Put solar power in Union design
To the editor,
I do not deny that we need a new Student Union or that the pipes, air vents and walls are old or outdated. But I am disappointed that they have not incorporated solar power into the design.
The University of Arizona has the perfect opportunity to harvest free energy from the sun. Our campus is drenched in sun year-round, and yet we continue to use outdated coal-generated electricity.
It is time for us to take responsibility for producing the electricity we use. Nature provides us with free energy in the form of passive solar design, solar water heating, air cooling towers and wind and photovoltaic-produced electricity.
A conversion from coal-generated power to solar-generated power will not disrupt the economy but will merely produce a change in the commodity. Solar product manufacturers are American corporations too, and they need our support. Increased support of these companies will result in improved technologies and growth in the industry.
I invite readers of this letter to visit my website at http://www.u.arizona.edu/~barbarak/solar.html and take a look at some examples of solar-powered facilities that I have posted there. And I urge my fellow students to contact their student council representatives and ask them to put renewable resources on their agenda.
By using solar power, we can drastically reduce or even eliminate monthly electric bills, reduce greenhouse emissions, and take advantage of free, clean solar power. The entrance to the 21st century is a time for sustainable technologies and lifestyles!
Barbara Kausen
Interdisciplinary studies senior
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