Turning out the lights in Rockefeller Hall every night could save the University an estimated $3,200 over the course of a year. By turning off the light switches in 20 buildings across campus, Cornell could save over $60,000 per year. These findings — the results of a study conducted by a student committee that collected data on energy usage in Rockefeller Hall over a week-long period — have many important implications that cannot be overlooked as the University struggles to make ends meet in the face of a massive budgetary shortfall.

We admire that such a grassroots approach was taken in conquering the issue of energy waste on campus and we hope the administration is seriously considering how these facts and figures might be useful when restructuring the University’s operating budget. As the provost determines how the budget is to be allocated — cutting academic departments and laying off staff in the process — it is vital that tasks as simple as turning off lights be emphasized as well.

According to calculations in the study, 5 to 10 percent of “major” buildings on campus waste as much as $63,180 per year by keeping lights on when they do not need to be. In context, just last week over 400 faculty members and students signed a petition to save the Swedish and Dutch programs, which were cut in the spring to save approximately $90,000 per year. Why are academic programs getting the ax before Cornell reconsiders excess spending on things like electricity?

Additionally, aside from the cost of leaving lights on in campus buildings, the University should also consider a lights out initiative to reduce its impact on the environment. The study stipulates that 275 metric tons of carbon dioxide could be saved in a year by shutting off lights in 20 buildings. With a commitment to cut carbon emissions down to zero by 2050, it is mind boggling how night after night, carbon is being emitted due to what can only be categorized as an act of negligence.

Currently, there is no University policy in place to ensure that lights are turned off in the evening. Though Jolyon Bloomfield grad, the student behind the study, has proposed hiring undergraduates to turn off lights on campus to help curb energy waste, it is unlikely that the Energy Management Program will implement such a plan given its limited budget.

The University must reevaluate its funding of the Energy Management Program and acknowledge initiatives like this one. At the same time, it behooves all members of the Cornell community to consider the cost of carelessness when it comes to turning off a light switch at the end of the day.