Did you know OSU spent about $61 million on energy costs last year? Did you know that more money is expected to be spent this year? University consultants are scrambling to lock in good rates and work to update old, energy guzzling appliances with new ones, but what if moer could be done? What if just by planning ahead during the design of a building, it could be guaranteed to use 60% less energy?
It is possible, and all 9 other Big Ten schools are doing it except OSU. By building to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, we could be saving millions of dollars for a fraction of the investment. It has been proven that students and employees that work in a daylit environment perform better, and are actually happier than in a normal building. Some have already realized the benefits of making OSU a LEEDer. The new Ohio Union and the 4-H building are both being built green. However, this is just a start, and we as concerned students, faculty and staff need to set policies in place to get our great University even better.