Campus RoCKinG across North Carolina
Appalachian State University
At ASU we have many clubs and many inititiatives here are a few:
ASU
Sustainable Energy Society: Started as the 'Solar Club' back in 1995,
this club has been the center starting point for many other endeavours
into sustainability. Our purpose is to educate, enlighten, and inform
students and the
community about solar applications as well as other renewable energy
sources. Events include the ASES Solar Tour every fall, the Solar
Christmas Tree Lighting ever winter, and an Earth Day extravaganza each
spring. Last year we also hosted the SURGE conference here in our
student union to great success.
www.asuses.net
Sustainable
Transportation Club: Started with a EPA grant to build a small
biodiesel processor, this club constructed the facility and achieved
the 2nd level funding for the EPA P3 grant spawning a college course
offering at ASU 'Biofuels' and educational opportunities for community members and students alike.
http://biodiesel.appstate.edu/
Boone
Bicycle Initiative: A spinoff from the transportation club, this groups
purpose was to help get more people in Boone riding bikes insteal of
fossil fuels. Another winner of the EPA p3 grant. The group now has 32
bikes out on the road provided for free thanks to volunteer labor,
donated bicycles, and donated space from ASU
http://www.bikeboone.org/
Renewable
Energy Initiative: Formed as a part of the SGA voted on by students, 5
dollars of tuition goes towards a fund to put renewable energies on
campus. To date they have got the Appalcarts (the busses here in Boone)
to run on biodiesel, a 1.7kw pv system at the biodiesel processor, a 2
kw pv system on the technology buildings roof, and 4kw of mountain
shaped pv infront of the Raley Business building.
http://rei.appstate.edu/
some good pictures and a news article: http://www.news.appstate.edu/2008/06/27/sun-power-harnessed-at-appalachian/
Western North Carolina Renewable Energy Initiative: Started as the
Small Wind Initiate, this program has grown into a organization capable
of bringing speakers and workshop attendees in from all over our nation
and the world. They manage a small wind research facility on Beech
Mountain here in the high country that has been nationally acclaimed
for its work with small scale wind turbines.
http://www.wind.appstate.edu/
We
also have students that have now won grants to do ethanol research on
coffee bean plantations in Nicaragua, AND algae-produce biofuels. (let
me know if you want those students contact info)
We also have some other clubs and organizations like the 'Green' club and the Student Union Greening Committee.
Our
community partners include ARISE~ The Appalachian Regional Initiative
for Sustainable Energy. They were formed by graduated members of the
Solar Club and are still active here in the mountains.
http://www.ariseboone.net/
and
ther are a lot more but thats all I have time for at this moment. We
have a lot of opportunity and events going on but as the Independence
of our area shines through we dont have many doing pr for us around the
country. We need help reaching a larger audience and 'thinking big'. We
have the technology and the knowledge, but most of our students get
sucked into the vacuum of the wild west looking for better opportunity
in areas more accepting of these jobs and technology.
We have a appropriate technology, building science, and sustainable development undergraduate programs here at ASU
that are a wealth of information~ again we don't do much advertising.
AMAZING things happen here but we keep ourselves so busy that we dont
think much about becoming famous.
