Higher Education Newsletter: February 2004

2004 ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony

On March 2, 2004, EPA and the Department of Energy will host the annual ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC. The awards recognize the outstanding achievements of companies and organizations that lead the way in environmental protection and energy efficiency through their partnership with ENERGY STAR. Winners in the Leadership in Energy Management category include 3M, Eastman Kodak, Fremont Unified School District (CA), Giant Eagle, Providence Health System, Transwestern Commercial Services, the University of Michigan and USAA Real Estate Company.

New Plaque Design

For buildings ranking among the nation’s top 25 percent for energy performance, organizations have relied upon the widespread recognition of the ENERGY STAR plaque to convey their performance excellence. Starting in 2004, the EPA will award the top performing buildings — including residence halls — with a newly designed plaque, featuring the new ENERGY STAR logo. See the eligibility requirements for use of the national energy performance rating system to determine whether your buildings qualify for the ENERGY STAR.

Celebrate Earth Day

Although it may seem like April 22nd is a long way off, it is never too early to start thinking about Earth Day. Earth Day is a great opportunity to both promote energy management efforts on your campus, as well as provide information about how students and staff can protect the environment by saving energy at home.

ENERGY STAR offers Partners several resources for Earth Day. Two free poster series will be available electronically for reproduction and as hard copies (limited supply). These posters are designed to help increase awareness of your campus’ partnership with ENERGY STAR and your efforts to promote energy efficiency. Both poster designs will also be available in a format to allow co-branding and some customization. View the posters or contact Walt Tunnessen at Tunnessen.walt@epa.gov.

The ENERGY STAR Communications Kit contains ideas from past Earth Day celebrations and useful information that you can use for promotional efforts. Be sure to visit the Energy Awareness Month section for ideas and information for staff and students.

Earth Day is a great time to energize students, communicate to taxpayers, and promote your energy performance successes. We urge you take advantage of this opportunity!

ENERGY STAR Networking Web Conferences

ENERGY STAR hosts a monthly energy management networking Web conference to offer partners a forum to discuss energy management issues and learn from one another’s successful practices. As a partner, you are invited to participate in these networking events the third Wednesday of each month from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM, EST. Pre-registration is necessary, and you will need a 56K modem (minimum) with a separate phone line to participate. To register, visit the on-line calendar and select ENERGY STAR Monthly Web Conference.

Web Conference Schedule:

• March 17: Leveraging Public Dollars
• April 21: Automated Benchmarking Using Information Service Providers
• May 19: Meet the ENERGY STAR Partners of the Year