Well, I guess MIT heard about the Next Energy Initiative in South Carolina and decided to rally their own troops--over the next 5 years.
Their press release also mentions walking the talk:
"Improving campus energy management will lower energy use and cost, reduce emissions and provide an important learning environment for faculty, students and staff," according to the report. "The ERC recommends a comprehensive assessment of the trade-offs, benefits and costs of different approaches to reducing campus energy use."
Which smells a lot like the Sustainability Strategies for a Green Campus at Clemson University. Come on MIT, I'm glad you're getting with the program and all, but that was so 11 months ago. Anyway, this should be interesting, maybe we'll see some more Wright brothers (Kitty Hawk, NC) type stuff here in the next few years. Let's not let MIT hold all the patents... Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, I'm looking at you.
Yeah yeah yeah.... I was just looking for southern schools with "tech" in their names. Auburn has turned out some talented power-glove-modding people too. As for the #3 pre-rankings, don't believe the hype -- let's wait 'til after August workouts to start talking junk. (and Auburn should play Clemson every year too, and Clemson should be in the ACC and the SEC at the same time, and play 20 games a year)
That green campus plan for Clemson reads like the results of a brainstorming sessions of every do-gooder in the state. I was surprised by the items like use less fertilizer and pesticides, "Redefine campus beauty," "Reduce lawn areas and grass cutting," "Go organic and celebrate dandelions!"
Clemson is going to become like Adams College in Revenge of the Nerds III
“Go organic and celebrate dandelions!”
I thought that was joke line by Mr. Nobrainer. It would have been a good one, but it is an actual bullet point on the site.
Wow.
Yeah. Wow. I totally missed that one. Can someone please email them and let them know how ridiculous that sounds. New standards of beauty isn't an answer, how about slower growing grass and more efficient lawn moving equipment? Hell, grazing goats on Bowman field is a better option. Or.... this would be neat... Methane powered lawn mowers powered by the methane from decomposing grass clippings and debris... and Harcombe left-overs.
Actually I've heard that grazing goats and sheep, focused to certain areas, are quite effective at battling kudzu. (kudzu as an energy source, anyone?)
Anyway, one problem with collecting grass clippings is that the grass needs more fertilizer, which is usually made from fossil -- or as i like to call them: organic -- fuels as well.
I wonder if harcombe leftovers can be reduced by using good food... and if that could offset costs? Anyway all-you-can-eat style serving formats will always help create unnecessary waste.
Speaking of Kudzu... I just learned that the reason it's so hard to kill is that it operates like one of those nightmare alien eggs. If you have an older plant it can have a bulb underground that weighs dozens of pounds. Killing the surface vegetation only makes it mad and it'll live off that bulb for a long time. Then it hatches babies and they eat your soul.
RE: Kudzu bulbs.
In fact, the guy who was telling us about the kudzu said that the underground tubers can grow to 300lbs. That seems it a little unbelievable but if true I'd love to see a 300lb kudzu bulb/tuber.
Best I could find was in a .pdf presentation about kudzu control. They've got two pictures of smaller tubers on page 9.
Lovingly crafted by orangecoat with some rights reserved, and a promise not to spam you.
Back to top
I think you forgot Auburn....I don't know if they're doing anything about alternate energy at the moment but some polls have pre-ranked us at #3 in college football.