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Sustainability and Social Justice
Carbon-Neutral by 2020
The Sustainability and Social Justice Committee plays a key role in supporting ANE’s efforts to be a responsible environmental steward and a model for other universities in the region by assessing and reducing ANE’s contribution to the problem of global warming. In December 2006, we formed a Task Force within the Sustainability and Social Justice Committee: the Energy and Climate Action Task Force. The task force’s mission was to assess ANE’s greenhouse gas emissions, set a target for reducing them, and figure out the steps to take in order to meet that target. The Task Force concluded its work in August 2007.
Our mission has been strengthened by ANE’s Memorandum of Understanding with Clean Air-Cool Planet and ANE president David Caruso’s pledge to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Both agreements commit ANE to reduce its carbon impact.
Our goal is to help ANE achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2020. What does it mean to be carbon neutral? At a very basic level, that means that we either no longer rely on, or are offsetting the impact of, carbon dioxide-spewing fossil fuel-based sources of energy for our electricity (which includes our air conditioning each summer), our heat in winter, and our business and academic travel.
Our approach covers these four action areas:
- Conservation- Awareness-raising and education efforts; green-building policies; master planning; purchasing and computing policies; various other initiatives.
As part of our efforts aimed at increasing conservation, we have launched the Carbon Counts: You Can Too education and action campaign. This campaign includes regular educational outreach about how to reduce carbon emissions. A first step was implementation, around campus, of “Flip Me Off,” a low-tech sign campaign urging building users to turn off the lights when finished using a room. Why do we care? Because if the lights in one classroom at ANE are on for 12 hours a day for 5 days, they account for the emission of roughly 120 pounds of CO2 per week. That’s one classroom! Our campaign is focused on helping ANE to lose that CO2 weight.
We also offer everyone at ANE opportunities to learn more and to take action through a lunch-time series featuring our own in-house experts. Speakers and topics include:- Food & Climate — ANE Environmental Studies master’s candidate & SSJC Research and Outreach Coordinator, Katie Stoner
- How Many Psychologists Does it Take to Change a Lot of Incandescent Light Bulbs — ANE Clinical Psychology faculty, George Tremblay and Jim Fauth
- Biodiesel rising...but where is it going? — Keene State College Faculty member and ANE Ph.D. Candidate, Nora Traviss
- Water from The Hills: Climate Change and Hope — ANE Resource Management and Conservation Program Director, Michael Simpson
- Efficiency - As a first step, ANE has installed light sensors in our campus bathrooms to reduce energy use, and carbon emissions that come from the generation of that energy, when the rooms are not in use. ANE’s other efficiency initiatives include conducting an energy audit to assess the benefits of building retrofits (lighting, windows, insulation); Energy Star appliance/computer procurement; and potentially upgrading heating equipment.
- Carbon Offsets Purchasing - Starting with the 2008-09 budget, ANE will be purchasing carbon offsets for its electricity, propane and business travel emissions.
- Renewable Energy - ANE has explored the cost and benefits of switching to wood as a source of heat, and as ANE decides on its future physical plant needs, we will be working to assist in making our campus compatible with green building standards.
© 2007 Antioch University New England, 40 Avon Street, Keene, NH 03431-3516 800.553.8920