By Natalie Stanley
Asst. Features Editor

"Go Green" is not just a cheer that you hear in the student section at a Michigan State sporting event anymore. Now, the term "go green" refers to the steps people can take to be more environmentally friendly.

Students and administration are getting involved in this national issue. Troy Van Aken, executive vice president of Albion College, has taken the lead on the "go green" initiative from an administrative perspective. Van Aken works with facilities operations, and said that there is a lot of good work to be done in that area.

"The entire topic of environmental conservation has become a bit of a passion for me the last several years," Van Aken said. "I feel confident that we can do significant things while enhancing the image of Albion College if we work together on this important topic."

Albion’s administration has been taking strides to become "green" by taking steps such as adding recycling centers to all of the dorms and signing the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment- a pledge to take specific steps to pursue carbon neutrality. This document was signed by former Albion College president, Peter Mitchell in spring 2007. Albion is one of the five colleges and universities in Michigan to sign the agreement, along with Delta College, Grand Valley State University, Jackson Community College, and Kalamazoo College. So far, 427 schools across the country have signed the pledge.

According to Van Aken, the administration incorporated green building design concepts, which paid off last spring when the center received Silver Certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Some of the green features of the science complex include water and energy conservation systems that allow the complex to use 30 percent less energy than other comparable sized buildings and also cutting energy costs by an estimated $150,000 annually. The building has also made extensive use of recycled materials and landscaping that includes wildflowers and other native species, requiring less water and providing wildlife habitats.

According to Van Aken, Albion’s campus has been doing other things to go green as well, including incorporating the green theme with the demolition of Epworth Hall.

"When we deconstructed Epworth Hall, we recycled the steel, roof tiles, and other aspects of the building," Van Aken said."In fact, we saved the limestone pieces and are in the process of designing really nice campus entry signs re-using these parts of Epworth."

Albion’s administration wants to continue to work on becoming more energy efficient. In the last two years, the administration has made significant efforts to conserve energy in the various buildings on campus by installing equipment to reduce consumption of energy in the off hours.

According to Van Aken, the college has continuing "green" plans for the future, and says that the students, staff, administration and faculty seem to be united to work towards this cause.

"We have started to use electric vehicles that we are trying on a trial basis on campus," said VanAken. "Over the next year or two, we have several projects being lined up to assist in this regard. Some [projects] are behind-the-scenes mechanical system upgrades, while others will be more visible, like new windows in certain residence halls."

Many students on campus have become more aware of what the college is doing to "go green."

"I think it is really great that Albion’s campus is going green," said Matthew Fiting, Bay City junior. "I have been trying to contribute by recycling more and turning off my electronics at night."

On Nov. 3, the Step-It-Up program was hosted at Albion College. The Step-It-Up program aims to make people become more aware of and to take action against climate change. Many environmental groups on campus were there to support the event. One of these groups was the Environmental House.

According to the Albion College Web site, the E-House is a sustainable living center for undergraduate student residents. The primary focus of the E- House is to assist participating students, the college as a whole, and the city of Albion in learning to live more sustainable lifestyles by minimizing the environmental impact of their daily lives. This is the third group of students to live in the E- House.

Timothy Lincoln, professor of geology and director of the Institute for the Study of the Environment, said that students living in the E-House do little things everyday that promote going green on a daily basis.

"[Students take] short showers, turn the heat down, turn the water off while brushing their teeth, recycle most everything, and buy local food where possible," Lincoln said.

Mark Lampen, Zealand sophomore, is a resident of the E-House.

"I like the independence of living in the E-House and being able to do something tangible to help the environment instead of just talking about it," Lampen said. "[The E-House] has more resources instead of just living in a dorm."

Even students not living in the E-House can go green and become more environmentally friendly.

"[Students should] drive less and recycle, wash clothes in cold water where ever practical, turn out lights and other appliances when not in use, take short showers, recycle," Lincoln said.