At some point, roughly 13.82 billion years ago, a spontaneous bang or omnipotent entity fluffed a cloud of explosive hydrogen. Over four billion years ago this cloud began to burn with a sweltering heat. And then there was light. And it was good … for colleges in Minnesota. 

 

Last week, Macalester College announced its new plan to use solar energy to offset 100 percent of its electrical expenditures. The college plans to build a solar garden this year and have it operational by 2016. 

 

This switch is really fast — light-speed fast — for a business as large as Macalester College, and the 25-year agreement to use the solar gardens shows

Macalester’s commitment to making Minnesota great through green energy.

 

Macalester isn’t the first college to make such plans either. St. Olaf College has a similar plan in place, and these two colleges set a shining example that I hope the University of Minnesota will follow. 

 

It is important for colleges to support green energy. They harbor opinion-forming young adults who will soon spread their wings in the workplace. Hopefully they’ll bring the same energy-saving values beyond campus boundaries. 

 

A group of Macalester College students led the charge to get the energy plan in place. And in light of our recent student government elections, we University of

Minnesota students should take the opportunity to encourage the school to start pumping energy from the sun into the grid and into the Minnesota community at large.