THE SWITCH
Advocating a more sustainable university,
one lightbulb
at a time.
ENRG 3310
ENRG 3310 is an introductory class that is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary approach to broad issues regarding energy and sustainability. It introduces students to topics about alternate energy sources, fossil fuels, conservation and consumption, architecture and design, social and environmental impacts and many more.
The class consisted of a semester long project in which students were asked to provide a report in the form of a website of a specific topic. Our group chose the topic of Sustainability in the University of Houston and this website provides all of our findings and reports.
The University of Houston has been included in the Princeton Review's "Guide to 332 Green Colleges" every year since 2010 for taking steps to become environmentally sustainable. Notable projects include the introduction of 90 Big Belly dual recycling and solar-powered trash compactors, 70 water refill stations (recent data states that these have prevented 1.1 million plastic bottles from reaching landfills), the construction of the UH Central Power Plant (equipped with enhanced chillers, cooling towers, boilers, and solar panels), and even community gardens. In addition, the UH Office of Sustainability has been hard at work promoting events such as the Sustainability Fest, which is designed to educate the student body about these initiatives and promote going green.
University of Houston
Lighting makes up the largest portion of utility bills of universities in the United States. With the University of Houston still using incandescant light bulbs in many of its high traffic areas, like the Fresh Foods Dining Hall, and the University Center Satellite, the time has come to explore different methods to light the areas. With the university also switching over to LED lights in some areas, steps have been taken towards promoting an energy efficient campus life. However, this may come at a steep cost. Our goal is to explore lighting methods here in the two areas described above and formuate a proper solution that is suitable for sustainability, economy, and security at the University of Houston.