Exhibits, Speakers, Light Bulb Exchange to Highlight U.Va.'s Observance of Energy Day 2007 on Oct. 12

Oct. 10, 2007 — Sustainability, energy conservation and alternative energy sources are a few of the topics to be addressed at the University of Virginia's observance of Energy Day 2007, set for Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom.

The event will feature local and regional agencies, businesses and advocacy groups presenting a variety of alternate fuel and energy conservation techniques.

The student groups Green Grounds and Student Environmental Action will hand out compact fluorescent light bulbs in exchange for incandescent light bulbs. The Virginia Sustainable Building Network and Virginia Division of Mines Minerals & Energy will match the number of compact fluorescent light bulbs available for exchange, while Illumination Concepts and Sales and Old Dominion Lighting Associates will display energy-efficient lighting.

"We wanted to offer the students something in which they could get involved," said event organizer Elizabeth "Libba" Bowling, an energy engineer with U.Va. Facilities Management.

Among the Energy Day speakers at Newcomb Hall will be John Quale, an assistant architecture professor and project manager for ecoMOD, an interdisciplinary design/ build project that focuses on ecological modular housing for low-income people. He will speak on buildings and global warming at 12:30 p.m. Paul Crumpler, U.Va's energy programs manager, will speak at 1:30 p.m. on daily measures that can be taken to conserve energy.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's Office of Pollution Prevention will focus on recycling compact fluorescent lamps, addressing the bulb's mercury content and how to reduce energy use.

Alternative energy will also be featured. On the plaza outside Newcomb Hall, Dunimis Technology Inc., from Gum Spring, Va., will demonstrate a portable solar panel array with photovoltaic cells for generating off-the-grid electricity. In the Newcomb Hall  ballroom, Airflow Systems will display Water Furnace Geothermal Heat Pumps, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency's Landfill Methane Outreach Program will present information about methane fuel produced from landfilled trash. There will also be wind power booklets available.

Virginia Clean Cities will have a display on alternative transportation fuels. There will also be a display from the locally based Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation. The University of Virginia's Parking & Transportation Services will display information about mass transit and its alternative fuel and recycling efforts. Go Green Hybrid Taxi Service, the first hybrid taxi service in Charlottesville, will also be represented.

Alternate construction techniques will also be presented. Shelter/US will have a display of a Thermasteel house off of Chesapeake Street as an example of innovative, energy-efficient building methods. The Virginia Sustainable Building Network will feature the EarthCraft structures in the area. The Charlottesville Chapter of the James River Green Building Council, will address Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a rating system for green and sustainable building. The Architecture School will showcase both its ecoMOD and Learning Barge programs. GreenMatters, a local green building group, will have a display. There will also be a display on energy-related research from the School of Engineering & Applied Science.

The Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority, Albemarle County Service Authority and the City of Charlottesville will all have displays addressing the drought and water conservation, along with some water-saving packets. U.Va. Recycling will provide recycling for the event and highlight its award-winning program.

The event is free and open to the public. For information, visit www.fm.virginia.edu/EnergyDay/

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