The price of oil is going to continue to rise, especially now that China and India are developing their economies. America needs to become more economically friendly. St.
John’s can be one of the first Catholic private universities to use alternative energy as a power source and start the process of going green. Why should we pay the high tuition
rate if there is not going to be any innovation in ways it can be lowered? An environmentally-friendly building is what St. John’s should be investing in. Now is the time to not just look but leap into the world of an Earth-friendly campus. Taffner Field
House was a great first step in that direction, but more must be done.

According to the Seattle- Post Intelligencer, schools in Seattle have been ahead of the curve, already instituting policies that help the environment, even going so far as to use
green “textbooks.” Just think of how much it costs the school every year to heat and cool Marrillac. Now add that amount to DaSilva, Sullivan, St. Albert’s Hall, St.Augustine’s Hall and the dorms that are off campus. Manhattan, Staten Island, Oakdale, or Rome has not been added to the mix. Just imagine what a small investment in solar panels could do
for the school as well as the check book. Approximately one student’s tuition can buy a bulk of solar panels at current prices. With competition growing in the market for solar panels, prices should be dropping soon. St. John’s is one of the first schools to be wireless. Now let us be one of the first to use alternative energy to empower our school. It is a known fact that many people pay attention to what we do–our basketball
program is known nationwide.

The law school is regarded as one of the nation’s top law schools. Becoming environmentally friendly would be a testament to the type of people we have at this institution and the minds we have here. The benefits that would be seen by the
school and its students would be immediate. A decrease in energy bills
means more money for reinvestment. That may mean more scholarships,
better computers, and also cheaper tuition. The progress St. John’s could
make in regards to energy would make news in New York and possibly
the entire nation. Going green is a win-win situation for St. John’s
University. The only bad that could come from this opportunity would be
if school officials let bureaucracy interfere with the progress on this
issue. SJU can be an in this regard, just like it was with its wireless. Intel
named St. John’s University one of the Top 100 wireless schools in the
nation, so why miss another great opportunity?

Oil prices have reached a record high and are only going to get
higher. The whole country is going green, whether it wants to or not, and
we should be at the forefront of the movement. In 2003 students
received laptops to get ahead; for 2007, let’s give students a more
Earth-friendly campus.