UW staff goes GAIA for energy sustainability

From an article by Anita Weier in The Capital Times:

Ann Hoyt put her used shopping bags in her car so she can reuse them when she goes to the grocery store.

Tania Banak finally programmed the programmable thermostat in her home.

Marla Handy tried to figure out whether heating her rural home with wood was a good idea and looked at the pros and cons of an electric rechargeable lawn mower.

And all three will use a meter to measure the electricity used by household appliances, as well as surveying light bulbs in their homes to find whether some could be replaced with those that use less energy.

They are University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty and academic staff members who are seeking ways of sustainable consumption.

Their group, dubbed a "learning-action group," is just one of about 14 that are part of the GAIA Project, named after the Greek goddess who personified the Earth.

The project emerged from a survey of UW departments by the Faculty Senate in 2006. "They were concerned about global warming and sustainability," said Hoyt, a consumer science professor who leads the GAIA Project with Thatcher Root, a chemical and biological engineering professor.

After a follow-up survey of the entire faculty, the University Committee heading the Faculty Senate decided to start a broad-based campus discussion about climate change and sustainability -- meeting the needs of the present without depriving posterity.

The plan was for groups of about 10 to 15 people each, including faculty and staff from around campus, to cooperate on some joint concerns.

About 95 people have signed up so far for the campus-wide project. Leaders hope more will join as word spreads. Information can be found at www.nelson.wisc.edu/gaia, where individuals can also sign up for the learning-action groups.