Fayetteville State University – Maya Alunkal – 2011

Maya Alunkal and Shanee Pratt spent their summer as EDF Climate Corps fellows at Fayetteville State University (FSU), a historically black university in Fayetteville, North Carolina. FSU is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and has a committee for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, as well as an organization of students called “The Green Team.” FSU, along with the other institutions in the University of North Carolina system, was struggling with budget cuts. Alunkal and Pratt analyzed energy efficiency projects and recommended them based on upfront cost and payback period.

Alunkal and Pratt focused their efforts on 12 buildings, including dormitories, a recreational facility, and teaching and administrative facilities. The fellows’ proposed projects ranged from no-cost solutions, such as default duplex printing and weekend temperature controls in unoccupied buildings, to low-cost solutions, including vending misers and faucet aerators.

FSU is a commuter school. An innovative conservation measure was a carpool incentive program. During their fellowship, Alunkal and Pratt conducted a campus survey on energy efficiency knowledge and behavior. The result of the survey was a recommendation to implement a $15 student Green Fee that could generate $90,000 for the university’s sustainability efforts.

Overall, Alunkal and Pratt identified various energy efficiency measures that would reduce annual energy and water costs by over $58,000, save 800,000 kWh annually, and keep more than 400 metric tons of carbon emissions out of the atmosphere.