New Panels Save Campus Cash
BUFFALO, NY — Medaille College has officially gone green. Over the summer, Solar Liberty and Medaille teamed up and worked out a way to make the Buffalo campus a Beta site for solar energy by bringing two sets of solar panels, one on the roof of North Dorms, and one on the roof of the campus’s Sullivan Center, to the college.
During the 2008 – 2009 spring semester Medaille’s own student produced magazine, InCite, launched InCite: Green Edition which showed student interests in pushing for greener thinking as well as a green life style. During their launch party, InCite brought in Dr. Neil Murphy from SUNY ESF to explain “The Green Symposium”. He talked to the students about green living and its benefits.
Who would have guessed that sitting in that audience was Nathan Rizzo from Solar Liberty. He saw that Medaille College was dying to do more for the environment and was inspired to help out.
“The Green Symposium’, featuring Dr. Neil Murphy from SUNY ESF, was a community event that we hoped would engage participants in a dialogue about green technology. We had no idea who was going to be in the audience, or what they might be capable of in terms of helping with Medaille’s green efforts,” said Megan Fitzgerald ’10 Former InCite Editor-n-Chief.
After the event the students set up Nate Marton, Director of Operations at Medaille and Nathan Rizzo to discuss if Medaille could be the next green energy site.
“I think its good to note that it was the students on campus that brought these solar panels to Medaille, and I am happy to say that, it is great for the campus and shows that the students really are involved and want to make Medaille a better place,” said Nate Marton.
“Medaille College will be saving $8,000 dollars a year on utility costs with just the two sets of solar panels.” Nate Marton, Director of Operations.
“I think the solar panels are a great example of how student organizations can have an enormous influence on the campus and on the community – sometimes, without even planning to. You never know who your message might reach and what might happen as a result,” said Megan Fitzgerald.
I think its good for everybody to know that the things students do and activities they participate in, the causes they support can have real benefits to the institution beyond just students. That was a student lead initiative to put out the Green magazine and this lead to solar panels for the school,” said Nate Marton
The Medaille Perspective
By: Chris Ripley
