Energy is crucial to our society’s success. We use it every day, whether consciously or not, to power our homes, cars, computers and gadgets. However, the forms of energy most commonly used today are expensive, inefficient, polluted, and limited. Society cannot continue depending on such energy if future generations are expected to survive.

In response, Boston College has been actively greening its campus by reducing energy use and emissions. Since 2003, projects such as switching to energy-efficient lighting, installing new heat pumps, and retrofitting inefficient motors have saved over seven million kilowatt hours (kWh).

In Fall 2005, BConserves, a comprehensive approach to energy conservation, began. Energy conservation has a tremendous positive impact on the environment. Reducing kWh used results in fewer nitrogen oxide (NO_x), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Be sure to visit our Get Green section to see how you can help the environment, BC and your utility bills by reducing your energy consumption. Also, check out our Tool Box to calculate how much energy you use so you can start saving even more. And there are more facts and tips on the following pages:

• Sustainable Energy
• Energy Use and Savings at Boston College
• Additional Information