Speaker To Urge Energy Efficiency

Some people want to solve the would energy crisis by finding more energy, but guest speaker Marilyn Brown is focusing on reducing demand, rather than ways to provide more energy.

The Virginia Tech Dean’s Task Force for Energy Security and Sustainability will have world renowned expert in energy policy, Dr. Marilyn Brown, speak on Monday, April 21 at 1 p.m. as a part of the Virginia Tech Environmental Series.

The talk will take place in the multipurpose room in the Graduate Life Center.  It is free and open to the public.

One of only 16 members of the National Commission on Energy Policy, Brown will speak on the topic “The Emergence of Energy as the Fifth Fuel.” Her talk will point to the use of energy efficiency as a resource just as coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power are seen as resources.  Energy efficiency focuses on reducing demand thus reducing the concerns of finding additional sources of fuel. 

“Dr. Brown has been involved in a lot of very interesting policy activities nationally and has worked with several diverse groups and several of our faculty,” stated Dr. Jack Lesko, an engineering professor and member of the Task Force. 

Brown’s presentation is part of Virginia Tech’s continued focus on energy related research at the university.  In Oct. 2006 Virginia Tech hosted the Dean’s Forum on Energy Security and Sustainability.  The following month, the university sponsored an Energy Research Engagement Showcase and established a speaker’s series to promote energy efficiency.  Dr. Richard Hirsch, professor of history and a member of the Task Force said, “Dr. Brown was scheduled to speak last April, but the events of April 16th meant that all events scheduled for environmental week were canceled.”

 “Several states and many European countries have vibrant renewable energy programs, where wind turbines, for example, provide up to 20 percent of their power needs,” Hirsh said.  “This success is not due to better hardware, but due to different political structures.  Without supportive legislation and regulation, renewable energy technologies will not become widely used in Virginia.” 

“It is very important for students to attend this speaker series to understand how they can make a difference in changing things for the better,” Lesko said. “The Task Force has enabled Virginia Tech to recognize the strengths we have in energy and the environment and to harness those strengths to help society by using research to make energy more efficient and more sustainable.”  

According to Hirsch, Brown’s focus on energy efficiency is a message that needs to be understood better.  Too often, policy makers focus on ways to provide more energy – using all sorts of fuel – to meet growing demands for energy.  Energy efficiency focuses on reducing demand thereby making the need for finding a new source of fuel less of a concern.  There are many examples in which people have used this approach to increase economic productivity and benefit the environment.

It is hoped that Brown’s presentation will help encourage local policy makers to embrace her message and turn energy efficiency into a reality.

To learn more about the Virginia Tech Dean’s Task Force for Energy Security and Sustainability, visit their website.