The recent creation of Penn State's departmental office for Sustainability Programs appears to be a wise decision as the university faces the potential loss of a large chunk of state aid and looming budget talks.

Not only is it an effective public relations move, but it may prove an insightful investment that could release funds allocated for electricity as the Board of Trustees attempts to trim precious dollars from the school's budget.

And as the board meeting closes in Friday, it is cost saving measures like these that the university should promote.

The university doles out about $24 million every year just for electricity -- roughly $2 million every month from Penn State's budget, the Sustainability Programs office manager Erik Foley has said.

It is the university's hope that these tremendous bills may be diminished with help from Foley.

But the university and sustainability programs office cannot be expected to trim whopping energy bills without the assistance of students, faculty and staff. Creative, new and innovative ideas must be employed to excite the student population and move them to change their energy consumption habits, but this aspect of the office is obviously a two-way street.

The university community's cooperation is the key to making this new office a success and shrinking Penn State's energy budget to closer fit what it may soon become out of necessity.

Foley has already expressed an interest in employing active student environmental groups in his efforts to cut costs and hopes to impress upon students the impact of their daily energy usage.

If these efforts are redoubled upon students' return to campus in the fall and students accept and expand upon these efforts, this new office has the potential to be one of the greatest investments Penn State makes during this recession.

But if Foley's words -- and those of already-active student groups -- fall on deaf ears, the sustainability programs office could ultimately cost the university more than it saves.