Ball State University's Council on the Environment was presented with the August 2007 Lugar Energy Patriot award last week.
U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar visited the Communications and Media Building and presented the award to President Jo Ann Gora, who accepted the award on the behalf of COTE. The award recognizes Ball State's willingness to reduce dependence on foreign energy.
Specifically, the monthly award is "part of an ongoing effort by Lugar to recognize members of the business community, professionals, scholars, or students who demonstrate leadership and initiative in taking concrete action to reduce America's dependence on foreign energy sources," according to Lugar's Web site.
Before presenting the award, Lugar was given a tour of campus and a briefing by Ball State officials on the ways the university is moving forward in energy efficiency, green design and sustainability. The award was given due to many innovative practices on campus, including the use of bio-fuel cars, hybrid buses and green building technology, Lugar said.
"There are exciting things happening on Ball State's campus, and the Council on the Environment has led the way for energy initiatives and sustainability practices," he said in a press release. "This special partnership between students, faculty, administration and local leaders sets not only an example for the Ball State community and the city of Muncie, but also universities across the country."
After receiving the award, Gora said she was honored to accept the award on behalf of COTE.
"In my experience, this is really one of the most inspiring groups on camps because it's really faculty members and administrators coming to together to talk about how we can be more conservative in our use of energy and how we can make this university a model of the principles of sustainability," she said.
COTE was created March 26, 2001 after a recommendation from Green Committee 2. The Committee's proposal called for a council on the environment that would include members from each academic college, vice presidential area, student government and the Muncie community, according to the 2007 Final Report from the Committee.
According to its mission statement, COTE "provides leadership for initiatives at Ball State University and in the surrounding community that promote the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of ecological systems that sustain life."
Robert Koester, council chair and director of the Center for Energy Research, Education and Service, said winning the award was an affirmation of all the hard work COTE has put into sustainability issues.
"It's a recognition of the value of all the volunteer hours that are put in by the council members," he said. "It reflects on the health of the university in the sense that we're able to communicate across disciplinary and formal designation of titles and lines of responsibility."
One reason for the award is the green buildings and construction taking place on campus. On Sept. 15, 2003 COTE approved a resolution requiring all future building construction projects be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified. The resolution cited several benefits of LEED certified buildings, including less environmental damage during construction and lower operating costs.
The LEED certification system asses issues such as sustainable sites, material and resources, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and others to assigns each building a ranking, Koester said. The buildings can be ranked as certified, silver, gold and platinum, he said.
"We have it written in that all new buildings will be LEED Silver," Koester said. "The Letterman Building and Park Hall will be Silver."
Ball State is one of few universities seeking Silver certification as a first step, Koester said.
"The fact that Ball State is seeking the Silver certification is significant," he said. "In theory, we should be able to do the next buildings at a higher level and continue to build from where we started. It's a great start."
Past recipients of the Lugar Energy Patriot award include GasAmerica Services, Inc., President of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Tony George and President of SunRise Solar Inc. Bill Keith.
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