USC Aiken Works to Stay Green all Year
Thursday, May 7th, 2020
The University of South Carolina Aiken is committed to creating a sustainable environment across the campus.
As part of its effort to ensure an attractive, user-friendly campus that supports and accommodates the needs of students, faculty and staff, the university embraces the values of environmental stewardship. The university has earned special national recognition for its contributions in this area.
"We do this not for the awards and not only because it's the law but also because it's the right thing to do," said Brian Enter, senior facilities engineer.
In 2009, a state law (Section 48-52-62) was passed that state-supported buildings had to reduce their energy consumption by 20 percent before 2020, based on year 2000 energy usage. USC Aiken met that requirement way ahead of schedule - in 2015 - and earned an award for it.
"While there have been no new legal mandates, we continue our unwavering commitment to doing the right thing to protect our environment and natural resources," said Enter.
For at least a decade, USC Aiken has had a Climate Action Plan, which is reported to the state's energy department each year. This is a dynamic document, which is updated with projects completed and which includes plans for continued efficiencies.
"While the operations team is working hard toward these efforts, we need every faculty, staff and student to partner with us," Enter said.
"With each one doing his or her part, we can enhance our efforts immensely.
"This might include simple steps, like turning out lights when rooms are not used to recycling materials, sorting them appropriately when dropping them in bins located all over campus."