Solar panels and a wind turbine will be installed on the roof of the School of Education building if the Boston University administration approves an SED group’s plan to boost environmental sustainability and education.
In addition to powering the third floor of the SED building, the technology is supposed to make BU’s future science teachers aware of alternative energy, said Donald DeRosa, a curriculum and teaching assistant professor and co-founder of SED Green, the faculty and student group promoting the alternative-energy project.
Founded by DeRosa and science education associate professor Douglas Zook in October 2006, SED Green placed recycling bins on every floor of SED last December in an effort to publicize the importance of recycling, Zook said.
“It was just the time to push BU to be more compatible with the Earth,” Zook said. “BU is a very . . . traditional school. A lot of traditions are good, but some aren’t. One that isn’t good is the one that says that things can just be thrown away.”
The approximately 15 members of SED Green, who meet monthly to discuss environmental goals, set aside funds for the project but must wait for approval from Provost David Campbell and Facilities Management and Planning staff members reviewing the project, Zook said.
Gaining support for the recycling initiative has been difficult because BU has not been concerned with seeking alternative energy sources or conserving energy in recent years, Zook said.
“It was very hard to get that kind of involvement and get the school administration to see [environmental sustainability] as an important issue,” he said. “I don’t think BU is a leader in this.”
Assistant Provost Michael Field said he supports SED Green’s alternative energy initiative because it will teach future teachers about resource conservation and set an example for other educational institutions.
“It is important that every institution become more environmentally friendly,” he said. “If we don’t, what’s going to happen to the Earth?”
To unite grassroots environmental groups on campus, members from BU Green, a new environmental-conservation group, have been discussing ways to increase student awareness of environmental issues with members of SED Green, said BU Green member Gitte Venicx, a College of Arts and Sciences senior.
“[Environmentalist groups on campus are] starting to get together and realize what each group is doing and make a tighter network,” DeRosa said.
Environmental groups joined together yesterday at Marsh Plaza to distribute literature on increasing on-campus sustainability efforts.
“It’s one thing to talk about alternative energy or any topic, but the real compelling part of science is the practice of it,” DeRosa said. “It behooves us as an educational organization to model what we’re teaching.”
SED Green is also working on an exhibit that allows students to power a laptop computer by pedaling on a stationary bicycle, DeRosa said.
“You can get on a bike and take a look at how much energy you’re producing and how much you’re exerting in the form of chemical energy,” he said. “Obesity is nothing more than a mismanagement of our energy.”
The exhibit will be on display on the third floor of SED in early April, Zook said.