With more than 50,000 students, The University of Texas (UT) is larger than many cities. But as its population grows, the energy plant that serves the campus has kept a lid on consumption. This vigilant stewardship of resources has earned the UT energy plant the Texas Environmental Excellence Award, the state's highest environmental honor. The University of Texas is one of 12 winners statewide to be recognized with an award, presented by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality at its annual banquet, to be held in Austin April 30.

Over the past decade, UT's Austin campus has increased its overall square footage by 13 percent, and electrical demands have grown by almost twice that rate. Amazingly, the UT power plant has met this rising need with a minimal change in fuel consumption. Engineers accomplished this through a variety of measures, including a boiler retrofit that cuts emissions and optimizes electric motor use. The plant also uses an innovative "real time" dispatch model that precisely manages the use of stand-by equipment. Between 1996 and 2006, overall plant efficiency has increased by 16 percent. Thus UT has avoided substantial emissions of nitrogen oxides and other pollutants.

The gains over the past decade contributed to cumulative natural gas cost savings of more than $33 million dollars. When less energy is used, fewer emissions are produced.

The success of this decade-long effort has positioned the plant to serve not only the university but also the surrounding community that it calls home — because the benefits of clean air have no boundaries.

The TCEQ annually presents the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards to environmental projects across the state that demonstrate excellence in resource conservation, waste reduction and pollution prevention. The award-winning programs reflect the goals of the TCEQ itself: to protect Texas' human and natural resources and ensure clean air, clean water and the safe management of waste. For more information or to submit an application for next years awards, visit www.teea.org.