School Dissects $15M Energy Bill Scientists $3 Million Increase in 2007 Would Come Predict from Tuitions
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Inside News 2 Features 3, 5, 7 Wednesday Commentary 4 October 25, 2006 Comics 6 Sports 8 VOL. 101 | ISSUE 49 Serving the students of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa since 1922 WWW.KALEO.ORG Steven Labrash, Jason Rivers UH staff member, perseveres after appears on Lost past mistakes Features | Page 3 Sports | Page 8 Mānoa School dissects $15M energy bill scientists $3 million increase in 2007 would come predict from tuitions El Nino By Justin Hedani Ka Leo Senior Reporter Cooling in the Indian With the lack of conservation Ocean forecasts of both energy and resources, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa intense El Nino has spent over $15 million on energy alone this year — some of which is coming out of student Ka Leo News Desk tuition. As a projected cost for 2007, A strong El Nino is brew- interim Chancellor Denise Konan ing in the equatorial Pacific said that there will be a $3 million and may grow within the next increase, making next year’s elec- GABE EL-SWAIFY • Ka Leo o Hawai‘i two months, according to the tricity bill an estimated $18 mil- FROM LEFT: Miles Kubo, Executive Vice President of Energy Industries, LLC., Jim Dewey, energy managerat the University of California at Santa International Pacific Research lion. Still, the university is paying Barbra, Matthew St. Clair, Sustainability Specialist, University of California Office of the President, and David Waller, Vice President of Customer Center (IPRC) at the University considerably less than the average Solutions, HECO answer questions from attendees at the Chancellors Energy Summit held yesterday at Keoni Auditorium, East-West Center. of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. residential or commercial consum- Two UH researchers, H. er, Konan said. Annamalai and Shang-Ping Xie, Being the largest energy con- Because funds for energy are ple tasks on campus could help maximize conservation. have based their findings on sumer in the state of Hawai‘i, fol- coming out of tuition resources and Keeping Up to Date because these costs can be lowered, “We should turn off the lights atmospheric phenomena in the lowing only the Army, Air Force Konan held an Energy Summit Look for upcoming issues of Ka when the room is not in use” she said, Indian Ocean. and Navy, which are federal pro- meeting yesterday addressing the “turn off our computer screens and El Nino creates unusual- grams, UH Mānoa makes up about Leo O Hawai‘i for details about the issue of economic and natural sus- other office equipment when they are ly warm oceans, which in turn 30 percent of the state’s energy tainability. University of Hawaii’s plan to reduce not in use, close the door when the air causes abnormal weather condi- expenditures. Of the utilities being used its $15 million annual energy bill. conditioning is on.” tions worldwide. After scientists Using common sense The second way to minimize linked the most intense El Nino on campus, much of the energy Konan explained that there are costs is through efficiency. to cooling in the Indian Ocean, consumption is due to lighting, conscientious decisions about their two ways to minimize energy costs, “[We should] engineer our Annamalai, an atmospheric sci- which makes about 30 percent, use of electricity,” she said, “and and HVAC, essentially air condi- adding that conservation was the reducing their consumption of it.” system to produce the same effect entist specializing in predicting tioning, which makes up about 50 first and most cost-effective way. Konan said that student and tropical climates, led a team to percent. “[This involves] people making faculty cooperation in doing sim- See Summit, page 2 the area to hypothesize El Nino’s intensity by measuring Indian Ocean conditions. While scientific weather sta- tions around the world routinely Speaking at Forum for School of Medicine watch developing El Ninos, pre- dictions are generally poor, and many large El Ninos are not even caught. “This could be because many prediction models did Dr. Neal Cohen not include the Indian Ocean, is one of the or treated it inadequately,” four JABSOM Annamalai said. “We hope our candidates for results will help improve the the dean’s posi- accuracy of El Nino prediction. tion at the John The ongoing El Nino is putting A. Burns School our hypothesis to the test.” of Medicine. While they may bring floods Yesterday, he and hurricane activities in other answered ques- parts of the Pacific, El Ninos gen- tions and dis- erally cause dry and less stormy cussed current weather in Hawai‘i. However, issues at an open with the pleasant weather may forum at the come a drought. Campus Center. IPRC has been tracking the The turnout was growing El Nino since early fairly small, with this summer. Last month, they a crowd