Come In, We're Closed

As students of the environment, we are bonded by trying to solve the largest problems of our world. But lurking in our midst, adjacent to our Nicholas School home in the Levine Science Research Center (LSRC), hides a problem of serious waste so easy but yet so difficult to fix: the perpetually shining lights at the Blue Express cafeteria.

Certainly you’ve noticed. Have you been fooled as I have, running to grab a late afternoon bite before class, desperately pulling on the cafeteria door, only to realize that no, it's CLOSED? But wait! That doesn’t make sense! The lights are on!

It is true- the lighting never varies in the Blue Express. Even if you stumble across it at midnight, you would think that it’s open (unless you are me and have learned the hard way). The cafeteria wastes thousands of dollars and contributes to more pollutants into the air by lighting a completely empty space when its closed for business, 16 hours every day. But neither you, nor I, nor anyone can turn the lights off—ever.

What can we do about this frustrating, age-old problem that still seems to plague so many spaces? If a building like the cafeteria can't use conventional light switches, then the space should use automatic motion sensors to control the lights. Bathrooms in the LSRC use motion sensors so that after several minutes of inactivity, lights will automatically turn off. Is there any reason that Duke couldn’t install these in the Blue Express? Do you have an idea that has worked in other cafeterias or open spaces?

Duke’s campus has made great strides in conservation before. The campus has reduced its water consumption through dual-flush toilets in many buildings, allowing people to use less than half the amount of water as a conventional toilet. Let’s push Duke to conserve on basic energy use, too. After all, nobody likes to be fooled by the lights.