Renewable Energy & Sustainability Overview

Being Green

By John Will, Chief Operating Officer/Vice President of Administrative Services

Until recently, the word ‘green’ has primarily inspired thoughts of a popular color. Lately, the word has come to inspire the idea that we must carefully consider how our actions have an impact on the environment and our economy.

In fact, nearly everywhere we turn it seems there is a new effort to “Green.” But what exactly does being Green mean? If you examine these efforts closely, you will likely find that being Green is subject to interpretation.

WITC is defining Green, and how it is changing what we do. Specifically, programming is being modified or added to provide students with exciting new skills. From transforming used cooking oil into usable diesel fuel to servicing geothermal heating and cooling systems, WITC graduates will be at the cutting edge in their fields. We also think you will see how we have incorporated renewable energy and sustainability concepts into our operation in a way that improves the efficiency of our campuses.

We are confident that these examples of WITC’s initiatives will give you a good idea of what Green means at WITC. We are passionately committed to our efforts and we hope they leave you with a bit of inspiration.

WITC Leads in Energy Savings

One method of assessing energy savings potential is by benchmarking or comparison to similar buildings. This chart compares the energy consumption of each of the 16 technical colleges in the Wisconsin Technical College System in FY2008-2009. The data shows energy consumption with a weighted score based on each location’s square footage to the total college square footage.

WITC’s score of 8.65 includes the energy consumption per degree day at four campuses and the administrative office.