The University of California Board of Regents voted unanimously
today in favor of a Clean Energy and Green Building policy. This
policy raises the bar for environmental leadership for all other
national institutions. This vote follows the year-long “UC Go
Solar!” campaign run by students across the state and Greenpeace.
The campaign called for the Regents to adopt a comprehensive Clean
Energy and Green Building policy to make UC a national leader in
environmental stewardship.
Since last September, students and faculty sent more than 10,000
postcards to the university in support of the campaign. VIPs,
including Lt. Governor Cruz M. Bustamente endorsed it, and dozens
of editorials have appeared in student newspapers urging the
Regents to take action.
“This victory for the environment is the product of
collaboration between students, faculty, administrators, Regents
and Greenpeace,” explained Kristin Casper, Greenpeace campaigner.
“The UC’s leadership will pave the way for campuses across the
United States toward a clean, sustainable future. Now there is a
clear road map for others to follow.”
According to a Greenpeace study released today, the UC’s solar
energy commitment, along with the Los Angeles Community College
District’s pledge last year to generate 10 percent of new
buildings’ energy use with onsite renewable energy, can increase
the total amount of grid-connected solar power in the United States
by nearly 30 percent above today’s levels. The study also notes
that academic institutions are now emerging as a driving force for
building a clean energy economy for our country.
The University of California policy is a comprehensive
initiative that mandates the following:
- Ten megawatts (equivalent to the power used by 5,000 homes) of
renewable energy will be installed across UC’s 10 campuses
(currently only 40 MW of solar energy are grid-connected in
California and 52 MW total in the United States). - Ten percent of the university’s utilities will be purchased
from clean energy sources immediately and will eventually grow to
20 percent by 2017. That is enough power for 26,000 homes. - All new campus building across the state will be built to green
building standards (except acute care facilities). - System-wide energy use will be reduced to 10 percent below 2000
levels by 2014, in order to reduce consumption of non-renewable
energy sources.
Following the UC’s lead, students from more than 50 campuses
across the country are expected to launch Clean Energy campaigns
this fall, pushing their schools to help build a cleaner economy.
The Greenpeace report shows that if every U.S. College campus were
to match the UC solar energy policy, the total grid-connected solar
installations in the United States would increase more than
50-fold. With this surge, prices of solar power could be expected
to drop by some 23 percent, making it competitive with
conventional, polluting energies’ costs in many areas.
Find out more about our work on
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