Professors Conserve Energy In Their Everyday Lives
By: Rolando Torres Pagan
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: News
Wilson is also having solar panels installed in her home. With the installation of eighteen Evergreen 205 watt solar panels, she hopes to be able to offset 250,00 pounds of CO2 for the life of the panels. "Compared to the mix of fossil fuel power sources typically used, every 1000 KWH generated by a photovoltaic (solar panel) system avoids sending 0.53 lbs of sulfur dioxides, 0.29 lbs of nitrogen oxides, and 999 lbs of carbon dioxide emissions," Wilson said.
"The little things may look small, but if we all participate it adds up," Wilson said. She recommends contacting your electric company and requesting a free home energy audit and making any possible changes in your home to conserve energy and natural resources.
Thomas Matsuda, associate professor of the art department, is saving money on gas and helping the environment by running his car on vegetable oil instead of gasoline.
By running his 2003 Volkswagen Jetta wagon on vegetable oil, Matsuda recycles and frees up more natural resources. Vegetable oil fuel is a renewable resource and burns cleaner than gasoline. Driving this car produces lesser amounts of air pollution into the atmosphere than your standard vehicle. However, the car does require some conversions in order to be able to run on veggie oil. "Although there are a lot of resources for conversions, unfortunately this isn't something we can all switch over to at this point in time; there is a saturation point," Matsuda said.
When compared to a regular vehicle running on gasoline, Matsuda said, "It runs so well you can't tell the difference"
In addition to saving the environment, he also saves money on gas. His everyday commute to Conway is about a 100 mile round trip, in which he gets about 40 miles per gallon, opposed to the 45-50mpg he would get otherwise using diesel fuel. Matsuda has a love and passion for the car as well as freeing up the use of natural resources and converting to the use of renewable ones.
"The Volkswagen Jetta is like a sports car, and here I am running it on vegetable oil," Matsuda said.
"The little things may look small, but if we all participate it adds up," Wilson said. She recommends contacting your electric company and requesting a free home energy audit and making any possible changes in your home to conserve energy and natural resources.
Thomas Matsuda, associate professor of the art department, is saving money on gas and helping the environment by running his car on vegetable oil instead of gasoline.
By running his 2003 Volkswagen Jetta wagon on vegetable oil, Matsuda recycles and frees up more natural resources. Vegetable oil fuel is a renewable resource and burns cleaner than gasoline. Driving this car produces lesser amounts of air pollution into the atmosphere than your standard vehicle. However, the car does require some conversions in order to be able to run on veggie oil. "Although there are a lot of resources for conversions, unfortunately this isn't something we can all switch over to at this point in time; there is a saturation point," Matsuda said.
When compared to a regular vehicle running on gasoline, Matsuda said, "It runs so well you can't tell the difference"
In addition to saving the environment, he also saves money on gas. His everyday commute to Conway is about a 100 mile round trip, in which he gets about 40 miles per gallon, opposed to the 45-50mpg he would get otherwise using diesel fuel. Matsuda has a love and passion for the car as well as freeing up the use of natural resources and converting to the use of renewable ones.
"The Volkswagen Jetta is like a sports car, and here I am running it on vegetable oil," Matsuda said.
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