Students at Connecticut College scored an environmental victory in May 2001 when they convinced their school to use renewable energy to power all of its facilities.
To pay for the switch, the students held bake sales and agreed to a $25 increase in their student activity fees.
The college will purchase the clean energy through the Connecticut Energy Cooperative, an electricity supplier based in Hartford that pioneered the effort in New England to offer 100-percent, Green-e Certified renewable electricity. Green-e is the nation’s first voluntary certification and verification program for renewable electricity products. It is a program of the Center for Resource Solutions, a non-profit organization based in San Francisco’s Presidio.
Connecticut College’s students have also pledged to reduce the environmental impact of the college through conservation. The co-op will assist students, staff and faculty in developing a strategic energy management plan, audit building energy use, suggest ways to use energy more efficiently and conduct educational seminars.
