A resolution passed by Temple Student Government (TSG) has the potential to significantly lessen Temple’s reliance on fossil fuels and nuclear power.
The March 29 resolution declared students are willing to pay an extra $3.50 per semester in order to partially fund the purchase of wind power.
Kim Teplitzky, head of TSG’s Clean Energy Campaign and SEA member, said the resolution passed by TSG was a means to show the administration that the students support the wind power campaign.
The resolution also requested the University match these funds in order to make a 12 percent wind power purchase. There is not a set date as to when the university was asked make a decision.
The campaign to bring wind power to Temple has been strongly supported by Students for Environmental Action (SEA) and TSG.
TSG Vice President of Student Affairs Dekwuan Postell has been supporting the campaign led by SEA.
“We are able to assist their initiatives,” Postell said. “If the students have issues and concerns, then I have issues and concerns and then TSG has those same concerns,” Postell said.
Teplitzky said the goal of the campaign is to gain broad-based student support, to make the $3.50 per semester clean energy fee a reality and to convince the administration to match funds.
“The university needs to act more responsibly in its energy practices, specifically in its use of electricity,” Teplitzky said. “The benefits of wind power are that it is truly clean and renewable – no air, water or land pollution.”
Teplitzky also said she would like to see the fee implemented in the fall, but that is if everything goes through.
The fee students offered to pay in the resolution would partially cover the costs of the wind power purchase. If the university matches the students’ funding, Temple will be able to purchase 12 percent of its energy usage from wind farms. This percentage of wind energy used by Temple would surpass all other universities’ percentages in the Philadelphia area.
Although wind power is earth-friendly, the cost of purchasing it is more expensive than typical sources of energy like nuclear and fossil fuels. But Tezplizky explained that as the demand increases for wind power, the price will come down.
If the university matches dollar-for-dollar, the energy, according to Teplitzky, would be purchased from wind farms in western Pennsylvania.
“[Wind power] is good because in is produced in-state, which means funds stay in Pennsylvania,” Teplitzky said.
The purchase of energy generated by wind would help reduce toxic fossil fuel emissions and nuclear waste production.
Postell said TSG will help as much as possible to reach the campaign’s goal.
“But more importantly, we are asking students to get involved,” Postell said.
For information on wind energy or how to become involved in the campaign, visit www.temple.edu/sea.
Alysha Brennan can be reached at alysha@temple.edu.
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