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Green Campus Profile: UNH Turns Trash Into Energy

WE DON'T OFTEN THINK OF GARBAGE AS GREEN, BUT ONE FORWARD-THINKING UNIVERSITY IS TURNING TRASH INTO ENERGY TREASURE.  LEARN HOW ON TODAY'S ENVIRONMINUTE.

DECAYING TRASH IN LANDFILLS RELEASES METHANE, A GAS THAT HAS TWENTY TIMES THE GLOBAL-WARMING EFFECT OF CARBON DIOXIDE.

BUT METHANE IS NOT ONLY A POTENT GREENHOUSE GAS - IT’S ALSO A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF POWER.  THAT’S WHY THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PLANS TO CAPTURE AND PIPE IT IN FROM A NEARBY LANDFILL.  PAUL CHAMBERLIN, VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENERGY AND CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT AT U-N-H, EXPLAINS.

CHAMBERLIN: “WE'LL BE PROVIDING EIGHTY TO EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE TOTAL CAMPUS ENERGY FROM THIS RENEWABLE SOURCE.”

IN DOING SO, THE UNIVERSITY WILL REDUCE ITS RELIANCE ON FOSSIL FUELS AND CUT ITS CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS BY TWO-THIRDS. AND BY BURNING METHANE THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, IT WILL ALSO HELP THWART THE LANDFILL GAS'S WICKED WARMING WAYS.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

Read more from the University of New Hampshire.

Read more about the use of landfill methane as energy from the EPA.