Do Solar Panels Look Good Enough to You?
Every day, we are stomping on Earth with our carbon footprints a little harder. When humans drive cars, run electricity, or blast their air conditioners, greenhouse gases are released. Once in the atmosphere, the gases trap heat and cause detrimental damage.
The fight against carbon emissions is not as easy as it seems. Atlanta is up against Georgia Power, a company which holds a natural monopoly. This means that it is mandatory to purchase power from them if you live in Georgia. Otherwise, be prepared to face a HUGE fine! To learn more about natural monopolies in the electricity industry, click here.
Natural gas is Georgia Power’s most common source of energy. Natural gas’s main compound is methane. Though better than coal, natural gas is not as great for the environment as solar power is.
Held at the mercy of Georgia power, Emory also has natural gas as its primary source of energy. According to Kelly O’Day Weisinger, assistant director of the Emory Office of Sustainability Initiatives, Emory spends on average $35 million on energy costs alone per year. This leaves Emory, Georgia Power’s 6th largest customer, with a carbon footprint of 354,762 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e or how much carbon dioxide it would take to create an equivalent global warming impact). Pretty scary if you ask me.
Even though 354,762 CO2e seems like a huge number, Emory is a leader in the global effort towards a greener planet. Their prestigious national sustainability award from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education was no small feat.
Emory has and continues to make huge strides in developing an environmentally friendly campus. Some of their projects include sustainable food, landfill diversion, water conservation, green buildings and more. These projects are not hard to spot around campus, just look at the thousand different ways you can throw out your trash!
Now, if I had access to the golden Sustainability Revolving Fund (1 million dollars available to be borrowed for the purposes of sustainability projects), I would (forcefully) ask the board of trustees to invest in solar panels. Solar panels generate electricity through photons from the sun, making them much cleaner than burning fossil fuels like natural gas.
Even though they are incredibly expensive and “don’t look nice” (according to the board of trustees), they would make an enormous impact environmentally. The United States Environmental Protection Agency claims that the largest contributor to greenhouse gases, tied with transportation, is electricity on the following website. The reduction of coal and natural gas-powered classrooms and libraries could help Emory reach its goal of 20% reduction in total emissions by 2020.
We have already begun to see the effects of global warming including, more severe weather and increased extinction rates. On top of that, these consequences are only getting worse. So, even though the board of trustees doesn’t quite understand it yet, it’s extremely important to fight back against Georgia Power and source our energy elsewhere.
Works Cited
Meraay, Hibba, et al. “Electricity’s Un-Natural Monopoly.” Institute for Local
Self-Reliance, 12 Mar. 2018, ilsr.org/electricitys-unnatural-monopoly/.
“Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, 9
Oct. 2018, http://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions.
Weisinger, Kelly O’Day. “Emory Climate Action Plan.” 26 Sept. 2018, Atlanta, Emory
University.
Climate Change 