Ted Purcell of Duke Chapel signs the sustainability pledge following Primetime. | Megan Morr
Sustainability Is Not a Buzzword
Trask, Chameides discuss Duke, individual actions that make a difference
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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Listen to the full Primetime presentation on sustainability
Durham, NC -- John Rorem is a poster child for Blue Devil sustainability.
On Tuesday, Rorem, an assistant managing editor at Duke University Press, rode a Duke bus from his Brightleaf Square office to the Bryan Center to participate in the Primetime employee forum, which focused on sustainability at Duke. While there, he signed the Duke sustainability pledge, making a commitment to consider the environmental, social and economic impact of his daily actions.
And then Rorem won a rain barrel, which he later transported on a Durham city bus to his home, where it will be used to water landscaping.
Using alternative transportation and changing behavior to conserve natural resources were among many “green” tips offered during Tuesday’s Primetime discussion with Executive Vice President Tallman Trask III and Nicholas School of the Environment Dean Bill Chameides.
“If every American would change three lights to compact florescent bulbs, it would be the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road,” Chameides told about 300 Duke faculty, staff and students in the Bryan Center’s Griffith Theater. The Primetime conversation was fifth in a series of quarterly employee forums with Duke senior administrators.
More Low-flow Showerheads
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Duke’s showerhead giveaway will continue at the Duke Farmers Market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 and at Duke’s Earth Day festival on the West Campus Plaza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Duke faculty, staff and off-campus students are each eligible for one low water flow showerhead. A valid DukeCard must be presented.
For more information about Duke’s earth month events, click here.
Along with pointers on “going green” at work and home, the 60-minute conversation included a question-and-answer session that touched on Duke’s efforts to leave a lighter environmental footprint by enhancing alternative transportation options, requiring eco-friendly development on campus, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and exploring the use of alternative power and fuel sources.
Trask said Duke is investigating the feasibility of using alternative power sources such as solar panels, especially on the planned new campus along Campus Drive near the Nasher Museum of Art.
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Chameides and Trask talk sustainability during Primetime. Photo by Megan Morr |
“We’re looking into the possibility that we might generate some of our own electricity,” said Trask, noting that Duke is also looking at ways to offer free charging of electric vehicles for employees.
Trask and Chameides said the Duke community deserves praise for supporting sustainability efforts, especially during the ongoing drought. Through changes such as switching auto toilets to manual, reclaiming storm water to irrigate and modifying Duke’s chilled water plant to capture condensation, Duke is saving a significant amount of water.
“We’re 60 percent below the point of consumption at the peak of last year,” Trask said.
Trask joked that Durham’s recent water savings could be attributed to Duke’s showerhead giveaway, which has distributed 5,000 free low-flow showerheads to employees and off-campus students. More showerheads will be given away this month.
Following the forum, attendees said the comments helped them “rethink” how their daily actions impact the environment.
“It’s great to see this type of dialogue happening at Duke, and the key is for us all to use this information to improve our world,” said Mark Dreyfors, a Nicholas School alumnus who operates Carolina Biofuels and Greenway Transit, an alternative transportation company that operates a fleet of biodiesel limousines and pedicab services in Durham and Chapel Hill.
Rorem, who won the rain barrel during a drawing at Primetime, said the conversation was beneficial.
“I think sometimes people feel overwhelmed, wondering what they can do on a personal level to make a difference, so it was nice that this forum offered some practical advice,” he said. “It really made me think about how I can change my behavior to conserve. Plus, I discovered that hauling a rain barrel home on a city bus is a great conversation starter.”
