Western Washington University is 12th on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the nation’s top 20 green energy purchasers in higher education.
Western annually purchases 100 percent of its electrical energy from green sources via renewable energy credits (RECs).
Western was the only college or university in the State of Washington on the recently released EPA list.
The genesis for Western’s renewable energy program began more than five years ago when a small group of Western students set a goal of having Western obtain all of its electrical energy from a 100-percent renewable source. To meet that goal they proposed a student initiative to implement a fee that would offset the cost of purchasing renewable energy.
David Brancaccio, a longtime national business journalist and host and senior editor of NOW on PBS, visited Western’s Vehicle Research Institute Wednesday to videotape a feature on Western’s Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) team that completed a dramatic run all the way to the last days of competition in the finals of the Progressive Automotive X Prize.
The Vehicle Research Institute (VRI) team from Western Washington University that just completed a dramatic run all the way to the last days of competition in the finals of the $10 Million Progressive Automotive X-Prize will arrive back in Bellingham this week in time for a celebration event at noon on Thursday, Aug. 5, at the PAC Plaza on the WWU campus.
The team from Western Washington University is officially out of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition, having been unsuccessful at completing the accident avoidance maneuver and 60 mph-to-0 mph braking event during the dynamic safety trials on Monday, July 26, at Michigan International Speedway.
"This is difficult for us, because we were able to complete both of these events just a couple of weeks ago during the knockout phase," said Eric Leonhardt, director of WWU's Vehicle Research Institute.
Western Washington University is officially out of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition, having been unsuccessful at completing the accident avoidance maneuver during the dynamic safety events Monday, July 26, at Michigan International Speedway.
WWU still will be able to complete the rest of the events, said Eric Leonhardt, director of WWU's Vehicle Research Institute, but is ineligible to win any prize money.
"We've made it incredibly far," Leonhardt said. "My goal was to make it to the end, to the finals, and here we are."
The Western Washington University X PRIZE Team is one of just nine teams to successfully complete all of the efficiency and range trials in the first week of the finals at the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition.
The team from WWU's Vehicle Research Institute will compete in the dynamic safety events today and will conclude the on-track portion of the finals with a combined efficiency and performance event on Tuesday.
It's official: Western Washington University is advancing to the second week of the finals of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition. The WWU team advanced after meeting the minimum miles-per-gallon equivalency and maximum emissions while also completing the 100-mile range requirement.
The team's MPGe after penalties was roughly 97, well above the minimum 90 required to advance, said Eric Leonhardt, director of Western's Vehicle Research Institute and leader of the WWU X PRIZE Team.
Kyle Foley, crew chief for the Western Washington University X PRIZE Team from WWU's Vehicle Research Institute, discusses the dynamics between driver and crew chief as the team progresses through the efficiency events at the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition at Michigan International Speedway.
The Western Washington University X PRIZE Team is through the three efficiency events. Next up is the range event, which is set to take place on Friday, July 23. The schedule currently shows that WWU will hit the track at 10 a.m. PDT, but the schedule could change depending on the weather.
The official results have not yet been handed out, but the WWU team is confident that it still has a shot at winning its class (alternative side-by-side) in the competition.
Jon Bremer, a member of the Western Washington University X PRIZE Team, describes the challenges the team has faced running its electric motor in the heat of Michigan. In this raw video, Bremer discusses the challenges that the team has overcome to ensure success in the finals of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition.
After replacing the tires and fixing a few issues related to the electrical charging and converting system, the Western Washington University X PRIZE Team received official notice that it had passed the technical inspection and was cleared to hit the track. On-track events begin today with the urban and city efficiency events.
The Western Washington University X PRIZE Team successfully passed the technical inspection at the finals of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition, but not without a few headaches. Inspectors told the WWU students to replace the tires and fix a few wiring issues, but it was nothing the team could not handle, says Brent Wise, student team leader for WWU.
The Western Washington University X PRIZE team will hold a fundraising dinner on Tuesday, July 13, to help raise money to finance the team's trip to the finals round of the $10-million Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE competition, which begins July 19 in Brooklyn, Mich.
