Supporting green efforts

The Office of Sustainability opened July 1, 2008 due to the proposals of the Sustainability Task Force. The purpose of the Office of Sustainability is to serve Temple as an “administrative unit to lead the university’s efforts to foster a pervasive culture of sustainability throughout Temple.”

Since, the Office of Sustainability has been working to improve the environmental conditions of Temple’s Main Campus, involving students, faculty and staff. Most recently, the Office of Sustainability partnered with members of the Kappa Delta fraternity to train them on energy audits. This is apart of the Office of Sustainability’s Greeks Go Green initiative. Kate Kelly reports in “Greeks Go Green” on page 1 that Kathleen Grady, sustainability coordinator in the Office of Sustainability, said the purpose of the training was to give the brothers the necessary skills to administer energy audits at other Intrafraternity Council fraternity houses.

The Temple News supports the initiatives of the Office of Sustainability. The continued support of this office will ensure that the Temple community continues to have access to the latest and most innovative ways of being energy efficient. All around Main Campus, there is proof of the Office of Sustainability’s efforts with their policies, such as their energy conservation policy, which was “designed to reduce energy consumption throughout the university community.” In addition, as of Oct. 21 there has been 76 water bottle filling stations installed on Temple campuses, which help reduce water waste.

Additionally, The Temple News suggests that students become aware of the initiatives of the Office of Sustainability and participate in its efforts as well as practicing environmentally-friendly behavior in their daily lives. It will prove to be rewarding for both Main Campus and the environment.