Ball State Center for Energy Research/Education/Service

Last updated
Center for Energy Research/Education/Service
BSUArchBuilding.jpg
The Center for Energy Research/Education/Service and Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning. CERES is the all glass part of the building
TypeCenter/Institute
Established1982
Parent institution
Ball State University
DirectorRobert Koester
Location
North of University Green

40°12′16″N85°24′25″W / 40.204517°N 85.407007°W / 40.204517; -85.407007
Website cms.bsu.edu/academics/centersandinstitutes/ceres

The Ball State Center for Energy Research/Education/Service (CERES) is an interdisciplinary academic support unit at Ball State University focused on enhancing research and education on issues of energy usage and conservation. The center was established in 1982 as an addition to the existing Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning. The center currently states the following as its mission: "To maintain ongoing programs for the examination of state-of-the-art energy conservation and end-use practices; To investigate alternative solutions to contemporary energy problems; To develop projections and implications of the results of these solutions; To devise means of implementing these ideas; To disseminate findings to the appropriate publics—professionals, educators, policy planners, students and laypersons." [1]

History

Concerns about environmentalism and conservation became popularized in the 1970s following the successes of the inaugural Earth Day that allowed for a sort of fusion between radical counterculture ideas regarding environmentalism and more mainstream ideas presented by politicians such as Gaylord Nelson. [2] In addition, energy crises, such as the 1973 Oil Crisis and the 1979 Three Mile Island accident caused concern about the way contemporary energy sources were being utilized, prompting some to begin research in alternative forms of energy or better forms of energy conservation. [3] [4] In response, Ball State University started their efforts to implement energy education into the college; in 1979, with funding from the Indiana General Assembly, the university began planning of the Center for Energy Research/Education/Service, with construction beginning in the summer of 1980. [5] Simultaneously, Ball State University began planning for incorporating this sort of education about conservation and energy education into their curriculum, including proposed courses in environmental architecture and in utilizing solar energy. [6] In 1982, CERES was completed and opened for usage for Ball State's campus.

Since its inception in Ball State's campus, CERES has served as a means to incorporate energy education into Ball State's campus. By 1986, even, this had become one of its missions, with the Center becoming focused on placing Ball State as a leader in reaching a "sustainable future." [7] The Center also had national significance; from the period between 1985 and 1988, CERES was one of only five test laboratories accredited by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation for their solar research. [8] Going forward, the center has remained an integral part of energy and conservation research and education, both on Ball State's campus and in the greater Muncie community.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball State University</span> Public university in Muncie, Indiana, US

Ball State University is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers and Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis</span> Public university in Indianapolis, Indiana, US

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, commonly referred to as IUPUI, is a public research university in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is a collaboration between Indiana University and Purdue University that offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees from both universities. Administered primarily through Indiana University as a core campus and secondarily through Purdue University as a regional campus, it is Indiana's primary urban research and academic health sciences institution. IUPUI is located in downtown Indianapolis along the White River and Fall Creek.

Eco-capitalism, also known as environmental capitalism or (sometimes) green capitalism, is the view that capital exists in nature as "natural capital" on which all wealth depends. Therefore, governments should use market-based policy-instruments to resolve environmental problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball Corporation</span> American aerospace and metal food and beverage container manufacturer

Ball Corporation is an American company headquartered in Westminster, Colorado. It is best known for its early production of glass jars, lids, and related products used for home canning. Since its founding in Buffalo, New York, in 1880, when it was known as the Wooden Jacket Can Company, the Ball company has expanded and diversified into other business ventures, including aerospace technology. It eventually became the world's largest manufacturer of recyclable metal beverage and food containers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero-energy building</span> Energy efficiency standard for buildings

A Zero-Energy Building (ZEB), also known as a Net Zero-Energy (NZE) building, is a building with net zero energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building on an annual basis is equal to the amount of renewable energy created on the site or in other definitions by renewable energy sources offsite, using technology such as heat pumps, high efficiency windows and insulation, and solar panels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable city</span> City designed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact

A sustainable city, eco-city, or green city is a city designed with consideration for social, economic, environmental impact, and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromising the ability of future generations to experience the same. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 defines sustainable cities as those that are dedicated to achieving green sustainability, social sustainability and economic sustainability. They are committed to doing so by enabling opportunities for all through a design focused on inclusivity as well as maintaining a sustainable economic growth. The focus will also includes minimizing required inputs of energy, water, and food, and drastically reducing waste, output of heat, air pollution – CO2, methane, and water pollution. Richard Register, a visual artist, first coined the term ecocity in his 1987 book Ecocity Berkeley: Building Cities for a Healthy Future, where he offers innovative city planning solutions that would work anywhere. Other leading figures who envisioned sustainable cities are architect Paul F Downton, who later founded the company Ecopolis Pty Ltd, as well as authors Timothy Beatley and Steffen Lehmann, who have written extensively on the subject. The field of industrial ecology is sometimes used in planning these cities.

