Capstone Project - Resource Management and Conservation Program - Environmental Studies - Antioch University New England

Sample Capstone Project

Cities for Climate Protection Campaign: Local Action Plan for the City of Keene, NH

The City Council of Keene, NH had recognized the need for some type of action to address the dangers posed by global climate change. As such, the City elected to participate in the “Cities for Climate Protection Campaign” organized by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

The study done by the RMC student was assessed the current greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from both the city-run operations and activities within the community as a whole. Economic sectors within this analysis included: transportation, residential, commercial/industrial, waste disposal, as well as the public sectors of wastewater treatment, waste management, vehicle fleet usage, lighting and building maintenance and repair. The analysis was conducted using a version of the EPA Warm model which allowed one to project the emissions of greenhouse gases in CO2 equivalents.

As a result, the City set a goal of a 20% reduction of GHG emissions below the 1995 baseline year estimate. Although the study did not model additional benefits it did qualitatively touch upon the related improvements in air quality, health and economic viability.

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