A year ahead of its announced commitment, 乐播传媒 College has become carbon neutral.
Measured against a 2001 baseline, 乐播传媒 has eliminated 95 percent of its campus greenhouse gas emissions, and will purchase carbon offsets for the remainder. In its Climate Action Plan, announced nine years ago, 乐播传媒 committed to hitting this important milestone by 2020.
Reaching the goal early is a measure of the college鈥檚 determination and leadership in combating climate change, and in sustainability overall. Out of some 700 U.S. colleges and universities to sign a carbon-neutrality pledge in 2007, 乐播传媒 is one of only seven to date that have reached that goal.
鈥淭his achievement shows 乐播传媒 at its best,鈥� says 乐播传媒 President Clayton Spencer. 鈥淥ur mission statement calls for responsible stewardship of the wider world, and at this point in our history on this planet, there is no higher need than addressing climate change.
鈥淢ore important, we have met this goal through shared effort, commitment, and creativity by the entire college community with students leading the way.鈥�
Broadly speaking, 乐播传媒 worked on three fronts to shrink its carbon footprint: reducing energy consumption through efficiency measures; strengthening the culture of sustainability on campus; and switching to renewable energy sources 鈥� most important, Renewable Fuel Oil (RFO), a wood-derived liquid that鈥檚 now the primary fuel for the college鈥檚 central heating plant.
“These efforts are a win-win for 乐播传媒:聽The college has reduced waste and achieved carbon neutrality in a manner that makes sound financial sense.鈥�
Largely because of the impact of RFO, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education ranked 乐播传媒 fourth in the world for its clean energy program in 2017.
“乐播传媒 has successfully integrated behavioral change into the everyday patterns of the college and adapted innovative energy solutions into the very core of campus operations,鈥� says Geoff Swift, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer.
鈥淭ogether, these efforts are a win-win for 乐播传媒: The college has reduced waste and achieved carbon neutrality in a manner that makes sound financial sense.鈥�
From its baseline in 2001, 乐播传媒 chipped away at its carbon emissions, gaining major strides after 2005 by purchasing green electricity and, starting in 2017, by using Renewable Fuel Oil in its campus boilers.
鈥淚 chose 乐播传媒 because of its sustainability programs,鈥� says Tamsin Stringer 鈥�22 of Bloomington, Ind. Stringer is a member of both the college鈥檚 EcoReps, a student task force for green initiatives on campus, and its Committee on Environmental Responsibility, a faculty, staff, and student group that charted 乐播传媒鈥� course toward carbon neutrality.
Stringer attended the CER meeting earlier this month where senior staff revealed that 乐播传媒 would achieve neutrality ahead of schedule. 鈥淚 felt proud to be going to 乐播传媒,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he fact that a school can take an initiative like that and uphold its commitment is just really inspiring to me.鈥�
Tom Twist, 乐播传媒鈥� sustainability manager, estimates that nearly two-thirds of the emissions reduction is attributable to, first, 乐播传媒鈥� switch to renewable sources of electricity, in 2005; and second, to efficiency and conservation measures overseen by college energy manager John Rasmussen.
EcoReps, a student task force for green initiatives on campus, have been integral to the college’s march toward carbon neutrality. In 2017, these EcoReps, Isa Moise ’19, Beanie O’Shea ’18, Hannah Slattery ’18, and George Fiske ’19, posed for a portrait to demonstrate the proper use of new waste systems on campus. (Josh Kuckens/乐播传媒 College)
All told, these efficiency measures have reduced the college鈥檚 utility bills by more than $1 million annually. These include the replacement of virtually all campus lighting with LED lamps; enhancing building insulation and replacing windows across campus with better-sealed units; and acquiring technology that enables much more precise, and therefore energy-saving, monitoring and control for HVAC and other electrical draws.
The remaining emissions were eliminated mostly by converting to fossil-free fuels, notably the adoption of the new fuel oil for the steam plant that heats most of the campus 鈥� more than a million square feet of interior space. RFO, produced by the Canadian firm Ensyn, is created from forest industry byproducts in a chemical reaction that, once started, is largely fueled by its own byproducts.
In 2017, the college started burning RFO in one of the steam plant鈥檚 three boilers. This year, 乐播传媒 converted a second boiler, ensuring that RFO is virtually the only heat source for buildings served by the central plant.
乐播传媒 is the only U.S. educational institution using RFO for heat, and one of only three U.S. institutions of any kind that heat with it.
Key to the college becoming carbon neutral is using Renewable Fuel Oil for heat, and 乐播传媒 is the only U.S. educational institution doing so. Here, scaffolding surrounds the new RFO tank in January 2017. (Doug Hubley/乐播传媒 College)
Harder to quantify but essential to 乐播传媒鈥� achievement is a campus culture dedicated to sustainability, as well as social justice, which for many at 乐播传媒 go hand in hand.
The academic curriculum includes an interdisciplinary environmental studies program that integrates the natural sciences and humanities, and immerses students in community-engaged research and action.