Burris Laboratory School is a kindergarten through twelfth grade public laboratory school located on the west side of Muncie, Indiana. The school is a division of Ball State University and provides University pre-service teachers an opportunity for classroom observation and practice. The school also shares a campus with the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. Currently Burris has implemented a system for middle school called impact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water efficiency</span>

Water efficiency is the practice of reducing water consumption by measuring the amount of water required for a particular purpose and is proportionate to the amount of essential water used. Water efficiency differs from water conservation in that it focuses on reducing waste, not restricting use. Solutions for water efficiency not only focus on reducing the amount of potable water used but also on reducing the use of non-potable water where appropriate. It also emphasizes the influence consumers can have on water efficiency by making small behavioral changes to reduce water wastage, and by choosing more water-efficient products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBST</span> Indiana Public Radio station in Muncie, Indiana

WBST is a National Public Radio-affiliated station in Muncie, Indiana. Studios and offices are located at Ball State University. WBST serves as the flagship station for Indiana Public Radio, which can be heard on three other stations in East-Central Indiana.

Green jobs are, according to the United Nations Environment Program, "work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution." The environmental sector has the dual benefit of mitigating environmental challenges as well as helping economic growth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning</span> Academic college in Muncie, Indiana, U.S.

The R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning, commonly referred to as CAP, is one of seven academic colleges of Ball State University based in Muncie, Indiana, with a satellite facility in Indianapolis. The college offers degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, historic preservation, urban design, construction management, and interior design. CAP was established in 1965.

John R. Emens was born on October 10, 1901, on a small farm near Prattville, Michigan.

Green building on college campuses is the purposeful construction of buildings on college campuses that decreases resource usage in both the building process and also the future use of the building. The goal is to reduce CO2 emissions, energy use, and water use, while creating an atmosphere where students can be healthy and learn.

Environmentally sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of ecological sustainability and also aimed at improving the health and comfort of occupants in a building. Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and well-being of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy, productive environments.

A sustainability organization is (1) an organized group of people that aims to advance sustainability and/or (2) those actions of organizing something sustainably. Unlike many business organizations, sustainability organizations are not limited to implementing sustainability strategies which provide them with economic and cultural benefits attained through environmental responsibility. For sustainability organizations, sustainability can also be an end in itself without further justifications.

ASU Campus Metabolism is a website managed by Arizona State University, demonstrating Energy monitoring and targeting through use of real-time and historic energy use data of buildings on the campus in Tempe, Arizona. The site displays data from an Energy Information System in order to support education, research, operations and outreach regarding sustainability of operations on the ASU Tempe campus. The site is part of a plan for the campus to be carbon-neutral by 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainability at American colleges and universities</span>

"Sustainability," was defined as “development which implies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”as defined by the 1983 Brundtland Commission. As sustainability gains support and momentum worldwide, universities across the United States have expanded initiatives towards more sustainable campuses, commitments, academic offerings, and student engagement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable urbanism</span> Study of cities and the practices to build them

Sustainable urbanism is both the study of cities and the practices to build them (urbanism), that focuses on promoting their long term viability by reducing consumption, waste and harmful impacts on people and place while enhancing the overall well-being of both people and place. Well-being includes the physical, ecological, economic, social, health and equity factors, among others, that comprise cities and their populations. In the context of contemporary urbanism, the term cities refers to several scales of human settlements from towns to cities, metropolises and mega-city regions that includes their peripheries / suburbs / exurbs. Sustainability is a key component to professional practice in urban planning and urban design along with its related disciplines landscape architecture, architecture, and civil and environmental engineering. Green urbanism and ecological urbanism are other common terms that are similar to sustainable urbanism, however they can be construed as focusing more on the natural environment and ecosystems and less on economic and social aspects. Also related to sustainable urbanism are the practices of land development called Sustainable development, which is the process of physically constructing sustainable buildings, as well as the practices of urban planning called smart growth or growth management, which denote the processes of planning, designing, and building urban settlements that are more sustainable than if they were not planned according to sustainability criteria and principles.

IDEAS For Us is a United Nations–accredited non-governmental organization which works to advance sustainability through local action projects in countries and on campuses around the world. IDEAS For Us focuses on reaching communities furthest from sustainable development and advancing the global goals for sustainable development by helping to develop, fund, and scale local action projects from within communities which have the potential to grow into ongoing programs. IDEAS For Us has three major programs: Fleet Farming, the Hive, and the Solutions Fund.

Stephanie Pincetl is an American academic specializing in the intersection of urban policy and the environment, particularly in California. She is the Director of the UCLA Center for Sustainable Urban Systems in Los Angeles.

References

  1. "CERES, Center for Energy Research/Education/Service". BSU.edu . Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  2. Rome, Adam (2013). The Genius of Earth Day: How a 1970 Teach-In Unexpectedly Made the First Green Generation. New York: Hill and Wang. ISBN   9780809040506.
  3. Gottlieb, Robert (2005). Forcing the Spring: The Transformation of the American Environmental Movement. Washington DC: Island Press. ISBN   1559638052.
  4. Rothman, Hal K. (1998). The Greening of a Nation? Environmentalism in the United States Since 1945 . Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. ISBN   0155028553.
  5. Beattie, Michael. CERES: The Facility (Report). Muncie, Indiana: Ball State University Center for Energy Research/Education/Service. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  6. Designing the Future: Comprehensive Planning for Energy Education and Research Group (Report). Ball State University. November 1980.
  7. Continued Implementation of a Sustainable Future: The 86/87 Plan (Report). Ball State University Center for Energy Research/Education/Service. December 2, 1985.
  8. A Ten-Year Synopsis (Report). Ball State University Center for Energy Research/Education/Service. 1992. Retrieved April 5, 2018.