Helping Global Warming? Or What?

Dear Editor,
It has been weeks since I decided to write about this, but somehow I can manage to deal with it only now. Probably all of us realized that some of the trees around both the east and central campus are illuminated with tiny, cute lamps since - if I am not mistaken - December. So, it has been a few months since we started contributing to global warming. Every evening as I travel out of the central campus into the east, I cannot help thinking about this.

Global warming has many causes, one of which is the use of electricity. Mostly making use of fossil fuels, which eventually create pollution, produces electricity. This pollution, in return, leads to a very dangerous phenomenon at stake: global warming. More, around 30% of Turkey's electricity is based on the natural gas. We all know that we do not have this resource in house. So, 30% of every additional kurus that we spend on electricity will increase the country's dependence on the suppliers of this gas. So why add more to this just for the fun of it? These little lamps on the trees may be making our day, but why forget about tomorrow? I know that everyone needs such beauties from time to time, and that these are put for up Christmas and the New Year. I am not against it, but I believe it has been quite a long time since we celebrated these occasions. As such, I would kindly ask the persons concerned to put an end to this. To begin with, we could begin replacing the incandescent lamps with the compact fluorescent lamps, which actually have a longer life and save on electricity bills. This way, we will not only help fight against the pollution, but also better use the resources of our country.

Burcu Uslu Özdemir (Academic Coordinator - IE)

Response to the Letter:

Dear Ms. Özdemir,
Your letter is certainly timely given that the issue of using electricity responsibly is something that the university has certainly been addressing for a while. For instance, the university has taken measures to reduce the use of electricity across campus by installing energy efficient light bulbs in many hallways and putting lights on timers in bathrooms and lesser-used hallways and stairwells around campus.

While the energy of the light displays may be more than we would have used normally, it is much more likely that the everyday activities and habits of each of us in our offices concerning computer use, lighting, disposing of waste, etc., contributes much more to global warming. Therefore, we will begin offering a weekly tip in the Bilkent News about ways to save on electricity and reduce our impact on the earth specifically in our office environments and around campus. Further, with regard to the lights on main and east campus, we have found people's reaction to the lights, especially those in the ally on main campus, to be overwhelmingly positive. People have not only enjoyed the beauty of the lights but also have reported feeling more secure with the addition of the lights in the evenings. For this reason, we will continue to keep the lights switched on until the end of term in May.

As we move into a new era of energy consumption, the university is looking for ways to balance the requirements of the community with the available resources. I hope that you and all of Bilkent will join me in reading the weekly "Green Campus Tips" in the Bilkent News as we tackle the issue of global warming; not just as a nation or a university but also as individuals.

Sincerely,

Prof. Kürşat Aydoğan
Vice Rector for Administrative and Financial Affairs