GW Celebrates Earth Week

Ted Turner, chairman of Turner Enterprises, was among the guest speakers for the GW Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy’s kickoff symposium “Solar Energy: A Solution to Energy and Environmental Problems?” on April 24.

Members of the GW community showcased their efforts to make the University a greener place during Earth Week 2009. A variety of events, presentations and informational displays during the 10-day celebration, from April 15 to 24, titled “GW Forward” highlighted the sustainable practices currently in place and the University’s goals for the future.

Throughout the week the University hosted a number of forums on environmental issues, including a symposium on greenhouse gas reductions, a session on protecting the Potomac River, and GW’s Third Annual Climate Action Conference.

GW’s Earth Week concluded on April 24 with GW’s Institute for the Analysis of Solar Energy’s (IASE) kickoff symposium “Solar Energy: A Solution to Energy and Environmental Problems?” in the Jack Morton Auditorium. The daylong event addressed the status and financing of solar and renewable technology and featured a variety of guest speakers including Ted Turner, chairman of Turner Enterprises, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), and IASE director Ken Zweibel.

The GW community also enjoyed an organic lunch, displays and remarks during the GW Forward Earth Day Fair and Real Food Cookout April 22 in the Marvin Center’s Columbian Square. Meghan Chapple-Brown, director of GW’s Office of Sustainability, greeted the crowd and spoke about the environmental challenges the world has begun to face, including water shortages, rising temperatures and the destruction of ecosystems. “The good news is there are a lot of solutions, and GW plans to be a part of the solution in years to come,” she said.

GW President Steven Knapp told the audience that the University and the GW Presidential Task Force on Sustainability has investigated ways to make its operations more sustainable, including reducing its carbon footprint and striving for silver LEED certification in its new buildings, and thanked the students who have made these goals possible.

“There are many things we can do as an institution, and we are celebrating those today,” said Dr. Knapp. “In all of these ways, we are reinventing our institution as a leader in sustainability. And as I have said from the moment I got to GW,
a lot of what we are doing was inspired by the passion and ingenuity of the students here. We could not be where we are today without them.”

For more information about sustainability at GW, visit http://sustainabilty.gwu.edu.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu