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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 2001)
Gilbert Hall renovation could include solar cells ■The Ecological Design Center hopes to incorporate photovoltaics to improve campus’ use of energy By Hank Hager Oregon Daily Emerald University energy experts will explore ways to make Gilbert Hall more energy efficient when reno vations on the building begin later this year. Photovoltaics, solar energy cells that transfer the sun’s energy into usable electricity, have been pro posed as a new source of electrici ty Brian Hawley, energy manage ment engineer for Eugene Water and Electric Board, said the pro posed photovoltaic cells would be placed on the roof and coupled with the new building’s design. These additions would allow Gilbert Hall to use 50 percent less energy than a building at current standards. “That would be a great improve ment,” he said. Fred Tepfer, project planner for the Lillis Business Complex/Gilbert Hall Additions and Alterations Project, said the photovoltaics would be placed on the south glass wall and skylights of the new atrium, as well as on the roofs of the mechanical equipment penthouses. Funding for the panels, however, is the major factor on whether they are added, he said. “There is a desire to incorporate building-integrated photovoltaics, but at this point it’s still quite iffy, as there is no source of funds for photovoltaics in the project,” he said. Tepfer said he does not know where funding would come from, but most likely it would be from private donors and tax credits, and not from the University. “Neither the Lundquist College of Business nor Facilities Services are actively involved in the fund raising,” he said. Ben Gates, co-director of the University’s Ecological Design Center, formerly known as the So lar Information Center, said he would like to see solar energy pan els placed on all campus build ings. To do so, he said, incidental fees might play an important role. “Our plan is to try and arrange for one dollar of every student’s in cidental fees to go into a general fund every term,” he said. “It would be something that every stu dent, would be involved in.” Jonathan Pincus, the building manager for Gilbert Hall who for merly served on the renovation management team, said he would support photovoltaics on the new building. “Naturally, I am very supportive of the overall project and the con cept of incorporating photovoltaics and other advanced energy meas ures into the design,” he said. Tepfer said $300,000 is needed to add the maximum number of solar cells. Hawley said the placement of the solar energy panels would help make it a sustainable energy re source. [The solar cells] “would help so lar energy grow to where it would be more cost efficient,” he said. “This building is the right step in making it a sustainable campus; the campus should be praised for its efforts.” He added that the cells would give Gilbert Hall a unique look compared to other University buildings. The photovoltaics, combined with the finished building, would make it one of the more modern buildings on campus. Room for 600 new seats has been planned in the construction, which is the first major addition to the building'in almost 50 years. When finished, the Lillis Business Complex is ex pected to be a four-story building, at a size of 196,500 total square feet. The design for the project was finished in 1999 and construction is scheduled to begin no earlier than September 2001, Tepfer said. The building’s addition is scheduled to be completed no sooner than September 2004, with the remodeling phase of the project nine months later. If mon ey is raised for the photovoltaics, Tepfer said the construction of those would parallel the time frame of work done on Gilbert Hall. Milk protests target Starbucks ■ Opponents of milk from hormone-treated cows try to get Starbucks to reject it By Aaron K. Breniman Oregon Daily Emerald The fight against genetically en gineered foods has hit the streets. The Organic Consumers Associ ation held a nationwide protest Tuesday, March 20, against Star bucks Coffee Co. to address the is sue of Starbucks’ use of milk from cows injected with the genetically engineered recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). In Eugene, the Sierra Club joined the effort by leafleting Star bucks Coffee at 13th Avenue and Alder Street. Standing by a largely empty outdoor seating area facing 13th Avenue, Debrah Higbee, the executive commissioner of the Sierra Club of Eugene, handed out leaflets to passers-by and Star bucks customers. Although the Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of rBGH, many contend that the hormone’s long-term effects are not known and that it affects each individual differently, especially those with allergy problems. “If this is a democracy, why don’t citizens have a response to the concerns of the public?” Hig bee asked. Despite the efforts of the Sierra Club of Eugene, few local Star bucks customers seemed to care about the issue. “Here, there has been zero inter est in people asking us any ques tions,” Starbucks manager Steve Traffas said. “I really like the push made by the groups, but I thought we’d see more public interest.” Traffas said that his 13th Av enue store had a stapled package of information to give to cus tomers with any questions on the issue of genetically engineered products, but halfway through protest, nobody had even asked about rBGH. Starkly contrasting the effort in Eugene, Seattle protesters gener ated much more interest in their efforts. What they see as mainly a money issue, we see as an ethics issue. Ronnie Cummins Organic Consumers Association director Ronnie Cummins, national di rector of the Organic Consumers Association, said about 100 people gathered outside the annual share holders meeting held at Starbucks’ headquarters in Seattle. “The shareholders got the mes sage loud and clear,” he said. “It’s important for Starbucks to see that this is not a public relations prob lem, but more a policy problem.” Cummins emphasized that it is a problem with no easy solutions. “What they see as mainly a mon ey issue,” he said, “we see as an ethics issue.” The OCA’s complaints focus on issues of genetic engineering, fair trade coffee (shade-grown and or ganic) and the working condi tions and wages of impoverished plantation workers. Earlier last month, OCA direc tors sent a letter to Starbucks, the nation’s leading coffee-drink retail er, demanding that the company assess the unique situation they face as the one of the largest com mercial users of milk from rBGH injected cows. In reply to the letter, Starbucks CEO Orin Smith issued a statement indicating that simple economic principles have prevent-' ed Starbucks from using complete ly rBGH-free milk. “Because Starbucks does not produce these goods and does not have control over their supply, we are not in a position to give imme diate assurances that we can offer only genetically-modified-organ ism-free goods,” Smith said. Traffas added that while Star bucks does sell coffee that is la beled as being “fair trade coffee,”' those beans are not the ones used in the majority of their drinks. Although Higbee said that the potential is minimal that the dairy industry will make any immediate changes, there are things that con sumers can do to clearly display their position on milk from cows treated with rBGH. She said that customers can call businesses such as Dari-Mart and Safeway and ask them which type of milk they sell. Higbee pointed out, however, she is uncertain if the answers would be “straightfor ward.” Higbee said that the manner in which stores receive milk ship ments provide for ample labeling of the distinction between rBGH infused milk and rBGH-free milk, but when the milk goes to the shelf the labeling that is- on the box is largely disregarded. Oregon Daily Emerald WORLDWIDE • exclusive online polls j www.dailyemeraid.com 009720: 942-8730 i^OVVCOUK.Sp'! 484-1927 GOLF 9 HOLES $10 Students Only. Must show ID. (Monday - Friday) TRIANGLE GRAPHIC S SCREEN PRINTING EMBROIDERY 344-7266 triangle@pond.net Not all t-shirts are created equal. 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