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.
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