Student advocates solar energy

June 8, 2009

When he was in high school, Logan Berry wasn’t concerned with wasting energy. Since his father and uncle own a gas station, Berry “ran the roads like crazy,” he said because he could always get free gas.

Hurricane Katrina changed that.

“When hurricane Katrina hit,” Berry said, “gas prices skyrocketed and my dad would no longer let me charge gas.

“I didn't understand his reasoning at the time, but come to find out, in order to try and help out the citizens who lived in the town he only charged them two cents more on the gallon for gas than he paid.”

Berry became more sensitive to the energy issue.

“I started watching the news a little bit and realized that we needed an alternative source of energy that would be cheaper,” he said.

After researching alternative energy sources, Berry became most interested in the strides being made in the field of solar energy.

On his own he found out all he could about using the sun as a source of energy. By the time he arrived at PC, Berry had become somewhat of an expert on the topic. Over Christmas break of his freshman year, he became even more interested in solar energy after watching a commercial by billionaire environmentalist T. Boone Pickens. Berry researched what it would take for PC to use solar energy only and to make the entire campus completely environmentally sustainable.

He researched the prospect, met with a solar energy distributor, and even called T. Boone Pickens himself. Then, he met with PC administrators.

“I was shooting for the stars when I met with them,” Berry said.

“I had come in with a proposal for the whole school which would cost around $40,000,000.  The PC administrators were interested but knew what I had proposed wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight.”

During that same time, Berry was planning to start a group on campus called Green Education. When the Green Hose Committee was formed, however, he decided to join it.

As a Green Hose member, Berry helped decide which sustainability proposals, submitted last year, to accept. He also submitted his own Green Hose grant proposal, one that proposed installing solar collectors on fraternity houses. Although the proposal was not selected, a version of it may eventually lead to converting a building on campus to solar energy.

Berry was also instrumental in helping PC to procure an electric hospitality cart that will have solar energy capabilities. The cart will transport prospective students, friends of the college, and all visitors across campus.

In addition to working with Green Hose, Berry serves as a committee member of "Reshaping our Routine," an effort that aimed to educate the campus on the school’s current economic status and assess the ways students could be a part of saving money.

The Phi Kappa Phi fraternity member also welcomes freshmen to PC as a Hose Leader and introduces prospective students to PC as a Stirling. Berry is also a member of College Republicans and was recently nominated for the Student Leadership award.

posted by Stacy Dyer '96
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