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In the Fall Term of 2007, Southern Oregon University (SOU) will become the first state university in the nation to offset 100 percent of its electricty and natural gas use with clean, renewable power by purchasing Green Tags from the non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
With an 85 percent majority, students supported a campus wide vote in April 2007 to establish a Green Energy Fee. Driven by a student coalition dedicated to encouraging sustainable energy sources on campus, the referendum was a product of collaborative research, team spirit, and the democratic process. See the full SOU Green Energy Referendum (Acrobat PDF)
Revenue generated from the Green Energy Fee supports the purchase of Green-e® Climate certified Green Tags to offset SOU’s total annual kilowatt hours of electricity and the carbon dioxide emitted by natural gas use at all university facilities. The student-approved fee is $8.00 per student per term and will be in effect for three years.
SOU’s Green Energy Fee is a powerful commitment.
Each year, SOU students help to: |
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- Reduce 10,850 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the Earth’s atmosphere; this is equivalent to taking nearly 1,860 cars off the road or supplying approximately 1,476 average homes with clean and renewable sources of power
- Allow for reinvestment dollars to be directed towards a new renewable energy project
- Demonstrate SOU’s leadership in campus sustainability
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Solar panels atop the SOU Hannon Library. In 1999 the City of Ashland partnered with the BEF to build Solar Ashland, a 38.9 kW project installed over 4 Ashland locations: the SOU Library, the Ashland Civic Center, the Ashland police station, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. |
SOU Green Energy Fee in the News:
SOU Green Fee Media Contact:
Jon Eldridge
SOU Vice President for Student Affairs
541-552-6223
eldridgj@sou.edu
SOU Sustainability Council:
Eric Dittmer
Director of Environmental Studies
541-552-6496
dittmer@sou.edu
Bonneville Environmental Foundation Contact:
Paige Prewett
Ashland Outreach Coordinator
Ashland Renewable Pioneers
541-855-5200
Prewett@mind.net
As the largest energy user in Ashland, SOU models participation in the Ashland Renewable Pioneers program, a partnership between the City of Ashland and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation that enables Ashland residents and businesses to support green energy.
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