of about were alerted by a Japanese- six people. The based station about imminent final candidate, cooling in the Indian Ocean, Dr. Kenneth meteorologist Xie said. Ward, will visit “All the abnormal weather Campus Center on conditions during an El Nino Thursday. are usually more severe if the El Nino is strong,” Xie said. “Predicting the intensity of El GABE EL-SWAIFY Nino several months ahead is, Ka Leo o Hawai‘i therefore, crucial.” Ka Leo o Hawai‘i News Page 2 | Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Editor: Matthew K. Ing | (808) 956-3221 | [email protected] Saving power,saving money UH seminar looks back at Ala Wai death For 2007, officials have projected tence in testing is a necessity in that the annual energy bill for UH Experts explain determining the state of the Ala will increase from $15 million to $18 Wai and the bacterium. million. Some funds for paying it are “I think it is good that they the dangers of taken directly from our tuition. tested the water for vibrio infec- water-borne infections tions,” Oura said. “I know there Here’s what you can do to help was some sort of controversy save your tuition money: By Dannah Gonzales surrounding the natural state of the water at the Ala Wai and that Ka Leo Staff Reporter Conservelighting (accounts for 30% because of that, consistency in of bill) A correlation between the Ala testing is necessary.” Wai sewage spill that happened in Finding the reasons that cul- • Turn off lights when you leave late March and the death of Oliver tivate and allow vibrio bacteria the room Johnson in early April was a main to thrive were just one of the • Turn off computers and office focus of last week Friday’s semi- numerous topics discussed in the nar on vibrio infections and their WRRC seminar, and also what appliances when not in use some students believed should associated symptomatic diseases, • Exchange flourescent lights conducted by the Water Resources be known to prevent infectious Research Center’s Francis Pien of diseases from spreading. with energy savers “I think that it is a good thing Straub Clinic and Hospital. Conserveair conditioning (accounts Many students believed that to know what the reasons and Johnson’s death was a direct con- conditions as to why these bac- for 50% of bill) sequence of him falling into the teria thrive,” said Oceanography • Changing temperature wastes major Tatjana Ilyana. water and contracting the disease power; choose one comfortable setting caused by vibrio bacteria. Pien noted that the environ- “I think they’re directly relat- mental conditions that keep vibrio • Close the door when AC is on ed,” said freshman Joey Kularski. bacteria in high concentrations “He died from a disease that he and that could potentially cause • Use natural breezes when possible contracted while he was in the major disease outbreaks include sewage-filled water from the canal poor sanitation and health, def- and therefore, it’s related.” ecation in public places and high The sewage-contaminated population density such as in conditions of the water match the Bangladesh or Calcutta. criteria for the existence of vibrio These conditions play a part Summit bacteria, which live and thrive in in determining the concentra- aquatic environments, according tions of vibrio bacteria. However, From page 1 to Pien and Fujioka. However, due to an earlier case in which despite that idea on the origins a woman consumed raw crab using less energy,” Konan said. of Johnson’s death, other students from Louisiana and later showed This means making UH build- believe that the two factors were symptoms of nausea, vomiting, ings more energy efficient by mak- not entirely directly related, and fever, hypotension and hemor- ing modifications to existing build- that the sewage was instead a cata- rhagic blistering, blame shouldn’t ings and electrical systems. lyst for Oliver’s death, not the ASHLEY BASTATAS • Ka Leo o Hawai‘i be entirely on the bacteria. Some LEED Greenbuilding primary reason. Dr. Francis D. Pien spoke about vibrio infections and the Ala Wai spill in Thursday’s seminar. students believe that more cau- “I’ve always heard that the tion is needed as well. In addition to over-usage of Ala Wai was contaminated even spill,” Oasay added, “that increased that helped to offset the growth of “It isn’t a good thing that lights and air conditioning, anoth- before the sewage spill,” said the various strains of vibrio bac- companies are selling raw sea- er big contributor to energy con- mathematics major Tyrha Oasay, the chances of people getting real teria that eventually decreased his food that could be carrying these sumption is the construction and “especially during the paddling sick because of the contaminants.” chances of survival. types of vibrio bacteria,” said design of projects and buildings season, since I used to paddle for The theory that Pien and WRRC “The theory was that the sew- biology major Jemily Juan.