Student Government Support

We have approached many of the student councils on campus to ask for their support in convincing the Administration to buy wind power.  As of today, the following councils have passed resolutions calling on Columbia to make this change:

Law School Student Senate

General Studies Student Council

The resolutions take more or less the following form:

Wind Power Resolution

PREAMBLE
Given Columbia University’s role as an innovative and leading international institution, it has a duty to carefully consider the environmental impact of its actions.  The University currently purchases the standard New York mix of electricity, the generation of which is a chief contributor to global warming.  Columbia University should instead take the bold move of purchasing 100% wind energy.  This could occur through Columbia reallocating its electrical power expenditures toward wind power generation, which in turn would be deducted from other, less carbon neutral, types of generation.  This sort of policy has been adopted at other peer institutions including New York University, which in October of 2006 committed to purchasing the equivalent of 100% of its electrical needs from wind power through Con Edison and Community Energy, Inc.  Therefore, this endeavor would establish Columbia as a leading institution among those committed to environmental stewardship.  Little could reduce the University’s ecological footprint more simply or effectively than switching to a truly sustainable source for our electricity.
WHEREAS according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an anthropogenic increase in greenhouse gas emissions has likely or very likely caused an increase over the last fifty years in heat spells, “heavy precipitation events,” droughts, cyclones, and the height of the sea level, all of which have exacted a dire toll counted economically, environmentally, and in people’s lives;
WHEREAS “Continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century that would very likely be larger than those observed during the 20th century … Anthropogenic warming and sea level rise would continue for centuries due to the timescales associated with climate processes and feedbacks, even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized,” (IPCC);
WHEREAS Columbia University is home to the Earth Institute, an institution whose main objective is to “build a prosperous and sustainable future” (Earth Institute at Columbia University);
WHEREAS President Lee C. Bollinger has affirmed Columbia University’s commitment to the environment by stating that “together our faculty and staff are committed to ensuring that Columbia University is run in an efficient and environmentally conscious manner” (A Message From President Bollinger May 1st 2006);
WHEREAS Columbia has stated that it has “a long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship,” and is planning to “develop strategies to reduce [its] greenhouse gas emissions,” (Columbia University Environmental Stewardship website);
WHEREAS less than one percent of the electricity that Columbia University currently purchases is generated from wind, while roughly two-thirds comes from the burning of fossil fuels (New York Public Interest Resource Group);
WHEREAS Columbia’s activities lead to the emission of the greenhouse gas equivalent of well over 100,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide;
WHEREAS wind energy is a rapidly growing and environmentally sound clean energy;
WHEREAS wind energy is the type of clean energy available to purchase through Con Edison Solutions Green Power program;
WHEREAS our peer institutions, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Harvard University, and Yale University, have already taken measures to buy or produce wind energy;
WHEREAS the average temperature in New York City has increased 2ºF in the last century and is likely to increase by another 6-10ºF by the 2080s (Metropolitan East Coast Assessment);
WHEREAS New York University in October of 2006 committed to purchasing the equivalent of 100% of its electrical needs from wind power through Con Edison and Community Energy, Inc.;
WHEREAS wind energy has some of the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any practical power generation and will thus greatly reduce the amount of Columbia University’s greenhouse gas impact;
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the [STUDENT COUNCIL] calls for Columbia University to have 100% of its electrical needs met by wind power by the close of the 2007-2008 academic year;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the [STUDENT COUNCIL] calls for Columbia University to maintain this level of wind energy consumption in each subsequent year thereafter;
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED THAT this resolution is forwarded to the appropriate administrators for immediate consideration and subsequent action.