By John DeFore

In what one suspects will be an early volley in a long campaign for bragging rights, the University of California at San Diego has claimed that it is about to become “the leader in renewable energy solutions among U.S. universities.” Chief among its evidence for the claim is the fact that the university already has or is about to sign multiple contracts totaling 7.4 megawatts of energy — amounting to 10-15% of its annual needs — produced by renewable means like solar, wind farms and methane. Some of the power will come from off site, but photo voltaic panels will soon be multiplying on dorm roofs — installed by third parties who will then sell the juice to campus for a set price.

The announcement of these deals follows the 50th anniversary in March of the Keeling Curve, an important graph tracking atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide that was the work of Charles David Keeling, a researcher at UCSD-based Scripps Institution of Oceanography. After helping to prove the extent of humankind’s impact on climate, the school’s leaders evidently figure they should be in the forefront of those trying to undo the damage.

UCSD’s Green Campus Overview takes a thorough look at eco-concerns: offering scorecards (based on LEED standards) for the design of new buildings and renovations; corralling resources for low-impact commuting to campus; and detailing a single-bin recycling program in which everything from office paper to tin cans can go in the same receptacle (e-waste, batteries, and other exceptions are handled separately). The web page also offers a handy ticker in the right-hand column tallying both usage and savings of water and electricity. Renewable energy leader or not, the consumption meter is still spinning a lot more quickly than the one for savings.

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