CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- Eric O'Brien is well-versed on the measures the University of Northern Iowa has taken to reduce its carbon footprint.

The university's first sustainability coordinator can readily recite a laundry list of initiatives that save the university money and help the planet.

There is the Center for Energy and Environmental Education --- the state's first solar-powered concept building --- and the new Multimodal Transportation Center --- one of the state's first buildings to capture enough solar power to cover operational needs.

But it is often the smaller programs, like full-service residence hall recycling centers and trayless dining options, that are affecting students and "setting the social norms for the future."

"These programs are much more popular than we ever imagined," O'Brien said.

Richie Judas, of Wind-Rich Energy Solutions LLC, director the flow of concrete for the base of a wind turbine being built on the UNI campus in Cedar Falls Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. (BRANDON POLLOCK / Courier Staff Photographer)