The Syracuse University Quad has hosted a variety of events over the years, including war protests and Guinness World Record attempts.

Starting Monday, students pitched tents in hopes to influence SU to utilize more renewable energy on the hill.

The Student Environmental Action Coalition of SU and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, ESF Green Campus Initiative and the New York Public Interest Research Group demonstrated on the quad yesterday and will continue again today in a request for the university to convert green energy.

‘As a leader in the community we have to take the step to renewable energy,’ said Kate Roarty, a freshman music performance major who participated in the demonstration. ‘(Renewable energy) is not far in the future; it’s not radical.’

The demonstration is triggered by an executive order by New York state Gov. George E. Pataki for all state institutions to purchase 10 percent of their energy from a renewable source by the end of this year and 20 percent by 2010.

‘The goal is to make New York greener and cleaner,’ said Tina Notas, a freshman environmental science major at SUNY-ESF.

Notas said currently SU uses less than two percent renewable energy, some of which is nuclear energy.

‘Nuclear energy does not emit a lot of (carbon dioxide),’ Notas said. ‘But Uranium is not a renewable energy source.’

Notas also mentioned disposal of nuclear waste makes this form of energy an issue, citing the recent opening of the Yukka Mountain waste site.

‘It’s an environmental justice issue,’ she said. ‘It’s not fair that it’s dumped on their land.’

The students are requesting both schools purchase at least 20 percent clean energy by next year and convert to 100 percent renewable energy as soon as possible.

‘Both schools are very passionate about this,’ Notas said. ‘The newest thing is renewable energy. The fact that a lot of institutions are buying renewable energy and we’re not is ridiculous.’

These organizations will present their request before the University Senate at their monthly meeting on April 20. Notas said the reason for the camp out is to show the sense of urgency students have for this issue.

‘It is so exciting,’ she said. ‘There are so many different levels to this issue.’

Throughout the day, the groups informed students of the purpose of their demonstration, educating them with information about green energy and asking students to sign a petition in favor of it. Notas said they were hoping to get 1,500 signatures and had already received about 800 by 2 p.m. Monday.

Tom Hutch, a senior religion and English textual studies major said he signed the petition he said green energy seems like it would be a positive thing.

‘I think it seems like a reasonable thing to do,’ Hutch said.

Roarty said Chancellor Nancy Cantor has expressed her support for a conversion to renewable energy but nothing has been set in stone. She added that pushing policy designs is part of the reason for the demonstrations.

‘It’s a very logical thing for us to do,’ she said. ‘Universities are supposed to have the smartest people. We have the resources and the enthusiasm to do it.’

Notas said green energy can potentially can more, but since the university would be purchasing it in bulk, it could cost less and the university could be eligible for grants.

The specific form of green energy the groups are advocating for is primarily wind power.

‘There aren’t as many negatives to it,’ Notas said. ‘With hydropower sometimes the facilities are placed in odd locations. Windmills don’t omit CO2 and you can place them anywhere.’

Published on April 11, 2005 at 12:00 pm