Renewable Energy Back Home

It was nice to see the Idaho Statesman’s story on the expansion of one of Boise’s real treasures, the geothermal district heating system.  It’s also one of the best kept secrets of the region.  While there is  a lot of geothermal energy that is easily accessible throughout the Western US, and there are many, many cities that have invested in a district heating infrastructure to share the costs of heating a large group of buildings, there are only a handful that combine these two things to heat buildings in a way that is truly renewable an has a very, very small impact on the environment.

This expansion, partially funded by federal dollars, will allow Boise State to heat many of our buildings without the use of fossil fuels, while adding a level of redundancy to our campus infrastructure.

Meanwhile, here in Spain, I’ve found some evidence of renewable energy being utilized as well.

Wind Turbines on the Breakwater Near Getxo

Like many campuses around the country, we’re trying to find ways to lower our carbon footprint and this particular solution make sense for many reasons.  Unlike many campuses, however, we continue to experience explosive growth in undergraduate enrollment, externally funded research and in new academic programs, all of which require physical resources to support.  By moving our heating needs to renewable geothermal and away from natural gas, we’re also hedging against the inevitable price fluctuations that have historically accompanied this resource.

Green Bars and Hot Water

It’s not very often we get any notice at all from the New York Times, unless it has something to do with our football team.

Guilty of Greenwashing?

When are you going to get serious about sustainability efforts? You green wash everything and do absolutely nothing to build energy efficient buildings! I’m tired of seeing projects that throw away everything and don’t recycle anything. Your words are just that….words. (received from comment box on Boise State web site)