LANDON PHILLIPS/Cartoonist
Staff Editorial
What will it take for Pepperdine University to go solar? Will it take showing documentary films in Elkins about global warming and conservation? Will there need to be article after article written in the Graphic, discussing environmental issues and opportunities for change? Will it take a freshman installing his own solar panels on the roof of his dorm? Maybe so.
There’s a whole lot of sunshine here in Malibu that’s not being used. The amount of solar energy that hits the earth every hour is greater than the total amount of energy that the entire human population requires in a year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Roughly 100 square miles of solar panels placed in the southwestern U.S. could power the entire country.
Pepperdine needs to implement a new plan to increase its power efficiency and decrease its power consumption. No.-1 item on the plan: installing solar panels across campus and in all-new construction projects to subsidize the traditional power grid and bring Pepperdine into the green. The conditions couldn’t be better in Malibu. Days of sunshine far outnumber those with clouds, and the greater L.A. area has one of the highest ratings for year-round sun hours per day, according to Solar4Power.com.
First, particular campus-wide systems could be wired with solar panels to make them completely self-sufficient. The sprinkler systems are one example. The water is already reclaimed, and pipes and infrastructure have already been constructed all over campus onto which the panels could be mounted. Pepperdine should power the whole filtration and pumping system on solar power and remove it from the power grid. The streetlights on campus could solar-power streetlights, which are now popping up all over the nation. These are only becoming more affordable, and money saved on the light bills could be invested in other environmental projects such as improving recycling and water reclamation efficiency on campus.
Second, it would be advantageous to begin the solar plan with the new building development that’s scheduled to occur in the next 10 years. Instead of ignoring today’s environmental issues, only to return to them 5 or 10 years later, Pepperdine should include solar structures in the plans and save labor and material costs down the road. How will the new parking garages be lit anyway? Did someone say solar?
Third, getting Pepperdine on solar power, even if limited to particular systems, would also be another excellent attraction for new students. With more and more people concerned about the environment, these changes would place Pepperdine at the forefront of the green wave among American universities. Why wait for other universities to lead the way before implementing a great idea here at Pepperdine? More students and more positive media coverage would eventually lead to a larger endowment and a better future for this institution.
What does this lack of action on behalf of the environment and its current problems say about Pepperdine anyway? What does the way Pepperdine’s programs, students and staff treat and use the world say about its Christian faith and values? To maintain its status as a top-tier university, Pepperdine should actively seek to exemplify a commitment to the environment.
As an example of someone on our campus who is already living this change, we should all look to Cliff Champion, the freshman living on dorm road who was featured in the March 20 issue of the Graphic. He’s the guy who put the solar panel on his dorm roof to power his room. It is truly remarkable when someone does something they believe in before there is any established outside support. Cliff is a bold man, and an example to follow. It took courage and determination to go before the administration and ask to make a change, and hopefully the administration feels inspired by a student’s dedication to the environment and follow suit.
Perhaps Pepperdine should take a page out of Cliff’s book and start talking about what options are available for implementation of solar power in this time and place. There are certainly more opportunities out there than just mentioned above; however, it will take some courage and determination to find them. Although it’s hard to change things overnight, Pepperdine should go solar so the future will be bright.
03-27-2008
