Michigan Tech has become the first university in the state to endorse "25x'25 -- America's Energy Future," a grassroots initiative calling for increased reliance on clean, renewable energy sources.
 "We believe that America should get at least 25 percent of its energy from renewable resources by the year 2025," said Margaret Gale, Michigan Tech's dean of forest resources and environmental science and the University's 25x'25 representative. "Both from an environmental and a geopolitical standpoint, this is a goal our nation should be pursuing. And, as the educators of the scientists, engineers, and technologists who will be developing and researching renewable energy sources, we have a special obligation to take a stand."
A group of volunteer farm leaders first envisioned the goal of 25x'25, and it quickly gained the support of a broad cross-section of the agricultural, forestry, environmental, and energy communities. Now leaders from business, labor, conservation, and religious groups are joining this alliance. The Energy Future Coalition, a nonpartisan public policy group funded by fifteen nonprofit foundations, supports the initiative.
Michigan Tech has several research centers and programs that dovetail with 25x'25. "The Biotechnology Research Center, the Ecosystems Science Center, and the Sustainable Futures Institute are all committed to technologies that will help us reach the 25x'25 goal," Gale said. "In particular, the University's Wood-to-Wheels project is investigating the sustainable use of forest products to produce clean-burning ethanol." Researchers are studying all aspects of the process, from timber harvesting to manufacturing to vehicle engine efficiency, while weighing environmental and social ramifications of a new biofuel technology.
By endorsing 25x'25, Michigan Tech puts itself on record as an advocate for renewable energy, a political position that is a good fit for the University. "Sustainability is embedded in our Strategic Plan. It's part of who we are," Gale said.
"As scientists, we need to be politically involved in this issue, answering questions without bias, while pursuing our mission to educate our students on sustainability. This is part of our future."
For more information on 25x'25, go to www.25x25.org.
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