One of OTS' 50th anniversary goals was to take concrete action to ensure the sustainability of OTS for the next 50 years. One of the most important activities was to the launch a Greening Campaign to transform our stations into models of efficiency and rational consumption of resources such as energy and water.

Our first sustainability initiative aims to reduce our consumption of electricity by 50% in the next 5 years. Our first efforts have focused on the La Selva Biological Station. Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, we are remodeling two laboratories. The renovated labs will include more efficient air conditioning units, sealing windows and walls, and replacing outdated refrigerators with a new cold room.

The impact of these initial changes was dramatic. Our electricity consumption at La Selva has already declined 21% from 2011 to 2013. This has provided positive motivation to move forward with other aspects of the Greening Campaign. Additional components include an educational training program for the staff, students, researchers, and visitors who use our facilities.

Additional steps at all stations include the installation of solar water heaters, replacing ordinary bulbs for LED, and the replacement of ordinary urinals by dry technology.  An additional initiative is to transform one buildings at La Selva into a "Green House" to demonstrate the steps which can be taken to reduce the carbon footprint and operating costs in any house. To join the effort,  you can make a contribution here, or contact Cathleen.lemoine@duke.edu.

SOLAR ING's partnership with the OTS Greening Campaign has proven to be invaluable. The goals of our campaign is a great match for their corporate culture and dedication to environmental conservation.  At this time, they have provided deep discounts and donations of solar water heaters and other solar equipment for out stations as well as consulting on the needs of the station. SOLAR ING Project Manager, Adrián Murillo, stressed that "working with OTS it represents an opportunity to show their company interest on providing solutions to protect the environment. SOLAR ING wishes to go beyond the commercial relation and fulfill a social responsibility."

SOLAR ING is a Costarican company eager to help the Costarican society embrace energy efficient equipment. The are participating in the International competition, Solar Decathlon Europe, scheduled for later this year in France.  They will provide all the equipment and the solar engineering know-how to create a house which runs only on solar energy. This project is leaded by the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica.

For more information visit www.solaringcr.com

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):

Sarah Battermen, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University - Key role of symbiotic dinitrogen fixation in tropical forest secondary succession, published in Nature

Greg Goldsmith, Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University - The incidence and implications of clouds for cloud forest plant water relations, published in Ecological Letters

Bret Pasch, Department of Integrative Biology,  The University of Texas at Austin - Interspecific dominance via vocal interactions mediates altitudinal zonation in Neotropical singing mice, published in American Naturalist