University of Wisconsin will soon have a student chapter for
the ?We Conserve? campaign to advocate campus energy efficiency.
We Conserve program director Faramarz Vakili-Zadeh said the
initial steps to create the student chapter have already been taken.
According to Vakili-Zadeh, the chapter will consist of a
seven-person student board, four student division officers and staff beneath
them. He added he hopes to have an operational version of the board shortly
after spring break to prepare for this coming fall.
?Our ideal goal is by fall semester we will have a complete
board and full staff,? Vakili-Zadeh said.
According to Vakili-Zadeh, it is important students are
actively involved in the campaign because they are the ones targeted by the
program?s message and the ones who should care about energy conservation.
?If we don?t demand it of the students, who do we have the
right to demand this effort?? Vakili-Zadeh said. ?Students owe it to themselves
to learn about conservation. If you don?t give a damn about this, then don?t
expect anyone else to give a damn. Put up or shut up; that is the attitude.?
We Conserve managing director James Harrod said the chapter
will be working closely with other campus student organizations like Big Red Go
Green in efforts to be as effective as possible.
He said the goal of We Conserve is to make energy
conservation a growing trend by targeting incoming freshmen, adding this can
have a big effect down the road for the campus as a whole because there is a
large potential for wasting energy.
?If you leave your computer on all night, that?s $20 per
year per person,? Harrod said. ?Times 50,000 people, that?s a large chunk of
cost for the university. If we can catch them as freshmen they can institute
this into their daily lives because ultimately it?s not in our control.?
Vakili-Zadeh said We Conserve is currently working very
closely with other campus groups to locate and hire members for the board, and
they have already started interviewing candidates.
He added some positions at the student chapter of We
Conserve will be paid positions. While he was not sure yet, he said these
positions will most likely be the board members and directors.
Vakili-Zadeh said We Conserve has some concerts and
fundraising opportunities planned for this spring.
