College rolling out electric car at Campus Sustainability Day - 2008-10-20

Office of Campus Safety to unveil zero-emissions patrol car during first
Sustainability Day, Wednesday, Oct. 22

CONTACT: Kenneth Aaron, director of communications, (518) 327-6297

PAUL SMITHS – There's a new car on the beat at Paul Smith's College: a
zero-emission electric patrol car to be unveiled by the college's Office of
Campus Safety on Wednesday.

The car, made by Zenn Motor Co. of Canada, will be rolled out at the
college's first-ever observation of Campus Sustainability Day. President
John W. Mills will tour campus in the car at 11 a.m.

The daylong event will include a talk by Mike DeWein '77, a Paul Smith's
alumnus who is technical director for the Alliance to Save Energy in
Washington, D.C.; a meal in the campus dining hall featuring local foods;
and a fair at which the college's sustainability efforts will be
highlighted. In addition, students will begin competing to see which
residence hall can cut energy use the most in the coming months.

The public is welcome for the fair, which will run from 9 a.m. to noon in
the Joan Weill Adirondack Library. DeWein will speak at 10:15 a.m.

The $16,000 electric car is replacing a conventional gas-powered SUV and
will be used during the spring, summer and fall. Officers will drive a
hybrid vehicle in the winter.

Craig Collette, the college's director of campus safety, said the department
was excited about the new wheels. "This is a no-brainer," he said. "It's not
only good for the environment, but it will save us on fuel costs. And it's a
very visible way of showing our commitment to this issue."

While this is the first time that Paul Smith's has marked Campus
Sustainability Day, the event was originated in 2003 by the Society for
College and University Planning, a Michigan-based group that assists
institutions with academic, financial and other planning issues. Hundreds of
campuses have participated in the past.

"We've taken some big steps toward sustainability in the past couple of
years at Paul Smith's," said Tom Huber, a member of the campus'
sustainability council who helped organize the day on campus. "We've
purchased wind power, unplugged our vending machines and pledged to
neutralize our carbon footprint. This event is a good way to celebrate our
successes while also looking at what else we can do."

The college is looking at its carbon footprint as part of its promise when
Mills signed the American College and University Presidents Climate
Commitment in 2007. The results from the study determining that
environmental impact will be announced on Wednesday as well.

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. The college, whose
campus is on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, is the only four-year
institution of higher education in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park of New
York State. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts,
forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship, the sciences, and many
others, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while
preparing students for successful careers anywhere.

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