On February 28, 2014 Eastern University St. Davids campus was once again awarded membership to the Green Power Leadership Club by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “This membership has recognition that Eastern University has commitment to helping the Earth, and confirms that Eastern is being true to the statement of being responsible stewards of the environment and other physical resources,”says Bettie Ann Brigham.
The EPA defines the Green Power Club as “a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use.” Students have the ability to personally support this club by choosing to have a part of yearly tuition pay for Eastern’s solar electricity generator. The EPA reports that “approximately 1,500 full-time undergraduate students, 1,047 choose to spend an additional $24 to purchase wind energy.” This $24 fee appears on their tuition bill for the fall semester, and students have the option to not participate by sending an email by a certain deadline.
Eastern’s St. David campus has been a part of the Power Leadership Club since July 15, 2004. Bettie Ann Brigham says, “Eastern has made a action of deciding to get energy from a less damaging energy resource.” Eastern has a long-term contract that states that the institution agreed to buy renewable energy for numerous years. This displays Eastern’s community effort to support the cause of having a better environment. Eastern also made the decision in 2012 to join a solar project in Pennsylvania that involved St. Davids campus striving toward having 100 percent clean energy for several years.
The Power Leadership Club is led by a student group called Earthkeepers Club that helps gain funding for the solar electricity generator and spread awareness about the environment. Other groups that impact the Green Power Leadership Club include Student Government Association and Enactus. The solar electricity generator is located on the rooftop of Eagle Learning Center. Students can actually see the solar electricity generator they are investing in on a website that documents how much energy is collected for a day, month and year. Also, the website calculates how much energy is being generated at the moment someone is viewing the website. Brigham states, “Eastern is constantly looking for new ways to express care for creation on all campuses, and students participate in this membership and take the knowledge with them when they leave.”
For more information the website is http://siteapp.fatspaniel.net/siteapp/simpleView.jsf?eid=416481.
Sources
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/partners/easternuniversity.htm
http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/index.htm#E
http://www.eastern.edu/node/5171
Grace Nealy 
Jason Karch 
Josh Steen