working alongside Georgia Tech's Facilities and Housing Departments to make recommendations of energy-saving infrastructural changes for campus buildings.  Basic energy audits will begin in March.  In the meantime, we are working on a proposal to install solar roofing on campus buildings when they must be re-roofed anyway.  Contact Carly Queen if you are intested in learning more about this project.

Student Government Association (SGA) Sustainability Committee - SOS has two representatives on the committee, Molly Mclaughlin and Nell Fry.  Current initiative is an anti-idling campaign for GT Stingers and Trolleys as they wait at stops for long periods of time.

Sustainable Transporation Campaign - long-term goals include the establishment of a more bike and pedestrian-friendly campus as well as more environmentally sound fuels for campus vehicles, such as biodiesel from waste vegetable oil (WVO) that can be collected from our dining halls.  Our current projects include working with HELP org., an Atlanta-based non-profit group, to develop a business plan for building an industrial scale biodiesel processing plant just off campus near English Ave. and creating a Bike Rental Program for Georgia Tech. Contact Carly Queen if you would like to get involved either of these projects or to learn how to start your own!

Did you know?

• Georgia currently purchases more coal mined using mountaintop removal methods than any other state.
• Georgia Power's Plant Scherer near Macon, GA emits more carbon dioxide than any other coal plant in the country.
• Georgia Tech's new Stinger Fleet is going to be biodiesel-ready!  Email Lance Lunsway, Director of Parking and Transportation, and tell him that you want our buses running off of sustainable bio-diesel made from GT Dining's waste veggie oil, not the supposedly "clean diesel" from the Best for Less.  To view our sample letter, please visit http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc4p9x27_27xg788fv