Students drive a number of environmental organizations on campus 鈥� notably the EcoReps, overseen by sustainability manager Twist, a program that gives its members both the practical and interpersonal skills to make things happen on campus and in life after 乐播传媒.
The greenhouse gas emissions chart that the college has used to track progress toward neutrality, for example, was created by EcoReps, Twist points out.
Previously, aside from a professional assessment performed in 2009, 鈥渋t was just a blank map. We had no idea where we were. So we had students work on it for two years, and they filled it in,鈥� Twist explains. 鈥淎nd they actually did a better job than the paid consultants.鈥�
Students are “basically embedded in every single sustainability project that we’re doing, and they’re doing real work,” says Tom Twist, the college’s sustainability manager, seen during a recent meeting of the Committee on Environmental Responsibility. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)
As far back as 2014, if not longer, 乐播传媒 faculty have invited students to play a role in the carbon-neutrality effort through their work in class.
For instance, for their capstone project in environmental studies, two 2018 graduates conducted research into carbon offsets 鈥� verified programs that ameliorate atmospheric carbon through various means 鈥� that informed 乐播传媒鈥� current neutrality plan. (乐播传媒 is purchasing offsets that support the capture of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as it escapes from landfills, diverting it for energy production.)
鈥淚 haven’t seen any other school trust its students as much as we do with sustainability work.”
鈥淚 was very excited about this wealth of information that we had at our fingertips and about our realization that we had many affordable options to reach carbon neutrality,鈥� says one of those alumnae, Caitlin Keady of Kamloops, British Columbia.
鈥淚 felt empowered by this work and by the knowledge that with a bit of research and a few late nights I could help change the way 乐播传媒 prioritizes sustainability,鈥� says Keady, who will start working toward a master鈥檚 in environmental engineering this fall. 鈥淚 acquired a vast range of skills as an EcoRep, from leadership and presentation techniques to data analysis and report writing. I grew a tremendous amount as an aspiring professional in this field.鈥�
EcoReps George Fiske ’19, Brent Feldman ’17, and Katharine Gaillard ’19 install solar panels at the college’s Coastal Center at Shortridge in October 2016. The center is now 100 percent solar. (Tom Twist/乐播传媒 College)
鈥淚 haven’t seen any other school trust its students as much as we do with sustainability work,鈥� says Twist. 鈥淭hey’re basically embedded in every single sustainability project that we’re doing, and they’re doing real work.鈥�
He adds, 鈥淵ou hear tons of bad news about climate change every day, but you don’t hear a lot of coverage on what to do about it, and that makes people very depressed and hopeless. We’re showing students a viable pathway for how to do this.鈥�
In fact, the entire campus community benefits from 乐播传媒鈥� inclusive approach to green action. 鈥淚n terms of sustainability,鈥� he says, 鈥溊植ゴ� has a really deep bench.鈥�
“乐播传媒 has stepped up, taken responsibility for its carbon footprint, and done so in a way that should be a model for other institutions.”
Initiatives like the Green Innovation Grants program keep the interest high among staff, faculty, and students alike. And the CER, legislated into existence in 2007 and currently chaired by physics professor Travis Gould, 鈥渋s in a unique position to address higher-level sustainability policy,鈥� says Twist.
鈥淭hat was the group that leveraged what we knew about carbon neutrality and suggested that we advise senior staff that we were within striking distance of neutrality.鈥�
“乐播传媒 has stepped up, taken responsibility for its carbon footprint, and done so in a way that should be a model for other institutions,” says Gould. “It’s been a process of years, and I want to recognize the contributions of faculty 鈥� in teaching, research, and leadership 鈥� that helped get us to this point. This really has been a collective effort.”
A recent poll of the 乐播传媒 campus community showed that virtually the entire student body, and 96 percent of staff and faculty, supported the college鈥檚 attainment of carbon neutrality by 2020.
Slightly more than half of first-year students polled by the college Admission office said that they 鈥� like Tamsin Stringer 鈥� were attracted to 乐播传媒 by its commitment to environmental sustainability.
Like Tamsin Stringer 鈥�22, an EcoRep from Bloomington, Ind., seen attending a meeting of the college’s Committee on Environmental Responsibility, many current students choose to attend 乐播传媒 for its sustainability programs. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/乐播传媒 College)
After peaking in 2003, 乐播传媒’ greenhouse gas emissions dropped dramatically in 2005, the year the college began sourcing all of its electricity from wind power. In 2007, the year 乐播传媒 joined the American College & University Presidents鈥� Climate Commitment, emissions were less than half of the 2003 high-water mark.
Between campus-wide efficiency measures and the sharp reduction made possible by the switch to RFO, emissions plummeted again starting in 2015 鈥� all this despite the addition of some 200,000 square feet of building space to the campus since 2001.
乐播传媒 is relying only minimally on the purchase of carbon offsets to attain carbon neutrality. The college will spend about $7,000 annually to offset fossil-fueled heat in certain buildings and travel to and from campus, including air travel for student study abroad and faculty research trips.
