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Spotlight/Profile
'We Conserve' director inspires environmental spirit
In 2006, when Faramarz Vakili proposed the goal of reducing UW—Madison's energy consumption by 20 percent by 2010, he was met with doubt.
A driving force behind the We Conserve program,
Faramarz Vakili is pictured in one of the program's energy-efficient
utility trucks. Vakili says, "This is one of the 19 battery-powered
Neighborhood Electric Vehicles we are using as part of our fleet. These
vehicles are 100 percent battery-operated and get charged at night by
plugging them in." Vakili is associate director of Physical Plant and
program director for the We Conserve initiative.
"Frankly, nobody thought this was going to happen," says Vakili,
associate director of the Physical Plant and campus director of the We Conserve initiative.
Vakili estimates the campus is already three-quarters of the way
there. Under his leadership, the campaign promotes environmental
stewardship and education and launches projects to reduce the
university's environmental footprint.
Since its debut, We Conserve has promoted energy conservation and
efficiency, recycling, clean-power generation, smart transportation,
water conservation and eco-friendly choices.
In the last three years, the annual energy savings identified by We Conserve exceeds the combined energy use of UW—Parkside, UW—Superior and UW—Green Bay combined, he says.
Between April 2006 and July 2009, the university implemented
projects to reduce its annual energy costs by $7 million, its annual
water use by 178 million gallons, its annual use of diesel fuel by
10,000 gallons and its annual landfill deposits by 9 percent.
We Conserve's most notable contributions have been inside
energy-hungry buildings. Heating, cooling and ventilation account for
more than 70 percent of the university's energy use. We Conserve
designs projects to reduce energy consumption while meeting buildings'
needs and performance requirements.
Initiatives in more than eight targeted campus buildings, including
the Kohl Center, Chamberlin Hall, the Chemistry Building and
Engineering Hall. Work there has reduced campus carbon dioxide
emissions by more than 53,000 tons.
"Goal No. 1 is to instill the spirit of environmental stewardship in the conscience of the community," he says.
This fall, the university debuted the three-credit course "Why We
Conserve" to bring We Conserve's values straight to the classroom. We
Conserve also holds outreach events such as recycled clothing fashion
shows, concerts and cookouts.
The university's spirit inspired Vakili and the rest of the We
Conserve staff to design the new campaign, "Be the We," set to launch
in a few weeks.
"If the various players inside the university and outside are all
saying, ‘Be the We,' they are not only advertising for their own
activities, but they're also promoting We Conserve as a philosophy of
operation," Vakili says.
We Conserve will draw on several established campus collaborations
to put the campaign in motion. Among others, Vakili and We Conserve
work with admissions, housing, athletics and the Center for the
First-Year Experience and the Nelson Institute for Environmental
Studies. It also collaborates with student groups, including REthink
Wisconsin, WISPIRG and the Green Coalition.
Vakili hopes it's not just the students who get the message. But he
stressed that everyone who takes steps to reduce waste and protect the
environment has different reasons for doing it.
"Some people are motivated by money, some people by the love for
environment, polar bears, social justice, national security," Vakili
says. "And your reason is the right reason to do it."
Vakili began conserving because it was what his job called for when
rising uni versity energy bills and the campus's carbon footprint
caught the attention of then-Chancellor John Wiley. In 2006, Wiley
directed the Division of Facilities, Planning and Management to take
more aggressive efficiency measures.
"As I start prescribing these things, I noticed that these things
I'm talking about are really good and smart things that I, too, should
be doing," Vakili says.
The key, he says, is for everyone to find a few things they can
commit to, such as turning off lights when they leave a room, using
refillable drink containers or putting their computers on sleep mode
when they're not using them.
"It's not austerity, it's not being cold, it's not being
uncomfortable, it's not walking versus having a car. It's basically
turning the light off when you are not in that room," he says.
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