It is now widely understood that societies must rapidly decarbonize to avoid the worst impacts of future climate change. To contribute to this urgent effort, academic libraries should develop an understanding of the carbon footprint resulting from their activities. This article shares the results of an effort at the Penn State University Libraries…

Because of many advantages associated with central utility systems, school campuses, from large universities to elementary schools, have used district energy for decades. District energy facilities enable thermal and electric utilities to be generated with greater efficiency and higher system reliability, while requiring fewer maintenance and…

Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi is quoted as saying, "Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is." Whether it's a major university or an urban school district, pulling together and developing a plan and being confident in the financing through performance contracting is the best way to meet student, taxpayer and community…

As a common form of renewable energy, wind power is generating more than just electricity. It is increasingly generating jobs for workers in many different occupations. Many workers are employed on wind farms: areas where groups of wind turbines produce electricity from wind power. Wind farms are frequently located in the midwestern, western, and…

Even as the conventional energy system is fundamentally challenged by the "energy-environment crisis," its adherents have presented the prospect of "abundant" and purportedly "green" nuclear power as part of a strategy to address the crisis. Surveying the development of nuclear power in India, this article finds that…

Climate change, rising energy costs, and other dilemmas raise the prospect for major change in energy-ecology-society relations. Two prominent proposals for change include: a nuclear power renaissance; and mega-scale renewable energy development. Both suggest that modern society will receive a rising stream of less CO2-rich kilowatt-hours, so that…

Since the mid-1980s, power sector liberalization has been embraced at different levels in the East Asian countries of China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. The dominant rationale underlying power liberalization has been a quest for efficiency improvements, to be achieved by substituting private market activity for public regulations and by opening…

Explains how one high school district in San Jose, California, reduced its electricity bill through an energy conservation program. (IRT)

Discusses the steps educational facilities can use to bring energy costs under control through submetering. Tips are provided for establishing a submetering process, and the importance it has for school-management decision making is explained. (GR)

Examines the development of a campus energy-monitoring system and three energy strategies to help control energy costs in a deregulated environment. Strategies discussed involve purchasing off-campus electric energy, modifying power-plant technology, and considering third-party ownership of the power plant. (GR)

To maintain good light quality while attempting to reduce energy costs, the University of Illinois (Chicago) investigated a variety of light-related cutbacks. An inexpensive, quickly installed current-limiting device (NO-WATT manufactured by Remtec Systems) on 1000 fixtures resulted in energy savings of $18,000 annually. (DH)

Increasing hydroelectric costs jolted the Tupelo (Mississippi) School District into an energy conservation program. Corrective measures have kept operating cost increases within 10 percent. (Author/MLF)

In 1986, Northeast Utilities began helping shool administrators combat school building energy wastage through a program called Energy Alliance. The typical school can reduce its energy bill by 30 percent by adopting a wide range of conservation measures, including cogeneration, relamping, and energy audits. (MLH)

An electrical load limiter system has reduced the electricity bills by 18 percent at a Pennsylvania junior high school. (MLF)

By installing a computerized energy management system in only four of its schools, the Portsmouth (Virginia) school district has cut its electrical use 23 percent. (Author/MLF)