Iowa State’s physical impact on the environment and in energy consumption were the driving topics of an Earth Day forum Tuesday.

A panel made up of four university administrators revealed the issues facing the university in the South Ballroom of the Memorial Union.

“I hope you’re interested in this topic because the world is yours. Your generation is the benefactor – or whatever the opposite of benefactor is,” said Kate Schwennsen, associate dean of the College of Design,to the approximately 20 students in attendance.

Schwennsen, along with Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance; Gene Takle, interim director of agronomy and geological and atmospheric sciences; and Darryl Knight, associate director of residence, made up the panel.

On a number of occasions, the discussion turned toward the topic of campus buildings, an area Schwennsen said is critical to the impact Iowa State has on the environment.

Currently, she said, buildings in the United States consume 75 percent of the nation’s electricity and produce half of all carbon emissions.

On campus, though, there is a drive for buildings to increase efficiency.

Schwennsen said that, by 2035, all buildings on campus will either be new or renovated to reduce electricity consumption and waste. She said “having a resident campus is a very green thing to do,” but that the goals to increase efficiency may not come as easily in dorms because electricity and water consumption are difficult to monitor.

Madden compared Iowa State on a school day to the populations of cities across Iowa. He said the community on campus has the potential to make a significant impact because, at any given time during the course of the week, Iowa State “would be one of the biggest cities in Iowa” with approximately 30,000 individuals coming and going.

During the residence hall discussion, panel members fired questions back at the students in attendance, asking what avenues may work best for increasing student involvement in sustainability.

Devin Hartman, senior in political science and moderator of the discussion, said tangible evidence would go a long way toward showing students the dramatic impact they can have in a university setting.

Knight and Schwennsen chimed in, discussing the possibility of programs and competitions that would keep students educated about and engaged in the issues of sustainability and conservation.

“You need to have programs that continue to provide that level of interest and the feeling that you’re actually doing something,” Knight said. “We’re working with some of the other universities on how to set up a program, and then we’ll go through IRHA and work with them … it’s not something we’re going to set up by ourselves – it’s going to be set up with the residents. They’re part of it and they can actually lead the way.”

Takle said another, non-competitive way to keep students engaged would be to offer grants and incentives to help “mobilize more of the intellectual capacity of our students to weigh in on this.”

At this point, the Department of Residence is unable to set up any type of competition or system to show a difference in energy consumption because the residence halls are all linked to the same electrical meters. Madden said the university is “in conversation” regarding the metering of the residence halls and is reviewing the actions taken by other universities.

Outside university grounds, Takle said Iowa should allocate more attention to its research in wind turbines. While wind power remains a popular producer of energy in Iowa, he said it has viability across the country as wind speeds have steadily increased.

But he also pointed out that wind energy needs to be handled very carefully because of the economic impact that may ensue.

“A one-percent error in estimating wind power is a $12 million loss to a wind farm, so even a small difference is important,” Tackle said.

Overall, Madden said, the university needs to up its game when it comes to “going green.”

“Can we do more?” Madden asked the audience. “I think the answer is yes.”