Solutions for Being Green
Even before the environmental movement went mainstream, the University of North Texas had a strong legacy of environmental programs, initiatives to green its campus and faculty teams focusing on environmentally conscious research. Whether they are studying how to preserve resources or creating organic light, UNT faculty are imbuing science with vision and a green consciousness to solve real-world environmental problems.
Conserving a Way of Life
Based in the UNESCO Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve, UNT’s Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program serves as a hub for research, education and conservation activities aimed at understanding and preserving one of the world’s most pristine remaining wilderness areas. The program, conducted with the University of Magallanes and the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity in Chile, allows students and researchers to integrate ecological sciences, environmental philosophy and the arts into biocultural conservation. This work is led by Ricardo Rozzi, an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies, which houses one of the world’s leading graduate programs in environmental ethics and environmental philosophy. Rozzi and the research team at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park in the reserve earned the 2008 Science and Practice of Ecology and Society Award from the online journal Ecology and Society.
Nandika D'Souza, professor of materials science and engineering and director of the Polymer Mechanical and Rheology Laboratory, teamed up with student researchers and faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences on a mission to create eco-friendly biocomposites. These new products decompose harmlessly and relatively quickly compared to oil-based plastics.
Treading Lightly
UNT’s We Mean Green campaign spotlights the University’s long-held environmentally friendly philosophy and fosters public awareness. Expanding on students’ inspiration for a way to market its earth-friendly practices, the University publicly launched the campaign with a conference on renewable energy and the environment in the fall. The campaign also actively encourages green living on campus, and UNT installed filtered spigots at some water fountains, handed out reusable bottles to cut down on the disposal of plastic bottles and now has “trayless” dining halls to save water and energy. A Sustainability Council, made up of faculty, staff and students and chaired by Sam Atkinson, professor of biology and director of the Institute of Applied Science, leads UNT’s efforts.UNT also is Texas’ first large public university to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, pledging to adhere to more stringent environmental standards. The University’s 10-year-old Environmental Education, Science and Technology Building was ahead of its time, following an environmentally conscious design that met many of today’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. The University broke ground this fall on its first official LEED building, the Life Sciences Complex.
7billion tons of carbon dioxide escape into the atmosphere annually, contributing to global warming. UNT researchers are using computer simulation to discover a solution.
Lighting the Future
Common light bulbs produce much more heat than light and account for nearly one-quarter of all electricity used in the United States. A team of UNT researchers is developing an alternative that would save billions of dollars and revolutionize lighting. Led by Mohammad Omary, associate professor of chemistry, and Nigel Shepherd, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, faculty and student researchers are perfecting the design of white organic light-emitting diodes, or WOLEDs. The emerging technology requires far less energy to produce and operate than incandescent light.
Storing Greenhouse Gases
Each year, about seven billion tons of man-made carbon dioxide escape into the Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to global warming, scientists say. Angela Wilson, an associate professor of chemistry, leads a team of researchers in UNT’s nationally recognized CASCaM (Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling) to explore what happens when these greenhouse gases are stored underground. The project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, allows researchers to use computer modeling and simulation to study the physical and chemical changes CO2 could cause to the geological formations in which it is stored.