News-Letter

Last Monday was Davis Bookhart's first day on the job. With a new office in the Facilities Department and the official title of "Manager, Energy Management and Environmental Stewardship," his position was recently created to oversee and coordinate green projects that will foster energy efficiency on campus.

Bookhart has an extensive professional background in energy efficiency and alternative energy. He worked for five years as senior project director of the Consumer Energy Council of America, a public interest organization located in Washington, D.C. He has also worked for CleanCities.com, a local Baltimore business specializing in the development of alternative-fueled vehicles in the fleet industry. At East Coast Organics, a Baltimore company, Bookhart promoted the sale of organic supplies and fertilizers. Bookhart also started a non-profit organization in Baltimore City known as Charm 21, which is an acronym for Clean and Healthy Air through Renewables in Maryland, and he seeks to facilitate results-based projects for introducing alternative fuels like biodiesel into Maryland.

The University is poised to take advantage of this extensive experience to coordinate and launch some exciting energy efficiency projects here at Homewood. By tapping into the University's extensive resources to tackle efficiency issues, he believes, "We have a great opportunity to come up with some really creative solutions." He mentioned, "We're very seriously looking at solar options."

While the University has already been tackling energy efficiency challenges in light of rising energy prices, much of the work has been done behind the scenes. Part of Bookhart's job is to make these projects visible within the Homewood community. He hopes increased visibility will help to spark interest in a campus-wide greening initiative that he envisions will be driven collectively by the administration, faculty, staff and students.

His job is to ask, "How do we use resources in an economic way?" As energy prices skyrocket and we gradually learn the negative environmental consequences of traditional fossil fuels, this question becomes increasingly important.

Bookhart seeks to include enterprising undergraduates and forward-thinking professors in addressing the use of resources on campus. With a little coordination and a clear vision, Bookhart's ambition is to inspire cutting edge solutions that will show positive environmental and economic results.

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