Social Context

The American culture has often been associated with wastefulness. This idea can be traced back to early development, when Americans were told of the limitless land and resources in the unsettled West. As a result, Americans often do not see the resources and energy they use as truly finite. Within the past few decades, this wastefulness has been connected to climate change. Subsequently, the culture has gradually shifted to focus on environmental awareness and sustainability, which influences day-to-day decisions.

Higher education institutions have been given the responsibility of research and development of environmental sustainability efforts (Emmanuel & Adams, 2011). They not only have the funds to dedicate towards research, but they also have the distinct advantage of being a miniature community. Any sustainable solutions proposed could be tested in a college environment, and the feasibility would be accurately reflected. Lafayette College has taken strides towards achieving some of these efforts, such as renewable energy. Due to the restrictive nature of these projects, many students either are unaware of or do not take advantage of them. The Solar Power-Dok would allow students to actively participate in its utilization on campus, which would not only preserve energy, but would also increase awareness and a sense of responsibility among the students.

As previously mentioned, the American culture has been slowly shifting towards environmental awareness, due to recent data about climate change. The generation, which is currently in higher education, has grown up with this knowledge incorporated into educational systems. Therefore, one would think that Lafayette College students would be proactive about the implementation of sustainable initiatives on campus. This belief, however, is untrue. Unless a task is made easily accessible and efficient, it is very unlikely that Lafayette students will become involved. For instance, there have been several attempts to promote recycling on campus, but students still choose to place their plastic bottles and aluminum cans in garbage bins, rather than the recycling bins a mere two feet further away. We believe that the Solar Power-Dok is a suitable initiative for Lafayette’s campus, because it is easy to access and use. Because of its location at a campus dining facility, there will be high traffic in the area, so students will be encouraged to make use of it.

Another reason why Lafayette students may not be so invested in the conservation energy is all-inclusive price of utilities. If students are not paying out-of-pocket for unnecessary energy spent, then they are less likely to be inclined to saving it. Although the implementation of the Solar Power-Dok would not change the energy cost system at Lafayette, it would ideally raise awareness among students that they have the power to limit their energy usage.

 

Our decision to implement a charging station also involves the culture surrounding portable devices. Portable technology is becoming more and more commonly used, especially on college campuses. Students are typically restricted to the indoors, due to the constant need to charge these devices. The implementation of the Solar Power-Dok would allow students to fulfill this need, while being environmentally friendly.

The Solar Power-Dok would also benefit Lafayette’s campus, because it discourages vampire energy. Also known as phantom load, standby power, or idle current, this term is used for the electricity that outlets suck from plugged-in gadgets (TECH BEAT, 2012). Although this waste of energy can easily be stopped by unplugging all gadgets when they are not in use, many Lafayette students are unaware of it. Because the Solar Power-Dok tables would require students to use their own chargers, which they would unplug when they are done charging their technology, it would prevent vampire energy. In our promotion of this table, we will include information about the ease and importance of unplugging gadgets when they are not in use.

These contexts have discouraged any sustainable initiatives proposed at Lafayette from coming to fruition. As mentioned in the introduction, projects must be easily accessible and relevant for students. In order to successfully implement the Solar Power-Dok, we must thoroughly consider all analyses to be undertaken. Included in these analyses are potential challenges we may face, solutions to these problems, all necessary contacts to be made, as well as technical and economic feasibility. Due to the intricate planning process of this initiative, it can justifiably be considered a project. We will be testing the ability to implement the Solar Power-Dok on campus with our submittal of the capital request form.

As mentioned in the introduction, the problem that the Solar-Dok will solve is the lack of student awareness of and involvement with sustainable campus options.  This problem is important to address, because as a group of highly-educated youths, we should be aware, if not active, in the research and development of sustainable initiatives. After our demonstration, previously mentioned in the Introduction, we have deemed the Solar Power-Dok to be a suitable solution to this issue, because students are both interested and willing to make use of an outdoor charging station.

 

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